Let’s see, the introduction of a new character? Check. The introduction of a new rumor/mystery that could be tied to Ui’s disappearance? Check. Cool visuals? Those are a go! With these ingredients, I will make an episode of Magia Record that will blow you away! Now, go ahead. Give it a number rating, put a numeral value to what you have witnessed here today! What? Only 50%? Well, I mean that’s okay I guess.
In this episode, we are introduced to a new magical girl [This one fire based] named Tsuruno. She’s hyperactive and a little pushy but she seems to be a generally good person. Iroha is sent to her for good food while she stays around to find her sister and for additional help in her search. Tsuruno knows someone who can help and calls them up, of course though, all roads seem to lead back to Yachiyo.
Yachiyo seems to be looking into the mass of rumors going around the town similar to the friendship ending staircase as well.
The one they look into this time is the ‘Seance Shrine’, where you pray to meet with someone you want to see with all of your heart and you should be able to see them. Even if that person is dead. It’s tied back to an old area legend about a woman from long ago killing people as sacrifices for the miracle of seeing her dead lover once more. Iroha thinks it’s a sweet legend, Yuchiyo disagrees. I have to side with Yachiyo on this one, perhaps if it was just the idea that she prayed every night for her lover for years and years. It would be a sweet legend, but once you bring in the murder of everyone living with her and their blood used as sacrifices. Then it just becomes downright disturbing.
The girls spend most of the episode searching for the shrine. They fight a witch at the grocery store, and something that Yachiyo says finally makes it click how to activate the shrine. So they return at night to the place they first suspected it to be.
Iroha and Yachiyo both pray to meet with someone, while Tsuruno is told not too since she would probably pray for the same person that Yachiyo was going too. Tsuruno is separated from the group as the area warps as punishment for not writing down a name. Iroha and Yachiyo do their prayer and when they turn, they are faced with the people they prayed for.
Ui and another girl, I can assume a prior magical girl that Tsuruno and Yachiyo were acquainted with.
This is where the episode wraps up and honestly? It was a pretty standard episode. I have to give Shaft credit for the way they kept scenes with a lot of talking interesting with fascinating and beautiful visuals. Visuals have always been one of the strong points of Madoka Magica. I am very interested in who the person that Yachiyo prayed to see is and how she ties into Yachiyo and Tsuruno’s characters. I am also fairly interested in some of the other rumors that the other girls mentioned.
Then there is also the background plot with Mami and the fact that finally, someone else has seen the young Kyuubey. I can’t help but wonder how he ties into all of this, at least I know now that he is not something just seen by Iroha. Since Yachiyo does acknowledge seeing him.
I still don’t have any theories on Ui or what happened to her.
We’ll have to find out!