Well, this episode was by far the most gory yet. The deathmatch between magical girls that was initially promised in the premesis has finally started in earnest about halfway into the series.
(Spoilers in this review)
Even though the previous episode ended with La Pucelle and Cranberry preparing to fight each other, this episode opens with Makoto, aka Magicaloid 44, giving a homeless man a bento lunch since they’re roommates living inside cardboard boxes under a bridge.
Seems like she occasionally goes home to her parents and ocassionally goes to school, but she chooses to live this way because she enjoys talking to the bum. I’m pretty sure she could afford living in an apartment between her job at a convenience store and the money she extorts from Sister Nana.
It turns out this is a bit of a flashback since we also get to see her become Magicaloid 44, so I guess she doesn’t live this way anymore. It’s strange that she was the one who became a magical girl when she was playing for another woman (A relative? Maybe her mother?) who was too lazy to grind levels on the mobile game. That’s elaborated on later in this episode, however.
After the OP plays, we’re back to the showdown between La Pucelle and Cranberry. Cranberry’s ability has to be auditory illusions from what we see in episode 5’s fight and in this fight. This battle ends in tragedy.
Fav proceeds to do the weekly announcements. There’s now going to be a limited supply of super-rare items that are first come, first serve. Each girl can only buy one. Also, since La Pucelle died, no one has to drop out this week.
Then the eyecatches play. I never realized each one has different backgrounds. Makoto’s, as expected, is all about that money.
We also get some more reveals about Cranberry’s relationship with Fav. Apparently there’s an objective Fav is aiming for with this game and he (I guess Fav is a male) purposefully chose younger girls since they’re easy to rile up. That explains why Swim Swim is so young, as with Magicaloid 44, Snow White, etc.
Fav also drops his high-pitched voice and his verbal tic as he claims that the super-rare items won’t change anything and that Cranberry hates selection tests where the strong can’t win, pon. His voice sounds both deep and scary, wow. And then he calls Cranberry his master and mentions a contract. Very interesting.
Snow White is now by herself and freaking out. Fav encourages her to buy one of the super-rare items. The only catch is that each item are bought with lifespan. So buying the invisibility cloak means the buyer forfeits 25 years of her life. Power at a price!
While she’s devastated over how she is still defenseless, Hardgore Alice finally manages to find her.
Meanwhile, we see that Swim Swim bought the invisiblity cloak without batting an eyelid, that Tama bought one of the magical weapons, and that one of the Peaky Angels bought the magical medicine. I bet those pills have drawbacks.
We also get to see that Calamity Mary bought the magic bag that can hold anything. Of course a materialistic woman like her would snatch that up. She also tells Magicaloid 44 to kill someone in order to gain her trust.
Turns out Top Speed and Ripple couldn’t secure any magical items, either. Top Speed once again stresses that she doesn’t want to die within these six months. There’s obviously a meaning behind those cryptic words, but we’re still in the dark.
Sadly, she’s too idealistic and doesn’t seem to fully believe that the other magical girls are killing each other. However, at least she acknowledges this could happen and is proud of her flying speed being the best. That means she can run away!
The episode ends with Magicaloid 44 slicing Hardgore Alice’s head off with sharp wires. However, Hardgore Alice’s ability kicks in and she retaliates.
Mami fans might be angry? Anyways, since Magicaloid 44 decided that killing other magical girls wasn’t a big deal and was about to kill Snow White, I guess Hardgore Alice is on her side since she killed Magicaloid 44? Or maybe it was just payback? We still don’t know her intentions!
My predictions? Top Speed gets killed off. Maybe not next week, but soon. She’s too naive and trusting. Plus her bringing up that she has to survive for six months is like a death flag. That means Ripple and Snow White pair up just as it’s implied in the OP. It’s just a wild shot in the dark, however.
Next week’s episode is titled, “Up Your Friendship!” I think the episode points to a Top Speed and Ripple episode, even though you’d be pressed to call them friends. But I think Ripple does consider her a friend since she was worried that Top Speed’s broom wouldn’t be able to handle two passengers and a box of heavy scrap metal. Another episode focusing on the four-girl band or another one featuring Sister Nana and Winterprison seems rather unlikely, to be honest.
See you next week!
The Lily Garden 
This ep broke my heart x( I need new faves now RIP so sad still
I also like your Hardgore Alice pun. It made me forget for a little bit.
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I was thinking that this episode killed not only La Pucelle and Magiacloid but also Alane ;_;
M-maybe Swim Swim? She’s still stuck in Ruler’s shadow, though. I’m liking Tama a lot, as well.
We gotta make puns to make the painful times bearable!
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/this is my ghost talking
Cryyyyy idk the more I see all of them the more I like them EVEN THOUGH THEY BETRAYED ME
I think you’re right about Swim Swim/Tama. Top Speed and Ripple piqued my interest more than a lot of the others this ep cuz they were the only ones doing something normal. Snow White breaks my heart more every time i see her. Peaky Angels are still cheeky angels. Cranberry is still so pretty and has amazing bloodlust but whyyyyyy also Alice is very interesting but whyyyyyy
Okay, puns. My thoughts are all Swim Swimming in my head after this ep. It was pretty Hardgore and has forced me to listen to Hatsune Miku singing Magica-Vocaloid songs — THE FACEPALM IS REAL
I’m currently blubbing by catching up with Girlish Number and giggling at Chitose. Will not handle more mahou shoujo today.
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/no ouji board thank goodness.
It’s really hard to choose! Yeah, they’re pretty likeable, too. It is a bit sad almost everyone’s now focusing on fighting.
Seeing Snow White helpless is painful, yeah. It’s going to take some miracles for her to survive. I guess it’s good that Cranberry is only interested in killing off the strong.
I like that. The cheeky Peaky Angels, haha! Cranberry and Alice also give me very mixed feelings. Maybe we’ll find out Alice’s deal next week.
SWIM SWIMMING! HARDGORE! That’s pretty good, haha. Oh, you’re into Vocaloid? It’s been a while for me so my tastes in songs are sooo dated. And there’s all these new ones, but I think Mikulski still has her own charm.
Watching Girlish Number is a nice way to unwind. It’s what we asked for coming into this show, this deathmatch and blood, but it still hurts ;_;
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/o ya please no
I haven’t actually listened to much Vocaloid but I needed a pun so I made that part up!!
I no rite I will accept the consequences of my wishes
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/oh I meant ouija board an ouji board is very very different
I gotta give credit for you going the extra mile!
Wow we’re like real magical girls making wishes for things that mess us up. Madoka is that you??
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/o I did take it as ouija and didn’t know the ouji was something real xD
I guess this is what’s happening T-T
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/ouji boards let you summon dashing princes rite? Dis must be so.
I’ve been wanting to wear some kyubey mink stuff so all is good.
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There was no censorship this time, I am glad, this was how the battles should goes here, bloody, gritty and one wrong steps and death comes. This episode have more hints about what is going on though.
In the novels, there are stories about characters called ‘Episodes’, it is where many things about them is defined, from like, dislike, habits, hope, dreams to fears. Reading those was suppose to make you look the characters and their actions in a new light after reading the main story. (I always end up rereading the arcs after reading those.) These are also important because Magical skills are base on those. (Nana’s power is base on her habit of seeing the best in people and her world view of ‘love’, she isn’t quite right in the head if you haven’t noticed.) Anime is adding of pieces of those back stories, for the characters about to die, it quite worrying for me. (Nana don’t die last episode though) It make the episode predictable as in this one might die.
Because In the novel there is no such things as death flags or main characters, all 16 characters per arcs are cast as main and anyone of those can die any moment. It’s a shame that anime is failing that part.
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Yeah, it’s always worrying when a series censors violent scenes, so good job on the studio for that.
Wow, props to the author. I love reading about that kind of stuff on characters. I didn’t really notice Nana being too crazy, but I guess she does come off as incredibly idealistic. At this rate Ripple is the one girl with her head on straight, huh?
Yeah, I didn’t really want to say it, but it’s starting to feel like you know who’s going to die by the half way point of each episode at the very latest. Hopefully they start avoiding this pattern like they did for Nana and Winterprison in episode 5.
You know, you’re right about this, too. But at least Snow White only gets some of the screen time. Nevertheless, some of the characters get a lot more screen time than others. Calamity Mary is still a question mark despite receiving a fair amount of time, too. I guess it’s hard to balance screen time, backstories, and such in this type of show.
Thanks for dropping by as always. Your insight has made me really want to start reading the novels after the show is finished airing.
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Ripple’s main flaw is being trigger happy and prone to violent outburst at the smallest hints.
I am just glad that people are enjoying this, so I will thank you back for welcoming me.
The light novels has been quite successful for a while and has a good fanbase in japan already and as a fan I definitely recommend reading the novels as it get better and better by arcs, it get longer too so screen time problem don’t exist any more in the latter parts. Also only the first arc, No Mark, which the anime will adapt is the battle royale, the second arc, Restart is a werewolf guessing game and the third arc, Limited is basically 24 hours, the crime thriller, Magical girl edition. This is mainly a thriller series after all, the combats are still lethal as hell though.
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Ah, good points about Ripple. Those are some exploitable flaws for sure.
Yeah, it’s really good. I am just sad that it had a slow start since some people didn’t give it a chance. Thank you once again.
That’s definitely a significant advantage novels have compared to anime adaptions, huh? And wow, the anime will only cover the first arc? The second and third arcs sound amazing, too. I hope they get adapted, too, but we’ll have to see if they keep up the decent job for this arc first.
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