I won't let anyone die anymore.
What They Say:
Aya Asagiri lives a life of torture. Bullied by her peers and physically abused by her brother, she contemplates suicide as a means of escapism. One particularly harsh night, her laptop abruptly turns on and beckons her toward it. There, a website known simply as the 'Mahou Shoujo Site' offers her a chance to sculpt her own fate with the help of a stick that will grant her powers. But will something as simple as a magic wand truly be enough to save her from a life not worth living?
The Review:
Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)
The death of Nijimin has sent Aya on a downward spiral. Blaming herself for the death of her half-friend/half-enemy, she's taken to locking herself in her bedroom until she figures out a way to atone. And, as if that wasn't enough, now the police (Or at least a similar organization) are investigating the disappearance of her brother and want to question her. Fed up with everything, she retreats to the river to think things over, only to run into Sarina for the first time in a few episodes. Well, it's actually somewhere more along the lines of Sarina following her or something but, either way, these two are reunited.
Considering that Sarina has wanted Aya dead for all ten episodes thus far, their meeting is actually rather shocking. Instead of offing her right then and there, she actually returns Aya's stick. It isn't until later on in the episode that we find out why. Apparently, Sarina's a lot smarter than most of us give her credit for (Not me, though. She's my favorite). She basically figured out that the administrators were just using her to do their dirty work and, without letting them know, she's decided to start handling things her own way. In order to do that, however, she's decided to do a complete 180 and align herself with the same girls she considered her enemy just days ago.
The bulk of this episode takes place at a gigantic cathedral- host to Nijimin's memorial service. Being an ex-idol of Dog Play, the turnout for said memorial is huge. Fans from all over the country flock to the funeral, making this the perfect opportunity for Nana to show off what she's capable of when she truly applies herself. Just as the service is coming to a close, Nana blows the place to smithereens in an attempt to end the lives of all the remaining magical girls at once. Unfortunately for her (Or him? Or it? It's hard to tell), Sarina's change of heart saves everyone. Aya winds up showing up unannounced and teleporting everyone out before Nana has the chance to kill them. So now, she's blown up a perfectly good cathedral for nothing. Oh, also, apparently she has some affiliation with that blue-haired detective guy. I have no idea what their relationship is at the moment, but at least we've confirmed that they know each other.
The episode's final act shows a confused Aya, pointing her gun at her friends and asking that they give up fighting this battle as she wants to go it alone. Understandably grief-stricken, Aya knows no other way to guarantee the safety of everyone that she loves. However, this mindset heavily contradicts a few things she said earlier in the series- particularly the whole "never leaving Yatsumura alone" thing. Yatsumura points this out during a quick monologue and, what do you know, Aya collapses and comes to her senses. Now, the girls must figure out a way to fight back against the administrators- the same thing they've been trying to do for like four straight episodes now. But hey, at least now they've got a secret weapon on their side.
Also, who's bright idea was it to let Nana sing the opening this week? Can we not let that happen again, please? That was friggin' terrifying.
In Summary:
Well, it only took ten episodes, but our protagonist is finally beginning to show some signs of development. With the first true fatality of the series thus far and an extreme change of heart from Sarina, Mahou Shoujo Site begins to move away from its predictability for the first time since its pilot. I mean, it's still relatively obvious which direction the series is going in, but having the girls act as more than just simplistic archetypes is actually rather refreshing. Mix that with Nana's increased mysteriousness and the addition of a new antagonist (?) in the detective dude and we've got a formula for some increased entertainment as the final arc begins to kick off.
Episode Grade: B
Streamed By: Prime Video
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