Magical Girl Raising Project

Episode 8

The number of surviving characters in Magical Girl Raising Project is pretty high relative to the number of weeks left in the season, and that can only mean one thing. Its time to start killing people off like there's no tomorrow! Swim Swim's trap has the intended effect of eliminating Weiss Winterprison, but she manages to kill one of the angel twins before succumbing to her injuries. Calamity Mary attacks Top Speed and Ripple, then turns her arsenal against passing civilians when they choose not to stand and fight. The commotion attracts the attention of Snow White and Hardgore Alice, who rush to the scene together in what appears to be a tentative alliance.

It was almost inevitable that either Sister Nana or Weiss Winterprison would bite the bullet in their meeting with Swim Swim, but I'm surprised by the scene's relatively low emotional impact. Part of this comes down to a lack of surprise; compared to some of the show's other death scenes, this one plays out more or less as you'd expect. Breaking up the angel twins could have some interesting consequences down the line, but they're too obviously expendable to merit much sympathy. Swim Swim's increasing obsession with emulating Ruler is also worth keeping an eye on, though that's more of a thematic curiosity than anything else. The loss of Winterprison ends up feeling more exhausting than compelling; there's an emotionally draining effect that comes with the realization that we're down to just one healthy relationship amongst all the surviving characters.

Speaking of that sole stable relationship, the odds aren't looking great for both Top Speed and Ripple to survive their fight with Calamity Mary. Just in case the reason behind Top Speed's goal of surviving for six months wasn't already obvious, we now see that she's happily married and her husband is worried about her overexerting herself. Gosh, I wonder if they're expecting a baby any time soon. Combine that with Top Speed's insistence on acting as a mentor for Ripple, and you've got an obvious moral dilemma on the horizon. With Calamity Mary gunning for Ripple's head, will Top Speed choose to abandon her friend, put her own life on the line, or leave the people in the street to their fate? I've got a sinking feeling that I already know how this is going to play out, but only time will tell.

This episode also yanks Calamity Mary out of her amoral middle ground and places her squarely into full-on villain territory. It works for her character, but again I'm a little disappointed here. The series already has a great “watch the world burn” antagonist in Cranberry, so putting Calamity Mary in the same category seems redundant. She was a more interesting figure in previous episodes, where she came across as ruthless and self-serving but not necessarily evil. With the end of the season approaching, I suppose the script could only keep her in that gray area for so long. At least things are starting to get interesting between Snow White and Hardgore Alice; Alice's creepy vibe is having exactly the effect I was hoping for by testing Snow White's commitment to being the ideal magical girl. I'm eager to find out if she accepts Alice as a friend or merely leans on her powers, not to mention what Alice's motivations are in all of this.

Magical Girl Raising Project comes across as more grim than clever this week, but it still has strong visuals and some intriguing plot threads working in its favor. I would have liked a more nuanced treatment of Calamity Mary and a more satisfying goodbye between Sister Nana and Weiss Winterprison, but a cast this big is bound to include a few character arcs with underwhelming endings. The fact that I'm disappointed by reasonably competent storytelling actually says a lot about how much this show has exceeded my expectations overall. If the series can spring a surprise or at least nail the presentation next week, getting back on track shouldn't be difficult.

Rating: B-

Magical Girl Raising Project is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Paul Jensen is a freelance writer and editor. You can follow more of his anime-related ramblings on Twitter.