That post I just reblogged was very interesting to read because like, I play JP, I don’t read the story translations, my entire exposure to Iroha as an actual character is through the Magia Record anime. And as I finished up the dub rewatch the other day, one thing I took note of that I guess I didn’t really process before was just how, distant Iroha is as a character.
Like the post says, there are rarely any moments where she’s emoting all that strongly, and most of them she’s alone for. Post was made before the anime finished so I guess it missed some of her slightly more emotional moments, but even when it comes to the moments where she’s showing more kindness and fondness for like, Sana or Felicia, there’s still a sense of distance. Like Iroha herself doesn’t really know why she wants to be friends with these people. With the scenes in episode 13 where she expresses her discontent with Yachiyo disbanding their team, and how she promises Yachiyo not to die and stuff, I think it’s clear that Iroha does get something out of her Mikazuki relationships, but she still reads as detached from them anyway, like what she has with them is more transactional than anything. Iroha wants to help these people and clearly wants to be friends with them, but the main way that’s expressed is that they now live together and operate as a magical girl team. I don’t think she wants to keep the distance that she does, but I don’t think she knows how to close that distance either.
I guess I am just rambling at this point, not really sure where to go with any of this. It’s interesting learning that this isn’t really how Iroha is in the game, but I do like this Iroha. I don’t know what it is that’s stopping her from connecting with people, maybe it’s even just her desire to find Ui above all else, but the way she gives those impressions of distance remind me of like, I guess the best sorts of writing in Madoka proper actually. In that, the way Iroha is acting feels very inhuman, and unnatural, and yet it feels very important too, and realistic. Nobody would ever act like that, but if they did, that’s what it would look like. I guess? It’s 3 in the morning, hopefully I’m expressing this clearly.
