Mahou Shoujo Magical Destroyers Episode 4: R U Ready?
Another day, another Magical Destroyers episode. It's not so much predictable as it is informative and relatable, but that doesn't cause the value or enjoyment of it to depreciated as it parades itself around through Inagawa's vision that tackles just as many abstract concepts as it does pieces of otaku culture.
So I think I'll try to keep this one short, since the idea is pretty well established and explained. The episode is effectively all about the rift between generations in otaku culture, as a hobby almost. It's about the modern day reconciling with its roots, and that source lashing out at where they've been forced to come to.
Before I get into that though, I want to establish some history with the term Otaku. It originated in the 80s, much like the otaku shown in this episode, and it is indeed a word that's come to embody a similar meaning to how English speakers see "geek" and "nerd", but it wasn't always that way.
Otaku is a very finnicky term in its early years. Originally, it was popularized as term in a magazine that was known for Lolicon Hentai content (though it was later lessened due to reader feedback). Regardless, the term came to be a way to refer to who we see as Otaku thanks to a columnist that would write articles titled "Otaku Research" (Otaku no kenkyuu). From there, it saw use at a marginally harsher version of "geek" or "nerd". Basically, like how old school movies would have bullies refer to kids as a geek. Derogatory and aggressive, but not something full of distaste or anything.
That changed at the end of the 80s though. As the term Otaku gained ground it was used by more, and was forever attached to the "Otaku Murders". Tsutomu Miyazaki was in their late 20s at the end of the 80s, and was a serial killer at the center of a batch of gruesome acts over the course of a year. After being caught and arrested, media began to label Miyazaki as an Otaku and created a massive moral panic to erupt towards the group in Japan at the time. The piece that remains interesting however is that Miyazaki's collection was largely live action horror and pornography, but the media ran with his collection being largely anime and manga.
It's very heavy, but it's how the life of the term Otaku really started. An immediate plummet towards rock bottom that created an intense separation and hatred of Otaku in Japanese society. Outcasts, people that are unable to understand or relate to reality, people that cannot integrate with society, failures. It was a harsh and terrible time to be an Otaku, which this episode does a solid job of depicting while leaving out the heavier aspects.
And within that, a rift is formed. The older otaku who struggled to enjoy their hobby, versus the younger otaku who know nothing of strife. It's a great interaction as you see it all over the place with generations across media and hobbies. Car guys, music (particularly stuff like Rap), even video games. The challenges that faced earlier generations were their rite of passage, one that newer generations never cleared or struggled with. And on the opposite end, why would the newer generations respect that struggle when they have everything in front of them and have their own issues?
It's a back and forth that, even though it's covered comically, gets the point across of the generational gaps in hobbies and the distaste that each sees in the other. So very much something that holds particular value in otaku culture, but can also be applied and related to other hobbies and interests.
Okay, well this is not short but there's still more to, sorry! I'll try to breeze through it.
It's impossible to remove tropes and clichés from the root of how many fans see and understand anime these days, so I like how much they're leaned on through this series alongside expectation subversion. It's fun, definitely not fresh, but an enjoyable feeling of nostalgia for the illogical and odd nonetheless.
Plus, random fanservice? Gotta love it, and how it both sort of mocks the pointless scenes of women in animanga, while also placing the sexualization of Blue in her own court.
The pervasion of Otaku culture in interaction and casual dialogue is still quite fun and it finds the right times to make it funny versus making it something closer to a parody. I wouldn't exactly call it a parody as it's not mocking it per se, but it's certainly not an entirely serious depiction either.
In addition to that, I'm also still liking the sort of romantic undertones that the characters give off randomly. I'm unaware as to whether or not it's an intentional piece, but it really adds to that immature feel that pervades a lot of the shallow aspects of the story. You can see it as the weird and wacky Magical Girl comedy that's a high schooler's vision, or you can see the pieces that it expresses underneath. It's easy to take the shallow without the depth, but the latter doesn't come without the former.
And I think that's an important piece to remember with Magical Destroyers. You can take it as it gives it you and have a good time if you're okay with the production value, but you can't separate the two facets of Inagawa's approach to his work in this anime. In for a penny in for a pound, and I think fans that dive in headfirst are really appreciating what Inagawa's giving out.
So I know the first episode is typically a litmus test for a series, but with Magical Destroyers the first episode is more like getting ready to jump off a cliff, and the second episode is doing just that. It takes the plunge into Inagawa's mind in earnest, and introduces more of the various aspects that punctuate his art. Just how far does the episode go though, and how far are we going to be taken?
I think the answer to that question is: as far as the opening goes. Why might that be the answer? Because the opening is in the episode. Specifically, when Otaku Hero and Co go to get Pink back, we see that her little hideaway is the same as the building that was featured in the opening. I'd show the opening but its' so messy you can't even really make it out that well.
What you can make it well though is the women with exposed brains. These too seem to be a penchant of Pink-chan's.
And I think that's a pretty solid example of this second episode. It's caught up to the vibe of the opening, and is expressing some of the core aspects of Ingawa's work.
Would I say it's a really great representation of it, or that it's executed wonderfully? I wouldn't, no. Bibury is hanging on for dear life with this series already in the second episode and I think there's a world of stuff out there that could be better done with a more competent studio, but I'm not going to laugh in the face of a golden opportunity.
Regardless of that, re-winding to the start of the episode, I really enjoyed Blue's characterization this episode. They're able to lean on her sex drive as a comedic aspect without making her out to be anything gross or whatever. It's nice and light, and they even use it to play into the expectation subversion of the series.
On the other hand, we've got Pink who is a personification of Inagawa's vision, only somewhat bastardized. I find it really funny that the only one that isn't articulate "normally" is the one that expresses the most of Inagawa's direction. Of course, it's in a way that enables Pink's escape from reality though. Because there's no way there was gonna be a "perfect" character. With that in mind, Pink is a rather normal style of character compared to the other two. Exhausted from the expectations of Otaku and other nerds and people, she can't stand what they want of her and wanted a place where she can be herself.
Though Pink doesn't really understand the net that's cast by expectations. Even running away to her own paradise, she's held up by expectations for her to be who she is, to be the person that holds their group together. Thankfully at the end, we see positive reinforcement from the people that surround her, that use their power to encourage Pink to return to Otaku Hero and the other Magical Girls.
Getting past that, I think the concept behind Pink's mind battle vs Anarchy and Blue was a fun idea, with good parts for sure, but leaves a bit to be desired considering how off the rails the OP was.
Oh, and the ending for MAD is pretty damn amazing. Wild that MAD is most likely going to have both opening and ending of the season.
Overall, I think there's less to comment on in this episode than the first because we're settling in. People are figuring out what Magical Destroyers is going to be all about, and a lot of what is presented ends up a bit self-explanatory. The concept is really solid, but it's going to be quite rough around the edges, if people are cool with that then that's cool. If not, watch the OP and ED and you'll get the majority of what Magical Destroyers is trying to put down.
A magical girl who enjoys otaku culture in her hometown of Akihabara. The otaku who live there call her Anarchy-chan, enamored by her harsh tone of voice. She overwhelms the anti-nerd forces with her immense magical power.
CV: Fairouz Ai
Additional notes under the cut.
As I don’t know Japanese, the translations for each character bio are kind of roundabout. Using DeepL and Google Translate as cross references, I’m attempting to preserve the original message of the text while making it sound more natural in English. I put these notes here for when I take creative liberties in the translation.
The first line could be seen as “rooted in Akihabara” or “based in Akihabara”. Going off of the anime, Anarchy’s hometown is technically unknown. She was sent to Otaku Hero from an unknown location. Regardless, I chose the phrase “hometown” since it’s where she’s the most comfortable. Even though she wasn’t born there, she’s connected to it in the same way.
Not sure if the harsh/crude remark refers to her voice or her vocabulary. Either could work.
The text at the end roughly translated to “overwhelming the armies with overwhelming force” so I tried to make it flow better.
Bonus:
Aside from voicing Anarchy, Fairouz Ai’s discography has some familiar faces for those into modern anime. She voiced Jolyne Cojuh in the Stone Ocean anime and Power in Chainsaw Man.
