Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we stand on the precipice of apocalypse as we return to Blue Reflection Ray, in the wake of Momo’s revelatory confrontation with her former partner Mio. There’s apparently a good reason why Momo’s memories of their partnership are unclear: she actually died in the wake of their final defeat, alongside everyone else in this world. But the universe has provided our reflectors another chance to make good, and this time, Mio is determined to achieve victory no matter the cost.
This explanation does a fine job of explaining Mio’s actions so far, as sacrifices made and bridges burned in order to save those she loves, even if they themselves cannot understand her actions. It also offers more context regarding this whole reflector paradigm, which is apparently an instrument of a higher organization that has somehow spun off its tracks, leaving both blue and red reflectors with no certain purpose. That in turn furthers Blue Reflection Ray’s thematic conflict, challenging Momo’s assertion that the only antidote to trauma is drawing it into the light. As Mio said, that might work perfectly fine for someone as strong as Momo or Miyako, but what about Niina, or Kana? Without a support structure and strong sense of self, simply facing your trauma isn’t likely to resolve it; as such, it is likely that both red and blue reflectors have their place, each a necessary aid in the protection and liberation of those imprisoned by their darkest feelings. Let’s see if these girls can find some common ground as we return to Blue Reflection Ray!
Episode 10
“The Beautiful Girls Digging a Grave.” Whew, that’s an ominous fuckin’ episode title
We open back at the chapel, with Niina apologizing for failing to protect Mio, and Mio comforting her by saying “your feelings were stronger than ever.” The two are sympathetic to each other in a certain way, but they are certainly not partners – there’s none of the mutual trust exhibited by our other pairs, and certainly none of the “I want you to share your true feelings with me” sincerity that Ruka and Hiori have achieved. Instead, Mio pities Niina, and Niina worships Mio, a deeply unequal relationship that emphasizes the limitations of red reflector bonds, how without total embracing and sharing of their emotions they cannot truly connect
“This is nothing.” Niina is accustomed to disregarding her own wellbeing, and waves off Mio’s attempts at concern
Shino questions why Mio revealed the deadline of three days to Momo. Mio replies “it doesn’t matter,” but it’s clear that Shino’s worries are well-founded – Mio is wavering, and her reveals to Momo are a reflection of her hope to reunite with her partner and sister
“The First Day.” Ah, an ostentatious countdown for these last three days. Always a fine trick for creating a sense of urgency, and fostering a dramatic irony-adjacent awareness of time’s passage that inherently feels more pressing to the audience (who are experiencing these three days as twenty minutes) than the characters
Momo breaks the news regarding their deadline after school
Momo’s alleged parent organization the AASA is also no longer responding, leaving the girls to fend for themselves. I’m reminded of similar moments of the magical girls’ support structure abandoning them when its true nature is revealed in Madoka and Yuki Yuna – and given the contours of our modern society, it’s no surprise that our fiction would start reflecting a deep distrust with alleged social, political, or commercial institutions, the so-called safeguards of capitalism. We are blatantly defined by our superiors as resources to be chewed up and discarded, so why would things be any different for magical girls?
It’s the same understanding of societal injustice that animates modern isekai – “this world is alienating and unfair, so let’s imagine leaving this life and thriving in a world where the rules are fair and I am valued.” Older isekai used to imagine having grand adventures elsewhere and then putting those lessons to work in our own world, but in the modern world we generally don’t expect the future to get any better, so escape is the only option
Magical girl takes on this dynamic tend to be a bit less bleak and self-absorbed, but still not particularly hopeful about the future. Madoka and Yuki Yuna both preach solidarity, but neither expect it to change the world – only to hopefully carve out a small space for the people you love to live freely
“Hearing that we died or didn’t die doesn’t seem real.”
Hiori idly wonders what happened to her sister during the reset, which Ruka takes as a positive sign of her actually articulating her feelings
Miyako’s research into their enemy’s base is overseen by another student named Saiko, who seems connected with the red reflectors
“If we’re going to face them, we have to make the first move.” I’d like to see Miyako take the battlefield as well, but she’s clearly already more than pulling her share as the team’s researcher and de facto leader. And there’s certainly an appeal in maintaining that distance – in proving someone can be just as essential as the front line fighters through embracing their own talents
“We doin’ a raid? Bring it on!” Bless you Momo
Miyako swiftly deduces that their warning of “three days” can be interpreted as a weakness, meaning they still need three days to accomplish whatever they’re planning
She tells them to treat Mio as an enemy from a parallel world, but her allies can’t abandon their hopes of resolving their differences with the red reflectors through dialogue, and thus Miyako storms off in a huff. Hard to find reliable magical girl soldiers these days, huh Miyako
Meanwhile, Shino gives Niina a powerful ring, one that will turn her feelings into potent magical fuel, but then erase them entirely. So it falls to Niina then, to at last decide whether her painful feelings are of any value, or whether she truly believes in the oblivion of the red reflectors
And thus we move on to the second day
Miyako still hasn’t returned to the group. We check in and see she’s adrift in self-doubt, wondering about her usefulness to the group, or if this is really a place where she can belong. She is met at the train crossing by Ruka – a classic setting for transitions and goodbyes, for passing between worlds
Miyako first stresses that she was always iffy about Ruka, and also that she’s pissed Ruka gets to be a reflector, before eventually thanking her for chasing her down. Miyako is very bad at apologies
“We feel so reassured when you’re around. All of us do.” The friction of honest confession is always preferable to the polite distance
Through honest communication, they actually strengthen their mutual bond. In silence, even a small disagreement like this could have festered into a total break, and subsequent sense of isolation that could lead Miyako right back where she started. Sharing our true feelings is embarrassing and painful, but absolutely essential
Meanwhile, Hiori’s daydreaming about whether she can truly come to see her sister as an enemy to be defeated. A somewhat awkward sequence visually, as this production doesn’t really possess the resources to make Hiori’s dreams feel visually distinct from her waking life
The group connects through a video call. Very Hiori-appropriate detail that she holds her camera way too close to her face
Hiori states that she’ll fight her sister so that she can understand what she’s feeling. A very shonen attitude, also appropriate for Hiori
“The final fragment must come from a Reflector.” Mio and Shino reveal they’ve actually set Niina up, knowing she’ll be so tormented by the promise of the ring that she’ll create the final fragment herself
But Shino then claims that Hiori must create the final fragment, truly testing Mio’s conviction
Shino then basically just mind controls Mio into obeying her, which feels a little weak dramatically to me – having the red reflectors actually possess some good points makes for a more compelling conflict
And Shino heads out to muck up our heroes’ plans, swiftly running into Ruka!
And Done
Thus the dawn of the third day arrives, promising a bombastic conclusion to our war of red and blue reflectors. This episode basically served as a final overview of the psychology and bonds defining both our sides here, with Miyako’s initial disagreement ultimately just demonstrating how close our main quartet have become, and how much strength they draw from each other’s presence. Meanwhile, the red reflectors seem more isolated than ever, consumed by plots within plots as both Niina and Mio grasp for the sort of community their nihilistic ethos could never provide. You gotta save ‘em, girls!
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