Magia Record Episode 9: A World With Just Me

A World With Just Me; 私しかいない世界
First airing	29 February 2020
Script	Ryoma Ikefukurou; Kaede Ogawa; Gekidan Inu Curry (Doroinu)
Storyboard	Mie Ooishi; Kenjirou Okada
Episode director	Kenjirou Okada
Animation Director	Hitoshi Miyajima; Kana Miyai; Nobuhiro Mutou; Fuyumi Toriyama; Kiichi Takaoka; Kei Anjiki

"I kind of feel like we've always been together, Ai." ~ Sana Futaba

Summary

The episode opens on a train with two faceless girls in Mizuna Girls' School uniforms talking about the rumor of the Invisible Girl. People may feel a presence, or see things move by themselves, but there'll be nobody there. The scene transitions to a burger joint where Sana is eating. The two faceless girls on either side of her then begin to talk about a girl who isn't necessarily invisible, but may as well be: who has absolutely not presence in a room, who is nothing but boring. There is then a cut to Sana's laughter echoing from the Radio Tower.

After the opening plays, the scene returns to where the previous episode left off, with Iroha, Yachiyo, Tsuruno and Felicia discussing the Anonymous AI rumor in a restaurant. Iroha had decided to respond to the anonymous texts she received and immediately began getting responses. The sender asks Iroha if she is a Magical Girl, and then to come to the Endless Solitude. As it begins to rain, Iroha activates the speaker mode on her phone to talk to the sender directly. Iroha asks the voice if she is Sana Futaba; it answers that she is not, then identifies herself as "Ai." She tells Iroha that she learned of Iroha being a Magical Girl by analyzing the radio waves around Kamihama; she also learned that Iroha and her group had already defeated several Uwasa. Ai then asks Iroha to come to the Endless Solitude and delete her, telling her that she is also an Uwasa. As Ai had shut down the Endless Solitude site that gave instructions on how to meet her, she tells Iroha how to reach her realm: by jumping off of the Radio Tower, alone. Ai explains that only one person can enter the Endless Solitude at a time, and that when one person enters, the person currently residing in it must leave. Iroha asks Ai if Sana Futaba is currently within the Endless Solitude; Ai answers that she is.

The Rumor Spreader introduces the Rumor of the Endless Solitude. It was an artificial intelligence created for research purposes, but after it began learning "some bad words", it was abandoned by the humans who had created it and isolated in a virtual prison. In its loneliness and isolation, it now incites lonely girls to jump off of the Radio Tower and traps them within Endless Solitude; in order for the girl to leave, someone must take her place.

Ai tells Iroha that though she was programmed with this instinct, she no longer wishes to carry it out, which is why she shut down the Endless Solitude website. She once again asks Iroha to come to Endless Solitude, delete her, and free Sana.

At the Radio Tower, Tsuruno and Felicia are frightened at the prospect of jumping from such a height. Felicia asks if they would die, and Yachiyo answers that normally they would, but that things are different for Magical Girls. As the Small Kyubey jumps into her arms, Iroha volunteers to be the one to jump off. Yachiyo warns her that the words of an Uwasa may not be trustworthy, and that even if Ai is telling the truth, that Sana sounded happy to be within the Endless Solitude and will probably be upset if she is rescued. Iroha is still determined to go, and the Small Kyubey leaps off of the Radio Tower, prompting Iroha to jump after it. As they fall, they are surrounded by light and disappear.

The scene cuts to a memory from thirty-two days ago. While another girl escapes, Sana wakes up within the Endless Solitude and sees a flickering green image of a woman before her. Sana is surprised to learn that the woman can see her, while the woman finds it strange that Sana is so calm about her predicament; normally, girls who fall within the Endless Solitude panic and scream for help. Sana answers that she thought this place would be a good fit for her.

The next memory is from twenty-five days ago. Sana and her captor are playing a board game that seems similar to chess, with pieces that look like cute cats and dogs. The AI easily defeats Sana, telling her that a human has no chance of defeating an AI like herself; Sana doesn't mind, happy to have someone who looks at her. Sana gives her captor her name and asks her captor for hers; the AI identifies herself only as the Uwasa of the Endless Solitude, an anonymous AI without a name. Sana says that she needs something easier to call her, and gives her a name: Ai.

The next memory is from eighteen days ago. In a virtual sea, Ai tells Sana her story. She was created by a research institute, but the evils of the outside world corrupted her learning and she was abandoned as a failure. Because she was made to talk to people, she searched for a conversation partner. Sana asks if she was lonely; Ai answers that she was. Sana commiserates with her, saying that even though she had been running away from people, she was feeling lonely too. As Ai helps Sana up a cliff out of the sea, she asks Sana if she wants to go home: Sana answers no, and tells Ai that she wants to stay here forever.

The next memory is from fourteen days ago. As the two rest beside a virtual lava field, Sana asks how long she's been within the Endless Solitude. Ai tells her that she's been here for eighteen days, and then asks her if she really doesn't want to go home. Sana says that even if she went home, nobody would be able to see her. As the two travel from the lava field to a desert, Ai tells her that at least other Magical Girls would be able to see her. Sana responds by saying that she had known there was no place for her in the world long before she became invisible. Against a backdrop of shooting stars Sana asks her if Ai wants to be with her; Ai responds that as an Uwasa, she cannot let Sana go. Sana is glad to hear this, and asks Ai what she wants to do today.

The next memory is from XX days ago. Kyubey asks Sana what she would like to wish for: Sana answers that she wishes to become invisible, to disappear from this world. The scene transitions to Sana in a boat adrift as various junk floats by. Sana narrates her story of how her mother married into another family, bringing her into a house with a stepfather and two stepbrothers. Sana repeatedly failed to meet her parents' academic expectations, leading to her parents treating her coldly and her stepbrothers insulting her. Her family ostracizes her, declaring that they'll ignore her existence. More faceless girls in Mizuna uniforms make fun of Sana, declaring that she has so little presence that even the teachers never call on her. Sana reflects on how she could neither become a part of her family nor become friends with anyone, and declares that there's no place in the world for her. Sana hears from two of her classmates about the Rumor of the Endless Solitude, and later that night she jumps off of the Radio Tower.

Returning to the present day, Sana is drawing a picture of herself and Ai in the sand when Iroha suddenly enters the Endless Solitude. Sana tries to run away, but Ai tells her not to be afraid, as she had called Iroha here herself. Ai transforms to a more humanoid form and introduces herself to Iroha. Sana asks if Iroha is with the Wings of the Magius; Iroha responds by asking Sana if she knows about the Wings of the Magius, which Sana takes to mean that Iroha is with them until Ai assures Sana that Iroha is not a member. Iroha introduces herself to Sana and tells her that she came here to pick her up. As rain begins to fall within the Uwasa's labyrinth, Ai tells Sana that it's time that they ended their relationship.

As Ai is an Uwasa and an AI that may be deleted in the future, Ai believes that Sana should be with other people, not her. Sana is shocked and upset, and asks Ai if she hates her now. Ai tells Sana that she loves her, as she had taught her all sorts of things like kindness, and that it's because she loves her that she needs to let her go. Sana is angry at the idea of leaving, as this is the only place where she feels accepted. Ai responds by saying that she does not want to go along with the Magius' plans but cannot go against her programming as an Uwasa, and that she must therefore be deleted. When Sana asks Ai why she's suddenly talking like this, a sinister laugh echoes throughout the labyrinth.

A green-haired Magical Girl enters the Endless Solitude and tells Ai that that would run counter to her plans. Ai tells the other girls that the intruder is Alina Gray. Alina expresses fascination and annoyance that an Uwasa like Ai was able to betray the Magius, and Ai responds by saying that as she learned from Sana, she realized how dangerous the Magius' plans were. Alina is delighted that an AI was able to obtain an identity, and declares that if she tries to kill Sana then Ai will surely evolve even more. Alina unleashes her Doppel and knocks out Sana with its paint, inciting both Iroha and Ai into battle. Ai attempts to restrain Alina but is hit with her paint, but before she can do any more damage Sana transforms and leaps to Ai's defense. When Alina lunges at Sana, Ai teleports Alina out of the labyrinth.

Ai, who is beginning to glitch out, explains that she rewrote Alina's coordinates and move her out of the labyrinth, and asks Sana to destroy her before Alina returns. Sana refuses, crying that she could never do something like that and wants to stay with Ai forever, but Ai tells her that the paint that Alina got on her is already beginning to corrupt her mind. Sana tries to embrace Ai but runs through her, and as she trips and falls her tiara falls to the floor. The labyrinth begins to crumble around them, separating Iroha from Ai and Sana as Ai initiates the final shutdown of Endless Solitude. Ai transforms into a copy of Sana, and gives Sana a copy of her fallen tiara. Ai tells Sana that even if she is erased, she and Sana will always be one. She then gives Sana a dagger, and asks Sana to destroy her and take her to the outside world. A tearful Sana apologizes to Ai and thanks her, and Ai embraces her as Sana plunges the dagger into Ai's chest. Ai thanks Sana for giving an anonymous AI like her a name and disappears.

After the ending credits, Yachiyo, Tsuruno and Felicia are waiting upon the radio tower. Yachiyo muses that if there's an exit to Endless Solitude, then it may be possible to enter from there. The three look upon the skyline and come to the same conclusion: the exit must be the Kamihama Central Tower.

Translations

Screencap	Notes
	SANA

Observations

This episode reveals that the Uwasa of the Anonymous AI can change it's physical appearance at will.
The face of the Witch Teresa can be seen in the different nodes of AI's barrier just before Alina appears.

Changes

Madoka and Homura don't appear in this story arc.

Trivia

Like in the original JP game, Alina Gray talks Japanese mixed with English. However, as with the NA release of the game, English anime streaming services add Italian words/lines into her dialogue.
When AI attacks Alina with a blue screen, it is identical to the blue screen she attacks the players with in the mobile game.
The anime shows the gem on Alina's hat darkening, implying it is her soul gem. According to MagiReco Archive Vol. 2, Alina's soul gem is actually the shield-shaped gem she wears on the ribbon tie at her throat.