There’s something almost theatrical about the way Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku operates. It hands you pastel colours, frilly costumes, and cheerful jingles—then pulls the rug clean out from under you.
The formula worked brutally well in 2016, and now, a decade on from the light novels’ debut, the franchise is returning to familiar territory with a fresh coat of varnish.
The Trailer
The second trailer for Magical Girl Raising Project Restart arrived this week, confirming an autumn broadcast on Japanese television.
Short on exposition, heavy on action—the preview does precisely what it ought to: signal that the survival-game mechanics are back, and nobody’s safe nobody is ever safe.
Minori Chihara’s opening theme, No tears here,
plays throughout—a title that feels pointedly optimistic given the body count we’ve come to expect.
Production Team
The production remains in steady hands. Hiroyuki Hashimoto returns as general director, with Takao Yoshioka continuing on series composition and scripts.
Masako Ito adapts Maruino’s character designs once more, and Satoki Iida retains sound direction duties. Stability behind the camera matters here; the tonal whiplash between cute and corpse requires a firm grip.
Voice Cast
What catches the eye is the voice cast. Nao Toyama reprises Snow White, anchoring the sequel to its predecessor. Around her, a stacked roster of talent:
- Pfle — Yoshino Nanjo (Eli Ayase, Love Live!)
- Shadow Gale — Queen Kondo (Nikaido, Dorohedoro)
- Masked Wonder — Fairouz Ai (Jolyne Cujoh, JoJo’s Stone Ocean)
- Pechka — Honoka Inoue (Aiko Ninomiya, Slow Loop)
- @Meow-Meow — Akari Kito (Nezuko Kamado, Demon Slayer)
- Magical Daisy — Maaya Uchida (Rikka Takanashi, Chunibyo)
- Clantail — Mariya Ise (Killua Zoldyck, Hunter x Hunter)
- Akane — Ami Koshimizu (Ryuko Matoi, Kill la Kill)
- Melville — Shiori Mikami (Historia Reiss, Attack on Titan)
- Cherna Mouse — Maria Naganawa (Kanna Kamui, Dragon Maid)
- Detec Bell — Miyu Tomita (Riko, Made in Abyss)
- Lapis Lazuline — Aoi Yuki (Madoka Kaname, Madoka Magica)
- Keek — Megumi Han (Gon Freecss, Hunter x Hunter)
That’s a murderers’ row of industry heavyweights—and, one suspects, a deliberate choice. When your narrative hinges on elimination, investing in distinctive vocal performances raises the stakes. The audience remembers who speaks; they notice who falls silent.
The Premise
Asari Endo’s source material never pretended this was anything other than a dark fantasy.
A mobile game grants ordinary girls genuine magical abilities, then pummels them into a battle royale where survival isn’t guaranteed—it’s earned.
Restart introduces new rules and fresh faces, but the core thesis holds firm. The dream sours; the nightmare takes over.
Context
The first anime adaptation aired in 2016, earning a reputation for its willingness to dispatch characters with genuinely startling efficiency.
After nearly a decade away from the screen, this sequel carries the weight of expectation—and the freedom that comes with having already broken the audience’s trust once.
What separates a franchise that returns after ten years from one that should have stayed dormant? And when a series builds its identity on unpredictability, does returning to the well inevitably dilute the shock value—or can craftsmanship still deliver the knockout blow?
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