Magma Taishi! (Ep 5-7)

After looking at the arc breaks, I decided it made more sense to release Magma Taishi (Ambassador Magma) in four batches of four, three, three, and three episodes, respectively. So this release include episodes five to seven. And in this set, the complications pile up thick and fast. The Murakamis gain some new allies: Umemura Sayaka, an inquisitive and martial-arts proficient female reporter; 

and Gam, a "rocket man" created by Earth-the-spirit in Mamoru's image. 

The Murakamis will need all the help they can get, because Goa and his minions have been running a sophisticated infiltration campaign that started before his reawakening. (Who orchestrated it, exactly, if Goa wasn't around? Never specified.) Aliens disguised as humans (pseudo-humans) made contact with Japanese Intelligence and provided technology that facilitated the Japanese economic miracle. 

This gives them credibility with the government. They now use that credibility to launch a disinformation campaign against Magma, blaming the golden giant for a tsunami that floods Tokyo.

Meanwhile, a minion of Goa's, the "oni" (ogre)  Udo, is slowly regaining strength by kidnapping and eating residents in a rural area. 

He's protected (natch) by a classified facility that the government leased to the aliens in return for the advanced technology. Atsushi is trying to trace Goa's footsteps by finding a small shrine, whose picture was hidden in a locket left by the now-deceased Asuka family. And both the aliens and the Intelligence agency are after Mamoru and his memories, hoping to find a path to Earth-the-spirit, who remains enigmatically offstage, only appearing long enough to entrust Mamoru with a device (called a flute) that summons Magma when needed.

The show does a very good job depicting the bafflement and frustration of the Murakamis and their allies, who always seem one step behind Goa and his machinations. At the same time, the diverging plot threads give this set of episodes a somewhat unfocused feel. Are the forces of good making progress, or are they just running around in ever-widening circles?

The already large voice cast adds additional characters in these episodes:

• Matsui Naoko (Umemura Sayaka played Caterina, in Tottoi, Efera in Gude Crest, Wato-san in Mitsume ga Tooru and Tezuka Osamu ga Kieta?!, and Lady Dola in Ai to Ken no Camelot, and she appeared in Hi-Speed Jecy and Every Day Is Sunday, all Orphan releases. She played the title role in Compiler, Uru Chie in High School! Kimengumi, Katsumi Liqueur in Silent Mobius, Run Run in Mahoujin Guru Guru, Roux Louka in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, Suzuki Sonoko in the Detective Conan franchise, Juushimatsu in Osomatsu-kun (1988), Wendy in Peter Pan no Bouken, Marian in Robin Hood no Daibouken, and Matsu in Nobunaga no Shinobi.
• Inoue Kikuko (Kitafuji, a sympathetic female doctor at National Intelligence) played Kasumi in Ranma 1/2, Chigusa in Kekko Kamen, Mizuho in Onegai Teacher and Onegai Twins, Yayoi in the Happy Lesson properties, Momozono Mei in Mouse, Maria in Gungrave, Emeraldas in Space Symphony Maetel, Belldandy in the Ah My Goddess franchise, Lust in Full Metal Alchemist, Goei in Ikkitousen, and the mother in the Uchouten Kazoku series. She also played the Queen of Antiphon in Hameln no Violin Hiki, Satomi in Nemure Omoigo, Chamberlain, Guilford's executive officer, in Nana Toshi Monogatari, Stasia in Megami Paradise, Shouta in The Girl from Phantasia, Narusawa in Doukyuusei 2, Doria in D4 Princess, and Mai in Hand Maid May, all Orphan releases. 
• Aizawa Masaki (Inoue, Kuwabara's sidekick) played Date Eiji in the Haijime no Ippo franchise, Todou Heikichi in Inazuma Eleven GO, and Norman in Red Baron. He  appeared in Chobits, Fire Force S3, Moonrise, Okane na gai!, Wolf Guy.
• Arakawa Tarou (Dr. Tsukioka, a scientist in National Intelligence) appeared in Blue Sonnet, Dokushin Apartment Dokudami-sou, and Tezuka Osamu's Tales from the Old Testament, all Orphan releases.

The staff changed only slightly. Yume translated. ImAWasteOfHair timed. I edited and typeset. Paul Geromini (taking over from ImAWasteOfHair) and Uchuu QCed. The encoder was an anonymous friend. As before, this is a dual-audio release, with a signs-only subtitle track to go with the English dub.

Magma Taishi is now past the halfway point, and the endgame is murky. The forces of good will be victorious, of course, but exactly how is not all clear. You can get this set of episodes from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net