It was pretty much a given that the serious business of Muhyo to Roujī no Mahouritsu Soudan Jimusho was going to start fairly soon, given that despite what the first three episodes may have implied there’s quite a lot of it, and this is a one-cour series.  When too-big stories are adapted into too-small spaces, sacrifices have to be made – it’s just part of the deal.  In that context I think Deen have done about as well as they could’ve in introducing the story and the major characters, though as someone who’s read the manga I’m certainly not the best person to judge that.

This week represents a general upping of the ante on several levels, with the humor taking a backseat to the creep factor and the series’ main MacGunffins starting to come into play.  It begins where last week’s ep ended, with Nana following Muhyo and Rouji through the gate (guess their mom didn’t remind them to always lock the door when you leave the house) to the lands of the Magical Law Association.  Which as it turns out is actually in Nagano, with a decor that plays something like a United Alpine Nations theme park.

One might have thought there’d be more hell to pay for a seeming Muggle like Nana getting in, but no one seems too upset about it.  In fact Muhyo’s old classmate Youichi (Kakihara Tetsuya) is genuinely thrilled, as he’s a bit of a lech and Nana is a rather attractive girl.  It’s Muhyo’s other old classmate that’s exerting the biggest gravitational pull on the story, though – Enchuu (real name Madoka Soratsugu) who Youichi says has the whole town on edge.  Muhyo has noted to Rouji that his old friend has gone over “to the dark side”, but it’s clear there are many details he’s declined to share with his secretary.

The major business of the trip was to be Rouji’s exam of course, but that soon takes a back seat to the huggermugger Enchuu is causing.  He seems to have inflicted a spirit infection on the town, starting with Nana and passing along via touch to Youichi (since he loves to touch), and soon after to a vast swathe of students and instructors.  Muhyo and Rouji are unaffected for the nonce, and Muhyo orders Rouji to keep quiet about it as spirits such as this thrive on chaos.  But alas, Rouji panics when Nana infects him too, and his reaction sets the entire Magical Law Academy into turmoil.

The backstory here is certainly worth letting play out in its own good time (though that will almost certainly be less good time than in the manga) but certain things are clear even now.  Jealousy played a major role in Enchuu’s turn to darkness, and Muhyo’s reputation (for good and ill) is as enormous as his physical stature is tiny.  The problem for Rouji is that he’s living in the shadow of that reputation all the time – a kid of normal abilities having to live up to being the assistant of one with absolutely singular ones.  If he seems to try a little too hard sometimes, well – maybe it’s understandable, under the circumstances…