There are some short series that, when watching, you realize are better that way. There are even some full-length series that make you think “this would be better as a short”. But Katsute Mahou Shoujo to Aku wa Tekitai shiteita. doesn’t seem to fit the format to me. I mean, it’s fine – but there’s nothing to it that suggests it wouldn’t be better at full length. I enjoy it but I always feel as if each episode plays as incomplete. Always leave ’em wanting more is fine and all, but this is a production decision I find a bit baffling.
As a function of the half-length the character dynamics play out as pretty superficial. Maybe that’s the way it is in the manga too, maybe not – I certainly don’t know. Yet they are enjoyable. As we progress it appears less likely that Byakuya is playing Mina, which never seemed likely but did seem possible. She seems genuinely downtrodden and exploited, and genuinely infatuated with him. His motives are very transparent. But they are causing him difficulties with his own people. In fact there are even signs they’re beginning to suspect him despite an apparently stellar reputation for evil-doing.
The big news from the episode (and its funniest moment by far) was the revelation that the familiar is a dude in a cat suit. Or at least that’s his physical form, since the whole familiar thing seems to be real. What a piece of work he is too. He puts Byakuya’s tentacle encounter online (behind a paywall) and makes her work at a hostess club (which Mira’s co-workers have dragged him to). He also notes that while Byakuya has to be a virgin to be a mahou shoujo, eventually she can earn money that way too. Yes, this gets pretty dark.
I think we can all agree the familiar is scum, but what Mira is to do about Byakuya is a little more complicated. In Warumono-san of course Pink had a crush on the General, but it was strictly unrequited. I’m not sure resignation is an option for Mira, even if he were so inclined. And now he has a subordinate (or comrade) named Formalhaut assigned to “work with him” on the magical girl problem. Which certainly suggests his odd behavior has set some alarm bells ringing at world domination headquarters.
