The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies

(Katsute Mahō Shōjo to Aku wa Tekitai Shiteita)

The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies (Katsute Mahō Shōjo to Aku wa Tekitai Shiteita)

Since today is Self-Love Day and tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I would like to introduce you to an anime about a very unique kind of love.

This series embodies everything I value in Japanese animation—qualities that, in my opinion, often set it apart from many Disney productions (with the possible exception of The Lion King, which is said to have been inspired by Kimba the White Lion). In Western animation, I often find myself missing this level of emotional complexity and deeper meaning.

Based on the manga by Cocoa Fujiwara, published between 2013 and 2015, the story remained unfinished following the author’s untimely passing. In 2024, it finally received an anime adaptation by Studio Bones, consisting of 12 short, impactful episodes. Perhaps it is this very incompleteness that makes the viewing experience so unique.

The story follows the Lieutenant—a wealthy, high-ranking official in an evil organization—who falls for Byakuya, a magical girl living in extreme poverty. What is most striking about this story is its groundedness. Byakuya works multiple part-time jobs just to survive; she fights monsters and then rushes off to work. Her life isn't a polished fairy tale—it is weary and mundane.

Meanwhile, he stands on the "dark side," representing absolute privilege. They meet to fight, and theoretically, his job is to analyze and dismantle her. Instead, he finds himself falling deeper in love with her.

It is a series you watch with a smile, yet Byakuya’s life is marked by misfortune. The Lieutenant repeatedly pleads with her to stop being a magical girl—not to defeat her, but because he is terrified of the day he might be ordered to kill her. Her power as a magical girl, known as "Glass Happiness," draws its strength directly from her own misery and suffering. The more she suffers, the stronger she becomes.

What moves me most, however, is her refusal to quit. It’s not out of naivety or a lack of understanding of the danger. It is because she deeply believes that someone has to stand on the side of good.

Will they find happiness together? One would like to believe so... but we will never truly know. The series remained unfinished after the author's death on March 31, 2015. Perhaps it is this lingering silence that gives this story such an extraordinary dimension.