Studio Bones and Avex Pictures announced a new anime project at this year’s Anime NYC: an adaptation of Cocoa Fujiwara’s Katsute Maho Shojo to Aku wa Tekitai Shiteita (Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies), shortened as MahoAku. The project has been in the works for the past 8 years: it was put on hold after Fujiwara’s death in 2015.
The author, best known for Inu x Boku SS manga, was apparently a big fan of studio Bones (known for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Mob Psycho 100, Ouran High School Host Club, and more) and pitched the adaptation of MahoAku to the studio’s president. The staff for the MahuAku anime is mostly female with the intention of conveying the delicate emotions in the original work. Bones will be animating the new anime and the staff includes:
- Director: Akiyo Ohashi
- Script: Yuniko Ayana
- Character Design: Haruko Iizuka
- Music: Mayuko
Katsute Mahou Shoujo to Aku wa Tekitai shiteita is a 4-koma (manga with four panels) that ran from 2013 to 2015 in Square Enix’s Gangan Joker magazine. It had a total of 20 chapters and was compiled into three volumes. The plot follows the day-to-day adventures of a lieutenant who serves an evil empire and a magical girl. The manga was never licensed in English.
An official Twitter/X account for the adaptation has been launched. The release date is still unknown.
Source: Anime NYC 2023; Additional reporting by Jay Gibbs
© Cocoa Fujiwara, Square Enix
