Studio Bones is a legendary anime production company, well known for adapting popular anime like Soul Eater, Ouran High School Host Club, and more recent favorites like My Hero Academia and Mob Psycho 100. With a very successful track record, anime fans often speculate which new or up-and-coming series the studio will license and adapt.
Interestingly, Studio Bones latest series, slated to release during the Summer 2024 anime season, feels like a stark contrast from some of the studio’s recent work. Adapted from the original series created by the late Cocoa Fujiwara, The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used To Be Archenemies is an interesting choice, given the original series was never properly finished when the mangaka passed in 2015.
What is The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used To Be Archenemies about?
The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used To Be Archenemies follows exactly what the title suggests – a magical girl named Byakuya Mimori and the leader of an evil organization called Mira are sworn archenemies, but when they finally face off against one another, something unexpected happens that leads Mira into falling in love with Mimori. Enemies to lovers is an extremely popular archetype in popular literature, and seeing it play out in a story with a magical girl at the center is even more exciting.
Because of the author passing with only 21 chapters of the manga released – the story is unfinished. Plus, with the project releasing almost a decade since the mangaka’s passing, the timing feels bittersweet. While its unclear if content will be added to give the series a definitive anime-only ending, fans of the series and of Fujiwara’s work have high hopes for the series due to the staff working on the project. Not only will the two voice actors from the manga’s drama CD adaptation (Ono Yuuki as Mira and Nakahara Mai as Mimori) be returning to reprise their roles as the main characters, Akiyo Ohashi (The Stranger by the Beach, Given -on the other hand) will be directing andYuniko Ayana (The Apothecary Diaries, Given) writing the series’ script, it seems as though the anime will be a labor of love.
