Majo to Yajuu

 A bit of a "this just looks cool, let's watch it" anime of the Winter season I selected, the series, called in english The Witch and the Beast" is an action fantasy series.

It follows a duo of adventurers out to look for the Original 17, withces of days old.

Guideau is cursed by the witches, and now seeks revenge and break the curse.  Joining her is chain-smoking Ashaf, a mage who constantly carries a coffin on his back.  During their journey's, they try to solve and face various magical events, while constantly on the hunt for witches.  In their first city they visit, a large sharkmonster is held back by Lady Ione, a witch that protects the city, and Guideau rushes in to attack her.

But a young girl defends the witch, telling them not all witches are inherently evil.  But during her anniversary party for her students, it is revealed she actually is truly evil as she wants to use their essence to free a portion of her locked powers.  Guideau and Ashaf intervene, and as Guideau gets hurt, the true nature of the coffin is revealed: Guideau has another form, that of a huge, brutal man-beast, the natural enemy of a witch.

 

 

Resolving that case, they have to do "menial" tasks for the Order of Magical Resonance, much to Guideau's chagrin.  But then they are called up to track down a serial killing witch... they join the police investigation to track down the witch.  They deduct the witch is after the chief inspector Kiera, a witch working for the Order.  But it turns out to be her two adopted boys, who found old grimoire's and became addicted to it's power, requiring life energy to feed the books.

 

Their next investigation leads them to a Necromancer, as the Order send someone to hunt him down.  But as her assistant is cut down, she is put before a dilemma: fight him, or have her assistant returned to her.  She chooses to oppose him though, even when he summons a heap of combat models he created.  She shows her power, unleashing her Death Knights, who make short work of all present.  It is revealed her assistant was also a Death Knight, as he ambushes the necromancer as he tries to flee.  

Guideau and Ashaf travel to a city under attack by a witch, with the Paladin Corps also present to contain the threat.  This witch, Helga, is apparently a direct descendant from the Origin witches, wielding a Demon Sword, Ashgan.  But Guideau and Ashraf are actually there to save her from the Corps, realizing she is innocent of the murders she is accused with.  But the Paladin Corps arrives, including a mage commander, Matt, that made a pact with the elementals.  As they are cornered, the sword is captured by the Corps.  

The Vice Commander though has been in league with others in the corps, and injures Matt to try and obtain the sword for their own goals.  Guideau frees herself and Helga, Guideau escaping with the Demon Sword.  As the Executioner, the man behind the betrayal, arrives at the scene with a mind-controlled Helga, he draws the demon sword, as he reveals what happened to Helga and why she was there with the sword.  He runs the sword through Helga, to release the seal on the sword.  He turns in a huge demon, resulting in Guideau and Ashaf playing their ace in the hole card: the beastform of Guideau.  Engaging in battle with the Demon Sword, and defeating it, causing the sword to acknowledge how strong Helga really is.  

Ashaf asks Helga to join them, but Guideau doesn't fully agree and goes to look for a witch rumoured to be in town.  However, she runs into an Executioner, who brings her before Angela the Origin Witch, the witch Guideau is connected to, and who he is using her body since the cursing.  Ashaf and Helga find her heavily injured, nursing her back to health.  Ashaf and Guideau look back on how they first met, three years ago.  So we get to see how they first worked together, foiling a plan by an Executioner, and decided to intertwine their fates together.

This was a welcome discovery, a series I really enjoyed and I hope there will be a sequel season!