Kuroneko to Majo no Kyoushitsu Ep.16 - Io's turn to shine. Charge forward!

Episode 16 of Kuroneko to Majo no Kyoshitsu, as expected, focuses the entire episode on showing more of Io Taurus, another heroine who hadn't been explored in detail until now. This episode has basically no relevance to the main plot, but I think it was one of the best we've gotten.

It was lighthearted, well-animated, and had a simple but charming storyline. Io wants to be useful to people but often ends up creating more trouble because of her magic. Claude suggests cleaning an old school classroom to help out, and in the process, the group (including Castor and Spica) gets involved in the disappearance of a dog owned by two kids.

Apparently becoming THAT big is unusual even for those that use the Taurus Magic. I guess Io has that special talent after all. Godzilla talent!

I wonder why Spica looks photogenic in pretty much every situation even when bound like this. She's just way too beautiful.

This leads them into a dimensional pocket inside a mirror where a malicious spirit resides. Or rather, that is what they thought; actually, they found an old man who had a room where he kept all the uniforms and shoes he had stolen from various schoolgirls. He used invisibility magic to fake being the "spirit."

Honestly, it was played as a joke, but the criminal literally kidnapped and tied up Spica in his creepy room while also injuring Castor. The school should really vet their employees better if they allow such characters to roam free on their premises. What kind of background check did they give him!?

Io is a genuinely nice and pure girl, completely devoid of any bad thoughts. Honestly, I like her personality and attitude, even though I'm curious if they'll ever explore more of her past; there has to be some deeper reason for why she acts like this, right? Maybe it’s related to her family?

Judging from the preview segment, the next episode is titled "Finals" and will be about the final exam for the students. Of course, that's the event, but the real focus seems to be the rivalry between Spica and Aria. Spica has never managed to defeat Aria at anything, and this time she is going to try challenging her at magic.

She's not named Io Taurus for jokes. She's ready to charge at anyone at a moment notice if you hurt her friends. Good girl.

It should've been me! Not her! Joking aside, Spica always getting the nice scenes with the girls. Io didn't mind apparently.

The two have had a very close relationship since they were little kids; it's clear that Aria deeply likes Spica but is too tsundere to actually show it, except in weird situations like last week's episode with the drunk magic. The question is, will this episode change that, or will they continue to bicker for a while longer?