(Edit: I did not know that this show only has 12 episodes and now my soul hurts. This is a travesty). Zero Kara Hajimeru Mahou no Sho opens with a beastfallen–half-beast, half-man–character whose name we do not learn. All we know is that he is a huge beast in stature who is a mercenary and hates witches. In fact, he is hunting them till he accidentally saves one thinking she is a girl. He proclaims that he hates witches, but Zero, as she introduces herself, offers him a sweet deal: If he will work as her bodyguard while she searches for the Grimoire of Zero, a book stolen from her, then when she gets it back, she will turn him into a human. Thus the odd couple’s journey throughout a medieval society begins.

Alice to Zouroku opens with a little girl walking naked through a forest in the rain and a military in hot pursuit. A crystal flower opens in front of her and suddenly we learn that she has powers. People try to stop her, but she manages to escape with some help. The next day, we learn her name is Sana and she is being pursued by two other power users. Somehow she meets an ornery old man named Zouroku, he helps her get away, and then he opens his home to her. Now, Sana has to learn about humans, the outside world, herself, and most of all, this man Zouroku. This is all while she is still being pursued by strange individuals.