the first episode included an utterly loathsome set of events that the series self-evidently wants the audience to just overlook, because the perpetrators “really aren’t all that bad after all because look - see what they’re doing now?”
Not quite. Since you're dropping the series anyways, here's why all that happened:
Daemons of the Shadow Realm first few volumes
Asa spent the first several years of her life kept in a cage by this village. At some point her parents took her and ran, but they were forced to leave Yuru behind because the people of the village got in their way. She and Gabby have spent all the years since then being targeted by assassins from the village because of the power she has. They even succeeded in kidnapping her once, which is related to her missing eye. The fake Asa in the cage is there purely to keep Yuru around because the village wants him to awaken to the power he potentially might have, and then help to conquer Japan someday. They've sent people to attack him in the mountains as a false flag sort of thing multiple times before to try to get his powers to awaken; the only reason he's still fine is his dad brought him up to be a complete badass. Every adult in the village is complicit in this; they're told what's going on when they come of age. Those who aren't willing to go along with the plan are exiled, which is what "going to the lower world to earn money for the village" actually usually means.
Witch Hat Atelier - I loved the first episode, and haven’t watched any more of it since. I’m saving it to binge later.
Honestly this one is very very good but it might be better binged anyways.