When fellow BNP contributor and anime fan, Mikkel, suggested this would be up my alley, I rejoiced that my friends know me and my anime tastes. Rom com vibes, comedy, funny school life episodes, and a magical lean towards folklore and imagination made this series one that I wanted to watch. Based on the Weekly Shonen Jump manga by Kenta Shinohara (SKET Dance), GKIDS brought us the first three episodes w/ exclusive interviews of the anime adaptation of WITCH WATCH in theaters starting March 16.
I said it before and I’ll be happy to repeat: GKIDS never disappoints with the bonus featurettes (They did us proper for Look Back as well. GKIDS, never change) that come with their theater showings.
Audiences who managed to catch WITCH WATCH on the big screen were treated to a mini feature with short interviews with talent like the voice actors for Morihito, voiced by Ryota Suzuki and Nico voiced by Rina Kawaguchi. These two cheerfully shared their thoughts on the opposite personalities of their on-screen characters and how the comedy naturally happens around them.
The director of the series, Hiroshi Ikehata (no stranger to comedy anime) reveals that the dialogue for the series was mostly recorded before the animation. Also there was plenty of attention to the quips and fast paced Manzai style talking jokes WHICH actually helps explain the context for a lot of the humor present in this series.
A Magical Reintroduction
Morihito Otogi, an average a high school student who apparently comes from a lineage of ogres, enjoys a peaceful, ordinary life until his childhood friend, Nico, moves in with him. Conveniently for her, ogres were once included in familiars and Nico– a witch-in-training, chooses her old pal to be hers. While exasperated Morihito believes the practice to be outdated, he learns that he has no choice in the matter. Just when he starts to sit and reminisce on the cute little girl who was his closest confidant in childhood, she burst upon the scene with a busy and starling re-introduction back in his life! Welcome to WITCH WATCH, y’all!✨✨✨
So while Nico is thrilled to reunite with her old friend and crush, Morihito is tasked with the high honor of not only being her bodyguard, but her roommate and with the new and perilous duty to protect her from a foretold calamity. The dynamic between these two is hilarious to watch with Nico being so expressive and clumsy with everything from magic to common household chores, and Morihito being oblivious to her affections and having a deadpan expression on default. WITCH WATCH’s main voice acting talent– Morihito, voiced by Ryota Suzuki and Nico voiced by Rina Kawaguchi really work magic together, building off each other’s lines. I really felt the panic, awe, distrust, and warmth between the two throughout watching that makes the two teen characters’ on-screen chemistry not only believable but definitely complimentary to the animation.
I am such a big fan of not just how WITCH WATCH leans into Japanese folklore but also this very distinct Japanese connection between the unpredictable chaos caused by Nico’s magical abilities, the awkwardness of sharing a home together, and their lives becoming a whirlwind of the supernatural and many threats. I am such a big fan of not just how WITCH WATCH leans into Japanese folklore but also this very distinct Japanese coloring of comedy: not just the Japanese comedy style of Manzai (think two-person comedy–one serious and one silly). I think the funny little tropes that play up Japanese history, culture, and food only add flavor to the humor on stage as well like Morihito hearing shocking news while eating ramen and spitting out the Naruto fishcake. I love the slapstick humor and the hijinks that get thrown in–the comedy translates over with ease.
A Magical Way of Life
Yet, it isn’t all jokes here in WITCH WATCH. I love that the jokes and rom-com feels are paired with a story with substance! Thankfully the director, Hiroshi Ikehata, knew how to weave together the serious and the funny moments with ease here. It is worth mentioning Morihito–a serious young man shouldn’t be written off– his childhood memories of being frustrated with his ogre strength come through. These help paint a picture of a teenager who struggles to comprehend his lineage and his inability to live the life he wants to live. On the other side of the coin, Nico–a novice witch –has unstable magic that can only be bettered with interacting with others, and helping those in need. She has her own insecurities about her powers, how Morihito views her and how effective she actually is to those in need. Teenagers having complicated feelings about their families, abilities and futures are commonplace related issues and here in this series–we’re given a magical twist that ups the ante with much flair and fun.
Bibury Animation Studios (The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You, The Quintessential Quintuplets, etc), really did above and beyond with animating an adaptation of the manga by Kenta Shinohara. No stranger to works based on manga, comedic properties, or even titles with young adults via the school life route, WITCH WATCH is a feast for the eyes as well. I love seeing the sparkly effects of Nico when casting magic as well as the moments when the animation is paired down for comedic effect–usually when Nico’s magic has turned an everyday inconvenience into a hairy and quite hilarious situation. I appreciate how the animation is consistent and high quality throughout the episodes I watched. The supporting cast of characters including bullies, introverts and all types of…personalities make for even more chaos and fun onscreen. The rest of the in-the theater only feature continues after the third and final episode and made this showing one I was happy to get to watch.
WITCH WATCH is riotously funny and the main cast of eccentric characters who get into the strangest situations helps gel together a memorable outing that stands out in the ‘witch comedy’ anime genre. A charming coming of age tale remixed with magical rom-com vibes, this outing is pure comedy-leaning heavily with Japanese flair. A must watch for those looking for a whole LOT of comedy with a lot of magic mayhem. Looking forward to seeing the rest of this series on streaming platforms this spring.
About MBS:
Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc., (MBS) is known as a pioneer in the Japanese broadcasting industry. Tracing back through history, MBS was one of the first commercial radio stations in Japan, starting its first radio broadcasts in 1951 and later beginning terrestrial television broadcasting in 1959. MBS has its head office in Osaka, which is the business center of Kansai, the western part of Japan, with new emerging businesses and innovative ideas. For anime, MBS has been co-producing and broadcasting for more than half a century. The broadcaster is the TV home to numerous global hit anime franchises like Attack on Titan, Full Metal Alchemist, and Jujutsu Kaisen. In addition to co-producing those and many other series, MBS was a co-producer of Akira, seen as one of the most influential anime films of all time.
About GKIDS:
GKIDS is the Academy Award-winning producer and distributor of artist-driven and award-winning animation from around the world. After an astounding 13 Best Animated Feature nominations, the company took home the Oscar in 2024 for Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s acclaimed feature, The Boy and the Heron. The company’s previous nominations include The Secret of Kells in 2010, A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita in 2012, Ernest & Celestine in 2014, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya and Song of the Sea in 2015, Boy and the World and When Marnie Was There in 2016, My Life as a Zucchini in 2017, The Breadwinner in 2018, Mirai in 2019, Wolfwalkers in 2021, and The Boy and the Heron in 2024.
For more than a decade, GKIDS’ influence on cinema has redefined the perception of animation as an artistic medium on par with live-action film through its stewardship of the Studio Ghibli catalog and by introducing American audiences to the critically-acclaimed films of other master filmmakers from around the world such as Mamoru Hosoda (Mirai, Belle), Tomm Moore (The Secret of Kells, Wolfwalkers), Benjamin Renner (Ernest & Celestine), Makoto Shinkai (Weathering With You), Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner), Alberto Vázquez (Unicorn Wars) and Masaaki Yuasa (Inu-Oh, The Night is Short, Walk on Girl), among countless others. Also, GKIDS is the founder and host of ANIMATION IS FILM, the annual LA-based film festival which embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form, and is a vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of the medium to its fullest range of artistic expressions.
Catch the first three episodes of WITCH WATCH w/ exclusive interviews in theaters starting March 16!
Get tickets: https://brnw.ch/21wQHXV
Official English WITCH WATCH language social media accounts:
- X: @WITCHWATCH_EN
- Instagram: @witchwatch_en
- YouTube: www.youtube.com/@witchwatch-anime
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