Move over Sabrina there’s a new teenage witch in town and what she lacks in magical girl transformations she makes up for in cute outfits and spirit. Witch Watch has finally made its debut, and I can’t believe how fast time has flown as I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release and we’re here! A single episode that sets the stage perfectly for the adventure ahead. Be warned this is a spoiler heavy blog post for the first episode of Witch Watch.
Morihito Otogi has been tasked with watching the Witch Nico Wakatsuki, and she’s an excitable handful. Nico and Morihito are childhood friends that had been separated for a few years while Nico attended a magical academy. Now that she’s back, she’s shaking up Morihito’s life by showing off every spell she’s learned nearly the moment she crashes through his door, which she literally does, sending glass everywhere. Nico doesn’t dwell too much on the repercussions of her spells just thrilled with the fact she can cast them. She tells Morihito that she can fix the glass door she smashed with the help of a mug but doesn’t disclose the fine print where in return for fixing the door the mug will be sacrificed, shattering to pieces. I already see Nico’s excitement being a part of any conflict that comes, up causing miscommunications about spells. She turns herself into a piece of fluttering paper just because she can, the girl is a bit of a hot mess. I can relate though as someone who gets overwhelmingly excited about things, sometimes you just act before you can think about it or let others in on what you’re thinking.
One reveal that took me by surprise was Morihito’s character being an Ogre. I kind of thought it was going to be a magical girl-human friend situation, and I’m pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t. Morihito is introduced to us as a level-headed character who doesn’t like to fight and would take punches over giving them. He does this not because he’s a kind soul, but because his Ogre strength makes his punches the equivalent of a truck smashing into a regular human. While Nico was away, Morihito had to take his own lessons on concealing his strength after getting into a fight and drawing too much attention to himself. I’m interested in the way Morihito and Nico’s views on the world are going to clash. Nico is inspired and encouraged to be herself and in order to be a good Witch she has to use her magic to help people, and she’s not shy about it. She’s so brash about it I assumed the in-universe world knew about magic. Morihito had to hide and change himself to be more palatable for the world and he sets the record straight, she should not be showing her magic so openly. I’m interested to see how these conflicting world views clash causing conflict. One character functions off of hopes and dreams while the other is much more grounded in reality. I think it’s going to take at least one dramatic heart to heart for Nico to understand the hardship Morihito has gone through while she was gone. If this happened, I would probably cry.
Witch Watch sort of has the same plot with two different motives going on for our main characters which is neat. Nico came back to the human world because it’s time for her to find a familiar, and because Morihito is an Ogre he fits the familiar criteria. Nico wants Morihito to be her familiar because she’s been in love with him since childhood, which he’s completely oblivious to. She is so obvious about it I’m pretty even Morihito’s dad picked up on her affection for his son. I know this is going to be such a good love story of Nico nearly confessing while Morihito remains indifferent on the outside. I bet he loves her too. I’m going to be kicking my feet. The plot feels different for Morihito. It’s heavier revealing that Nico’s mom, who is also a witch, saw a premonition of harm coming to her daughter. Encouraging Nico to pursue her intent to make Morihito her familiar mostly so he could watch over her and protect her. We get to see that in action pretty swiftly in the first episode as when Nico turns herself into paper she blows away and gets stuck between a crack in the wall. Feeling the effects of the spell wearing off, with the fear of being crushed in the wall looming, Morihito saves Nico by using the strength training he’d been working on. He busts the wall apart to save Nico.
In a way our main duo are two sides of the same coin, they just don’t know yet. I don’t think they’re on exactly the same page like they were as kids. One was taught to love themselves while the other had to learn to hide. I think before we his any romance in Witch Watch we’re going to have to cross some sort of divide where they acknowledge things aren’t exactly the same as when they were kids. I feel like this is portrayed well at the end of the intro with the two in front of a half-burned home. Nico stands in front of the pristine side of the house while Morihito stands on the side that’s smoking and charred. They’ve grown into different people. I’m excited to see how the plot develops as they get to know each other again.
Witch Watch feels exciting with the intro showcasing a unique cast of character who are full of personality and may be more magical creatures. I wonder if we’re going to sneak a human into the cast. The animation and art are beautiful lots of bright colors and an extra flair on the magic spells. More cartoonish chibi characters are balanced well with more detailed seriously drawn scenes that complement the shifting tone of the show. Honestly, the bubbly vibrant look of the art was a big factor in me picking up this anime with zero information about the plot. The opening song is also a huge plus; Watch Me by Yoasobi, one of my favorite bands who also did the intro for Oshi No Ko! I hope they continue to do anime intros, they’re also very catchy!
Nico is already on track to be a wonderfully memorable magical girl though different from the usual mold. I’m excited for her magical world to meet the mundane. Waiting for the weekly releases of this anime is going to be a challenge. I can’t wait to see what magical creatures all of the characters end up being. I feel like the intro had hints, some more obvious than others, but it’s still hard to tell. I’m hoping the love starts to bloom with a blurted-out confession. It fits the vibe. If you’re ready for a charming new magical girl I recommend picking up Witch Watch!
Strawberry Loft 
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