Witch Watch Seems Silly and Fun

Article at a glance:
Witch Watch is a lighthearted, character-driven Shounen Jump anime with a focus on comedy and charm.
Episode 1 features a simple plot about a witch and her ogre familiar, but strong character dynamics and humor carry the show.
Bibury Animation Studio delivers surprisingly good animation and a fitting art style that enhances the show’s relaxing tone.

Okay bro, I didn’t know that this was a Shounen Jump project. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of Witch Watch before this. But apparently, it has been doing well in the Weekly Shounen Jump, which is why we are seeing this adaptation right here. Shueisha has been pushing to diversify the content and audience of Shounen Jump for a while but this being a Shounen Jump project still caught me a bit off guard lol. Regardless, this anime feels like the definition of simple low-stakes fun so far I kind of dig it.

So welcome back to another first impressions article, today we are talking about Witch Watch Episode 1. I’d give you a spoiler warning but trust me, there’s nothing to spoil in the first episode lol. But yeah, let’s get started.

What did I think of Witch Watch Episode 1?

Well, let’s start by going over the plot. There isn’t much to the plot, it is a pretty shallow story about two childhood friends, an Ogre and a Witch reuniting after years. Nico has returned to her hometown after finishing her official Witch training. Witches need to use their powers to help others regularly to get stronger otherwise they may fall victim to the dark side. And that’s about it, really. The male protagonist, Morihito is the the familiar and bodyguard of Nico and decides to help her with her goal of helping people.

I know, the series may not sound interesting based on the plot. But the plot is clearly not the focus here. This anime is very much a character-driven story. And I really like the dynamic between Morihito and Nico. I also like the show’s sense of humor. This anime is not meant to be taken seriously, it feels like a show you’d watch after a long day at work just to relax. And it is very good at that, throughout the whole episode, my smile did not leave my face. Despite being basic, the show is genuinely charming and funny.

The cutesy art style and the colorful animations also help with the tone of the show. They also went quite hard on the gags in episode 1. Also, the animations are surprisingly good. Like I don’t understand how this has a better animation budget than Blue Box Season 2 or Sakamoto Days. Either way, Bibury Animation Studio has done a pretty good job with this anime. The opening theme is quite nice too. Also, keep in mind, everything I said is purely based on Episode 1. Things may change later on.

That is all for now

So yeah, those were my thoughts on Witch Watch Episode 1. I don’t know what this anime will be like 2-3 episodes down the line but so far, it just seems like a sweet, wholesome and funny shounen. Even if it doesn’t change down the line, I will be still here for it because I think it is fun to watch. With that said though, I will be off to play more Zenless Zone Zero. See ya!