A cute comedy filled with mystery and surprises, Witch Watch Vol. 1 is a fun and enticing way to start the new series! Written and drawn by Kenta Shinohara, Witch Watch follows Nico, a young witch, and her ogre familiar, Morihito, as they attempt to navigate regular life as high schoolers while avoiding a prophesied danger. Morihito, known as Moi to Nico, is serious about his task to protect Nico from the unknown looming disaster. Nico however is more concerned with potential romance and her high school life.
As Shinohara’s third serialized series, readers can easily see his experience within the first volume. The storyline is well-formed and intriguing, with hints at something deeper looming in the background while still being light and funny. Nico is an adorable character, and readers can empathize with her desire to be liked. Mixed with her unfortunate bad luck, clumsiness, and bad judgment, Nico is a perfect contrast to serious and mature Moi. I found myself feeling bad for them both for different reasons: Nico, for her struggle and bad luck with magic, and Moi, for his frustration with Nico. This sympathy made the funny moments even better, and I found myself giggling multiple times throughout the volume.
Connecting with the characters was surprisingly easy even within this first volume. Enough depth is added for readers to quickly connect with them, while not overpowering or slowing the progression of the story. Deeper character traits and flaws are shown through events and plotlines, rather than just back flashes or thoughts, so we can understand the character while seeing the change at that moment as well.
We also learn pretty quickly about the history of our main characters and their races. But the information isn’t thrown at readers, nor is it so extensive that it feels forced or boring. Just enough information is provided to be easily explainable while also being acceptable to readers, so they can just move on into the main story.
Beyond the storyline, the art itself is spectacular! It perfectly compliments the
story, and the detail level adapts to the event and tone of the plot. Some scenes are simple, with basic shadowing as backgrounds and characters drawn with general detailing. But then some scenes are extensively detailed, creating a beautiful masterpiece fraught with emotion and strength. These signify the big moments in the story when characters are finding the strength or willpower to do something important.
However, the detailed scenes aren’t just limited to these powerful moments. There are certainly other times where the detailing simply shows a beautiful day or a happy moment. But the contrast of these detailed scenes versus the simple ones takes readers’ breath away. It allows for an ebb and flows to the story, circulating heart-pounding events and cute, laughable moments.
With incredible artwork, a well-planned storyline, and adorable characters, the first volume of Witch Watch is an undeniable success! I have high hopes for the rest of the series and am intensely curious about what the story will bring. I can’t wait to see what hilarious and dangerous things happen next to Nico and Moi!
