Manga Review: Witch Watch Chapter 1

Witch Watch Chapter 1

VIZ

Mangaka: Kenta Shinohara

What do you get when you take a witch and an ogre, put them in a slice-of-life, and add a dash of romance and comedy? Witch Watch, apparently.

Sket Dance and Astra Lost in Space‘s Kenta Shinohara brings us this new series about a witch and her familiar living together. While I haven’t read Astra Lost in Space, I was a big fan of Sket Dance during its run so I was very excited to check out this series. And I can say that this first chapter was an enjoyable read.

Our two main characters, Morihito the ogre and Niko the witch, are old friends who grew up together and are now reunited as teenagers due to Niko requesting that Morihito become her familiar. Because of their old family ties, Morihito is stuck in the position of Niko’s familiar and guardian, while Niko finds herself falling for her old friend.

Shinohara’s familiar style of writing is always a joy to read, with small jokes and gags woven throughout the narrative. HIs light-hearted storytelling combined with his charming artwork creates a pleasant reading experience. Both Niko and Morihito are characters I already like; Niko is naive and childish but selfless by nature, and Morihito’s overtly serious nature belies a kind heart. I also found myself very endeared to Morihito’s father from the little bit we saw, due in no small part to the comedy he brings to his scenes.

As I already stated, Shinohara’s art style does a lot of work to endear us to the characters and the story. Shinohara can draw both humans and creatures well, and when there is action it feels dynamic. He can draw both cutesy and cool well, and he also employs visual gags well. There is a long gag towards the end of the chapter that leads to the chapter’s climax that is a lot of fun to read and see on the page.

Chapter 1 of Witch Watch is a charming introduction to the characters and the world. While the story thus far isn’t particularly stand-out, the characters and art elevate it from mediocre to enjoyable.

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