It started airing quite late into the season, but it doesn’t mean you should sleep on it.
Summary:
- The Witch and the Beast is a seinen fantasy series that follows a duo of protagonists breaking curses by fighting witches.
- It’s a type of fantasy setting we don’t usually see in anime, which made many fans interested in it.
- The series is quite serious in nature, and it’s shaping up to be one of the best anime this season.
The Witch and the Beast (Majo to Yajuu) is a new seinen anime airing this season. A unique blend of fantasy and modern, it focuses on Guideau and Ashaf — a pair of protagonists set on fighting witches.
At the beginning of the first episode, we are introduced to the concept of witches — and are told that they can both help humans and ruin their lives. The protagonists work for an organization that deals with magical incidents, and they are distrustful of witches, and for a good reason. Their backstories seem to play into it, and we’ll surely see them explained properly later.
A fairly unique take on fantasy in modern world
One thing that immediately stands out is the very unique setting of the anime. It combines the modern world with medieval fantasy tropes, both in the depiction of magic and in the architecture of the city where the first episode takes place.
This kind of mix isn’t unheard of per se, but it’s certainly not widespread in modern anime. Currently, urban fantasy series usually have things that are closer to superpowers, as seen in anime like K and Bungo Stray Dogs.
The Witch and the Beast is different from those, which may feel like a breath of fresh air in times where many anime are formulaic.
Some comparisons have been drawn to series like Hellsing, which were once popular with many otaku. While the tone of Hellsing is undeniably different from that of The Witch and the Beast, there are some parallels between the settings of the two anime.
Other observations by fans
Some viewers compared the setup to that of Chainsaw Man. Both anime seem to involve an organization fighting supernatural entities — and some even compared demons in Chainsaw Man to witches in The Witch and the Beast — but they’re pretty different in execution.
A thing fans noticed is the anime being quite brutal, especially by fantasy standards. From just episode one, we are introduced to the witch, Ione, who then gets arrested (but not killed!) for her wrongdoings.
The citizens of the city considered Ione to be their protector, but she was evil, in fact: the series doesn’t really make any ambiguous or gray morale-type statement on this one.
Fans have some hopes for the future
Overall, the first episode was very warmly received by the fans. The animation is solid, and the serious but not overly edgy tone seems to have won over the hearts of many.
The protagonist duo is curious to observe (even if we don’t fully understand them yet), and with a unique setting and an interesting premise, the series has a chance of being one of the best anime of the season.