Welcome to This Week in Shonen Jump, our weekly check in on Viz’s various Shonen Jump series. Viz has recently changed their release format, but our format will mostly remain the same. We will still review the newest chapters of one title a week, now with even more options at our disposal. The big change for our readers is that, even without a Shonen Jump subscription, you can read these most recent chapters for free at Viz.com or using their app.
This week, Robbie checks in with “Witch Watch.” If you have thoughts on this or any other current Shonen Jump titles, please let us know in the comments!
Witch Watch Chapter 1
Written and illustrated by Kenta Shinohara
Reviewed by Robbie Pleasant
It’s time for a new manga to make its debut in Shonen Jump. This week, we have “Witch Watch,” by Kenta Shinohara, previously known for “Sket Dance” and “Astra Lost in Space.” So, what kind of series will “Witch Watch” be, and will it successfully engage with the audience?
The manga features Morihito Otogi, who by all appearances is a normal human. We quickly find out that he is, in fact, an ogre (presumably how the manga is translating “oni,” so more “Urusei Yatsura” and less “Lord of the Rings”). On top of that, his childhood friend, Niko, is a witch, and he’s going to act as her familiar. This exposition is all delivered over a meal, so it’s something of an info-dump, but it’s delivered with enough variety in the artwork and character reactions that it remains engaging.
Oh, and then it’s revealed that Morihito and Niko will be living together alone for the foreseeable future. It’s a pretty blatant setup, existing at least in part to act as wish fulfillment for adolescent readers, but that’s to be expected of the genre.
Niko herself is already entirely up for it, clearly crushing on the childhood friend she hasn’t seen in years. Again, this is no doubt wish fulfillment for young readers’, falling into the “girl comes into guy’s life out of nowhere and is already in love with him” trope.
Fortunately, it actually gets pretty entertaining when the two meet. Morihito is a responsible but relaxed type of character, whereas Niko is an energetic klutz, which tends to make for good character dynamics. The plot kicks into gear once they meet, with Niko showing off her magical powers to humorous effects, and all the hijinks that ensue.
What helps “Witch Watch” remain engaging is the Kenta Shinohara’s artwork and comic timing. The art is very clean, with solid character and background designs, and enough shading to provide depth to everything without overwhelming the page.
The character designs invoke the characters’ personalities nicely too. Morihito’s design is very generic, making him look more like a background character than an anime protagonist, which is appropriate for an ogre who’s just trying to live a normal life. He’s drawn with a noticeable spike in his hair, the only signifier of his ogre heritage, although the hair spikes are much more pronounced with his father.
Meanwhile, Niko’s outfit uses designs akin to a witch’s robes with a modern style. She’s wide-eyed and expressive, as Shinohara puts plenty of emotion into her every scene. Admittedly, her design does remind me of Star Butterfly from Star versus the Forces of Evil a little bit, especially when she turns herself 2d and takes on a flat, cartoonish appearance.
The manga’s humor works nicely as well, using a combination of internal side remarks from Morihito, reaction shots, comic timing, and visual humor. This gives us moments where Morihito internally mocks the thugs trying to attack him with witty one-liners, humorous spit-takes while he’s eating ramen, and an excellently-timed moment where he reflects on meeting Niko as a child right before she literally crashes through his window. The expression on his face in the reaction shot is equally humorous, adding to the scene.
So, does “Witch Watch” start off strong, or is it another series doomed to obscurity? It’s hard to say from the first chapter, but it establishes the story well. The characters are likable, give or take the clear wish fulfillment aspects of Niko and the circumstances bringing them together, the comedy works, and the artwork is easy on the eyes. While it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, it has the potential to be an endearing romantic comedy manga with some fantasy elements, which could be worth at least a short anime adaptation.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – A decent start to Shonen Jump’s newest manga, give or take the overused romantic comedy tropes it falls into at times.
