What happens when you take one witch with questionable spell control, add an ogre with super strength and an overprotective streak, and make them live together? You get the new WITCH WATCH anime, a supernatural rom-com that proves some spells are better left uncast—especially when your crush can accidentally break down walls (metaphorically and for real).
Childhood friends Nico Wakatsuki, a witchy girl, and Morihito Otogi, an ogre boy, meet again as teenagers when their parents force them to live together. Alone together. Just the two of them. She’s bubby and impulsive. He’s into vintage clothes and being a loner. But this isn’t your typical roommate situation. Morihito is now Nico’s familiar and protector, and he takes that seriously (way too seriously).
Morihito would be okay if Nico’s impulse control weren’t as dysfunctional as her spell casting. This girl is forever, accidentally, turning something, someplace, or someone into things they shouldn’t be. That keeps Morihito on his toes even when they’re five times larger than usual. Their mishaps, blunders, and bewitching adventures keep pushing these two closer together, and maybe, just maybe, love will conk them over the heads (okay, probably most definitely).
The rumors say a colorful cast of supernatural beings is on the way, including Kanshi Kazamatsuri, a tengu who controls wind, Keigo Magami, a werewolf with an unusual transformation trigger (hide your croissants), and an elite witch with black cat tendencies, Nemu Miyao, plus exorcists and a vampire—but I haven’t read the manga, so we have no proof of that. What do I know? The first three episodes are full of ridiculous hijinks and spells that get sidetracked by puns and sight gags. Also, the ogre world-building is so interesting, I wouldn’t mind a book on their history.
From the creative mind of mangaka Kenta Shinohara (Sket Dance) and brought to life by Bibury Animation Studios, with director Hiroshi Ikehata, and script writer Deko Akao, these “odd couple” roommates are renting out chaos, with a backyard full of property damage. After a recommendation from my local comic bookstore and over 3 million copies of the manga in circulation, WITCH WATCH has a lease on my Tuesday nights.
Let’s hope Morihito doesn’t crush anything other than our hearts while trying to save Nico from herself. And remember, any property damage is purely coincidental and isn’t covered by your Crunchyroll subscription.
WITCH WATCH premieres April 6 on Crunchyroll