Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo

In terms of an Honest review , This anime is pretty good , at first i thought it would be Alot of " Ecchi/Harem"Type of aspect in this anime Judging it based on the english translation which is Yamada-kun and the seven witches . However, that is not the case as this anime has real potential on how the characters are developing and how the story is progressing as the series goes by.

The negative thing about the anime is Body-swapping , Body-swapping in anime usually means one thing, and that’s fanservice. I’m not the world’s biggest fanservice devotee. Fanservice can devour an anime’s ... plot and turn a show gross and mean in a heartbeat. In the worst cases, fanservice turns otherwise interesting characters into inauthentic caricatures of themselves, all in pursuit of the almighty panty shot.

But, I am happy to say that the first two volumes of Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, at least so far, is just as good as people make it out to be; that’s a really big surprise, considering how a title like this could easily go wrong and end up a shallow fanservice style story. Yamada-kun is a very funny manga with a lot of heart and character that really all comes together in just the right way. There are flaws certainly, but the positives more than adequately outweigh the negatives.

I have also watched the Last episode when it came out and i must say it ended pretty damn good for the first season which i will not spoil. Will see how the story progresses from there and will do another review on the next season?:P

Positive thing which is really good about the anime is the :
Opening
Animation
Art & Character

Story sometimes can get off plot if you watch the anime you will know what i mean by this.


P.S Please actually read the review throughly before "Pressing the unhelpful" button lol

My first experience with Yamada-Kun to 7-nin no Majo was with the manga. Seeing it as one of the popular ones, and my favorite tags of comedy, school life and romance, I decided I would give it a whirl. Immediately hooked, I read about 50 chapters before stopping to go to sleep. However, after that, I was bogged down with school work and the like and I never got around to continuing it. I didn't have time for anime or manga at that point and went on about a 4 month break. However, recently the stars aligned and summer started and I had time to ... watch. So with all the episodes out, I decided to binge the entire thing and be done with it, even if it isn't as good as the manga. So without further ado, here's my review of Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo.

Story: 7
The story isn't unique, nor is it a masterpiece. However, it has its merits. The school romcom genre is already well established, and it isn't the first time that we've seen one mixed with supernatural. It also isn't the first time that we've seen an anime centered around kissing. And the characters in the harem (my opinion, others think that harem isn't correct) aren't the most unique either. But I can get to that later. The story, with only information from the title and the first episode, is centered around our male protagonist, Yamada Ryu, the delinquent of the school. Upon his introduction, we are also introduced to Shiraishi Urara, whom I consider the female protagonist. Unlike Yamada, who is a violent, lazy delinquent, Shiraishi could be described as the ideal student: quiet, studious, and attractive. In essence, they are polar opposites. The plot arises when Yamada walks up the stairs and pushes Shiraishi aside. While doing so, they both trip and fall down the stairs. After blacking out, Yamada wakes up in the infirmary, only to realize that he is now in Shiraishi's body instead of his own. After some time, they realize that switching bodies is achieved through a kiss. Based on the title, we can assume that there are 7 witches, each with their own power. The strength in the story isn't the plot itself, but the execution of it. While the plot is certainly interesting, it's nothing we haven't seen before. However, the way it is executed is what sets it apart. The anime doesn't take itself overly seriously. It knows when it should be a lighthearted comedy, and it knows when to be a more serious, supernatural mystery story. Overall, the plot is interesting and is delivered well, but is no masterpiece.

Art: 8
Now I dabble a bit in drawing manga style characters, but I'm no judge of great art. However, even I can tell that this series looks good. Many of the backgrounds are well drawn, and the colors are typically bright and pop out. But the main point of this art score is the character design. The characters are all designed uniquely and are easily differentiated from each other. All the characters are designed in a way that makes them hard to forget, and they are all unique from the other students to signify their importance to the story.

Sound: 7
For me, the soundtrack was for the most part good but forgettable. I wouldn't mind listening to the soundtrack while watching, but I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it again. So you would think that sound would be a bit lower, and honestly, I would put it around 5 or 6. However, the OP and ED are extremely catchy, and for those alone, I put sound at 7.

Characters: 7
As I said before, the characters aren't exactly original. You've got the tsundere, the kuudere, the loli, the older sister, etc. etc. However, for the most part, they are fairly likeable and undergo some form of development. Because the series is condensed into 12 episodes, the development happens much faster and sometimes feels awkward and forced. The only two witches who I think get any sort of notable development are Shiraishi Urara and Odagiri Nene, who is personally my favorite of the bunch. For the rest, their motives are typically defined by a single point, which is often just given rather than explained. As such, the characters are fun, but typically lack depth outside of this one point.

Enjoyment: 9
I try not to be the biggest critic, and there are merits to this anime. While there are flaws, if you go in with the right expectations and try not to think too much while watching, you'll come out most likely happy and satisfied. The ending resolves most of the problems, even though I could literally see it coming a mile away. Sure, it's predictable and cliche, but there is a lot of fun to be had here. Take it for what it is: a fun, supernatural romcom with a sprinkling of story. If you expect more from it, you will likely end up disappointed.

Overall: 8
Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo was a fun watch and had me laughing at times. It was a good experience, and I can happily say that it is most likely worth your time. It's no masterpiece, but then again, most shows aren't. It ranks fairly highly among my recently watched anime, even though I haven't watched that many recently. If you need a deep, plot driven drama, then this isn't for you. However, if you need a lighthearted romcom with supernatural elements, check out Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo. You won't be disappointed.

~Thanks for reading my review! I'm still fairly new to this whole writing reviews business, so any advice or tips is entirely welcome. Also, rating helpful or not would be, well, helpful for me to see if I'm writing these correctly. If someone wants to talk anime with me, feel free to message me. I'm typically online at least a few times a week.~

Ever imagined being someone else? That idea may have come across your mind sometime in your life. No really, I’m sure almost everyone at least had that thought once in their lifetime. So what happens when there’s a case of body swapping and you become a person of the opposite gender? I think that would be very peculiar experience. Yamada-kun to 7-in no Majo (Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches) operates under circumstances where two main characters changes their bodies and well, you can guess from here that all sort of drama comes rolling.

The series is adapted from the manga of the same name that runs ... for over 160+ chapters and is still ongoing. Directed by Takuno Seiki, the show is a hit or miss. The hit part could be the comedy as the show really likes to play around a lot with itself. That’s because the body switching gimmick isn’t the only concept explored in this series. If you read the title, you’ll notice the word, “witches”. In a nutshell, there should be expectations that other sorts of magical or supernatural phenomenon will propel itself into the story. And that’s not an understatement. The miss part would be the storytelling. Before the series debuted, it was announced that the series would only be adapted into a 1 cour span of (12 episodes). It’s not a split cour, not a 2 cour, and definitely not a good piece of news to remember in mind.

Make no mistake. The series takes off pretty quick as the pilot episode establishes the body switching gimmick quickly without wasting time. No more than 10 minutes into the series and you’ll see a guy (Yamada) staring into the mirror and realizes that he no longer has “it”. On the other hand, there’s the smart and beautiful Uraha Shiraishi who is now in the body of a delinquent. This all happened by a coincidental event when they landed on each other off a flight of stairs. While this all seems troublesome, they do discover that reversing the effect involves a kiss. This also revives the Supernatural Studies Club, a group of students dedicated in studying supernatural phenomenon. By this point, I think you can get adjusted to the idea of the show. It’s one of those series that really likes to play around with itself from the very beginning. In fact, almost every episode features some sort of unusual circumstance that ends up causing a lot of drama for the main characters.

As a club composed of several members, the series gives the audience some insight on them. The titular character Ryu Yamada is easily noticeable for his delinquent-like traits and personality. Throughout the series, we see him as guy that uses his fist to do the talking although he does care quite a lot about his friends. Uraha is more of a polar opposite. Smart, beautiful, and stoic in a way, she often keeps to herself and is often thinks before she acts. The way the show formulates their relationship at first almost feels like it’s on auto-pilot. Since neither character are similar, they have to learn more about each other. In the story, we see how that progresses with each episode. Unfortunately, I can’t say that their relationship is really believable. While some series can easily capture the audience’s attention with polar opposite characters, this one just ticks a bit way too much with the comedy. Not to mention, we have the kissing part that is used as a plot device. The romance aspect of it feels forced and quickly rushed without developing much for our characters. However, I do have to say that the chemistry between Yamada and Uraha can be surprisingly charming. There’s a genuine mutual respect and feeling the two share as we can easily see that later on in the show. As for the other characters, we have Toranosuke Miyamura who serves more as a middleman, Miyabi Ito with her fascination of supernatural phenomenon, and Kentaro Tsubaki who happens to have a crush on Uraha. While not as prominent as Yamada and Uraha, they do play some key roles in the series. Unfortunately, some of them can be easily forgettable after first impressions.

Then, there are the witches. There’s seven of them including Uraha. The series early on establishes the fact that all of them have a different power. We don’t know most of their powers or how they work until the witches reveal themselves. And as a 1 cour series, the show tries to seize every opportunity to capture that point. However, this is a really sour attempt to get screen time for them. The way the witches are introduced may leave some good first impressions but overall lacks development. Sure, some of them even get a decent characterization but by adaptation standards, too much is left out. The structure of the show suffers a lot from cramming and some episodes even takes a lot to get their own stories started. Also, relationship dynamics are played more for comedy so it’s hard to take it seriously. On the plus side, I have to give some credit to the clever powers that the series introduces. Each witch has a different power and all of them can create some rather entertaining storytelling. Additionally, each of the witches has different personalities so the story does feel a bit refreshing with such a direction.

Despite having a lot of character and story pacing issues, one major aspect of the show that can win its audience over may be the comedy. The series isn’t a parody of witches but it can be genuinely funny. Yamada is a character that acts often in brash manners so his actions will definitely provoke some laughter if you see the trouble he gets himself into. Then, there are the powers. The concept of body swapping itself can be amusing to think about especially if a guy becomes a hot girl. Some of the other powers are troublesome but the show itself plays each gimmick cleverly to adapt with the developing story. There are also tons of kissing and although most series today makes it a highlight point between character relationships, this series does it casually and seems to be even self-aware. In general, comedy portrayal is a highlight and can be appreciated.

Artwork in general is generic yet works well. The character designs is what is attractive for the overall adaptation. The guys hardly stand out; well perhaps except Yamada. However, the girls really are designed with attractiveness such as Uraha. In particular, the witches are all noticeable in some way or form with their hairstyles, figures, and even status symbol. Despite taking place in the school setting, there’s a load going on besides just in the classrooms. In essence, we see many places of the school explored with a fine degree of clever decorating. I also have to give some praise to the character expressions as it enhances the comedy aspect of the series overall.

While I’m not a big fan of the soundtrack, the series does know how to utilize them. As the series portrays a lot of comedy, it’s important to capitalize on the atmosphere so the series makes use of more colorful OST. In most respects, it works well to get the viewers laughing. However, it’s nothing outstanding in terms of quality as it’s very standard. The OP and ED theme songs has a warm feeling to it though that is sung with a soft melancholic tone. But when it comes down to it, the characters’ voice mannerism will probably win you over. Yamada is a key figure to notice with his commanding voice as he gets into a lot of troublesome circumstances. Indeed, the series has this ability to communicate its gimmicks with the voices of the characters. Whether it’s the diverse voice mannerism of the witches, the Supernatural Club, or even the Student Council, it always seems to be noticeable.

Gender bender isn’t a new concept used by the anime industry. Neither are witch powers, kissing, or a club that investigates unusual cases. Rather, I take this show as more of a comedy story with a bit of clever gimmicks thrown in at you on a weekly basis. The episodes themselves each tell a story with something that sticks with the overall theme of the series. Just note that by adaptation and storytelling standards, it doesn’t shine well especially with the structure, rushing, and is easily predictable. On the plus side, the comedy really can bring some laughs. Ever had a bad day and you wanted something to laugh about? Perhaps this series can be what you’re looking for. The series itself is like a personality.

At first, i didn't have any interest to this anime. I was just picking some random spring anime to watch. I really didn't have any big hope for this anime. But surprisingly, it was pretty good.

Story : 8/10
Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo is a story about Ryuu Yamada, a second-year Suzaku High School student, who one day accidentally kiss a girl and later he finds out that he has Witch's power that is activated with a kiss. Beside Yamada, there are still other witches with various powers in the school to be encountered.

The story and the concept were kinda unique to me. As i went ... through episodes, it became more interesting. In the middle episode of the anime, i started to read the manga. The adaption was really great. But like others said, it was rushed compared to the manga. They skipped and changed some scenes from the manga. Gladly they only skipped the minor parts, so it didn't really affect the storyline. The ending also was pretty good and well-executed, definitely it won't dissapoint you.

Art : 8/10
The art was pretty nice. It's pretty colorful, the designs were great, the animations, backgrounds, etc. All were well-animated. Your eyes will enjoy it.

Sound : 8/10
The sound was also really good. The Background Sound fitted well with the scenes and situations. The seiyuus also did great job voicing the characters. The opening song was really great, it was nice to hear and pretty catchy, You won't even skip the opening song when the anime is played. The ending song was didn't really good, but still nice.

Character : 8/10
The main characters led the story pretty good. They were well-developed. The characters were funny, cute and lovely. They had various, different & unique personalities, backgrounds, etc, made you interested enough to enjoy the story.

Enjoyments : 9/10
This show really exceeded my expectations. After finished one episode, i'd be curious what'll happen next and really excited for the upcoming episode. The show brings me enjoyments and satisfactions everytime i watch it. All i can say is i really love this show.

Overall : 8/10
Although the story was rushed, Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo still proved its qualities and is definitely a worth watching. For you who want a nice, fun to watch, heartwarming, and entertaining show, Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo is a must watch one.

All my reviews are spoiler free aimed towards people who haven't seen the show.

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches.

The best recipe for the most delicious cake, all you gotta do is give the time it needs to bake, but noooo, gotta have it now, turning up the heat doesn't make it bake faster, IT JUST BURNS!!!....

Story: Ryuu Yamada is known as a delinquent in his high school. One day, he accidentally falls from a flight of stairs onto Urara Shiraishi, the ace student of the school. Yamada wakes up to find that he has swapped bodies with her! The two try to reverse the ... change and discover that kissing triggers the body swap. Yamada takes advantage of this asking Shiraishi to take tests for him and discovers while in her body that she gets picked on for being such a model student. Yamada and his delinquent ways put a stop to the girls picking on her. Student council vice-president Toranosuke Miyamura, discovers this little event and recruits the two to revive the Super Natural Studies Club. Yamada and Shiraishi continue to use this exchange until an unexpected encounter with a certain girl reveals a another usual power activated by a kiss, in fact there may even be a few more....... thus the Super Natural Studies Club declare to discover the secrets of the Suzaku High School "witches". Although this task doesn't come with easy, nor does the situation turn out to be as simplistic as they thought.

Characters: The characters all fall under hard personality tropes. No surprise there really, they are well written though. The cast is considerably large, all have some interesting backstory as well. Unfortunately because of time restraint, you only get a glimpse of these characters potential depth and with a flip of the dime, that's their character development. The best part of the show is the quality voice acting. The cast is great and their performances, especially Saori Hayami as Shiraishi and Ryota Osaka as Yamada are absolutely brilliant! Yamada is always late for school, naps in class and gets abysmal grades. His life is a dead bore. Even though he's a delinquent, he's kinda a nice guy... for the most part. Urara Shiraishi is an exceptionally brilliant student known to be cold and asocial, due to her being ostracized by the students of Suzaku High. Miaymura is charismatic, be able to easily charm most people around him thanks to his look and being friendly in general. Despite this, he doesn't really have any friends. Miyabi is a considerably attractive and cheerful girl, due to her strange interest in the super natural, she is considered among her peers to be a fraud and a liar.

Animation: It's pretty solid. The colors are nice and they move quite well. All the witches have a very distinct and interesting design. Some of their glamor drawings are absolutely beautiful. The OP was amazingly done. As was some of the faded frames during flashbacks and things of that nature.

Sound: The music was pretty decent. Love "Kuchizuke Diamond" by WEAVER. Actually started listen to more of their songs. Choice of BGM was fun when it needed to be and dramatic when it should. It did it's job.

Enjoyment: This is where I'm torn. I thought is was really funny, I also thought it was very clever concept. I love the chemistry shown between our MC and lead witch. I also like all the characters and the story behind their personality and actions. But it wasn't nearly fleshed out enough to make the connection between Yamada and the witches, it was all really forced. And then the story was also incredibly rushed. The scenes were good but lacked any impact when they were so abruptly introduced and resolved. Near the end it almost became confusing, and not in a in-depth convoluted sense, but more like, "well we're running out of time, so we'll skip the why and just go with the how".

So much was cut out, not just comedy but little bits of development that would make character relationships feel like they had a connection. And the quick pace eliminated any type of suspense or mystery to the development of the story. All of this could have been avoided with another 12 episodes and following the source material. This could have been an incredible show. As it is, it's merely fun. Definitely worth watching. 7/10.

When i first saw this anime i was very doubtful it would be good for two reasons:the description sounded like it would be boring though it did catch my eye haven't see an anime like this in a long while and i heard it was rushed.I heard like about 100 chapters worth of content was being crammed into 12 episodes which is absolutely ridiculous i thought there was no way it could be good however i was proven wrong from the first episode.Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo stands apart from the anime that have been coming out in recent seasons its not the best thing ... ever but the whole body switching aspect glued me in on the first episode.

Story:8 The story is about yamada who while going up the stairs switched bodies with a girl.After returning to his body and learning about witches,students at his school with special powers he sets out to find the other witches who all have different abilities which activate with a kiss.The story was pretty interesting i thoroughly enjoyed it.The story is very eye catching i mean a guy switching bodies with a kiss haven't seen that in a while.I typically don't enjoy gender bender anime all that much but this one i did because it wasn't just about switching bodies the past about other witches and their powers were flesh out.Though i felt the story at points felt rushed i still enjoyed it.

Art:8 The art is pretty good,makes this anime look different from the other anime this season but it wasn't the greatest thing ever or the best this season but it was unique.

Sound:7 The sound was ok i liked the opening and ending though the music played throughout the series was kinda forgettable maybe just isn't my kind of music.

Character:7 I didn't like a lot of them at first but they grew on me over the series.Time was spent showing the back stories of the witches however it felt a little rushed at times.

Enjoyment:8 I enjoyed Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo a lot it was a good anime.

Overall:8 For an anime that adapted like 100 chapters into 12 episodes it did pretty good it felt rushed at times but i could still understand the story and didn't really feel that something was terribly missing however it would have been good to have more episodes to flesh out the characters more but for what it did it was good.This anime is different from the standard harem/romance anime.I didn't really feel like this was a harem anime and unlike most harems out there,there was romance progression.The main character didn't beat around the bush he was honest with his feelings and ended up with one girl at the end.

(This has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!)

I think it is safe to say that everyone has a wish they want fulfilled. Money, power, and fame are the common ones, as they seem to be the most wanted. But money, power, and fame are not everything. More often than not, what we need most is not a shiny new car or rabid fans but instead something a bit more universal. A shoulder to lean on, a friend to hang out with, or a partner to hug; one of the greatest aspects in life are the relationships we share with the people around us. ... For it is these very relationships that do what those previous three wishes cannot: make us happy for a lifetime. Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches is all about relationships, wishes, and of course witches, that provides an average outing overall.

STORY

The Seven Witches (as it will be named from here on out) stars Yamada-kun, a delinquent whose behavior makes him very difficult to associate with. One day, when walking up some steps, he falls, crashing into the top student of the school, Urara Shiraishi, which magically causes their bodies to switch. From there, the quest to find the other six witches begins.

Perhaps the anime’s greatest strength comes in the form of the theme it tackles: the importance of relationships. Whether it is with friends, family, or anyone in-between, people are always looking to form a connection with those around them. This is the main point of the show, with the witch powers revolving around such a concept. For instance, Shiraishi is able to switch bodies because she always wanted to experience a different lifestyle, Nene is able to coerce others because she was looking to gain increased support, Maria can see the future in order to have others avoid terrible fates, etc. As the anime depicts, the girls have these abilities and use them on their fellow classmates not because they can but because they wanted to have everlasting relationships that they could not obtain otherwise. Scenarios like Noa dealing with some teenagers’ hardships and Meiko working with students to perform better on their tests showcase the differing ways in which relationships are formed and comfort is found in others.

One of the best and simplest examples of the show’s emphasis on relationships that the anime employs is the kissing that is needed to use these witch powers. Kissing, be it on the hand, the cheek, or the lips, is a sign of affection towards another, and a known symbol of love between two people. Throughout the entirety of the anime, kissing is shared mostly between Yamada-kun and Shiraishi, but also between many more with gender being a second thought. Nobody thinks of it as anything more than a necessity until the end where Shiraishi clumsily goes through the act. She understands that now, after losing her power, the kiss’s true meaning is all that is left.

But it took a lot to get to that moment; the girls, despite being granted amazing gifts, do not find immediate solace. In fact, while their status gave them interesting abilities, at the same time their powers actually prevented them from maintaining the relationships they so desperately wanted. Certain situations, such as Saionji’s ability causing everyone to forget about her and Maria being unable to have a boyfriend, made it impossible to create such relationships. Worst still, those around them were affected, too; Yamada and Leona experience this firsthand through the loss they undergo. In this way, the conclusion of the anime – where the characters discover that it was not their powers that allowed them to all become such good friends but the experiences themselves – is a simple message that finishes the narrative nicely.

However, there is one glaring issue that The Seven Witches has, known as “firing and forgetting.” The anime follows usually the same sequence of events: learn of new witch, help this witch, and move on from said witch. There are minor discrepancies to this formula in the beginning (where the main group is being put together) and during one event in the middle (still dealing with forming the main group) but the show generally has the tendency to forego its most important aspect, namely the witches. Despite them all having interesting abilities, the anime refuses to use the girls in conjunction with one another or even after they have been discovered. This is strange because of the theme on relationships; one would think that, given the focus on it, such newfound relationships would play a more pivotal role in the scenarios encountered. Again, the non-witches are affected by this tactic as well because, after a certain point, cast members such as Miyamura and Miyabi are pushed to the side to make way for the anime’s next set of occurrences.

ANIMATION

One of The Seven Witches weakest areas is the art it utilizes. In short, it is boring; besides the characters themselves not visiting too many locations outside of their clubroom or other parts of the school, there is little in the way of detail. At the minimum, the show does use some pretty hysterical reaction faces – usually performed by Yamada-kun – that have the eyes bug out as giant, white spheres that have lost their pupils. It sounds scary but it works to make Yamada-kun seem even more incredulous.

The character designs are very nice, especially for the female characters. While they tend to follow typical tropes for the medium – an uncommon hair and color combination – it fits with the uniqueness the girls have due to them being witches. Shiraishi’s long blonde hair and jewel-like eyes, Nene’s short purple hair, and Maria’s earrings with pink hair and ponytail, with each wearing their school’s uniform, is quite attractive. Yamada-kun’s spiky blue hair and unkempt attire also coincides with his overall demeanor.

Actual animation is somewhere around average. There isn’t a whole lot of action within the anime itself and therefore little movement. Lots of dialogue and sitting around is had instead, with the characters really only being animated when going through those all-important kisses.

CHARACTERS

Due to the “firing and forgetting” method used on the characters, many of the witches only have minor background details given about them. There is very little in the way of development because the show just does not give them any time whatsoever. This is evident in characters like Meiko and Noa who, after their specific episode, have nothing else about them provided. Other characters, like Miyabi and Ushio, undergo the same treatment of initial divulgence on their persons followed by a stagnation of their character. Nene at least garners a bit more attention in the form of (ironic) unrequited love, but it is nothing worthwhile.

Two arguments arise as to why nearly the whole cast is little more than their personality traits: the comedic nature of the anime and the size of the cast. Since the show is more about inducing laughter than enacting drama, it becomes understandable that the characters are not entirely complex. Instead, by being only known for their individual shticks, the comedy is easier to handle and therefore present. As for the large cast size, the bigger it is, the more resources have to be spread evenly between everyone, devaluing each of the characters to a certain extent. That is, it becomes unrealistic to expect every cast member to be entirely fleshed out. This type of logic can be seen in most comedies involving a sizeable amount of characters, meaning them not being the most compelling of people is not too much of a negative.

The Seven Witches does put higher emphasis on two characters: Shiraishi and Yamada-kun. Shiraishi, as has been briefly described earlier, is the model student of the school. She is beautiful, gets great grades, and is respectful to those around her. Yet she has extreme difficulty connecting with others because many people are jealous of what she has, and for those that are not they cannot seem to understand the girl who hides behind her books. It is not until Yamada-kun shows up that she begins to open up. What is interesting is how the phrase “opposites attract” both does and does not apply. She is like Yamada-kun because they both find themselves unable to connect with people and she is unlike Yamada-kun because of her passiveness compared to his active behavior. That last fact is a constant factor, with her mostly tagging along for the whole season. To that end, at times she feels nonexistent which in turn stagnates her character, but at the minimum she opens up more so than she ever did before.

As for Yamada-kun, he is arguably the strongest character the anime has to offer. Upon entering high school, he wanted to leave behind his old self in favor of a new one, but found that he once more could not find a place to call his own. It is at this point that Yamada-kun stumbles upon and on Shiraishi, with the rest of the season following. The further along it goes, the more situations he finds himself in and subsequently the more relationships he establishes with the people around him. He almost loses them forever, but his newfound determination fostered throughout the series pulls through, with him saving Shiraishi and the other witches with a wish that makes perfect sense; Yamada-kun already has everything he could ever wish for, so him unburdening the girls now and in the future to form their own relationships brings everyone the greatest amount of happiness. At this point, the reason for him having such a power to start with becomes clear: not only did he need friends and relationships the most out of anyone in the school but it was what he wanted more than anything all along. Meaning, he was granted all of the witch powers – which were designed to create these connections – to eventually achieve his wish, and achieve his true wish he did.

SOUND

The opening theme starts and ends nicely, but the middle is rather repetitive. Listening to the piece more closely, the vocalist does nearly all of the work, while the instruments are composed in such a way as to bring about a mysterious yet hopeful vibe befitting the anime well enough. The ending theme mirrors its opening counterpart in that the singer does the heavy lifting; she has wonderful range and really carries the piece despite the boring beat.

The remainder of the soundtrack is nothing too notable. There are tracks that follow the feeling of magic through their strange-sounding instruments, hard-guitar riffs for Yamada-kun’s more rough-and-tumble encounters, piano melodies for the happy and sad times, and other tunes that find their place among the mystery that permeates many of the events. It is an OST that is not worth listening to outside of the anime itself, being little more than background noise.

Voice acting for the anime is somewhere slightly above average. Special shout-outs are deserved for Ryota Osaka as Yamada-kun for his accent and reactionary way of speaking and Saori Hayami as Shiraishi for her “manlier” way of speaking when Yamada-kun took over her body.

ENJOYMENT

Looking back through the anime, I found the first half or so pretty funny. Shiraishi was very cute, her interactions with Yamada-kun were always adorable, Miyabi and Miyamura were fun with their teasing, the body-switching created hilarious scenarios, and Nene’s embarrassment despite her confidence made for quite the happy times.

But when the show moved away from its comedic roots and into the more dramatic elements later on, it started to fall apart. Due to the progression of the story, there were fewer cute moments between the main couple, the side characters were pushed to the sidelines, the powers were used less and less, and due to the shift in tone the anime was not looking to make Nene blush but instead have her cry. To put it differently, when the anime was trying to be funny, it was, and when it was not, it really should have been.

The point about not utilizing the witch powers to their full extent, talked about here and in other areas, was also sad to see. When the anime places so much importance on the witches that it includes them in the title itself, and then proceeds to not do anything with them, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. It is even worse when the witches and their personalities added some spice to the mix. Noa’s clinginess, Maria’s assertiveness, and Meiko’s dual personality were all quirks that the anime could have leveraged but failed to do so.

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches has an interesting premise that ultimately does not go anywhere. Its themes are personable and some of its characters are interesting, but the misuse of its cast, the lackluster art, and the lame soundtrack bring the whole package down. While Yamada-kun and Shiraishi live happily ever after, this one still needs a wish of its own.

SUMMARY

Story: Fine, theme on relationships is executed nicely but “firing and forgetting” is rampant

Animation: Fine, boring art style, fitting reaction faces, nice character designs, about average actual animation

Characters: Good, Nene and the side characters are passable, Shiraishi is okay, with Yamada-kun undoubtedly being a strong character

Sound: Fine, okay OP, okay ED, boring soundtrack, slightly above average VA work

Enjoyment: Fine, Shiraishi is adorable, with the show being hilarious earlier rather than later

Final Score: 5/10

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

You fap to Yuri shamelessly? You have diabetes because you overdose on Vanilla? You secretly worship Yaoi? You openly admit that you love all three? This anime basically is one-size-fits-all for everyone of all sexual orientations and preferences.

Yamada-kun and the Seven Bitches (you read that right), or Y7 for short, is a surprisingly good anime with an actual, plot-line, legit romance and some interesting characters. The premise isn’t unique, ground-breaking or interesting at first glance, but it’s all in the execution. Yep people, shits actually get done in here, shits that are relevant to the story. It’s a rom-com with an actual plot ... and story progression, what else could one wish for? Another thing I liked is that the anime stays true to its light-hearted theme and doesn’t try to creep into the realm of philosophy. Because it makes no sense for high school idiots to keep spewing out Aristotle crap about life and the universe unless they were tripping balls.

I’m not too sure about the Harem tag being there, I mean a dude going around kissing and getting intimate with a bunch of Bitches isn’t Harem at all. Jokes aside, there aren’t any discernible Harem elements, at most a triangle but it resolved itself anyway.

Plot 8/10
The plot is essentially about our male lead going around kissing random Bitches and Hoes and Dudes to solve his life problems. One ticket to Y7-land please. The overarching plot isn't revealed half-way into the anime but it’s focused, doesn’t deviate to some stupid, pointless fillers. It gets somewhat darker towards the end as opposed to the usually light and comedic theme, but it has a good transition. The pacing is somewhat rushed but still slow enough for me to comprehend wtf is going on. In general, the execution of the plot was outstanding, you will be gripped till the very end. 11/10 would kiss again - IGN

The comedy aspect is simply fucking hilarious. I had many good laughs from this series, and even as much as rewatching certain scenes. The immaturity, dirty-ness and fan service is integral to the comedy and they were done to a reasonable extent, appropriate according to the situations, not overblown and redundant to the point of borderlining ecchi (looking at you, monogatari series). Let’s be honest that the first thing you’d do after switching body with someone of the opposite sex is touching yourself incessantly.

The romance slowly and naturally develops as the story progresses and it actually makes sense, wasn’t too abrupt, full of retarded melodrama, crying or misunderstandings. In the end I genuinely wanted our main couple to be together. NOW KISS.

Art: 7.5/10
Eye-pleasingly bright and vivid (seriously, their eyes glow brighter than my future). Character art is relatively unique and appealing that I can distinguish one character from another with ease. The quality stays consistent throughout and doesn’t deteriorate like many other series at certain scenes. Overall the art and animation is excellent and worthy of praise.

The OP animation killed some of the anticipation by giving away the identity of the Seven Bitches and the main couple pairing.

Sound: 8.5/10
The OP is fairly upbeat and catchy, I find myself listening to it occasionally but not the ED. There isn’t a wide range of OSTs, they're repeated but really add to the enthusiastic mood and are quite entertaining to hear.

Special commendation goes to the voice actors as they’ve done a terrific job of voicing the characters especially when they switch bodies. The exceptional voice acting is a major source of comedy and enjoyability of the series.

Characters: 6/10
The cast is quite large for a 12-episode anime to handle, as such the characters’ background stories are barely explored, just enough to explain their motives and personalities. In the end, a lot of them didn’t receive development and was left out as it all boils down to our main couple, Yamada and Shiraishi.

- Yamada: Introduced as an aggressive delinquent and is actually an aggressive delinquent, not suddenly turned into some generic nice, caring main lead over time. He’s a meanie that I can relate to, I mean he’s tired of school n shit, so true for me right now. On another note, he’s fucking hilarious.
- SHIRAISHI BEST BITCH. Kuudere is the best dere and on top of that, she’s a busty, nice and caring blonde, who wouldn’t want a piece of that? She received the most development and obviously I was drawn into her. Speculatively she has a dark side as evident in her malicious glare on the stairs during ep 1 and the pics her picture book. This makes her somewhat more interesting, too bad it was never elaborated upon. Her apathy to things going on around her is fucking hilarious. Also, her gentle smile at the end of the OP animation totally got me.
- ODAGIRI SECOND BEST BITCH because she received considerable development and has more depth than the other Bitches. If there’s a best there’s gotta be a second best and no one else is more deserving of this than her I guess. They see her triangle-in' they hatin'.

Other Bitches and Hoes include:
- Bitch who talks so much without even talking, why are women so noisy?
- Bitch who can see your miserable future
- Bitch who can see your fetishes because she can touch your heart (lol wut)
- Bitch who can turn invisible because fuck you and your peeping
- Bitch that I don't remember for some reason
They don't stand out much from one another due to the lack of screentime because they were in the kitchen. They look gorgeous but sadly they have nothing else to offer but their voluptuous, inviting bodies. Heck there's even a Commando Bitch.

Apparently there are more dudes and Hoes, they were even of some importance but for sure I forgot about them as quickly as I forgot about high school notes after graduation. I can understand Miyamura being in the OP animation but that green-haired-dude-who-doesn’t-swing-that-way-but I-forgot-his-name guy? Wtf was he doing there?


Verdict: 8/10
Y7 was so much better in many aspects than what I expected it to be, sadly it’s a little bit underrated among the anime community.

Our couple didn’t kiss for real at the end do you know how much that destroyed my heart? What the fuck that’s dumb as hell, writers stop being incompetent. Whoever made it that way must’ve been a bunch of feminists opposing kissing because it’s oppression against women.

TL/DR
+ Shiraishi
+ Everything is fucking hilarious
+ Plot and theme stay consistent throughout
+ Excellent animation, voice acting
+ Interesting cast of characters, good interactions
+ Shiraishi

- Sporadic character focus. Little to no background and development
- Little revealed about the school and how the Bitches came to be.
- No s2 yet. I mean this is a good story, there’s gotta be s2 right? Right? RIGHT? RIIIIIGHT? *drowns in delusion*
- Shiraishi isn’t real, just like your social life and good grades
- The amount of misogyny in this review

By all means, watch this anime if you want to relieve stress from your pitifully abysmal amount of high school work (compared to my college work), arouse your weird fetishes, waifu (husbando) fishing or simply kill time because you aren't in college.

"All you wanted was a kiss, right?" - Yamada


Artwork and Animation: 7

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is LIDENFILMS' first solo anime production. From a cursory search, it seems they were also a 2nd on Arlsan Senki, also new this season. With that in mind, I have to say that this is a solid first outing for a new studio. The characters and backgrounds retain a consistent quality throughout, and while nothing was groundbreaking, it was very easy to watch. I never noticed any major dips in quality, and it moves fluidly.


Sound and Voice Acting: 9

The opening and ending themes are ... rather catchy, upbeat J Pop tunes. Listenable, and set the tone for a lighthearted romantic comedy such as this.
Saori Hayami (Hatoko, Inou Battle) and Ryota Osaka head up the cast as Urara Shiraishi and Yamada-kun, and do a good job selling the quiet, cute girl, and the delinquent ruffian, respectively.
The supporting cast usurps the spotlight some, though, with Eri Kitamura (Takagi, HOTD) as Nene Odagiri, Maaya Uchida (Rikka, Chuunibyou) as Itou Miyabi, and even All Hail Lelouch, Jun Fukuyama as the class president, Yamazaki. Overall a very good group of varied voices that give some personality to what may have otherwise been a real cookie cutter cast filling in blanks for a generic romcom harem show, which this is not.


Characters and Story: 8, 6

Yamada-kun has a decently small cast for a show that promises at least 8 characters in the title. We're introduced to Yamada and his friend Miyamura, the student council VP (who start up the Supernatural Studies Club again) first. The group grows from there to include the hyperactive geeky girl Ito and the quiet beauty Shiraishi. After Yamada finds out that with a kiss, he and Shiraishi are able to change bodies Freaky Friday style, he learns that there are other girls causing trouble at school with odd "powers", such as a charming power, telepathy, the power to give nightmares, and others.

To further the issue, in order for Miyamura to get the nod from the current student council president to be the president's successor, he and Yamada, along with the Supernatural Studies Club are tasked with uncovering the identities of the seven "Witches" of Suzaku high school. However, Nene Odagiri, another candidate for the position, is also out to figure out the identity of these witches before Miyamura does.

At first, I thought that this really was just going to be the anime version of Freaky Friday, with Yamada and Shiraishi swapping bodies and causing all kinds of trouble for themselves that way, but to my pleasant surprise, Yamada-kun really switched it up and kept the show fresh. With the addition of the other witches and their powers, along with how they affected Yamada and his friends' personal lives, it really sewed the show up together nicely.

The nearly constant addition of new characters wasn't burdensome to try and keep track of- and it gave the show a somewhat episodic feel, while still furthering the main plot. Some of the supporting characters were as interesting to watch interact with and scheme against Yamada as watching the antics of Yamada himself. I personally enjoyed that the antagonistic characters stayed true to form, even when they reached the ends of their respective episodic arcs. The characters, while not necessarily unique, were definitely entertaining. My personal favorite was probably Nene Odagiri or Tempura boy who cooks when he gets depressed. "ANYTHING BUT THE TEMPURA!"

There are some of the typical tropes in Yamada-kun, like the unrequited love, and the misunderstood confessions/wrong place wrong time mishaps, but it takes these and runs with them, rather than trying to spoonfeed the viewer a trite romance show. The powers that the witches have provide a lot of fun situations, and the powers themselves were interesting in how they affected the plot and how the characters went about solving the problems they presented, and by proxy- the problems of the witch herself. The show is a nice little slice of life with a decent romance plot, and some magic thrown in for fun.


Enjoyment: 8

Yamada-kun was definitely the surprise of this season. I started watching it the week before the final episode aired, and I found that I was more anxious to watch the next episodes when they were all right in front of me way more than if I had to wait a week! I really enjoyed the fact that the harem and ecchi factors were at an absolute minimum. I never felt like I was being beat over the head with anyone's body, and when the mild nudity did arise- it was played off as a gag, and not made into a point of the show.

The romance itself was also pretty believable, and heartfelt. I wasn't being told repeatedly that Yamada and the girl were in love, but rather shown. Show, not tell- and it worked here. Despite that I almost never enjoy romance shows, I found myself fairly invested in the show, especially at/after episode 10.


Overall: 8

I have to say that I liked Yamada-kun a lot more than I thought I would when I read the premise. I'm no romance fan, and I couldn't care less about whatever the hot new ecchi harem is, but I had several recommendations for the show from other users here, and I have to admit, they were right about Yamada-kun. Definitely one of the best anime this season.

I'm glad I watched it, and, despite the fact that I absolutely loved it, this is one of the few times I'll say I'm glad there wont be a second season. The reason for this is because it's perfect as it is and I could only see more as detracting from the whole. If you're looking for a lighthearted rom/com I strongly recommend watching this, in fact, if you haven't seen it already stop reading and go watch it, like right now...

Story 9/10: The main story line behind this anime is good but it's a harem rom-com and there's only so much you can expect ... at the same time . While there are plenty of surprises it's not going to throw you through a loop anytime soon; however, the unique ideas and their presentation throughout the story wont leave you feeling like you just waited an episode to watch what you already knew was going to happen. Part of the reason I scored story so high was also because of the dialogue/situations which are so memorable and entertaining, in addition to very well done. To sum it up it's an interesting and funny story that sticks to being light-hearted in nature while throwing in just the right amount of drama to pull you in and keep you invested/wanting to know will happen next. Also, on a side note, while there is a harem tag for this anime the story goes very easy on this point and doesn't let it interfere with the story so don't be put off by it.

Art 8/10: The art was well done both with the character designs and background and the animation was fluid. While there is nothing lacking on this front it's not amazing; however, it fits the mood of the anime to a point. While it may not be as detailed or crisp as some other anime I believe anything different would have only hurt the overall feeling this anime gives to its viewers.

Sound 10/10: Shout-out to the absolutely amazing voice-actors/actresses in this anime they did a superb job. Due to the nature of the story the voices of the characters often have to represent the personalities of others and the talent and skill that went into portraying and nailing this perfectly didn't entirely hit me until later. The OP was amazing, I listened to it every episode (which is kind of rare, normally I skip them) The ED was good and it felt like it summed up the feelings of the anime, but I can't summon the same enthusiasm for it as I did the OP. As for the OST, I didn't really notice it... which is a good thing :D It wasn't spectacular but it fit the anime well enough that it was able to enhance/match the mood without distracting you from what was going on.

Characters 8/10: I can't really decide if this was lacking or not so I'll have to settle for the fact that character development seemed a bit rushed. Aside from the MC, and in some ways the club members, the other notable characters don't get too much time, especially the other witches, while they do have enough back-story and depth to give you a feel for or understand them I kind of felt like if I'd blinked at the wrong time I would have missed something important. All the same though they were at least able to be developed to an extent, allowing distinct personalities/emotions to come through with a basis for where they came from.

Enjoyment 10/10: The worst part about light-hearted rom-coms and especially harems is that they tend to use cliche scenarios without any care for uniqueness, It's like the directors expect you to have the same reaction to a situation every time you see it, and its because of this that I enjoyed this anime so much. The dialogue/scenarios are what set this apart from the midden heap that is slowly becoming the harem and/or rom-com genre. This anime will make you laugh, but most importantly it will leave you feeling complete, like I said in the beginning anything more would just detract from this anime. The story starts with a bang, sweeping you off your feet, and when it comes to a conclusion it sets you down so softly at the finish line all you can do is look back and smile.

Overall 9/10: Worth every second and I hope the rest of you enjoyed it as much as I did, and if you haven't seen it yet I hope my review might make you consider watching it, Thanks for reading!

My original review: http://pokemaster12.blogspot.com/2015/07/yamada-kun-and-seven-witches_25.html

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches is probably one of my favorite anime of the previous season. Why? Well, it could be the fanservice. The fanservice they had was actually not as intrusive nor as obnoxious as some of the other anime to have come out recently. They had just enough that it was funny and flowed well with the story, but not enough that it destroyed the story itself. But then again, maybe it was the story that got me to love this anime.


Ryuu Yamada is a punk. He shows up at school late, sleeps in class, and doesn't do his homework. ... He finds his opposite in Urara Shiraishi, a beautiful girl whose the top student in school and always seen studying. One day when they're both walking up a flight of stairs, Yamada trips and they fall down. When he wakes up, Yamada discovers that he and Shiraishi have switched bodies. I find this basic premise to be incredibly interesting. It's hard to find original themes and ideas in the entertainment industry. However, while I'm sure this idea has been done before, I'll confess that it is the first time I've ever seen a story where a guy and girl swap bodies - and it's definitely the first time I've heard of two people swapping bodies from a kiss.


Aside form having an intriguing premise, I absolutely love the characters in this story. Each of them feel like fully-fleshed out people, the kind you'd see walking down the street. They seem to have their own story to tell, and unlike most anime of this genre, they're not just caricatures of specific archetypes. Ryuu Yamada is a perfect example of this. He looks and acts like a punk, but as the story progresses, you see that he's actually a compassionate and caring person. He always puts others before himself, and does his best to help people even at great personal risk. He also makes a surprisingly good tsukkomi. Of course, my favorite character in all this would definitely have to be Urara Shiraishi. Aside from being downright gorgeously designed, I really enjoy her character. At first glance, she appears to be a kuudere type of girl; quiet, unobtrusive and studious. As the anime progresses you begin to learn more about her, and Shiraishi begins to change. While her original of being quiet remains mostly intact, her development as a person is more than obvious and truly a joy to watch happen.


Like all anime of the harem/romance/comedy variety, this one has its fanservice. Unlike most anime to have come out in recent years, however, the fanservice in Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches doesn't make me cringe. It's very light, giving you enough to laugh at and enjoy, but not so much that you feel like you're watching a hentai. It's funny and flows well with the story, but isn't overbearing. In other words, they have just the right amount of fanservice. A part of me wonders if the reason for this is because the writer/illustrator of the manga is actually a woman.


All this being said, if I had to name one reason why I like this anime over others, it would be the kissing. I feel like this anime is trying to make up for the lack of kisses in every other romance anime out there. I've watched a lot of anime with romance and only a few seem to actually have kissing in them. I don't know why this is, but Yamada-kun makes up for it by having several kisses pretty much every episode. I'll admit, the inner romantic in me squealed every time I saw Yamada and Shiraishi kiss. What's more, the ending left me completely fulfilled. This was one of the few romcom anime where I actually watched it all the way through to the end and felt utterly satisfied.

Yamada and the seven witches is about a delinquent called Yamada but one day he's world change when fell down the stairs with smartest person in the school Shiraishi and next thing you know they switched bodies.

For starters I read the manga, Yamada and the seven witches they tried to stuff a story that is worthy 24 episode or more into 12 episodes.

Story
The story has a great concept where a guy has to find the seven witches and in order to do that he has to kiss them. The story pacing felt rush to me they have a different arc each episode but ... tell the most important part from the manga. And the ending was very satisfying.

Art
Liden Film did a great job with the art, the art style was very vivid with the colors with the color of the eyes and color of the hair. I loved the aura when they try to do a romantic mood with the lighting and the close up to there face and Yamada angry expression with the big vein in his forehead with dark black lines.

Sound
The voice acting for Yamada and Shiraishi is on point. They match how they are portrayed with Shiraishi shy low voice and Yamada loud voice. The background music enhances the mood that the story is trying to set. I love love the opening it is one of the most catchy song where you can skip the opening and won't forget but the ending is your typical pop girl ending song that you won't remember.

Character
Yamada and the seven witches have variety of characters but have your typical smart girl, dumb person, but there personality is different for what they are for example typical smart girl would be protective but she is a chill character where she doesn't mind kissing and just move on.

Enjoyment
My enjoyment watching it was great and always looking forward every sunday watching this show. I think people who never read the manga and people who read it would love the show and love to rewatch this series in the future

Powers are something that a lot of people wish to have in their lives. The ability to do all sorts of neat tricks beyond the capabilities of humans like fly, read minds, and fire laser beams from your eyes are something that everyone thinks of having at least once in their lives. But if you really got them, have you ever thought about the kind of impact they could have on your life? Here, a review of Yamada-kun and the seven witches, a show that features seven individuals with a similar predicament.

Story (7.00/10): The story of Yamada-kun (that's the shorthanded ... way I'll be calling this series) follows the life of a delinquent individual by the name of Yamada Ryuu. Feeling a little bit frustrated with boring life at school, he has a chance meeting with one of the school's top students, Shirashi Urara, on a flight of stairs, where he accidentally trips and knocks them both to the base of the steps. It is discovered a little later on that the two characters have now switched bodies all of a sudden through the method of a kiss (you can probably guess what Yamada did now that he was in a girl's body.), sending the two on a journey where they find the seven witches, six other individuals who have the same kind of mystical power.

The story of Yamada-kun for the most part bases itself around a witch of the week style of storytelling, where every episode/few episodes are centered around one particular witch, then move onto the next one, until the series's ends. Within each of these stories, Yamada is faced with a different problem, a situation that each witch needs to have resolved before they are able to live happily on account of their powers acting both as a blessing and a curse. With this, the show provides character development for our main protagonist in particular, as he slowly begins to think otherwise of his "boring school life" and begins to appreciate and enjoy what he has built up, thinking about others rather than himself. (It's a nice progression.)

Also, because this series revolves around the idea of witch powers that are used/exchanged through the art of kissing people, no matter what kind of fan you are, whether it's yaoi, yuri, or vanilla, you'll be finding something you'll like. (Service for everyone!!!)

But here's the biggest issue I have with this series. This anime features the story of the "first witches arc" in the manga, the first major arc of the series that takes up about 90 or so chapters to fill up, 90 very detailed and well written chapters. As such, the anime takes a couple liberties to try and finish this arc within the small 12 episode timeframe. This for me is a major flaw. The reason for this is mostly to blame on the pacing, and how rushed this show is. Because of its small timeframe, the show gets rid of quite a lot of important details to the storytelling, leaving the show to really just be the bare backbone of the original Yamada-kun story. The events of the show are shown very quickly, before going into an awkward timeskip in order to go to move the story along. As a result of this, the characters' actions don't really have a greatly significant effect as they could've, and some points in general are just thrown out the window.

But in the end, Yamada-kun is a story that was in the end still enjoyable to watch. While it missed a lot of important details within its storytelling, you'll still get a general gist of what is going on even without those little bits of information. They'll be several cohesion problems as to why this specific action works to the characters' advantage, or why this character suddenly has a change of heart, but if you don't let the nitty gritty parts bother you that much, then all will be good. Sadly though, this is still a case of "the manga is better than the anime" so keep that in mind if you prefer to watch it rather than read.

Overview:
+ Good story idea
+ Character development
+ Literally EVERYONE kisses each other (That to me is hilarious)
- Rushed pacing
- A horrendous amount of missing plot details

Characters (7.44/10): Similarly, the characters in Yamada-kun have a problem identical to the problem that the story had. The characters are great, but at the same time, a lot of them just don't have the same kind of impact.

First we have Yamada-kun himself, the protagonist of this fine little story. As a "delinquent" style character, Yamada is a very brash and loudmouthed character, always speaking in an angry sounding tone and frustrated by when things don't go the way he feels they should. While hard looking on the outside, Yamada's actually a bit softie, going out of his way to help the witches with their problems using his own power in the process. His development for the most part comes from him helping each witch in the series one by one, as he throws himself in the line of fire to help protect and help these girls that are dealing with their own personal issues.

And then, we have Shirashi Urara, the main female protagonist of the series. Shirashi is a very calm girl, someone who is very willing to do what is needed in order to help the situation and is never panicked whenever she is face with a problem. As such, she serves as an aid to help with whatever problem that Yamada is trying to resolve and helps the series' progression overall. As a witch herself, she has a problem similar to the other six in the series, which, with the help of Yamada gets resolved and in the end, helps better her life.

The side cast for Yamada is split off into two categories, the witches themselves, and the "witch hunters" as I call them, aka all the other characters in the series. As for the witches, these characters are the centralized part of the story, utilizing most of the runtime in order to tell their problem, and have Yamada attempt to resolve it for them. What I like about these girls is the fact that all of them have a look of progression with them, meaning that from the start of their story to the end, there is a significant change in most of them (since Asuka's a bitch...) and as a result, they all gain development and change towards their character. As for the witch hunters, they vary in terms of importance. Because it follows the story of the original manga, several rather important characters show up a lot later in the series on account of arc importance. The issue with this is the fact that because they are delivered to us so late, they don't really get much importance or screentime as much as they should. As a result a couple of them lack a proper character and the rushed feeling of the series is prominent with them.

Overview:
+ Good main cast
+ Central characters get character development
- Most of the side cast are lackluster in terms of importance and/or development

Art and Sound (8.00/10 and 8.10/10): The art for Yamada-kun was strictly made by LIDENFILMS. The art for the series is a very light style, with the color palette of the series going towards a very white/light part of the spectrum. As a result, the series is very whimsical looking and very bright. The art for the series is what I would consider to be slightly above standard fare, as the quality for the series never seems to dip, and the overall look of the show is always very good looking with no glaring oddities and problems that I see. Of course, it's not overly extraordinary, as they don't consistently have examples of outstanding animation, but it is still a very good look for the series.

In addition, the art for the series has a bit of a comedic feel to it, with the series using exaggerated facial expressions for the characters, which brings a bit more life into the series and a nice bit of comedy that I personally feel fits with the show.

As for sound, the OP for this series is one I personally find to be both fantastic, and very memorable. It has a very original sound to it with its very flourishing sounds and bright tone which I personally find to be both enjoyable and something that I would want to listen to over and over again. As for the ED, I personally don't find it to really be anything of any consideration. It's nice, but it's a bit too generic for my taste, and it just doesn't seem to be all that memorable. The rest of the soundtrack also falls into this category.

Also, I have to give credit to the seiyuus for giving a great performance, since this series is one that requires one to play several roles on account of the characters in the series body switching and having to talk in more ways than one.

Overview:
+ Good quality art
+ Great sounding OP
- Rest of the soundtrack is a bit lackluster

Personal Enjoyment (7.48/10): While Yamada-kun is a series I feel is a great and well written, this anime adaptation simply just didn't pull off the best execution that I had originally expected. While we did get a good start to the series with its first three episodes, the rest just felt a bit disappointing as it started to rush towards the finish.

Did I like this series?

Contrary to what I have been saying, Yamada-kun is indeed a series that I still did enjoy. It was nice to see the series in animated form and I was pleased to see not only the characters, but the scenes that I enjoyed reading. I thought the seiyuus did a wonderful job in their voice acting on account of having to basically play multiple parts, and I really liked the aesthetics and the opening. (This opening is probably one of the better ones this season.)

What didn't I like about this series?

It was rushed, plain and simple. Because the show wanted to finish a huge story arc in the span of 12 episodes, the enjoyment factor dipped significantly. While yes, I have read the Yamada-kun manga, I was wondering for the majority of the time as to how the characters in the series came up with a conclusion or how they were able to do this. I knew how, but seeing from the perspective of someone new to the series, I just didn't see how it would really make sense to come to this conclusion the characters needing to do something in order to come to this resolution. There were important details, entire mini story arcs in fact, that were missing from this adaptation, and I really wasn't happy with how the show took far too many liberties in order to finish where they wanted it to be. Kind of wish there was more runtime so that things could be fleshed out a little bit more.

Would I recommend this series?

All in all, I would still say that Yamada-kun is still a decent adaptation. While it did miss a lot of things that I would say are essential to the story's explanation, the overall adaptation is still the bare backbone of the Yamada-kun story and as such, is still relatively good in the fact that you still get the general idea of the story and should have a rather enjoyable time watching it.

Overall Score: 7.50/10

Yamada-kun to 7-nin no majo aka Yamada and the 7 witches. i originally did not even notice this anime and wasn't gonna watch it i thought it was gonna be just meh and boy did i judge a book by its cover it was so under the radar for me that i consider it underrated also the best anime of the season in my personal opinion. If i had one major issue it would be the pacing it was a little fast.

Story- I would have liked the anime to be longer but it definitely got to everything it needed in terms of the 7 witches ... story.The setting is within the school premises for the most part and the story consists of a guy who is a delinquent who ends up accidentally trips from a flight of stairs on to a girl who is the best student in the school they end up kissing during the fall and then they body swap during the exchange and later on realize that the kiss triggered the body switch so fast forward they revive an old club and the club that is for finding the 7 witches and the wacky funny dramatic journey begins.

At first glance it may not seem very exciting and enticing but its interesting and as you get into the story you realize the burdens the witches face because of the powers they possess and you also get just so much weird wacky moments overall the story really stood out compared to everything i have watched this anime season.

Art- Colorful real shiny overall its just something really good that honestly it sticks out the drawings may not be wow but mixed with everything the vibrancy if the colors the rainy scenes it was just really good.

Sound- not much to say everything fits within the anime it has an awesome opening and intro one of the best in the season imo and also has a decent ending. Character voices match the characters and the ost is fitting to say the most good overall.

Characters- In terms of characters you get the 7 witches of course the 2 witch ******* and the student council along with some other characters you get an decent amount of characters that actually contribute to the story and you also get a crap load of character development within the 7 witches for their specific episodes once they are found and also get alot of development through the leading male character the witches powers creates for some funny moments and dramatic moments and pasts that you might relate to irl or just sympathize with.

Enjoyment- 10/10 like i said my personal favorite and best anime ive seen this season in terms of everything including other seasons of anime from b4.

Overall- 9/10 was it perfect? no but it was really good. Was it satisfying? Yes it was but i would have liked to seen more but the ending was a perfect fit to end the series.

The adaptation from the manga (never read will start reading) to the anime form wasn't good because based on opinions from the manga readers it is completely different but one thing ive noticed amongst the manga readers are that the anime even though it doesn't follow the manga it is still great on its own. My anime of the season is Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo (TV).

So this anime is probably a good depiction of every guy's dream. The main character (Yamada) is your average school delinquent who accidentally discovers that he could switch bodies with another person by the act of kissing them by the lips. Or so he thought..
He later discovers that there are 7 other people who have "powers" within the school, hence the name of the anime. I'll stop talking about the plot now, the rest is up to you to see for yourself.

I feel that there were some parts where you could see what was going to happen and the ending was very cliche (imo), however ... the story made me keep anticipating for the next episode. Overall I would recommend this anime, it has a nicely mixed harem/romance/comedy feel to it, and I enjoyed it a lot myself.

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches was definitely one of the better anime of the Spring season. While the concept of supernatural elements in a school setting and body switching hijinks isn't exactly new, it was able to pull them off in an entertaining and charming way nonetheless.

Story: 6
The story revolves around the seemingly mean-spirited delinquent, Ryuu Yamada, and his complete polar opposite, Urara Shiraishi. The two students take an unexpected tumble down their school's stairs and end up kissing by accident, which causes them to magically switch bodies. When they discover that kissing is what triggers the strange phenomenon, another student discovers their little secret ... and convinces them to help him revive the Supernatural Studies Club in order to find other girls with strange powers. While the plot itself isn't the best or original, it was still engaging to see the concept be played well. The pacing was overall okay, and it never felt too slow or dragged out. The ending wrapped up problems satisfyingly enough even though it was predictable. Overall, I have no major complaints with the story even if it had some minor flaws.

Art: 7
The art and backgrounds were colorful, vibrant, and well-drawn. It was nice and seemed to have a sense of effort put in. I thought the character designs were appealing and charming enough. The animation was decent, and it got the job done without any major flaws or hiccups. I never noticed a dip in quality, and it stayed consistent all throughout. As a newer anime, the art and animation was well done.

Sound: 7
The music was pretty good. I definitely enjoyed listening to the super catchy and upbeat opening every week. The ending wasn't that bad either. The background music was pretty standard and not particularly noteworthy. It did fit the tone of most of the scenes well enough. All the seiyuu were great. It was especially amusing how they changed their voices whenever a certain character swapped into someone else's body.

Character: 6
There are a slew of characters and the majority of them were likeable, interesting, and their backstories fleshed out just enough to care about them. Most of the focus is on Yamada and how he helps each witch from whatever complication they are facing, and their eventual involvement with the main group. The romantic relationship between Yamada and Shiraishi was executed fairly well. It didn't feel forced or unnatural, really. Unfortunately, one lacking aspect I did notice was that most of the side characters (mainly the witches) weren't fully developed due to the time constraints by essentially being one-off episodes. I felt we only got to see parts as it doesn't thoroughly delve into them. That said, each character had a purpose that helped push the plot along, so no character felt useless and seeing what power each new witch brought kept things fun. It was enjoyable to see the characters in the many comedic situations due to all the body swapping and other supernatural abilities.

Enjoyment: 7
I quite enjoyed watching Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches. It was a pleasant watch. The series was mostly lighthearted comedy, but it did sometimes get a tad more serious when it came to the more dramatic scenes revolving around the character conflicts. That helped keep things going without feeling stale. If you go in and watch the series for what it is, you likely won't be disappointed. Yamada-kun exceeded my expectations, and it was rightfully one of the standouts of its season. The comedy was on point, the romance was believable, the cast was solid, and the story wrapped up satsfyingly. It wasn't perfect, but the merits most definitely outweigh the cons. If you're looking for a supernatural rom-com, then I recommend giving this one a shot.

Overall: 6/10

TL;DR: Rushed as f*ck.

No spoilers here.

Yamada-kun and the 7 Witches was one of the anime that I was dreading this season. Why? Because it was one-cour. The story arc that could be concluded with the manga as it is now is either over 80 chapters in or an original ending, and with the sweet spot of manga to anime adaptation being 2-3 chapters an episode, 80 could be a little too much in 24 episodes, even if filler is cut. Well, for better and for worse, Yamada-kun met and exceeded my expectations.

But let’s talk about the good stuff first.

Yamada-kun and the 7 Witches (which I ... will abbreviate as 7 Witches) follows the titular Ryu Yamada, a second year delinquent who is all alone in a rather prestigious school. When walking up the stairs threateningly near the class genius and beauty, the diminutive Urara Shiraishi, he accidentally falls down the stairs on top of her. To their extreme surprise, they switched bodies. After walking in each other shoes, Yamada realizes Shiraishi is being bullied and, against her will, helps put an end to it. They then discover they can switch back by kissing. Subsequently, Yamada and Shiraishi get embroiled within the contest for Student Council President, create the Supernatural Studies Club, and search for the 7 Witches, who have powers similar to body-swapping.

Premise aside, 7 Witches’ key strengths are its art and extremely ball-busting humor, drawing from ecchi, physical, character-driven, and wordplay based humor. The anime always succeeds here. Linden does a tremendous job in animating here, making the environments of Suzaku High School seem especially grand and high-class. Many girls have extremely strange hair colors (green, blue, pink, whatever), and while they appear strange in the manga, Linden does a pretty good job at making them seem less jarring in the anime. Facial expressions are rendered extremely carefully, elevating the humor, which is usually done right. Aside from kissing, there is some playful fanservice here, and while it does get grating, the anime, in adapting, skips out on some of the fanservice as well, which is actually a plus, especially for those who are averse to such elements.

The true star of this entire anime is by far the voice work. I have to give amazing credit to the characters who generally swap bodies: Ryota Ohsaka (Yamada), Saori Hayami (Shiraishi), Toshiki Masuda (Toranosuke Miyamura) and Maaya Uchida (Miyabi Ito). When the characters swap bodies, each voice actor immediately switches their delivery to match the personality currently inhabiting their character. Hayami, who typically does quitter or gentler female roles, becomes bombastic and crude when Yamada is in Shiraishi’s body. Similarly, whenever Shiraishi inhabits Yamada, Ohsaka delivers in a very terse and gentle tone. Masuda and Uchida also do a splendid job when body swapping is going on, but Ohsaka and Hayami are, without question, amazing.

The rest of the voice cast does an amazing job, because 7 Witches’ voice cast is stacked. To single out some of the biggest names here, Eri Kitamura voices Nene Odagiri, Aoi Yuki voices Noa Takigawa, Kana Hanazawa voices Mikoto Asuka, Daisuke Ono voices Ushio Igarashi, Miyuki Sawashiro voices Leona Miyamura, and Jun Fukuyama voices Student Council President Haruma Yamazaki.

This is where the praise stops, because Linden decided to make this one-cour instead of two.

The original 7 Witches manga had some filler that could have been taken out without too much trouble. A subplot with the girls’ archery club president, Karen Kimishima, was cut out, and ultimately, that does not matter. Some arcs could be cut a little shorter without too much trouble, such as the arc focusing around Maria Sarushima or the arc surrounding Noa. But 7 Witches wasn’t filled with so much fluff to be able to cut much more than this, so the amount of corner-cutting when it comes to plot make certain developments jarring and eliminates the impact of some of the arcs.
(Some subtle foreshadowing sprinkled within the early chapters that reference the ongoing arc in the manga are cut entirely, so if that’s ever adapted, it will seem less clever and more out of left field.)

The final arc of the anime was a rushed and hollow shadow of what was in the manga, which is a severe disappointment. Due to this corner cutting, all characters other than Yamada (and to a much lesser extent, Shiraishi) that had character development don’t have any. Admittedly, some characters don’t have much character development still don’t, like Ito, Kentaro Tsubaki, and a couple of the witches. However, other characters lose both their motivations and screentime, making them hollow shells of people and not actual characters. The best way to describe this is in quick list form.

-Shiraishi loses her dry, cutting humor, making her more generic.
-Toranosuke Miyamura’s motivation in the manga doesn’t exist in the anime.
-Leona Miyamura’s motivation is heavily watered down.
-Odagiri’s, Ushio’s, Noa’s, and Yamazaki’s cut scenes make them more one-dimensional in the anime.

Yamada is pretty much the only major character to come through the adaptation unscathed, but with the other characters being rather weak, it prevents the anime from being a good adaptation.

Many adaptations come in too soon and have to rush or make an original ending. This was not that. Linden’s rushed 12 episode adaptation of Yamada made it lose most of its plot and character based strengths. More than a faithful retelling, it often feels like a highlights reel of the plot. The presentation is beyond stellar, but when the plot and characters are diluted to such an extent, it’s hard to be happy with this anime.

Story - 5 (premise is OK to begin with, anime cuts down on many strengths)
Art - 8 (beautiful animation)
Sound - 9 (music is forgettable but the voice acting is amazing)
Character - 5 (all characters except Yamada are hollow)
Enjoyment - 4 (as a manga lover, this rushed adaptation hurts)

Overall - 6.2 (rounded to 6)

Edit 7/6/15: Decided my score was a tad reactionary.

Short:
The anime felt very rushed compared to the manga. Everyone seems to instantly respond to every action, thus losing much of the impact and emotion between exchanges. Some of the manga parts seemed to be added in just because it was in the manga, except some of the preludes were completely skipped which made it seemed very forced. Overall, I didn't really like this adaptation as it felt more like a summary of the manga than an actual fully fleshed anime.

*Spoilers Ahead*

Story: 7
This comes from the fact that we seem to be missing a few chunks of the story here and there probably due to ... the episode limitations. The whole searching for witches and yamada's reasons felt very superficial where he does things just because the story needs him as the protagonist, rather than him having actual reasons.

Art 9:
I felt that the art truly reflected the original's, not to mention that I feel it's actually a bit better. Miki (the author/artist) occasionally had some issues with the art, which I didn't notice here.

Sound 8:
Didn't really like the OP or ED songs. The voice selections suited their characters, though maybe the president could have been someone different, not really sure who, but I felt that his voice didn't really suit the character. For BGM, there wasn't much that caught my attention.

Character 6:
Like stated earlier, everything just felt rushed. Their characters don't really feel fleshed out and everything they do don't really coincide with their character because we weren't given enough information beforehand (e.g. Miyamura's sister was actually a secret he wanted to keep but just stated it to everyone without much of an issue). I really felt that they should have adapted less of the manga and do each episode more thoroughly.
--Example 1: Yamada refuses to rejoin the Supernatural Club because he believes they're better off without him, but this isn't actually explained in the anime.
--Example 2; Yamada also runs through a few thoughts before confessing to Shiraishi but this is skipped in the anime for some reason, which makes the confession really random/abrupt.


Enjoyment: 7
It wasn't as enjoyable as the manga as everything happened way too quick without much time for people to really grasp the mood. It really felt like we were just skipping from scene to scene and being fed the main points of each scene.

Overall 7:
First anime I've watched where I've read the manga beforehand, so maybe I'm being a bit harsh. But it was definitely less enjoyable watching the anime than it was reading the manga. There was a real lack of romantic atmosphere between Yamada and Urara kissing. Perhaps even the voice acting was a bit rushed. Overall, I think there really should have been a few moments where each important character could engage in a short thought monologue.

Yamada, at first glance a thug and rude guy who's personality puts him apart from the rest of the school body, but as the anime progresses, starts to gain friends from all around.

Story: 8
Yamada goes to a school in which secretly has 7 "witches" who have various powers that are passed down from student to student. The story progresses as Yamada ends up searching for the witchs due to set circumstances influenced by the student council.

Art: 8
The art is some of the most vibrant art that I seen this season. Just by looking at the profile picture, you can tell right away that the characters ... are depicted in a colorful way all throughout the anime, and the background art is also similar.

Sound: 7
The sounds are, for me, the lower score section for this anime, as there aren't any memorable music or sounds besides the intro, which had a decent soundtrack to it. However, not even the intro is so good that I would repeatedly watch it over and over again.

Character: 8
There are a variety of characters that we get to know throughout the anime, however I'll give brief descriptions of the 2 most important ones.
Yamada- blue hair, thug-like boy who has incredible strength and a personality that gets him into trouble a lot of the time.
Shiraishi- blonde hair quiet straight As girl who is also one of the witchs who has the power to switch bodies with a kiss. Go figure.

Enjoyment: 9
Besides the yaoi scenes (ugh) , I really enjoyed watching this anime when it aired. With the comedy/lighthearted attitude with a taint of seriousness in various parts, it was an enjoyable anime that I came to like watching while it was airing.

Overall: 8

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you had the power to switch bodies with someone else? No? How about the power of charm, telepathy, or seeing the future? Or maybe you've thought about invisibility, dreaming of traumatic events, or even erasing memories? Still not impressed? Well, what if you had to KISS someone in order to use one of those seven powers? Mm-hmm, I think I've caught your attention now.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my review of Yamada and the Seven Witches, also known in Japanese as Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo.

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches is about Ryuu Yamada, a delinquent in ... his second year at Suzaku High School. One day, he accidentally falls down a flight of stairs, crashing into the school's top student, Urara Shiraishi, in the process. When Yamada regains consciousness, he discovers that he has switched bodies with Shiraishi. When they switch back, they discover that kissing causes them to switch bodies. It is later discovered that there are seven witches at Suzaku High School, each of them possessing a unique power. Together with the newly-revived Supernatural Studies Club, they set out to discover the identities of these seven witches.

Although I've never read the manga before, I've known about it for quite a while because of its popularity. That's why when the anime was announced, I jumped at the chance to watch it. I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped I would, but it still turned out to be a great anime in all other aspects.

The story is well put-together, and I liked that it focused on powers other than body swapping. Each of the characters were developed quite well, especially the witches. You cannot forget the main characters, though. Yamada was a fun character from beginning to end, and Shiraishi was quite an interesting one. The other members of the Supernatural Studies Club, Miyamura (the student council vice president), Itou (the supernatural-obsessed girl), and Tsubaki (a transfer student who is introduced later), each have their moments of brilliance or hilariousness.

The voice acting was done very well, and each voice actor fit their character as well as possible. I didn't care for the ending theme, "Candy Magic", that much, but I absolutely LOVE the opening, "Kuchizuke Diamond"! It's very catchy and well-sung; it's easily one of the best opening themes of the season where it aired. The best part of this anime, though, was the animation. It was so vivid and well-done!

Thinking about it, I wonder why I didn't enjoy Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches so much, because what is there not to like about it? I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the manga. Or maybe I should read the manga myself and see if the anime was any different from it? I don't know.