Majo to Yajuu
The Witch and the Beast

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For the past two months, I found myself in a reading slump regarding manga, but "The Witch and The Beast" helped me overcome it.

Plot: 7/10. Objectively, this manga does not introduce anything novel: it presents a fantasy world populated by witches, vampires, mages, and humans, who are predictably at odds with each other. At the center is the ultimate evil, somehow linked to our fierce female lead, Guideau, who's got quite the attitude. Alongside Ashad, they tackle various gruesome murder cases to find clues about the witch who cursed Guideau. The full story of the curse remains a mystery, but I'm crossing my fingers that ... the hiatus ends soon, giving us some answers. Even though the plot doesn't break new ground, the dark and intense atmosphere kept me INVESTED.

Characters: 10/10. I must award the characters the highest marks! Regardless of their relevance to the main plotline, each character undergoes noticeable development, enriching the overall narrative. I can't relate to anyone in this story, and that's why I appreciate that I could enjoy the characters' stories from a distance (even though I mostly fancy the stories, where at least one character can be relatable). The pure chemistry between Ashad and Guideau, Phanora and Johan, Dunward and Oscar, is compelling. The characters bring depth and complexity to the story, making it much more than just another fantasy tale.

Art Style: 100000/10
The artwork is next-level. My gallery is now packed with frames from this manga. The fight scenes are intense and gripping, and the details in the horrifying deaths are so vivid they gave me nightmares ngl. The beauty in each character, especially in their eyes, is extraordinary. Satake Kousuke's attention to gazes and stares perfectly captures a range of human emotions. The art draws you in and makes you feel every moment, from quiet, reflective scenes to high-stakes battles.

By combining these elements, "The Witch and The Beast" offers a captivating reading experience. Although it may not be groundbreaking, it elicits a whirlwind of emotions.

And to stop being academic. PLEASE ENOUGH OF HIATUS, I'M EAGER FOR MORE

TL;DR promising fantasy Manga with charming world building and beautiful Art. Unfortunately the author is sick and therefore it makes an abrupt pause.

The witch and the beast is set in a World, that doesnt sound like anything new at first. Yet the manga succseeds in creating an interesting Story and an unique World with a mysterious feel to it.

Positive:

- the two protagonists are quite likeable imo. they are both adults and highly skilled in their own ways (so no stupid training or constant defeats)
- world again nice feeling with big potential
- Art is beautiful most of the time & definitely above your average fantasy ... manga
- doesnt shy away from blood and violence without being too edgy
- interesting side cast with unique (in their verse) abilities
- potentially will cover every aspect of classic fantasy if the manga continues the way i expect it to go

Negative mentions:

- some Panels can be confusing in more dynamic moments and then be hard to follow (might be due to my translations or reading comprehension but thats my perception)
- eventho there are cool side characters, there are very many characters that make their debut just to be completly irrelevant 2 chapters later
- sometimes it has a little too much of deus ex machina kind of vibe (very very minor inconvinience tho... for example Oscar)
- unfortunatley the author is sick and it looks like the manga wont continue anytime soon

All in all i would give it an 8 how it is ATM. personallly i tend more to an 9 but thats just my opinion. I do think it could be a very very strong fantasy manga that wont leave anyone unsatisfied if it continues smoothly.

Final word considering the future (this part will contain minor spoilers) the authors situation is very unfortunate since we are barely half way through the story, more like 1/4 i'd say. We know 4 witches and seen another 6 there are probably ~20 more places to explore and way more so called magical instruments that could be used for an arc before reaching the final goal. But with a rather mid anime, animation wise and a manga that cant really live of the animes hype since its not publishing i dont have high hopes for the future, eventho the manga would deserve to continue in the great way it started.

I really hope the author makes a comeback soon but ofc health is first. I'll still keep an eye on this thing and will happily return once it continues, since its a piece of art, thats worth waiting for.

Sad example when the author has no idea where he wants to go with a story. Or does not communicate this to the reader at all. It is sad because the arcs themselves are pretty good. But the lack of any logical connection between them and negligible interaction between main antagonist and protagonist leave you with a meaningless aftertaste after reading the story.

First we had an actual witch hunt with flashy battles (the anime adapted it pretty well). Then, out of nowhere, the story teleports to vampire lands with loredump justifications as to how this is possible. The protagonist's powers are effectively sealed from that ... moment on. Then, after finishing this vampire business, we get the same abrupt teleportation back and some weird castle siege. This siege had zero build-up, just a flashy battle out of nowhere to justify the plot after it.

Funny thing is that there is an abundance of loredumps on concepts that often do not go further than a chapter, let alone an ark. But there is no foreshadowing at all. Enemy groups just appear out of nowhere and go straight into battle. Why are they fighting, what is their conflict? "Who cares?" seems to be the answer. By the end, you start to wonder what exactly you are reading and why.