Witch Craft Works

Witch Craft Works! An anime about witches and stuff. An average anime with cliché characters and not much of a plot. Even though I say that, it was still an enjoyable watch. With outstanding animation and the great OST, WCW was a nice 12-ep anime which was pretty funny with it's catchy ending song.

Story. 7

The story is about a normal boy, going to school as always, but then one day the schools most popular girl starts to interact with him. After getting to know her, he learns of her identity as a witch. She tells him about the special "being" inside of him and starts to protect him from danger.
The story is pretty simple in the beginning, but after a while it gets a little better but it's not anything special. There are pretty cool fights sometimes but they don't really go in dept with the story, so don't expect anything extraordinary.

Art. 9.5

The animation is just outstanding as I mentioned before. Well, the characters might look a little weird but the background and all the details are one of the best I've ever seen in an anime. The action scenes are very beatifully drawn while also being epic!

Sound. 9

The soundtrack is really good, for real. I like the opening but the ending is just addictive, it's a very catchy song with a bit disturbing video, but it's cute! The voice acting can be a little annoying sometimes but it fits, it gives more of a comedical feeling to it.

Character. 6.3

Well, there some characters that were pretty cool but were not any of the main characters. Most of the characters are the archetypes and the main character is preeeettyy annoying, but if you're able to see trough that, you'll probably enjoy this anime.

Enjoyment. 7.8

It was an enjoyable anime for me and I do not regret watching it, it was very fun at times and the visuals and the BGM was very pleasant. However, it still has a lot of flaws and it isn't a masterpiece. If you are to watch this anime, don't have too high expectations, just think of it as a light hearted anime.

Overall. 7.8

It was definitely worth the watch, but I'm not too fond of these sub-harem animes. The ending was satisfactory but nothing special. The comedy part of this anime can be pretty fun and despite the main characters personality and the lack of plot, the other things makes up for it and it becomes a pleasant enough anime.

SORRY FOR THE BAD ENGLISH.

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An anime where the villains are more entertaining to watch than the main cast, Witch Craft Works takes pages from Pokemon and does it better than Team Rocket.

Story: 7
In a world with two warring witch guilds, the Workshop Witches and the more evil Tower Witches, our main hero is to be protected by a very strong Workshop Witch. The typical story of a powerless protagonist to become a strong hero is overdone and things that happen throughout this story are standard to the plot of a rising hero. There are parts where I was confused on contracts and such, but this comes more from my dislike of reading contracts and how a contract could contradict another contract or how establishing a contract can make one null and void. Reasons why I never will be a lawyer.

Though I have said that the plot is of a typical rising hero, this common story help set a pacing that was perfect. The rising hero storyline follows a rollercoaster of pacing, where it starts off slow and precedes to pick up as the main character learns new skills and eventually takes on the main antagonist. One reason why this type of storyline is slow at the start is because of the pure focus on the main character, going from a weakling to a stronger hero, the pacing reflects that. Witch Craft Works throws a wrench into that focus on the main hero as his teacher who is strong from the start helps with battles and fighting. There are training scenes combined with scenes involving the teacher fighting that create a smooth pacing throughout the series.

Art: 8
The art in this anime was either super amazing or just super choppy. Amazing parts include the animation of art and flying, the character designs as well as the designs for the minions and all the details put into the city. Some choppy parts included a choppy 3D animation at the end, some fighting scenes, especially between minions, looked awkward as well as some explosions appeared to have missing frames. The proportions for Kagari looks weird as well.. I mean anime with big-boobed characters look normal compared to Kagari... There is somethign about the way she is drawn that doesn't look quite right.

The best thing about the art was the use of color. Monochrome art is something that isn't seen too often but Witch Craft Works uses it exceedingly well. Certain scenes just blew me away with all the hues and shades used of a color.

Sound: 9
The OP, "divine intervention" was a decent OP that reflected the fantasy aspect of a mages world. The way it did this was through playing "happy" notes on a synthpad. The combination of happiness and a synth helps give the idea that this is an anime that isn't a dark witch anime, but rather a bright sided one. The ED is by far my favorite thing of this anime. Witch Activity is super catchy, fast-paced song that sums up everything that the these villains are, evil, but not truly evil. The ED itself awarded this score of a 9, it's just something about the song that makes me play it on replay.

The background music was lacking. It did not ave enough impact for it to be memorable and never really helped carry a mood.

Character: 9
The characters that made this anime were the 5 Tower Witches you get introduced to in the first and second episode. They are very similar to the Team Rocket trio in where they appear villainous only to become comedic jokes throughout the series. The only difference is that there Tower Witches are more entertaining to watch than the Rocket trio. The Witches are serious at parts so they have to be taken seriously at times, unlike the Rocket trio where they aren't taken seriously after episode 1.

Character development... was lacking for the main characters. The main character didn't really develop a new way of thinking but rather just gained information about the new world while Kagari didn't develop much besides giving more freedom to Takamiya.

Enjoyment: 8
With a story that is quite generic, I was surprised that I enjoyed this anime. Most of my enjoyment came from scenes involving the Tower Witches but the main characters were also quite interesting to watch.

Overall: 8
Witch Craft Works was an anime that surprised me as I thought it would be quite a dark show. I was assuming that it would involve mages killing mages constantly trying to protect the important things. Though this is right, it was nowhere near as dark as I imagined it and I was glad to give this anime a shot.

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Recently, magical school anime seem to be very popular. Witch Craft Works is not much different, except it has magicians attending school alongside non-magical people. Our main protagonist, Takamiya, at first doesn't know about any of this. He just keeps to himself and avoids getting involved with people until the most popular girl, Kagari also known as Hime (princess), forcefully gets involved in his high school life. It turns out that Takamiya actually has vast magical potential hidden inside of him that evil witches want and would kill him to obtain, so Kagari (who is a witch) must protect him. And she does an excellent job of protecting him considering she's an extremely overpowered magician with fire magic that can instantly obliterate half a city. Too bad her personality isn't as interesting as her magic, but oh well, it's still fun to watch her destroy stuff emotionlessly.

The story in Witch Craft Works jumps around a lot. Each episode is very fast paced and the story is always moving in one way or another (whether it has any effect on the plot or not). This results in certain parts of the story being very entertaining, while others are just annoying and bizarre.

The thing I dislike most about this series, though, is the first episode. I thought this series was going to be absolutely terrible after I watched it. It takes every high school anime cliche (popular girl, guy getting beaten up for being around her, transfer students, etc) to the annoying extreme. The bullying part was especially stupid (and why is one bully named Obama?) because it was portrayed in a humorous way, but it just made you feel bad for Takamiya. However, after the first episode, most of these aspects are forgotten and don't affect the story at all, so it's not too much of a problem overall.

The character cast is a little too large for it's own good and tends to introduce unimportant characters as if they will be important. Takamiya and Kagari are really the only characters given proper introductions. These two are decent protagonists, but they don't bring anything new to plate. Kagari I found to be very boring both in every aspect aside from her overpowered magic abilities, and Takamiya is a generic protagonist who doesn't want anyone to get hurt. It also does a poor job of introducing some of the more important villains. The five initial comedic relief villains are just there for the hell of it since they do nothing except be funny and be in the ED. Another villain, Medusa (I'm sure you can easily guess what her powers are), is also just kind of there and doesn't do anything except make Takamiya develop more. Takamiya's younger sister who fights over him with Kagari is the only other memorable character. The rest are mostly unimportant or are introduced towards the end.

The animation for this anime is actually it's best aspect. The action and aerial scenes are stunning and the CG really isn't too bad, and at times it's meant to look funny anyway. The character designs aren't the best, and I didn't care for Kagari's design, but they're certainly not bad. Some of the more magical scenes also look splendid with vivid colors and crazy designs. And the magic itself looks great, especially Kagari's overpowered fire magic. If you like fire a lot, you'll at least like one part of this show. The music is good with an excellent OP and a strange yet catchy ED. The soundtrack during the action sequences fits them very well but other than that not much stands out.

Witch Craft Works is pretty average in my opinion. It looks great, but some of the story is just random and strange and the characters needed more time to develop with a smaller cast of actually relevant characters. Too many characters are introduced quickly late in the show and too many are introduced for too long in the beginning only to fade out of importance by the end. The final villain was especially terribly introduced, and the show made it seem like the villain was just a precursor villain for the real one except that that wasn't the case. Takamiya's power could have also used a better explanation, but I'm not sure even he knows exactly what his power is either. But even with all those problems, it's not a bad show and it was fairly entertaining.

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Magic exists. Maybe it doesn’t in real life but it’s a phenomenal power of curiosity that exists in the world of Witch Craft Works. It’s not natural because people can’t just be born with it. However, it is like an essence that becomes infused with the show itself. For our normal male protagonist, Takamiya Honoka, his typical life will never be the same again after coming head to head with magic.

As a series based on fantasy with supernatural elements, expect several attributes that defines this anime: magic, witchcraft, and competence. Well to be perfectly honest, Witch Craft Works shouldn’t be judged by its merits of premise. There’s nothing distinctive about it. We have the normal boy, Takamiya Honoka who meets the idol (queen or princess as referred by others) at school known to many as Kagari Ayaka. Their meeting isn’t very normal with the circumstances after she reveals herself as a witch. It’s a trite formula used over and over in series similar to this.

Witch Craft Works doesn’t escape a sea of cliches in any way. Rather, it classically defines it with its dull protagonist, Takamiya. There’s literally nothing special about the boy as many characters throughout the series sees him as the ‘average Joe’. On the other hand, we have a queen at school named Kagari Ayaka that serves as Takamiya’s antithesis. Almost everyone at school literally worships and tries to get on her good side. The show emphasizes the idea that she is their Goddesses while Takamiya is viewed as nothing more than a sidekick, or even a servant. Some may even think Takamiya blackmailed their ‘queen’ into being his friend/accomplice. And in essence, their relationship is monotonous. It isn’t just defined by their interactions or cheesy dialogues but rather by their lack of connection. There’s almost nothing compatible between the duo whether it’d be their traits, abilities, or status. More than anything, we only know that Kagari wishes to protect him with her life. Throughout the series, it does spark some curiosity as to what this may be. Otherwise, their relationship is about stone cold as a boulder lacking any features of enthrallment.

In essence, Takamiya’s life now gets entangled with witches, magecraft, and a whole hoard of envious student unions. The story seems to focus on his life and what changes now from where it stands. On the surface, his life can be defined as a being in jeopardy now. This is because there’s a secret that lies within Takamiya that makes other witches want to hunt him down. Think of it as a ‘treasure hunt’. Takamiya is the treasure while the witches are the hunters. While it does focus on a cat-and-mouse style of formula on occasions, the hype quickly dies out. Most of the characters, or rather witches can hardly make an effort against Takamiya thanks to the presence of Kagari. It isn’t the fact that the witches are weak but rather Kagari who is abnormally strong. With a witch’s hat, armed with her magic wand, and fiery attitude, there’s almost nothing that can stop her from achieving her goal. Perhaps there is something that can stop her: Takamiya himself. If either of the duo are separated, it becomes a become problem for the duo as Takamiya would be unable to protect himself properly. This is where the clichés comes in involving other characters trying to separate the duo. When that happens, we get a black comedy level of violence. Surprisingly, it does feel serious with the mood characterized by the action. On the other hand, the results are often predictable because of various circumstances. What you likely expect is what you will get: the typical paradox of friendship conquers all.

Perhaps the show isn’t necessarily colored entirely by friendship per se. Although the duo isn’t very compatible, there’s some romanticism going on. It’s not easy to notice in this series because the two main characters contrasts too much from each other. Because Kagari is often the one saving Takamiya, it’s also easy to notice that she is the senior of their relationship. Not only that but she holds authority at school and has a commanding presence. The good news is that the show doesn’t depict them as a master/slave relationship. The bad news is that their relationship lacks connection. It doesn’t characterizes itself as anything as sui generis. It’s quite obvious to see how much Kagari dedicates herself to protect Takamiya beyond her line of duty. Whether her attraction towards the young boy is romantic or not remains anonymous because they don’t connect in a way a normal couple should be. Furthermore, the series falls with the classic imouto, or otherwise ‘little sister’ trope involving Takamiya’s sister. It won’t take long for you to figure out that she holds some peculiar affections towards her brother. While it doesn’t necessarily go into an incestuous route, Takamiya’s sister resorts to violence to get what she wants. It defiles what an average family relationship should be while lengthening the gap between the siblings.

Magic is prominent theme in the show because it defines the essence that the witches use throughout each episode. There’s no official class or order that gives ranks to any of the witches. Some of the witches are categorized by types. Yet most often, Kagari just takes the stage and presents the testament of her powers. This brings a problem involving the other witches with their characterization. Only a few of them gets moments to shine with back stories with the most obvious being Kagari. That aside, the action the witches perform throughout the show does offer some memorable moments. Spells are thrown in the air with passion and often envelops a fight with its mystical aura. The fantasy element is credible with the bizarre bunny knights, transformations, and even artistic bomb explosives. The premise also takes itself seriously with actual magical content and emphasis on Takamiya’s development in magical arts. Finally, Kagari can pull out some terrific performances from her hat thanks to her talent.

Taken for granted, Witch Craft Works has the artistic style of a generic series. Takamiya looks normal, perhaps too normal to be defined as a distinctive character. There’s literally nothing that stands out about him in physical characteristics. Kagari is the one that stands out the most with her witches hat, outfit, and attitude. Thankfully, the witches can also be distinctive judged by their physical standards. Most of them are decorated with flamboyant outfits that actually make them look like witches. Even the creatures they summon can be fun to get used to by their nature. J.C. Staff handles the series’ production and plays out its theme correctly. However, there are some moments where the artistic style can be unfitting. In particular, there are usage of computer generated graphics during flight scenes of the backgrounds (i.e. buildings, cars, etc).

Music and soundtrack is noticeable throughout the series. There’s a magical tone of its OST during scenes when mechanics of witchcraft is explained, most noticeably by Kagari. Soundtrack during action scenes is also consistent on most parts. Spells are also chanted that offers credibility of its themes with words that seems fitting. However, Takamiya once again becomes a problem that holds the characters’ cast back. His voice stands out as dull and annoying. His role throughout the series makes it hard to endure for his lazy attitude and distressing responses. Otherwise, music plays the more fun element of this show in particular with its comedic ED song. It transforms the idea of torture into a parody based on its sensational lyrics. The OST also has a mystical aura behind its tone that may draw you in to the show.

An attempt to enjoy Witch Craft Works will be difficult if you dislike the main male protagonist, Takamiya. Even many characters in the series dislikes him for his normalcy and dullness. Also, expect the expected as most of the story will feel like a predictable trifle of what you may be used to for its generics. Do not expect major plot twists or deep characterization. Rather, just take for what is granted – a magical story between a normal boy and an abnormal with. Emphasis on the abnormal.

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