Witch Craft Works

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.

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.

pippiko pippiko narase Witch��Activity
sono ki sono toki ikioi notteke! notteke!
Which? Which? tou to koubou
majo to majo de kongara gacchau kamo ne
tattaka tattaka okose Fancy Crisis!
nijuuyojikan docchi mo kocchi mo Witch! Witch!

Bueno, this anime has just ended, so how do I find it, well, I just gonna present my ratings without anymore BS, so, here are my ratings for each of this anime's category:

Good 7: Story and Sound.
...
Story: I gave the story such rating co'z at one point I admire the girl protecting guy from harm kind of thing, I guess this is one anime where the girls have the balls while the guys.......or guy were in skirts, however unlike other animes with such theme, this one has the girl falling in love with the guy and not treating him like shit and the girl itself wasn't treated like a nuisance. However, it's plot, thought it was suppose to be something that was exaggerated was turned into like rocket science where one could find it difficult as to the circumstances as to how the girl was linked to the boy and how the contract thingy works with the girl's madre who has the task of protecting the city. Also, there are a lot of conflicting situation as to distinguishing the difference between the antagonist and the protagonist even though this anime was meant to focus on the relationship between the girl and the boy.


Sound: Ok, for the most part, I kinda like most of the voice actors who portrayed the character's in this anime, but the one who did Chronoire's voice, well I think it doesn't fit her given that in this anime she is a hundred something years old witch, where in my opinion she should have been given a more matured voice. Also, I don't like the opening song, but I do like the closing, WITCH, WITCH.


Decent 4:

Art: For the most part, everything was just too fancy, except the school uniform that them girls were wearing since I like its simplicity, but I got to hand it, this anime has no fanservice for the doggies to how about.


Very Good 8:

Character: Here, I admire Kagari for being this head strong girl who'd be willing to go to any extent to keep Honoka from harm, I also like the way that she acts as a mother figure to the guy, despite of the fact that she is suppose to be the guy's love interest.

Honoka on one hand.......hummm, I do find him annoying at times, but I like the part that he has such integrity of not wanting to depend on Kagari and would rather see her safe that having to go to such effort of protecting him.

As for the Ivory Quintet, well they do provide the comedy aspect of this anime and so as the guy's sister.


Fair 6:

Enjoyment: It was enjoyable, but understanding as to what is what and who is who about this anime makes look like rocket science even though this anime's genre was romance, magic, supernatural and action.

Overall: It wasn't that bad, however, as to how's and what's in this anime basically lacks a more simplistic explanations, but still it's ok to such extent and I'm not saying anything anymore. Adios chicos y chicas.

This is a show which I thought would kind of separate from other mediocre shows with bland characters, bland plot, and uninspired animation. I was kind of right in watching this show.

Let me first start out with the plot.

The story is not too bad. really. It's not, but it's not a gem either. To summarize... Some bountiful white bitch who refers to him as "himesama" or "princess" must protect him from this group of witches.. who have animal ears.. and stuff. That is pretty much the only distinction between them and the friendly witch group who is supposed to protect the main character.

stuff happens, main ... characters gets attacked, and the hime to the himesama saves the day once again. Woopdeedoo! Why should I care? Once again, we are not informed of this strong power inside of this main character person the evil witches are after until the last episode. It doesn't even enlighten you as to why there are two separate witch factions and why animal-ears faction is targeting the city. Which leaves you wondering "what the fuck is going on right now?" half way through the show.

Also, just something I'd like to note: Does this anime realize how many buildings were crushed or blown up throughout this series? Enough to warrant a declaration of a terrorist attack.

Art:

If I were to grade art and animation seperately then I'd give art a 9 out of 10. The animation however.. is pretty inconsistent to be frank.

Animation:

The animation is really good.. in some instances anyway. One scene that comes to mind is at some point in the very first episode. You get to see Kagari (the hime to the himesama or just that one heroine in the show) do some Cuuuurraaaazy spins and flame wheel attacks with her broom. It was really nice, I liked it. It gave me hope for the show. But as the show went on, I noticed how lazy J.C. Staff was being. (JCS also did K-Project or K for short) K is a pretty good anime. Not gonna lie but god damn did they mess up the fight animations. They did these pregenerated attack sequences with some of the main characters and it just didn't look well at all and not to mention the still frames... Well, I can strongly say that WCW was a step up from that but it definitely varies.

The monster (Giant rabbits and bears) animation looks GREAT I must say. I found myself really enjoying king kong one-on-one battles between two giant monsters (and its CG btw). It was very fluent and hilarious at times to see these wonderful scenes. However even though they did better with (some of) their fight scenes, the witch battles still varied from great to slightly average to still frames which I guess you could chock of to bad budget.

The biggest offender of this that I can think of would have to be the second to last episode (without spoiling anything). There is a scene where heroine girl is fighting with the evil villain person-witch gal and it just goes into this 3rd person perspective of heroine gal for no goddly reason and basically she is just dodging all these explosions. It comes off as choppy and amateurish.

So to summarize, in some aspects as impressed with JCS's improvements and in others I was pretty disappointed with their slip-ups.

Sound:

Pretty nice, however there is dat ED... There were so many times I would force myself to watch this brain tumor of a song. Words can not describe how much I despise it (not that's bad.. but good lord is it bad).
I'm not much of a musicoholic so can't say much else here. Hi.

Character:

Main character was kind of annoying, heroine was okay. All the sub characters are pretty dumb but some of them are quite interesting (Some). oh, and theres the yandere sister... Yahh. Also did not see any character development, the MC was a wuss through and through to the end. And the heroine was still just an overpowered silent hoe.

Enjoyment:

Despite some flaws in budget, story and character development it was still pretty enjoyable but nothing I'd encourage for others to watch. But if you want to try it out, then go ahead. You won't be dissapointed but not so much awwed either.

If you found my review helpful (or not) then leave a like or whatever you do on this site and also leave me feedback so I can know what not to do or do in reviews in the future (I am not a writer for god's sake!) :)

Guilty pleasure - is an oxymoron to me. I’ve just learned to take the bad with the good. While a show on one hand can be one of the most intrinsically esoteric works Japan has put out in a decade, that doesn’t stop me from being aware that at times it becomes a narrative cluster brimming with melodrama. Meanwhile, I’m sure we all know a few certain films and series in this medium that are tearjerkers but when broken down logistically aren’t exactly that great. I think that we should love biases and embrace them, it’s what makes us individuals. This notion in my experience ... on this site does not really exist.

People slammed for liking or disliking something by those who feel differently with blind passion, death threats, just look at some comment sections of people who have disfavorable opinions yourself, folks. Most people will avoid these debates to preserve order out of fear, figuring out that that show you held up as a masterpiece or garbage may not be pinnacle of the industry and the worst of it respectively can lead some immature folks to a mental breakdown, but if we ignore our biases long enough to preserve this order, positions become cemented and people would rather kill each other than admit a flaw in their thinking.

You’re probably wondering what any of this has to do with Witch Craft Works… well, that’s the reason you’re reading this review. O.o Witch Craft Works is for the first time in years, a show I’m confused about. A show I watched while airing and forgot about, but found myself enjoying it like sugar, a cheap treat but a treat nonetheless. Then came back a few years later and watched again. Still didn’t know what to think about it. And now, we’re both here, Dear Reader, because to this day - I’m still not aware. My best guess to figuring out my true opinion towards this show is to write it down, and you’re along for the ride - no false altruism here my friend, this is as much for you as it is for me. I don’t admit that? I’m a hypocrite. Let’s dive.


The premise of Witch Craft Works itself isn’t as much as unique as it is simply an inversion of, or in many respects, an embracing of a common story we’ve seen again and again. Main plot revolves a highschooler named Takamiya, Honoka who lives life aloof at best, tortured at worst, this torture coming from resident popular girl in school; Kagari, Ayaka, who has legions of fangirls that crowd the very bus she walks on and, guess if this is literal or not - kiss the ground treads over.. Wondering if this little Divine Comedy will last for the rest of his time in highschool, he’s soon attacked by automatons out of nowhere during the day, this event leads to him discovering the person he despised was a fire witch from a group known as the: “Workshop.” Why is this all happening? Easy; the boy has a power in him locked-and-keyed away that can basically pull a joker-card on these what is revealed to be multiple factions of witches at war. Sounds pretty awesome? Well don’t get your hopes us.

As cliche but cool of a premise this sounds, it will never go above and beyond any expectation you set for it and is content with the bare minimum, no more relevant and shown than in the main cast. Honoka is the typical damsel figure that must in some way shape or form be saved in every episode, while Kagari, being a tad more enjoyable, is a stoic type with a few kickass one-liners and a strong intimidation factor about her. While these two do indeed have chemistry together, I almost beg to differ with my own statement because in reality, it’s no more impressive than putting two random people on an island together and forcing them to cooperate, it’s less chemistry and more necessity. No matter how close these two get on screen, it never feels too real, like they’re still miles apart. Now whether this is a good or a bad thing or was intended narrative-wise I’m not sure myself, nevertheless, I can’t exactly call their relationship good, bad, but just enjoyable to watch for some odd reason not even I can pin down.

What I can tell you is that the supporting cast, and everything about the show is far more lovely and inventive, in truth, I’d much rather see a show about our mini-antagonist, those being the enemy faction’s witch goons than anything Honoka and Kagari put out. Filled with quirks, cool cannon fodder in the form of robot… bunnies? It’s going to put a smile on your face sometime eventually no matter how hard you resist. Adding to that, some gags are pretty funny, hell, the ending theme are witches humorously being TORTURED ALIVE in chibi form.

While I can say I was interested in where the main characters were going and how the plot would play out, especially in the last four episodes, I never for a second was interested in who they “really were”, as people and not charactactures with a slight gender-bending-twist.

Despite having a bland cast the show finds a fairly symbiotic way to balance its compelling and beautifully animated as well as choreographed action with this humor, very seldom did a joke fail to entertain me or make me giggle. Not even that, but the OST is designed to make you giddy as well, from the show’s opening: “Divine Intervention”, to some of the main themes by - . . . a composer that interestingly is not able to be found or pinned down. Don’t get me wrong, there is a sound director but there is no link I’ve been able to find to a composer. Huh, witchcraft indeed. Well, whoever this phantom-artist was they never ceased at doing an amazing jab enthralling me into the world. A few harmonic fairy-tale-arias here, to bombastic Final-Fantasy-esque orchestras when some challenging battles happen. I simply cannot agree when some have mentioned the OST to be lacking “impact” or memorability, it’s just attached to a show that is not memorable.

And you caught my opinion on the show in that last line. Witch Craft Works is cute, charming, hilarious, entertaining, but it’s not concerned about what makes a show get everything right, something to remember it by - a great plot and cast. Nothing is truly accomplished by the end of its run and it’s as if the show just resets, almost feeling as if the adventure you just went on was pointless. . . but I still like it. In fact, I personally love and think it’s an accomplishment of 2d and 3d animation on a tv budget. The show itself is stunning. Can I really give it a pass because its plot, writing, and characters are dull and stiff as a board? I mean. . . sure. It’s what I like. Would I be “lying” to anyone reading this because I’m not sure if I can fully recommend it? If you interpret it that way I suppose, but I’m decently confident that despite it being empty by the end of this, you will not lose anything by watching it. It’s certainly a lovely side-venture in between or before tackling a show that you suspect will be amazing.

I guess I have my answer, and you have yours. Witch Craft Work accomplishes being; a side-chick. Probably why only weirdos like me still remember and enjoy it, those who get trapped in little aesthetics and design along the way can look back on it with fond memories. Witch Craft Works isn’t as bad as it is passive and non-aggressive with the aspects of it that can be seen as bad. As much as I don’t like referencing original source material, I must admit that I am a fan of this show’s manga and my best guess is that the producers, knowing that they had too little a budget and too little chapters to adapt compromised and made the show mediocre with the manga’s best elements - that being its comedy, designs, and, once again, damn good action.

Should you watch Witch Craft Work? I highly recommend it despite knowing it’s not a great, maybe not even a good show.. But let’s be glad that our world isn’t so black and white and there can be little shades of gray in between the lines. Give it a shot, what do you really have to lose?

This one is pretty weird. I usually refrain from breaking down the animation into categories, but they were abnormally different from each other here, so...
The plot is horrible. Just a heap of shonen cliches more than a plot, really. So story/action elements/battles/plot are certainly not what you'll want to focus here.

Art is mediocricity incarnate, and with main heroine being a cool beaty never changing facial expressions and her girlfriend, the protagonist, being a bitch that has permament teary eyes, I doubt animators in charge of drawing facial expressions overworked themselves too much.

Music is... ok. It's a typical mashup of pop and emotional AngelThesis-que bullshit. so, ... yeah, music isn't the cherry on this questionably delicious pie.

buuuut... that's right. Character. The saving grace of this shitty anime, and although main cast of strong girl and her sissy boy that licks her feet before bedtime is somehow refreshing in shonen genre, what really shines are secondary characters, all of which are interesting enough that I wished they'd elaborate somewhat about their background instead of introducing another *bullshit villain that turns into ally* (puke from shonen gibberish overload).

overall it was enjoyable enough that I didn't regret watching it, but if I were you, pondering whether to give this series a shot, I'd pass it up. While it wasn't bad, it most certainly wasn't good either, good enough to justify all the time it'll cost you to watch through it.

The character design and fight scenes alone make Witch Craft Works worth watching, but if you're expecting any sort of original or gripping story, you're going to be disappointed.

The worldbuilding is your generic Magic-Land-With-No-Apparent-Consistent-Logic-Behind-Magic-Use-And-Abilities, which *definitely* weakens the story. The series also relies a little too much on the whole, "we're going to hide things about everyone's past to make stuff seem mysterious and dramatic" to create suspense, instead of doing it with good storytelling.

That being said, the character designs in this series are awesome. Nearly every character (except for the two MCs, really) are imaginative and fun, which brings a lot to the ... enjoyment factor of the series. The animated fights are also done very well -- I actually kinda liked the use of CGI in Witch Craft Works. The music and sound are also great.

I had a lot of fun with the earlier episodes in the series, but when it started to get a bit more 'serious' toward the end there, I found myself getting bored. The shift away from character-based episodes and toward plot-based episodes definitely highlighted the weakness of show. I pretty much made myself finish the final two episodes.

Bottom line: if you're looking for a solid plot with some interesting twists, keep walking. If you want to have some fun with cool characters, magic/explosions, and decent fight scenes, sit for a spell and give Witch Craft Works a shot.

Its actually oddly difficult writing a review for this anime. Its wacky, funny, the art is well done and I liked the music. However the story and the characters are where this anime gets a little rocky. Now I haven't read the manga or any other adaptation so this is only for the anime.

The story starts off with the male main character Takamiya, Honoka being beaten up for dropping his eraser and having the school "princess" pick it up for him. This is where they introduce roughly the idea that the whole school ... loves the female main character Kagari, Ayaka. We go on to find out that Ayaka is also a witch who protects Honoka from dangers, which now are mainly the evil witches who are after him.

This is actually kinda interesting to me. Cute girls, funny cheeky combat, and the show doesn't take itself too seriously. The problem with this however is that there is some really interesting back story that never really gets explored and by the end of it that made the score take a big hit. The story starts slow, things happen in almost a slice of life pace. However the pacing picks up towards the middle and they don't take the viewer along. They constantly hint that the story and the answers to fully enjoy the show will be given sometime but it never truly comes. The last two or three episodes of the anime answer some questions however raise just as many as they answer. This wouldn't have been a problem if they kept to their slice of like pacing and story telling but eventually the story turned into a more serious one and the viewer was given no knowledge to propel themselves into the later episodes.

The characters were actually pretty well done, though the depth that people usually look for in characters isn't really their either. Each character had a part to play in the story and revolved around the male MC. However do to the sporadic story telling of the show we only find out some bits of information about certain characters but overall their isn't any sit down and learn about their past episode which was fine. My biggest issue with the characters was Honoka. He was playing the weak character role and played it well. At first I thought this was going to be more spoofy, as the first time Ayaka saves him she calls him her princess. This however was wrong, he constantly stops the progress of the story to constantly interject his weakness. This becomes repetitive and annoying after awhile.

The art and sound were actually really well done. I love anime art and honestly I cant put my finger on why. This doesn't strike me like SHAFT does but its very well done. The environment and the characters are all done really well. They use a lot of vibrant colors and add a lot of things that draws attention like floating orbs or ear and teeth that allow for some interesting visuals. The music was catchy and I can see myself adding it to a Youtube playlist.

Overall this anime was actually pretty entertaining. The reason it gets a six is that I don't think I will ever watch it again. It was hard for me to get past Honoka constantly being super weak. It was also hard to follow the story and I know if I watch it again I will only be left with the same amount of questions. That being said the comedy element was well done and I enjoyed my first watch of this show. Its not something I would recommend but if magic girls and Weak MC's are your thing give it a shot.

So, Witch Craft Works. *sigh*
I admit I enjoyed it from episodes 1-6, but the rest...not so much. I watched this anime because it was recommended by someone who said it was pretty okay. I had high hopes for this anime since it was a bit different from the usual anime I watch considering that the MC who protects is actually the Girl MC and not the Male MC, but I felt like it was just kinda swapped personalities of a typical male-female duo.

So that's enough of me rambling, let's get to the review.

Story: 6/10
| It was pretty okay for the anime, I mean it's nothing ... special but it's not bad either, it's pretty much mediocre. The only thing that prevented me from giving this a 5 was because it had some key story points in which they could've expanded more and would've made the whole anime much better and much more interesting.

Art: 7/10
| The animation is pretty good actually, I liked the visuals especially during the battle scenes, not much can be said about the animation other than it's pretty good.

Sound: 6/10
| Like I said about the animation, it's pretty decent for the anime but nothing really special about the soundtracks and music the anime has. Again, nothing can be more said about the sound other than it's okay.

Character: 5/10
| The anime's Male and Female MC was pretty disappointing. It felt like the MC's just swapped personalities and the writers called it a day. The Male MC seemed like the typical Female love interest who can't really do anything but be eye candy, except it's a guy instead of girl plus the naivety of a Male MC's sense of justice. The Female MC was pretty much the typical Male MC who does all the fighting. To be honest the side characters were much more interesting than the MC's.

Enjoyment: 6/10
| The anime is pretty much a light-hearted plus action anime during the first half and tried to make somewhat of a conflict during the second half of the show. I'd say I enjoyed it, but not so much.

Overall: 5/10
| Overall, the anime is pretty mediocre. I would've liked it much better if they improved the story a bit more and made the characters much more alive.

So, that's my review for Witch Craft Works. I normally don't make reviews but for some reason I really felt obliged to make one for this anime.
Oh, and this is pretty much my first review of an anime.

tl;dr: Meh.

A poor man's Toradora with reversed gender roles meets a poor man's Harry Potter. The result? This thing. Is it good? No. It is enjoyable nonetheless? Sure. It's a pretty shallow rom-com.

For what it's worth, the artwork is very polished. I can tell that a lot of work has been put into making the characters look attractive. Having said that, the actual designs are pretty generic and unimaginative. Furthermore, the series often makes some bizarre choices in terms of color hue. The color palette just looks weird at times.

Regardless, all in all, it's a good looking show, but I would argue it's below J.C.Staff's average. ... The animation is really stiff and it relies heavily on CG. That being said, it was fairly good CG. It did not bother me as much as I would've expected. Still, I would have expected better from the studio that brought us Bakuman, Toradora, Sakurasou, Toaru, and many more.

Anyway, if this sounds like something you'd like, then go ahead and kill some time.

I'm going to keep this review as short as possible. I don't want to make it boring as the anime is. Contains some spoilers and swear words, so if you want to avoid one of these things stop reading it now. One more thing, be aware of that English is not my first language. ;)

Story (4): Pretty casual story. Main male character is a "container" who possesses hidden magic powers. Both the Workshop Witches and the Tower Witches want him. The first are trying to catch him, when the other one are trying to protect him. Simple as that. (If you want to know ... more read a synopsis or watch it yourself.) It seems like a plot is not really important and have changed few times during the show. I mean, the anime could be shorter if we cut some useless things like - let's call it side, because I don't have any better word for that - side story where Kagari was about to learn this moron Takamiya some magic. It took them so long to even start. When she was finally attempting to teach him, he got hurt while "learning" and she needed to stop. Really? That's it? He was talking some much that he needs to protect her... Blah, blah, blah... And it finished faster than it started.

Art (6): The anime art is alright. I've seen some better and worse visuals. I have almost nothing to say against it, except moments where a 3D animations were used. It creates massive contrast between objects animated with a classic "drawn" way and a computer animated objects, destroys immersion and of course looks bad.

Sound (8): I'm sure that a sound is the best thing in this anime, especially the ending, which is really catchy. There is nothing more I can argue about.

Characters (5): Here we go... That is the first anime where the main characters are so annoying. The male mc is a pussy and crybaby, what can I say more. He is just useless. There are two or three episodes, where he actually did something. I hate this type of MC... The female MC, his nanny. Overpowered, emotionless princess. And... That's it. Are you surprised? No need for that. She is not interesting whatsoever. The only good thing about her is some "comedy" aspects that happened and of course are related to relationship, between herself and the male MC. If I would give a score based on these two I would give one point. What saves this anime are supporting characters. They were just lovely. I'm mostly talking about this small group of Tower Witches who used to live in MC's house, but the other were great too.

Enjoyment (4): Due to that the story doesn't add up and main characters were hard to swallow, it was really hard for me to finish this anime. It took me around month to do this. Which is quite an achievement, because that have never happened to me to watch an 12 episode anime so long.

Overall (5): A comedy bits were funny and were making me smile and even sometimes giggle. If you are a person who doesn't care about that the main male MC is a fag*t, you will enjoy this anime.

Witch Craft Works is an incredibly visually appealing anime with great character designs and concepts that aren’t used all that well, and ends up as a kind of boring, sloppy mess that masquerades as your average battle romcom. Nothing is explained very well, but it's kind of charming anyway.

The role reversal concept (male princess, female knight) was what drew me into this anime, and really, it seems like it should be one of the more interesting concepts, but… it goes nowhere. The guy is just generally a useless softie who wants to be better, and the girl is your average kuudere school idol- perfect grades, ... trained in every martial art, perfect at everything except expressing her feelings…

Everything is pretty. There’s a Senran Kagura-level of creative and memorable design on the characters, and while most of the scenery is typical high school/Japanese city, the few times (2 or 3 that I can remember) they go into magical “witch” areas, the landscapes are absolutely enthralling and magical, in a pastel, harmless way. (Fair warning: there IS CG in this anime. It’s used very little beyond the beginning arc, but it’s not terribly bad or distracting. I kind of like it.)

However, how everything is used… is not terribly creative. Most of the episodes jump between two conflicts- that of the main guy’s role as the Chosen One, and as a magic user (“magic plots”), and that of the main couple’s relationship, either in training or daily life (“romcom plots”). The magic plots are usually action-heavy and dramatic, while the romcom plots tend towards slice-of-life banter and very light ecchi. The comedy lands pretty often, for what it’s worth, and the slice of life parts that revolve around the main couple are lighthearted and entertaining.

The action, though? The magical abilities are actually quite captivating, with each witch using a specific style of magic that suits their design. The problem is that they show their hand far too early. Characters early on display beautiful magic powers that pretty much blow any other effect in this anime out of the water. It removes a lot of the wonder and excitement at reveals later on in the story.

And that’s the main problem- this show’s pacing. It jumps between plots, tones, and intensity far too fast, but with some recognizable patterns. There's always a moment during a slice of life segment where conflict comes in to put it on pause. Or during an action segment, there's some looming cutaway gag from the comic relief that breaks that dramatic tension so carefully created by great villains. (For what it’s worth, all the villains’ designs and fight sequences are excellent. Their motivations? Pretty much non-existent.)

(start rant) It’s not… bad. I’ve seen a whole lot worse. It pretty much only switches between 2 tones, and the ending arc is pretty serious all the way through. But I much prefer the slice-of-life segments. Framing this as more of a romance or slice of life (in the vein of Oh My Goddess, or hell, Maid Dragon) would’ve been a lot better, and a lot more conducive to the ensemble cast of villains and heroes. Seriously, having like 10 separate good witches and like 5 separate bad witches that are fleshed out nigh-equally is just horrible for a 12-episode anime! The focus is spread equally among every character who isn’t “main,” and every single one hurts for it. The sister is a bland brocon, the 5-person Team Rocket witch team literally never do anything productive (ignoring a tiny element near the end, that ends up being unnecessary), and the chairwoman… what, honestly did she do? Dang it, you have some good characters. USE THEM. Don’t use them as bait for flashbacks, don’t waste them in one-off fights or gags, don’t restrict their character to one trait. You did fine with the main couple, why limit yourself? There are great ensemble cast series that actually flesh out a wide array of personalities and ideas. Jitsu wa Watashi wa (manga) is a great example- varying amounts of time were spent on each character to help them fit into the environment and realistically involve themselves in future story arcs. If a character is overall useless, or going to be— let them be, look, and act one-bit. Don’t fool your viewers into liking or hoping for the spotlight on characters that are just going to be background butt monkeys. (end rant)

6.2/10. Great visuals, great designs, with some good ideas. But it's pretty much all wasted. Bonus points for that catchy ED. And don’t even get me started on the actual story...

This anime was very unpredictable. I love that it doesn't go into the normal cliché of romance, but gives you enough to root for the MC. The story felt all too empty for me to get into. Characters were established but we had no clue who they are or really what they were supposed to bring to the table. You figure out the mystery as you go along and enjoy a tall, perfect woman care for this smaller, nobody MC. I feel like the MC deserves more love from the other characters of this show besides the heroine and the younger sister. Season 2 isn't ... happening so I almost wouldn't invest too much into this one.

This will be my first review ever in this and am late since this show came out a while ago but the male main character is sooooo useless and very careless with barely not thinking the situation. When he does make a decision, it mostly end up in a bad way for how stupid the choice he make to use the power of the white witch. Its understandable to care and help the people but his actions always end up nearly killing him and Ayaka come save him all the time while be barely develops at all. He stayed the same being stupid and ... useless.
I have not read the books but if the show does somehow get a 2nd season, the character better develop and progress rather than being useless while making rash decisions that can cause another major cause to the town because how reckless he is and also being too emotional about it.