Majo to Yajuu
The Witch and the Beast

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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.

THIS MANGA HAS RUINED OTHER MANGAS FOR ME!
I will no longer be ablé to read subpar stories. The art, the story, the characters, the world, all 10/10. One of the best stories I have ever read. Truly a masterpiece. It would be a mistake not to read this, but if you do just know you will never be able to enjoy mid manga ever again as your expectations will rise for quality with this work. Once your eyes have gazed on this beautiful art, they will bleed at the average drawings in most mangas. You will thirst for epic action scenes so crazy to ... even fully digest. There is nothing more I could say to convince you that this story is truly worth the title of one of the best mangas in HISTORY!

Up to 10 volumes, I've re-read the first few volumes multiple times just because of how interesting the world-building is, both literally and figuratively. For anyone looking for an interesting concept rooted in dark and ambiguous themes with equally impressive art, this is a definite story to not miss.

Overall (9/10)
As someone who has been looking for new worlds to ponder and read about, this was one of the most unique settings in a while. The pacing, some may consider slow, is perfectly reasonable and creates a sense of intrigue and wanting to get to the next page to see how everything turns out. Art is ... top-notch and the architecture and attention to detail are possibly one of the best I've seen in recent times. Characters, I certainly enjoy, and they feel like real people in a world, rather than story elements being used to continue the plot (AKA, we're reading their story, rather than reading what happened to them).

Story (9/10)
The main story of a person trying to get rid of their curse by the witch who cursed them is compelling when the art is extremely non-shoujo and extremely dark. Then, when the subtle worldbuilding comes in, it intrigues. What is this world that these people are living in, and why are the people acting the way they do? As you explore more of the world, you find different areas with their own quirks, leading to an interesting adventure. The pacing of the story, I find well-paced with enough dialogue without boring me fitting the sub-stories seamlessly into the main overall plot. In a prey-chasing-predator type of story, it may get infuriating for some, but because of the interesting world-building that actually builds into the overall plot (unlike a lot of adventure stories), it did not lose me.

Characters (9/10)
Our two main characters don't get their full love until later in the volumes, but the snippets you get of their major personality traits and their relationships with the world and others are anything but boring. There won't be any 2-dimensional characters in any of the main cast, so, that beats like 80% of most manga. Not to mention, the designs of the characters are extremely fun and in-theme.

Art (10/10)
Seriously, for the debut work to be so good has to be a crime. How someone can be this amazing at art, and also storytelling is something I absolutely envy. The battle scenes are top-notch, and the attention to detail in the buildings and characters is beyond what is required for a manga. With a lot of adventure manga, there are two camps of art style, one that is a lot more simplistic and fitting for an anime, and another that is rather sketch-like with a lot of details with extreme stylization. I would say this is a polished art style, especially when you get to the full-page arts (and not to mention the full-color in the first few pages of the first volume) that I would consider to be more detailed than most, but maintains a sense of balance in where it doesn't overwhelm.

Definitely hyped for the anime adaptation (kinda eh on the studio, but trailer looked amazing, so I'm going) and seeing the action scenes. But, yes, when it comes to the manga, it's absolutely a must-read for those who like adventure (mystery-esque) stories with an adult spin to it.