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.
