Majo no Tabitabi is a simplistic episodic anime about a witch who travels to different countries, inspired by a book called The Adventure of Nike. With each location, Elaina gains some experience about the ways of the world and the differences that she encountered throughout her journey.
With that synopsis, one would expect that this anime is about a coming of age story of some kind where Elaina gathers knowledge and wisdom throughout her travels in order to become a better person. However, it is almost the very opposite of that. To explain what I mean further, I will give one example which occurred in episode nine. In this episode, Elaina lives through a traumatic experience where she plays somewhat of a supporting role. At the end of the episode, we can see through Elaina's expression that she's going through some sort of emotion, but it was never explicitly explained to the viewers what exactly she's thinking about. This is what I love most about the anime. Majo no Tabitabi does not give you a moral of the story at the end of each episode, but it just simply tells a story. It is the most perfect example of living through the lens of someone's eyes. We are not told how to feel, but we are encouraged to make our own conclusions and judgement about every story that Elaina experiences. There is no narrative, and that is the most brilliant aspect of the show.
Of course, there are some recurring characters throughout the anime to provide some continuity. Throughout the course of Elaina's journey, we explore these recurring characters in more depth. However, these character stories never take away from the stories of the different countries, and they seamlessly flow together side by side to create a sense of progression. Somehow, even though the anime is episodic in nature, there is always something to look forward to. While not everyone will love the recurring characters, they exist to be a foil for the thematic solitary journey that Elaina undergoes. It is a fine balancing act which results in an anime that offered me much enjoyment. 8/10
