Witch Watch Review: The Chaotic Comfort Anime I Didn’t Know I Needed

By @.kyouko for Anime Oshi

Let’s be real for a second: every anime season, there’s always that one show. You know the one. It’s not the flashy battle shonen screaming from the billboards, and it’s not the dark, gritty prestige drama everyone on Twitter is arguing about. It’s the one you click on randomly while eating dinner, thinking, "I’ll just watch one episode to see what the vibe is."

And then, five hours later, you’re deeply invested in the emotional well-being of a teenage witch and her ogre roommate, and you’re texting your group chat in all caps about how they need to watch this immediately.

For me, that show is Witch Watch.

I went into this adaptation of Kenta Shinohara’s manga expecting a cute, throwaway magical girl slice-of-life. I expected some sparkles, maybe a cat familiar, and some lighthearted fluff. What I got was genuinely one of the funniest, most visually creative, and surprisingly heartwarming comedies I’ve seen all year. If you were a fan of Sket Dance or even Gintama back in the day, you need to pull up a chair, because we have to talk about why Witch Watch is the sleeper hit you cannot afford to sleep on.

The "Found Family" Vibe We Crave

Okay, I promised I wouldn’t bore you with a dry plot summary, so here is the TL;DR: Nico is a witch. She moves in with her childhood crush, Morihito (who happens to be an Ogre). Chaos ensues.

But the plot isn't really the point here. The point is the dynamic.

A lot of rom-coms live or die by the main couple. And don’t get me wrong, the "Will They, Won’t They" tension between Nico and Moi (Morihito) is adorable. But Witch Watch excels because it quickly realizes that two people in a house is a romance, but five weirdos in a house is a sitcom.

As the episodes roll on and the Otogi household fills up with familiars—like Kanshi the Tengu and Keigo the Wolf—the show shifts from a romance into this incredible "found family" energy. There is something so healing about watching a group of supernatural misfits, who would probably be outcasts anywhere else, just... eating hotpot together. Or arguing over TV channels. Or trying to figure out how to do laundry when the detergent has been enchanted to smell like despair.

Nico isn't your typical "perfect" anime waifu, either. She’s messy. She’s impulsive. She tries to help people with magic but usually makes it ten times worse. And honestly? I relate to that energy on a spiritual level. Watching her fail is funny, but watching her friends scramble to fix her mess without ever actually judging her for it is what makes the show feel so cozy.

The Comedy: Why I Actually Laughed Out Loud

Let’s talk about the humor, because comedy in anime is hit-or-miss. Sometimes it’s just loud yelling, and sometimes it’s references you don’t get.

Witch Watch hits the sweet spot. It’s smart stupid.

Shinohara-sensei (the creator) is a master of the "straight man" routine, and Morihito is the ultimate straight man. The way he reacts to the absolute absurdity around him with a deadpan face and a dry comment kills me every time. There is a specific rhythm to the jokes here,it feels like "manzai" (Japanese stand-up) but animated with a budget that has no business being this high.

One minute you’re watching a parody of a serious battle anime, and the next, the art style shifts completely to sell a joke about a spell gone wrong. There are meta-jokes about manga publishing, gags about how hard it is to draw backgrounds, and even an entire recurring segment about a fictional anime within the anime called "Uron Mirage" that I honestly would watch if it were real.

It’s rare for a show to make me physically laugh out loud, but the episode where they try to move furniture using magic? I had to pause because I was missing subtitles from laughing too hard. It captures that specific chaotic energy of high school friends just being absolute idiots together, and I love it.

Visually Speaking: Bibury Snapped

Can we give a round of applause to Bibury Animation Studios? Because wow.

Usually, comedy/slice-of-life shows get the "slideshow" treatment. You know, lots of still frames, panning shots, and generic backgrounds. But Witch Watch looks crisp.

The color palette is this vibrant, pastel-pop aesthetic that makes every frame look like candy. The character designs are clean and expressive, Nico’s outfits alone are a fashion lookbook I need to raid. But what impressed me most is how fluid the animation is during the "gag" moments. They didn’t cut corners. When Kanshi is flying around or Morihito is using his ogre strength to flick a bullet out of the air, the sakuga (animation quality) actually spikes.

Also, I have to mention the opening and ending themes. The music choices fit the vibe perfectly—bouncy, energetic, and just a little bit magical. The ending sequence, in particular, has been living rent-free in my head. It’s stylized, catchy, and captures that "after school hangout" nostalgia perfectly.

The Heart Beneath the Hype

If Witch Watch was just jokes and pretty colors, it would be a solid 7/10. But what bumps it up to "Must Watch" status for me is the emotional undercurrent.

Underneath the gags about denim jeans and flying bread, there is a genuine story about growing up and accepting who you are. Every character in the house is dealing with the weight of their lineage. Morihito struggles with feeling like a tool for protection rather than a person. Nico struggles with the pressure of her immense power and the prophecy looming over her.

The show balances these heavier themes with the comedy so well. It never feels like whiplash. One moment you’re laughing at Keigo’s... unique transformation issues, and the next, you’re getting a surprisingly tender scene about loyalty and what it means to protect the people you care about. It reminds you that "protecting" someone isn't just about fighting bad guys; sometimes it’s just about being there when they’ve had a bad day.

The Verdict

So, should you watch Witch Watch?

If you are looking for a 100-episode epic with power-scaling debates and tournament arcs, maybe not. But if you are looking for a show that feels like a warm hug? If you want something that will actually boost your serotonin levels after a long week? Absolutely.

It is the perfect "palette cleanser" anime. It’s light enough to watch while multitasking, but good enough that you’ll end up putting your phone down to pay attention. It’s charming, it’s hilarious, and it has a surprising amount of heart.

My Rating: 🌟 4.5 out of 5 Magical Mishaps

Source credit line: @.kyouko