WitchWatch First Impressions

Written by Ross Locksley on 08 Apr 2025

When in fourth grade, Morihito befriended a witch named Nico, who eventually had to leave for training in her homeland. Years later, her training is complete and it's time to come back to town, where she intends to make Morihito her familar/bodyguard. 

Firstly, hats off to the writers for possibly the most concise rom-com setup I've ever seen. In just a few minutes we see the friends part, learn of Morihito's lineage as a familar/ogre and get the parents out of the way. I mean, it's a masterclass in brevity and funny to boot. Kudos.

We quickly learn that Nico isn't the quickest of wits, possibly giving the village idiot a run for his money, but she's very earnest and really rather pleased to be living with her childhood friend. Possibly a bit too pleased. Moi-chan (as she dubs him) is mostly sanguine about the arrangement, but seems genuinely pleased to see her, even if she arrived by flying through a glass windowpane and destroying his favourite mug as a sacrifice for repairing it.

The comedy timing is spot on. I'm not one to laugh at most anime, so getting a chuckle out of me is no easy feat. For all my sullen grumpiness, WitchWatch has several moments that elicited an audible snicker, with Nico's magic causing unwanted side-effects while Morihito tries to deal with the fall out. The ending even has a little sting to it, which ends the show a sense of urgency.

The show is genuinely laugh-out-loud funny

While the script and characters are charming, it's the production values that really sell it - the magical effects are beautifully done, while the direction is spot on in terms of comedic timing. The escapade where Nico flattens herself was fantastic, her panic as she slips into a crack a mixture of worried panic and cute expressions. Nico is a loveable ditz, with a cute hair style that's sure to be a big hit with fans - little protrusions of her hair above the ears give her an elven look, while Morihito's single spike of hair marks his ogre/oni heritage. Both have a recognisable silhouette which is character design 101, and I expect we'll be flush with merch in no time.

I can understand why the show made its debut in cinemas, I can imagine this would be a fun watch with a chortling crowd, so for those of us who missed the event, now's the time to catch up with the show and enjoy some magical mishaps - let's hope the writing remains more focused than Nico's magic.

WitchWatch is streaming weekly on Netflix