“Thank you for always protecting me. I’m gonna train everyday so I can become an amazing witch!”

Shonen Jump comedies seem to be hit or miss for me. I was curious about Witch Watch after seeing it listed in previews, but it just isn’t landing for me. That’s the problem with this episode. So much of it is focused around its comedy, and if that didn’t click with you, then it just has nothing to offer. There are some good ideas lying dormant within this premise, but with so much humor falling flat, the runtime began to drag.

Romantic comedies usually aren’t supposed to leave the viewer feeling drained and tired, but that’s exactly what happened here. From my perspective, Witch Watch fumbles its premiere with mindless gags that go nowhere, and the only hints of a plot come in at the final minute. I had assumed this would be a strong contender for my watch list, but it fell off of it faster than it takes one of Nico’s spells to backfire.

Witch Watch follows Nico Wakatsuki, a teenage witch, and Mirihito Otogi, an ogre that looks like a human. The pair were childhood friends, but needed to be separated so that Nico could pursue her training as a witch, and Mirihito could train to control his ogre strength. Now that they’re older, Nico is returning home, and Mirihito is informed he is to serve as her familiar. It isn’t unprecedented for a sentient magical being to serve as a familiar, but it is an antiquated dynamic, which Mirihito isn’t keen on. However, for reasons revealed only to Mirihito, it is absolutely essential for him to accept the role. As a setup, that’s fine, though most of that is revealed within the first few minutes of the episode, and the show isn’t very effective with its exposition.

I initially assumed that magic and witches were common knowledge in this world, but around the midpoint of the episode that assumption was flipped on its head. Still, the biggest problem I had with the show was Nico herself. Most jokes boil down to Nico using magic to either assist with a problem or simply show off, only for a side effect of her magic she either didn’t know about or neglected to tell Mirihito about to cause problems. During the course of this entire episode, there is only one problem that she solves with magic, which wasn’t also triggered by said magic. A character that hangs around creating problems for everyone and still gets presented as the hero isn’t funny, they’re Jar Jar Binks.

Bibury Animation Studios are a relatively recent addition to the anime scene, and are probably most known for their work on The Quintessential Quintuplets and The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You. They aren’t necessarily knocking it out of the park with this one, but for a studio that isn’t even 10 years old, I’d say it’s a solid B-.

The character designs are flat, and pretty plain looking. I wasn’t sure if this was a problem with the anime or the source material, so I looked up panels from the manga, and while the art isn’t anything transcendent, it has more detail and personality than what we get in this premiere.

We don’t get an ED this episode, as the OP is shown at the end, and it’s probably the best part of the whole premiere. It’s a fun, joyous romp with an array of creative visuals playing with genres, styles and even fonts. It gives me a modicum of hope that maybe this series will get better as it progresses, but for now, I’m not sticking around to find out.

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• A bad comedy can distort time in a way that few other media can. I was convinced that I had to be getting close to the end of the episode, but when I checked, I still had 10 minutes to go.
• This might be the worst Shonen Jump premiere I’ve seen since Black Clover’s first episode, which I was strangely kind to. I don’t recall exactly what score I gave it, but it deserves to be lower than this.
• If we exclude One Piece and One-Punch Man, maybe I’m just not into Shonen Jump comedies. It’s hard to find a comprehensive list of Shonen Jump series based on genre, but I got burned out on Spy x Family, I bounced off of Kaguya: Love is War, and I got sick of Sakamoto Days within a single cour. I don’t know if it’s a trend, but I’ll definitely be wary the next time I see a Shonen Jump adaptation listed as a comedy.
• I know I described the jokes as unfunny, which they are, but it’s their predictability that serves as the nail in the coffin. A bad joke can leave you groaning and irritated, but it gets worse when you know the joke is coming and you have to wait for the delivery.
• Ironically Bibury Animation Studios did the animation for the video game Summer Pockets. If that title sounds familiar to you, it’s because it’s being adapted this season by Feel.

Witch Watch’s premiere is really annoying. Its central gag isn’t funny, and if that doesn’t click with you, there isn’t much to carry you through the episode. Shonen Jump has been having a good trend with adaptations for a while, and maybe this one will get better, but I can’t honestly recommend it.

Score: 2.5/5