Aru Majo ga Shinu Made

Sweet 17. That age where adolescence peaks, everyone celebrates it, and gifts are practically guaranteed. Meg is no exception. And her gift? Being casually informed by her adoptive mother that she’s cursed to die next year—in the most nonchalant way possible. Meg, being the cheerful soul she is, simply responds, “Nay, I don’t wanna die. There must be a way for me to keep living.” Her mother sighs and says, “Sadly, no… but also, yes.” And just like that, the story kicks off.

The quote “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey” can sound downright pretentious sometimes, but it fits this anime perfectly. Because ... let’s be honest—the “destination” here is limited to two outcomes: either Meg succumbs to the curse and dies a horrible death, or she overcomes it and lives happily ever after. Either way, it’s dreadful. But that’s not the point. The real magic of this anime lies in how she deals with it. How she tackles her problems, how she shoulders the burdens of others, and how she attempts to break the curse—it’s a compelling ride, especially since Meg feels like she was custom-built for this setting.

Some of you might notice that Meg is basically the polar opposite of a certain silver-haired wandering witch. While the ashen witch stays away from trouble and adopts a “not my problem” mindset, Meg dives in headfirst. She wants to help people. She wants to solve problems—not because of the curse, but simply because she wants to. And honestly, it’s damn charming.

It might sound like I’m exaggerating or stretching things, but Meg is seriously one of the best-crafted strong female protagonists out there. Her casual attitude toward death, her drive to connect with others, her sense of humor, her belief in her own abilities—yet she still has her moments of vulnerability and flaws. She fits this story like a glove.

Now let’s talk themes. Yes, this is a story about a witch’s "journey"—though it’s more like snippets of her daily life than a full-blown quest. Still, it's a journey all the same. And when a story involves a witch and a journey, you know it's gonna slap you with some melancholic shit. This anime is no exception. If you’re a sensitive soul like me, better keep some tissues nearby. Your eyes will get wet.

I don’t really have any major complaints—except maybe the animation. It’s not bad by any means, but it could definitely be more polished. The source material is fantastic, and honestly, it deserves better.

All in all, this anime is a beautifully bittersweet tale wrapped in magic, humor, and emotional depth. It doesn’t rely on flashy battles or over-the-top drama—it lets the characters breathe, lets their choices matter, and reminds us that sometimes, the most powerful stories are the quiet ones about trying, failing, growing, and caring.

Aru Majo ga Shinu Made or "Once Upon A Witch's Death" is as the title suggests an anime about a witch on the verge of death. The premise is quite simple. A young 17 year old apprentice witch finds out she's cursed is going to die in a year. Being an orphan, our mc, Meg, has had to put up with working herself tiresome to the bone under the tutelage of Faust, one of the great seven mages of the world. Initially, finding out that she's going to die in a year makes her feel that all her hard work was for nothing but she ... resolves herself to gain a thousand teardrops of pure joy so she may avoid dying to her curse.

Unlike a certain other anime about a witch, Meg is a character enjoyable from the start. She's a hardworking individual but she also doesn't tend to take life too seriously. She's kind hearted and has clearly struggled to gain the knowledge and power she has. In these first couple episodes, she stays in her hometown and gains tears by complete accident purely just because she wants to help out her community. It feels very akin to something like the Atelier Sophie duology, helping people for the sake of helping people. I can tell that going forward she's eventually going to adventure outward and explore to gain more tears since It's probably impossible to gain a thousand tears in one single city but as it stands, learning about the people in one town, the community that thrives there, how they've shaped Meg, is fairly enjoyable. Meg is a protagonist written very well and her prowess with magic or knowledge never comes off as showy or unearned because of how silly and purposely oblivious she acts. There are also a couple flashbacks that contribute to us learning more about her character and I would say these flashbacks are probably some of the best placed flashbacks in media I have seen.

What's fun about this anime is how it takes place in a modern world, the internet, phones the works, unlike most anime following magic characters. At first, it's one of those things you don't even realize just cause of how well setup the world is between magic and modern day technology. I think it's also enjoyable to see the balance between the two and how much normal people respect magic but don't rely on it for everything. One concept I really enjoy that seems so simple is that there are fairies in pretty much every object inorganic and organic. From watches to lamps, fairies are the driving force behind how objects work and when objects stop working, witches have a ritual to set free a fairy from an object so that they may be put into another object. It's a simple concept but one that works really well in an emotional anime such as this one since the fairies are spirits who carry memories and people's lives with them, observing the world and cherishing it in ways unbeknownst to most.

The overall premise of this anime is one that is simple but just works. This vibe is everything I wanted out of an anime like Frieren but never exactly got. (Although, Frieren is still a good anime don't get me wrong) This anime has a very melancholy feeling to it. I haven't read the source material at all but I will likely read it after this anime finishes airing. The exploration of existentialism in a magical world is one that will certainly take viewers on a fun comforting (albeit sad) journey.