Witch Watch

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this manga deserves more lights. I know Shinohara from SKET Dance and also about him being Sorachi's ex assistant. and I love how he inherit 'Gintama-ish' comedy yet still has his own flavor in it.

SO, the story premise actually sounds very basic; Nico, a 'talented' witch, need to train her spells in society. But she needs a familiar to accompany her, and she chose Moi, her half ogre childhood friend that happened to be her love interest, to protect her along the training phase. the story goes how her spells tend to give 'comical-effect' and brings Moi lots of trouble. Classic Rom-com of shounen ... level.

BUT, that's not all. Actually, the main plot & storyline goes beyond what expected. As I also read SKET Dance, when you're given an over the top absurd comedy, it feels a little cringy when the plot got too serious. But in WITCH WATCH, the drama feels just right. Even I didn't expect it would be a twist for something that is rather 'predictable'.

the strength of this manga is on the comedy part, but well.. not everybody likes gag in a form of 'long dialogue'. That must be what makes people back down from this series. and yes, there are chapters that's also 'too-much' for me, HOWEVER, out of the new-gen comedy themed I read, WITCH WATCH were the one that makes me laugh the most.
(and hope when the adaption released, the comedy will be well delivered in voice acting)

TL;DR

if you like hilarious gag that actually have strong plot, magnificent cast with some relatable recent issues, heartwarming new-found family trope, well written romance, AND NO UNNECESSARY HAREM OR ECCHI FAN SERVICE..
try WITCH WATCH a shot ;)

I have not read SKET Dance, but after picking this manga up I definitely will read SKET Dance. I believe in the Shinohara magic.

This manga handles both wholesome comedy and action scenes in such a tasteful way I have not seen in any other manga. Usually the typical shounen got their comical characters that are funny and others react to them, then we move on into the "serious stuff" such as a tournament power ranking, yada yada. Shinohara does not subscribe to this format, because most of Witch Watch is rather slice-of-life and a comedy for stretches of dozens of chapters. But don't be caught ... off guard, because literally the next chapter might be a war brewing. You might think this sounds like an abrupt turn in mood which usually is a bad sign in other manga, but no, Shinohara is not just any other mangaka. He already left crumbs behind, setting up and hinting at the battle. During these more serious arcs, you will witness those crumbs and details woven into the scene - that one random spell shown in 20 chapters earlier as the butt of a joke now comes in clutch to save the day in the most awesome fashion, not shoehorned into the flow. This tells me Shinohara does plan everything deliberately, even as he writes his (amazing) comedy chapters. Nothing here is filler.

Witch Watch is both an amazing slice-of-life comedy manga AND one of the best shounen on JUMP's catalogue. Shinohara's art reflects that as well; very cute during fluffy scenes, and tune up 100 notches when the action hits. I read this manga first every Sunday, which has the likes of Sakamoto Days, Jujutsu Kaisen, etc.

Witch Watch blends slice-of-life gag comedy with romance and an overarching shonen action plot. It has many moving parts that give me hope it will get me hooked. However, while I can certainly recommend Witch Watch, it unfortunately has been too inconsistent for me to say it is great.

Witch Watch is at times creative, fun, and experimental. For instance, a few early chapters frame a character’s inner monologue as a reality show interview. In another chapter, the characters find themselves in a death game that is so poorly designed, they (the ones captured and forced into said death game) re-structure the game from scratch only ... to find out it was a ploy to get a viral Youtube video. Additionally, it is consistently creative exploring the unintended consequences of Nico’s magic for humorous effect.

Further, the romance between the two leads has been tender-hearted, satisfying, and fun. While it knows it is purposely dragging it out, the leads are easy to root for and are a good match for each other.

However, Witch Watch really wants to be a gag comedy more than anything else. Unfortunately, to me the humor does not land frequently enough to justify veering away from its primary plot as frequently as it does. It detours for the sake of mostly unremarkable banter or shenanigans between the residents of Moi’s house. So, when there is a relatively large amount of text per chapter for a manga, chapters can feel dull even though the ideas within them are consistently interesting.

I want to love Witch Watch. Its art, premise, and characters are distinctive and fun. However, even after 63 chapters I still can’t say I’m ‘hooked’. However, One Piece didn’t hook me until Chapter 81, so I am hopeful I will be by the time I catch up with the current chapter. People interested in the genres I listed above (slice-of-life, comedy, shonen action, and romance) will find a lot of good things in this manga.