May 5, 2022
Recently re-read this and I cannot sing its praises enough. Possibly one of my favourite Manga's to date.
It has a simple, but amazing story that draws you in, absolutely stunning art, especially when Mika uses her witch powers, and it manages to keep its major twist hidden until the very end of it.
Mika as a protagonist is very stoic in nature, which can get rid of some enjoyment, but makes her perfect for a story of this type, with most of the personality coming from Lumiel, and later Ritsuka. It also helps having nearly every chapter essentially be a story contained in itself, with few
...
returning faces, granted this also means some characters are less memorable.
I will say it has its flaws though: For one, some of the contained stories end really quickly, for seemingly no reason, this is mostly a problem at the start though and quickly ends later on. Additionally, the main 3 characters (Mika, Lumiel and Ritsuka) seem to stick way too closely to their archetypes without spreading out: a stoic and sometimes aloof immortal (for some reason stoicism and aloofness seems to be closely linked to immortality in manga/anime), the mildly obnoxious object-based companion (which is mostly there just to further advance plot and provide personality), and the magicians apprentice which sucks at magic.
Additionally, the backstory given to Lumiel is rather weak, and fails to ever be mentioned again, why there were no points in the story that had him return to being a dragon I'll never know.
However, it also does a good job at sprinkling in a couple life lessons if possible, one of which is more prominent than the rest: Learning to spread outside the role you've been assigned.
Overall, an absolutely amazing manga that I cannot recommend enough, and if your a fan of mystery and magic, then its worth reading. Good characters, A great story that manages to actually keep the ending a surprise, genuine heart-wrenching moments and its fair-share of comedic points.
If you liked Kino's Journey or Wandering Witch Elaina, you'll enjoy this as it follows a similar pacing and idea, and has the same tones as them.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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