Dec 29, 2023
Tite Kubo is very smart for immediately incorporating BURN THE WITCH into the BLEACH universe—through a shrewd plot-twist in the writing—to straight off the bat invest its core target demographic—Bleach fans—into his spin-off series. This, alongside making the protagonists two (attractive) female characters in order to automatically make for a more interesting shounen premise considering the nigh-novelty. Thus, through the premise alone is the thoughtfulness of Kubo's work shown here.
Ultimately and in reality, Burn the Witch is supplemental content for fans of the main series. It intends to capture the stylistic essence of Bleach as an excuse for Kubo to draw aesthetic art pieces that
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service the fans. Regarding this, Burn the Witch is a great series. Studio Colorido and team Yamahitsuji knew this as well, which is why all presentation for the anime—from the promotional campaign, to the website, to the key visuals and to the product—a stylishly striking identity can be seen. The art direction and animation are gorgeous—fine-tuned to the whimsical setting; the sound design is sharp and works in tandem with the youthful vibe; and cinematic direction and storyboards are properly realized here because the pacing isn't at haste like in the 2020 ONA sequel. While the narrative elements are serviceable and never actively detriment the beautiful production design that is doing most of the legwork. Exceptional and inspired character designs (including the Dragons and their body horror that help form a sinister undercurrent) with strong characterization and character dynamics as well as firm theming, as expected from Kubo. The subtle references to Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon accentuate the charm of this title and Colorido's passion for it.
To go back to an aforementioned point about the thoughtful constructions here, Ninny and Noel in juxtaposition perfectly complement each other in both design and personality without being exaggerated. Balgo Twain's parallels to Sir Ywain of Arthurian legend serve as part of the greater incorporation of fairy tales in Burn the Witch. The worldbuilding displays knowledge of English culture by Kubo and believably assimilates into the greater Bleach world because of it and the characters' isomorphic but distinguishable framing, and by extension allows for a lot of potential in the future.
All in all, this is a short but sweet audiovisual treat to pleasantly cap off the calendar year.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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