Witch Watch
Witch Watch (Japanese: ウィッチウォッチ, Hepburn: Witchi Wotchi) is a Japanese fantasy and romantic comedy manga series written and illustrated by Kenta Shinohara. It has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump since February 2021, with its chapters collected into thirteen tankōbon volumes as of October 2023. As of November 2022, the manga had over 1.1 million copies in circulation.
Witch Watch | |
ウィッチウォッチ (Witchi Wotchi) | |
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Genre | |
Manga | |
Written by | Kenta Shinohara |
Published by | Shueisha |
English publisher | |
Imprint | Jump Comics |
Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Jump |
Demographic | Shōnen |
Original run | February 8, 2021 – present |
Volumes | 13 |
Synopsis
The series focuses on Nico Wakatsuki a teenage witch who, after completing her magical training, moves into a house with her childhood friend Morihito Otogi, a human-looking ogre. Due to their families' ancestral history, Morihito is to become Nico's familiar and protect her. Nico also hopes this will help them become a couple, as he is her longtime crush. As the story progresses, Nico and Morihito find themselves forced to deal with the various supernatural and legendary beings they encounter while also trying to solve all the unpredictable problems Nico's magic causes in their daily lives.[3]
Characters
- Nico Wakatsuki (若月ニコ)
- A teenage witch who is in love with her childhood friend Morihito. She is a very kind person who often tries to help people with magic, but usually does so without fully knowing the details or side effects of the spells.
- Morihito Otogi (乙木守仁)
- An ogre with extreme physical strength due to practicing Ogre Qigong. He was childhood friends with Nico, who calls him "Moi" (モイ), and is the only one who does not know she is in love with him. In contrast to the other major characters, Morihito is a serious and responsible person.
- Kanshi Kazamatsuri (風祭監志)
- A tengu who can control wind and befriended Nico during her training. He is Nico's "crow familiar", and moves in with her and Morihito as he is also tasked with protecting her. Kanshi has good social skills and speaks in the Kansai dialect.
- Keigo Megami (真神圭護)
- A werewolf who transforms into another person, referred to as "Wolf" (ウルフ), when he sees a crescent shape. Keigo is usually a quiet person, but becomes arrogant when showing off his knowledge of obscure culture. Wolf, however, is always arrogant and rude. He is a classmate of Nico and Morihito, and eventually moves in with them.
- Miharu Kiryu (霧生見晴)
- A young vampire, who feeds by absorbing people's life force, from a family of futsumashi or exorcists. He is a third-year middle school student and usually carries a parasol to shield him from the sun. Although appearing polite and graceful, he has no filter and will say whatever is on his mind. He moves in with Nico and the others.
Production
Kenta Shinohara revealed that it takes five days to draw the characters in Witch Watch, while the storyboards take two and a half days.[4] In January 2023, Shinohara stated on Twitter that Witch Watch would probably be his last weekly serial. He explained that he is "physically unable" to do one, even if he wanted to.[5] The February 6, 2023, chapter of the manga began a crossover with Shinohara's previous Weekly Shōnen Jump series, Sket Dance.[6]
Publication
Witch Watch is written and illustrated by Kenta Shinohara.[7][8] The manga began its serialization in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump on February 8, 2021.[9][10][11] Shueisha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on June 4, 2021.[12][13] As of October 4, 2023, thirteen volumes have been released.[14]
Witch Watch has been licensed for simultaneous publication in North America as it is released in Japan, with its chapters being digitally launched by Viz Media on its Shonen Jump website. Shueisha also simulpublishes the series in English for free on the Manga Plus app and website.[15] Viz Media also publishes its volumes in digital format.[16]
Volume list
No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | ||
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1 | June 4, 2021[17] | 978-4-08-882696-7 | February 22, 2022[18] | 978-1-9747-3261-6 | ||
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2 | September 3, 2021[19] | 978-4-08-882764-3 | May 24, 2022[20] | 978-1-9747-3354-5 | ||
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3 | November 4, 2021[21] | 978-4-08-882842-8 | August 23, 2022[22] | 978-1-9747-3572-3 | ||
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4 | February 4, 2022[23] | 978-4-08-883011-7 | November 22, 2022[24] | 978-1-9747-3686-7 | ||
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5 | April 4, 2022[25] | 978-4-08-883067-4 | February 28, 2023[26] | 978-1-9747-3788-8 | ||
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6 | June 3, 2022[27] | 978-4-08-883154-1 | May 23, 2023[28] | 978-1-9747-3940-0 | ||
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7 | August 4, 2022[29] | 978-4-08-883221-0 | August 22, 2023[30] | 978-1-9747-4033-8 | ||
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8 | November 4, 2022[31] | 978-4-08-883388-0 | — | — | ||
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9 | January 4, 2023[32] | 978-4-08-883422-1 | — | — | ||
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10 | April 4, 2023[33] | 978-4-08-883454-2 | — | — | ||
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11 | June 2, 2023[34] | 978-4-08-883559-4 | — | — | ||
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12 | August 4, 2023[35] | 978-4-08-883593-8 | — | — | ||
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13 | October 4, 2023[14] | 978-4-08-883666-9 | — | — | ||
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14 | December 4, 2023[36] | 978-4-08-883787-1 | — | — |
Chapters not yet in tankōbon format
These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume.
- "The Day of the Disaster, Part 4" (災いの日-④, Wazawai no Hi - 4)
- "The Day of the Disaster, Part 5" (災いの日-⑤, Wazawai no Hi - 5)
- "The Day of the Disaster, Part 6" (災いの日-⑥, Wazawai no Hi - 6)
- "The Day of the Disaster, Part 7" (災いの日-⑦, Wazawai no Hi - 7)
- "The Day of the Disaster, Part 8" (災いの日-⑧, Wazawai no Hi - 8)
- "The Day of the Disaster, Part 9" (災いの日-⑨, Wazawai no Hi - 9)
- "The Day of the Disaster, Part 10" (災いの日-⑩, Wazawai no Hi - 10)
- "The Day of the Disaster, Part 11" (災いの日-⑪, Wazawai no Hi - 11)
- "The Day of the Disaster, Part 12" (災いの日-⑫, Wazawai no Hi - 12)
- "The Day of the Disaster, Part 13" (災いの日-⑬, Wazawai no Hi - 13)
- "The Day of the Disaster, Part 14" (災いの日-⑭, Wazawai no Hi - 14)
- "The Day of the Disaster, Part 15" (災いの日-⑮, Wazawai no Hi - 15)
- "The Day of the Disaster, Part 16" (災いの日-⑯, Wazawai no Hi - 16)
- "The Day of the Disaster, Part 17" (災いの日-⑰, Wazawai no Hi - 17)
Reception
Popularity and sales
In June 2021, Witch Watch was nominated for the seventh Next Manga Award in the Best Printed Manga category and placed 10th out of 50 nominees.[37][38][39] It was also nominated for the same award and placed 2nd out of 50 nominees in 2022.[40][41] By November 2022, the first eight volumes of the manga had over 1.1 million copies in circulation.[31]
Critical response
Timothy Donohoo of Comic Book Resources compared Witch Watch to Kōji Miura's Blue Box and Shigure Tokita's Don't Blush, Sekime-san! due to both series having concepts and romantic aspects similar to Witch Watch's.[42]
References
- 『彼方のアストラ』作者の新連載開始 天然魔女と堅物使い魔のマジカルコメディー. Oricon News (in Japanese). Oricon. February 8, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- Donohoo, Timothy (July 9, 2021). "Shonen Jump: Why Witch Watch Is Hexing Its Magical Competition". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
- Greenall, Jonathon (July 8, 2021). "Shonen Jump's Newest Trend Is the Superpowered Odd Couple". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
- Egenolf, Kodie (June 13, 2021). "Manga Musing 06/13/2021". Viz Media. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- Pineda, Rafael Antonio (January 16, 2023). "Kenta Shinohara Does Not Plan on Weekly Serialization After Finishing Witch Watch Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- Hodgkins, Crystalyn (January 29, 2023). "Witch Watch Manga Gets Collaboration Chapter With Sket Dance". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- Harding, Daryl (February 8, 2021). "SKET Dance Creator Launches New Jump Manga Series WITCH WATCH". Crunchyroll. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
- 漫画『ウィッチウォッチ』1巻発売 『彼方のアストラ』作者が描くマジカルコメディー (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. June 4, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
- 篠原健太がジャンプに帰還、新連載は魔女と使い魔を描くマジカルコメディ. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. February 8, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- Hodgkins, Crystalyn (January 17, 2021). "Shonen Jump Launches New Manga by Assassination Classroom & Astra Lost in Space Creators, 2 Others". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- 松井優征が史実をもとに描く新連載でジャンプ帰還!篠原健太らの新連載も. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. January 18, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
- 篠原健太が描くドジっ子魔女と使い魔のマジカルコメディ「ウィッチウォッチ」1巻. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. June 4, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- <ウィッチウォッチ>コミックス第1巻発売 「SKET DANCE」「彼方のアストラ」作者の“魔女×使い魔”コメディー (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. June 4, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ウィッチウォッチ 13 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- Hazra, Adriana (February 8, 2021). "Viz Media, Manga Plus Release Kenta Shinohara's Witch Watch Manga in English". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- Hodgkins, Crystalyn (October 10, 2021). "Viz Announces Summer 2022 Book Releases Including Junji Ito's The Liminal Zone, Takashi Shiina's Yashahime Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ウィッチウォッチ 1 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- "WITCH WATCH, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
- ウィッチウォッチ 2 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
- "WITCH WATCH, Vol. 2". Viz Media. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ウィッチウォッチ 3 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- "WITCH WATCH, Vol. 3". Viz Media. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ウィッチウォッチ 4 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- "WITCH WATCH, Vol. 4". Viz Media. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
- ウィッチウォッチ 5 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
- "WITCH WATCH, Vol. 5". Viz Media. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ウィッチウォッチ 6 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
- "WITCH WATCH, Vol. 6". Viz Media. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
- ウィッチウォッチ 7 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
- "WITCH WATCH, Vol. 7". Viz Media. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- ウィッチウォッチ 8 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
- ウィッチウォッチ 9 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ウィッチウォッチ 10 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
- ウィッチウォッチ 11 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- ウィッチウォッチ 12 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ウィッチウォッチ 14 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
- Loveridge, Lynzee (June 21, 2021). "Voting Opens for Tsugi ni Kuru Manga 2021 Awards". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
- 「次にくるマンガ大賞2021」ノミネート作品発表 ウマ娘、【推しの子】、葬送のフリーレンなど話題作続々 (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. June 18, 2021. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
- Loveridge, Lynzee (August 24, 2021). "Kaiju No. 8, Oshi no Ko Win Next Manga Awards Web, Print Categories". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
- Morrissy, Kim (June 23, 2022). "Voting Opens for Next Manga Awards 2022". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- Loveridge, Lynzee (August 31, 2022). "Medalist, WITCH WATCH, Akane-banashi Win Next Manga Awards 2022 Results". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- Donohoo, Timothy (September 15, 2021). "Shonen Jump's Newest Goldmine Is Awkward Romances". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
Further reading
- ジャンプ4号連続新連載のTVCM、篠原健太作品の“あの3人組”や実写にラップも. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. February 1, 2021.
- 篠原健太『ウィッチウォッチ』CMに“あの3人”が出演! 新連載に登場フラグ?. Excite News (in Japanese). February 15, 2021.
External links
- Witch Watch official website at Weekly Shōnen Jump (in Japanese)
- Witch Watch on Manga Plus
- Witch Watch at Anime News Network's encyclopedia