Netflix released the adaptation of Kenta Shinohara’s Witch Watch, and it might just be the best romantic comedy anime of Spring 2025. Animated by Bibury Animation Studios, this modern fantasy follows Moi and Nico — an ogre and a witch who become bound as familiar and master and end up living together with both their parents abroad.
Witch Watch has all the potential to steal the spotlight as this season’s best romance. The plot alone promises a never-ending source of romantic tension, and the charisma of Witch Watch‘s main couple rivals that of the most fan-favorite anime pairings. Not to mention, it’s difficult to resist cracking a smile during the anime’s moments of genuine silliness.
Witch Watch’s Star Couple Does the “Childhood Friends” Trope Right, With a Twist
Morihito Otogi & Nico Wakatsuki are Supernatural Beings in a Modern World
“Childhood Friends to Lovers” is a common romance anime trope, but Witch Watch adds a small twist by making the series’ main couple into supernatural beings. In the world of Bibury Animation Studios’ newest rom-com, magic and supernatural beings are common enough that the average person is aware they exist in society, though they are rare where discrimination and stigma exist. Morihito is part ogre and possesses tremendous strength. Nico Wakatsuki is a witch who recently graduated from her training.
Nico’s official title as a witch means she must also choose a familiar to assist her and stay by her side. Because of a series of circumstances, Moi ends up taking that role, and the pair live together while their parents are away taking care of other business or looking into important matters. This sets up the potential for endless romantic tension and awkward situations, but Moi and Nico actually behave naturally and comfortably with one another thanks to their history—something that isn’t lost even with Nico’s romantic feelings.
Moi & Nico Give Anime Fans a Strong, Funny, and Wholesome Dynamic
Moi and Nico have opposing personalities, but their care for one another creates a hysterical and adorable dynamic that is more than just the pairing of opposites. Nico is a confident and cheerful girl, albeit a little ditzy and reckless with her magic. While her antics and clumsiness cause some rather hilarious trouble, Moi is never mean. Rather than being constantly irritated by the inconveniences, Moi is actually kind and patient towards Nico and understands how much she wants to use magic to help others and make friends.
Witch Watch Episode 1, “Witch’s Return,” gives glimpses of Moi and Nico’s childhood together, and it shows that Moi had always possessed a protectiveness over Nico. His protectiveness had initially driven him to undergo vigorous training to hone the powers of his ogre lineage so that he could keep Nico safe. The duties awarded to him for becoming her familiar only strengthened his determination to keep Nico out of harm’s way. Although Moi initially had reservations about becoming bound to someone, he is devoted to his duties.
There is a Running Gag of Drawbacks in Witch Watch’s Magic System
Every Spell Nico Uses Comes at Hilarious Costs
Witch Watch Episode 1 does well to set up a simple and easy-to-follow magic system, and it carries the potential for a slew of genuinely hilarious bits to enjoy. It’s quite similar to the Fullmetal Alchemist’s “law of equivalent exchange,” in which every magical spell has an equal cost one must pay or a drawback to balance the scales. For example, one of the first things Nico does upon reuniting with Moi is crash through a glass door. She can fix it using magic; however, the door’s reparation came at the cost of Moi’s favorite mug.
Another moment that exemplifies the comedic gold mine of Witch Watch’s magic system is seen later, when Moi and Nico are running errands. In order to literally lighten the load of their shopping bags, Nico performs a spell that would make it all easier to carry. Later, in order to rescue a woman from a burning apartment, Moi and Nico hop on Nico’s broom to retrieve her. To their luck, the weight of three people ends up being too much for the broom to carry, so Nico ends up casting the same spell on Moi and herself.
While the spell worked to solve the problems at the moment, they were met with another issue much later on. It turns out the weight that the spell momentarily dissipates comes back to the object it was cast upon tenfold. The shopping bags that Moi and Nico were carrying later ended up becoming heavier on their way home. Not only that, but the effects caught up with their bodies as well. They both immediately collapse to the floor like ragdolls, unable to support their own bodies after being hit with the drawback.
A Prophecy Puts the Heart of Witch Watch in Danger
A Small Detail Foreshadows a Darker Side to the Anime
Part of Nico’s motivation to make friends and help others with her magic is for her own development. She states that a novice witch’s magic is unstable and that it can be tamed and matured by forming bonds and using magic to assist people. A witch who is isolated is at risk of becoming corrupted by dark magic. Although this was briefly touched upon in Witch Watch Episode 1, it remains a concerning a piece of information that ties in with the main conflict of the series.
It’s heavily implied in Witch Watch’s premiere that, although Nico is madly in love with Moi and couldn’t be any happier to live with him, making him her familiar might have actually been an arrangement made by their parents. A conversation that Moi has with his father at the tail end of the episode reveals that Nico’s mother, who is an oracle, actually saw a vision that foretells great danger. She had a premonition that disaster would strike Nico within a year, but she also found that this future could be avoided with the help of a familiar.
Thus, Moi, who is Nico’s strong and reliable childhood friend, became the perfect candidate to protect Nico from the looming threat. Moi is less Nico’s familiar and more her bodyguard, and it’s a job that he takes incredibly seriously—even when Nico herself doesn’t. The issue, however, is that the danger may not come in a form that Moi could easily fight off. Something may happen to Nico that could lead to her alienation and, thus, her eventual corruption.
Fortunately, Moi is smart enough to think ahead and takes extra caution to make sure Nico isn’t taken advantage of for her magic or shunned because of it. In Witch Watch Episode 2, the pair begin high school together. Moi attempts to enforce a rule that Nico must hide her identity as a witch to keep herself safe, though that ends up going down the drain thanks to another chuckle-inducing mishap with her magic. Later in the episode, both Nico and Moi end up being accepted and embraced by their classmates.
Witch Watch is a Beautiful Anime to Look At
Bibury Animation Studios Adapts Kenta Shinohara’s Wonderful Art
Kenta Shinohara illustrates his characters in the Witch Watch manga with clean lines and lively, dynamic expressions. His artistic talent shines most in the art on the manga’s volume covers. Every volume cover of Witch Watch thus far somewhat resembles 1960s pop art, using bright complementary colors in a way that catches the eye. Bibury Animation Studios uses a similar color palette to make the anime adaptation just as captivating.
Witch Watch’s animation budget isn’t on the same level as bigger-name anime, such as Science SARU’s Dandadan or Madhouse’s Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, but the quality of animation is definitely higher than most of the other anime this season. The movements flow well, the character designs of the main cast are visually appealing, and the color palette sets up the lighthearted and comedic tone of the series. Bibury Animation Studios also does a delightful job at capturing Nico’s adorable expressions, as well as every feat of magic she performs.
Witch Watch Does Everything it Needs to as an Anime Rom-Com
An Anime Doesn’t Need to be Complicated or Nuanced to be Good
The first two episodes of Witch Watch give anime fans a simply built world that looks similar to our own, presenting a type of uncomplicated magic system that depends on friendships and wholesome interactions. Audiences are also introduced to a pair of protagonists almost as charming as Dandadan’s Momo and Okarun, who possess a dynamic that is equally funny and endearing.
The humor, although not crazy or over-the-top, is enough to pull a few chuckles from even the coldest heart. Witch Watch isn’t anything ground-breaking. It doesn’t bring much to challenge anyone’s expectations or subvert any tropes; it’s no Puella Magi Madoka Magica or Neon Genesis Evangelion, but the series wasn’t created with the intention of being avant-garde or revolutionary. It’s meant to be a romantic comedy to fill anime fans with joy, and, so far, it does that perfectly.
