Anime Reviews (2010-2019): Flying Witch - Complete Collection (2016)

I definitely recommend “Flying Witch – Complete Collection” if you want something easy to follow and is entertaining!

Purchase this Blu-ray from Amazon

TITLE: Flying Witch – Complete Collection

ORIGINAL SERIES DATE: 2016

DURATION: Episodes 1-12 (300 Minutes)

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, DTS-HD Master Audio: English and Japanese 2.0, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: Sentai Filmworks

RATED: TV PG

Release Date: October 24, 2017

Originally Created by Ishizuka Chihiro

Director: Sakurabi Katsushi

Series Composition: Akao Deko

Character Design by Anno Masato

Music by Dewa Yoshiaki

Art Director: Okumura Yasuhiro

Anime Production: J.C. Staff

Featuring the following voice talent:

Sugawara Shinsuke/Adam Gibbs as Kei Kuramoto

Suzuki Eri/Juliet Simmons as Chinatsu Kuramoto

Shinoda Minami/Stephanie Wittels as Makoto Kowata

Ozawa Ari/Alexandra Bedford as Al

Mikami Shiori/Chaney Moore as Nao Ishiwatari

Hino Mari/Chelsea McCurdy as Inukai

Aoi Kana/Christina Kelly as Akane Kowata

Inoue Kikuko/Joanne Bonasso as Nana Kuramoto

Iguchi Yuka/Kira Vincent-Davis as Anzu Shiina

SAkura Ayane/Kyle Jones as Kenny

Kayano Ai/Tiffany Grant as Chito

Traditionally, when a witch turns 15, she’s supposed to go out into the world alone to study magic. Makoto’s parents, however, believe that their directionally-challenged daughter should get a high school degree. Instead of being sent out on her own, Makoto and her cat Chito find themselves traveling from the bustling city of Yokohama to Aomori Prefecture, where they’ll stay with relatives until Makoto finishes school. It’s going to be a big adjustment, and it only gets more complicated since “normal” people aren’t supposed to know that witches exist… something that she tends to forget. In the meantime, Makoto, her cousins, and her new friends will have to work just a little harder to adapt to a whole new way of life when the new girl in town is a FLYING WITCH!

Back in 2012, Chihiro Ishizuka created the manga series “Flying Witch”, which was serialized in Kodansha’s manga magazine “Bessatsu Shonen Magazine” and has been collected in five tankobon volumes.

An anime adaptation aired in Japan from April through June 2016 and the manga series was released in North America via Vertical Comics in March 2017, while the anime series was released in the US courtesy of Sentai Filmworks.

Featuring animation produced by J.C. Staff, the story of “Flying Witch” revolves around a young woman named Kowata Makoto who came from Yokohama with her black cat Chito to move to the countryside in Hirosaki, Aomori (northern Japan) to live with her relatives, the Kuramoto family.

While her cousin Kei welcomes her back, Kei’s younger sister Chinatsu feels a weird vibe from Makoto and is scared to look at her at first.

With Makoto needing to buy a few items, Kei sends Chinatsu to bring her to the store as Makoto is very bad with directions and often gets lost.

While they go to the store, Chinatsu is shocked when Makoto goes to buy a broom and the next thing you know, she starts elevating with it and flies Chinatsu back home with it.

For Chinatsu, she is shocked to know she has family members who are witches and to Kei and their parents, Kenji and Nana, they don’t think anything’s odd. But for young Chinatsu, it’s all brand new.

As Makoto starts attending the same high school as Kei, she is shocked that Kei doesn’t spend time with her but instead pushes her to hang out with his friend Nao. While Makoto reveals to Nao that she is a witch and Nao sees her riding on her broom, she is also slightly freaked out about Makoto being a witch but accepts her (although she reminds Makoto that shouldn’t being a witch be a secret and not public?).

And we get to see as Makoto readjusts to life in Aoyama but also a curious Chinatsu who wants to learn more about Makoto’s magic.

Having enjoyed the “Flying Witch” manga series, I was quite interested in seeing how the animated adaptation would be. And for the most part, I was quite happy of how consistent the anime is with the manga series.

“Flying Witch” is like a slice-of-life storyline about a teen witch trying to become independent and learn more of her craft in a rural area, as part of a witch’s ritual.

There is no fighting with antagonists, no action-driven storyline, it’s more or less a teenager named Makoto who moves in with her Aoyama-based relatives and trying to improve on her witchcraft. She goes to high school, makes new friends and her young cousin, Chinatsu, who was scared of her at first, starts to become fascinated with witchcraft magic.

There are a few other characters who are part of the storyline from Kei’s classmate Nao who becomes Makoto’s friend, Miss Inukai the fortune teller, a ghost waitress and so much more.

I found the series to be hilarious and fun, but it’s because how writer Ishizuka Chihiro is able to weave the slice-of-life high school life of a teenager with witchcraft and interesting characters. Also, Makoto’s naivety and also Chinato’s curiousity and Kei’s aloofness adds to the enjoyment of the anime series.

“Flying Witch” is more about good-writing and solid characters which enhance the overall enjoyment of the series. Again, it’s slice of life, no major action or anything dramatic or riveting, it’s about a teenage witch’s life in school, living with her cousins and learning about her witch abilities.

I definitely recommend “Flying Witch – Complete Collection” if you want something easy to follow and is entertaining!

Purchase this Blu-ray from Amazon