Season 1 |
– |
– |
Episode Guide
Episode 1 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 2 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 3 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 4 -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode 5 -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode 6 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 7 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 8 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 9 -| Review Score – 2/5
Episode 10 -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode 11 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 12 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
The first season of the most recent dark fantasy horror anime, The Witch and the Beast, is out now. It centers around Ashaf, a calm and collected mage, and Guideau, who has been cursed by a witch. They work for The Order of Magical Resonance solving supernatural cases and hunting witches.
By the first episode’s last minutes, we get one of the best aspects of the anime. When Guideau kisses a witch, she can break free from her curse shortly. That means she can use her real body, an enormous and muscly masked creature who can destroy all his problems with one attack.
Her original body has a really cool design, and it’s entertaining seeing one-shot all enemies. Also, Guideau is one of the most powerful beings alive and has been around for at least a few centuries. So, it’s always a treat when we get to learn more about her.
However, she is still an awful character for most of the series. Her only personality trait is being angry (especially at witches). She doesn’t have any interesting dialogues or thoughts about the situations she goes through. Even though she lost her real body, she never dives into how that makes her feel (besides grumpy).
That’s why knowing the witch who cursed her is one of the best parts of the season. We still need to see more of it, but their relationship seems engaging. While Guideau is furious at the woman, the witch appears to love her in some twisted way. That helps change the dynamic a bit.
Another element that is good in doing a similar thing is Helga’s addition. She’s another witch, but one that Ashaf and Guideau have to protect. That means Guideau has to act differently towards the girl than she would normally. It’s a breath of fresh air.
Speaking of that, Helga is a great character because she is the most balanced of the three. We see many of her thoughts and learn a lot about her past, which makes it easier for us to relate to her. She’s both very funny and tragic at the same time, giving her more personality.
Ashaf is also entertaining to watch, as he’s intelligent, so it’s fun to see his mind working. However, we have little to hold on to. We never learn about his past or interests, so he seems unnecessarily mysterious sometimes. His best trait is probably being calm and carefree, contrasting with Guideau’s personality.
The story and the world have a lot of potential, but Season 1 doesn’t explore it thoroughly. Besides that, the structure is a bit of a problem. Remember the first episode? Almost every arc follows a similar pattern. The characters investigate a problem, which proves to be very troublesome, and then Guideau kisses a witch and solves everything with her real body.
It has a One-Punch Man feel to it. Most of its plots revolve around a variety of characters trying to deal with a powerful monster until Saitama comes and kills it with a single strike. However, the story is hilarious, and the cast is quite engaging, which makes it work.
The Witch and the Beast is entertaining, but neither the characters nor the animation are enough to solve the structure’s problem. When you can’t find yourself getting engaged, it’s hard for the episode to win you back.
Still, it’s a good watch for anyone who enjoys horror and gore. The last episode shows a lot of promise and presents many new concepts, which might help with the worldbuilding and story structure.
Feel Free To Check Out More Of Our TV Show Reviews Here!
-
Verdict - 6.5/10
6.5/10