REVIEW: ‘The Witch and the Beast’ Episode 1 — “The Witch and the City of Blazing Red”

Violence, magic, and gorgeous characters are three things that are beyond certain to get people to watch an anime. The Witch And The Beast (Majo to Yaju) has that all in spades. The series is based on the manga by mangaka Kousuke Satake and localized in English by Kodansha Comics. Two strangers ask around town for a witch, but the locals don’t take kindly to their insinuations. Do they speak from baseless prejudice, or is there more to the city’s hero than she lets on? In The Witch and the Beast Episode 1, “The Witch and the City of Blazing Red,” we follow Guideau (You Taichi) and Ashaf (Toshiyuki Morikawa).

Guideau is a feral girl with long fangs, the eyes of a beast, and a penchant for rushing in with her fists, regardless of her opponent’s strength. Ashaf is a soft-spoken man with delicate features and a coffin strapped to his back. This ominous pair appears one day in a town that’s in thrall to a witch who has convinced the townsfolk she’s their hero. But Ashaf and Guideau know better. They are Members of The Order, an organization that keeps magic users in line. Moreover, Guideau has a score to settle as she tries to find the witch who cursed her.

The story focuses on powerful women, a battle of good and evil, vengeance, and, of course, a world of magic that doesn’t shy away from darkness. It does so by building out lore immediately at the start of Episode 1. To break a witch’s curse, you must have true love’s kiss or have the witch rebuke their curse. This makes Guideau’s quest for liberation a hard-fought one. When the two wind up in a town that previously experienced a terrifying fire, they find a Lady Witch who has been embraced by the town. But things are not what they seem.

This is an action-packed first episode, and much like the manga, it wastes no time establishing the stakes and power of magic in this world. As a duo, Guidea and Ashaf are fantastic. The chemistry between the two voice actors is perfect. Yokohama Animation Laboratory has captured the beauty of the manga. The animation feels both as intricate and different from the studio’s work on last season’s The Kingdoms of Ruin.

The character designs maintain their beauty but also their mystery. While every character has well-detailed eyelashes, the way that Ashaf and Guidea are illustrated is unique. It’s the beauty I fell in love with on the page and it’s captured wonderfully in this adaptation. Their alluring beauty and how it runs against their devastating power and goals is what makes them worth watching.

The Witch and the Beast sets up a devastating reality for witches. They are evil. They have curses, not magic. And that’s why Guidea and Ashaf are heroic whether they mean to be or not. It also has a fast pace that quickly works through much of Volume 1 of the manga, and that’s actually something I’m thankful for. When I reviewed the manga, I described it as one part Full Metal Alchemist and one part Cowboy Bebop; seeing it animated makes that a little less true, if only that it embodies its own lore and violence in a way that lets it stand next to the two but nowhere near their shadows. Like the art in the manga, the animation balances pulpy noir and fantastical aesthetics.

The violence on display in the finale of The Witch And The Beast Episode 1 is stunning and brutal. At the same time, the use of delicate flower petals never overtakes the scene as soft beauty layered atop horrific acts.The Witch and the Beast Episode 1 is magically dark and violent. From the opening, the irreverence and aggression we see from Guideau is exciting. She cusses, fights, and her anger is palpable. On the other hand, Ashaf is a calming and logical force that cares deeply for his partner’s well-being. Their dynamic is one we’ve seen before, yet the twist of what’s in the coffin makes it unique.

“Guideau is the most terrifying and beautiful creature,” Ashaf says when the twist is revealed. It’s a moment that captures the depth of the series and keeps the audience on the edge of understanding the world they’re falling into. Witches are evil, their curses bring havoc, and Guideua and Ashaf are there to bring them to The Order. As members of the Order of Magical Resonance, The Witch And The Beast Episode 1 is a breathtaking start to explore a deep world and their place in it.

In addition to the visuals, The Witch And The Beast Episode 1’s score is phenomenal. Using jazz, the episode builds the atmosphere, and I can’t wait to see how the visceral music genre develops over the course of the season, specifically when it comes to the stellar action sequences.

As a whole, The Witch And The Beast Episode 1 is a stellar adaptation of a visually unique and fantasy dense manga. The nuances in Guideau and Ashraf’s relationship are immediately established and that does a lot to endear the viewer to the tale about to unfold. This only deepens as the stellar action sequences take shape.

The Witch And The Beast Episode 1 is streaming now on Crunchyroll with new episodes every Thursday.