REVIEW: ‘The Witch And The Beast’ Episode 5 — “Beauty and Death: Final Act”

Last episode, The Witch And The Beast (Majo to Yajuu) shifted gears. The story changed its focus away from our leading duo, Guideau You Taichi) and Ashaf (Toshiyuki Morikawa). Instead, it’s now focused on the Necromancer Phanora (Saori Hayami) and Johan (Ryouta Oosaka). They are dispatched to deal with a rise in undead rampages across the city. The two uncovered a Necromancer who has broken every taboo and rule set around bringing the dead back to life. He has allowed their bodies to fall into disrepair, taken their minds, and is serving no one but his own selfish needs. Now, in The Witch And The Beast Episode 5, “Beauty and Death: Final Act,” their confrontation comes to a close in an epic and macabre way.

The Witch And The Beast Episode 5 opens with Johan being killed and his body taken hostage with Phanora seemingly at the renegade necromancer’s whim. Obsessed with beauty and resurrecting his wife in a new and perfect body, the necromancer’s unhinged behavior expands as he confesses to every transgression. He spits in the face of the rules that guard necromancy, and through it all, Phanora remains cool under pressure.

In the second part of a two-part story, Yokohama Animation Laboratory has taken care to adapt the manga by mangaka Kousuke Satake and localized in English by Kodansha Comics. Instead of condensing the stories, the team has adapted them at a near-perfect pacing that allows the world, narrative, and tension to build. The Witch And The Beast Episode 5 is a striking example of that with its stunning reveal and jaw-dropping finale. By embracing each pair of episodes as a chapter in a larger dark fantasy, the series is able to both throw its audience into its lore and carry them through it on a guided path.

The Witch And The Beast Episode 5 also easily lands itself among the best dark fantasy stories in anime. Before even discussing its breathtaking beauty in an animation sense, you have to praise its take on magic. When it comes to Necromancy, the focus of the “Beauty and Death” pair of episodes, it’s superb. There are elements we’ve seen before, the rules and reactions to raising the dead, and the grief associated with it is deep and thoughtful.

Here, Necromancy is a pact. It’s a choice made not just by the magic user but a sacrifice made by the dead. The dead forgo an afterlife and enter the void once their time has come. The willfulness in how Necromancy is approached showcases its intimate nature. The way that the episode captures this with the relationship between Phanora and Johan is excellent. Vaguely romantic but wholly attached to each other, Johan is an example of a Necromancer who has maintained her creation to the point that he can pass for human. He can be his own person. And the respect the two show each other is on full display.

While it isn’t Ashraf and Guideau, Phanora and Johan also represent the show’s title. One witch and one beast. It’s a thoughtful twist that speaks to how large the world of the series is. It speaks to the depth of the Magical Order of Resonance. It also highlights the wealth of stories that can take place in it. I’m usually annoyed by focus pivots in storytelling, but here, it absolutely works.

The Witch And The Beast Episode 5 is also the most beautiful of the series. Like Episode 1, “Beauty and Death: Final Act” thrives in presenting beautiful sequences and stills that pull the audience in. But it never loses its dark edge. The beauty is always underscored by the macabre, and that is where it thrives. It makes you invest in the world’s vision beyond just its aesthetics but pushing you with its visuals.

Bringing “Beauty and Death” to a close, The Witch And The Beast Episode 5 cements the series as an effortless and unique fantasy story. It’s grounded by its darkness but excels because of its world-building beauty.

The Witch And The Beast Episode 5 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.