The Witch And The Beast (Majo to Yaju) has been a strong contender for one of the most beautiful anime of the Winter 2024 season. This take on dark fantasy from Yokohama Animation Laboratory has been able to capture the darkness, horror, and beauty of mangaka Kousuke Satake’s original manga, which is published in English by Kodansha. Last episode, the next case began and the focus shifted back to our lead duo, Ashraf (Toshiyuki Morikawa) and Guideau (You Taichi). While each past episode has been about killing witches and stopping their crimes, Episode 6 began a new kind of case. Save the witch. Now, in The Witch and the Beast Episode 7, “The Witch and the Demon Sword: Act II,” the Order is going head to head with the Paladin Corps, protecting the witch Helga Velvette along the way.
Expertly expanding the world’s peacekeeping organizations and extending how magic can be used with different objects, this new case is fantastic. The wielder of the Demon Sword Ashgan, Helga has the power to destroy the world on her back. So it would make sense that the Paladin Corps are trying to hunt her down. Led by Matt Cugat, an elemental mage, the Paladins are supposed to be the good guys. But, Matt’s power is so close to that of a witch that it’s clear that his mission to secure the demon sword isn’t necessarily alturistic.
Get BWT in your inbox!
Get BWT in your inbox!
The Witch and the Beast Episode 7 is an action-forward episode, something that YokohamaAnimation Laboratory does best. There is an epic scale that the animators give each attack and moment of action that is stellar. But even with an action-focused first half, it’s back half is all about intrigue, conspiracy, and betrayal.
With only Ashraf left to fight Matt Cugat, he chooses logic over strength. This makes him a standout in this episode. He has deduced the true murderer of the victims in the Third Continent city, and Helga’s innocence is front and center. The Holy Church and its executioners are to blame. They want to wield the destructive power of the Demon Sword themselves. But Helga has to resist it. She has to guard it and keep it sheathed. As the Paladin Corps turn on each other, even at the highest levels, Ashraf, Guideau, and Helga must keep the Deomn Sword out of their control. But the Church’s strength is able to keep Helga as Guideau escapes.
This is the first case that has taken up more than two episodes, and it’s paying off. The Holy Church is pulled into focus as a powerful and corrupt organization, leaving the Paladin Corps as their victims and violent arms. It’s a thoughtful piece of world-building that keeps the series turning into a boring moral story that doesn’t paint in shades of gray. Instead, not every witch is bad and not every peacekeeping institution is good.
Instead, the audience is shown how power and magic branch out from our main characters. This builds a dynamic and whole world with Ashraf and Guideau at the center. The Witch and the Beast Episode 7 continues to show the Yokohama Animation Laboratory’s stellar adaptation skills which is a strong course correct from last season’s the Kingdoms of Ruin.
The Witch and the Beast Episode 7 is streaming now on Crunchyroll with new episodes every Thursday.
