REVIEW: ‘Jaadugar: A Witch In Mongolia’ Episode 4 – “Otchigin”

In Jaadugar: A Witch In Mongolia Episode 4, the focus shifts away from Fatima’s goals and towards dragging her through history. A lot of time passes in “Otchigin,” but paradoxically, this episode does so by slowing the pace. Jaadugar is methodical and careful when depicting cultures, and that thoughtfulness increases the emotional impact of Fatima’s emotions. 

The rage that Fatima (Akira Sekine) feels when Sorghaghtani (Misaki Kuno) explains that she, too, seeks knowledge to elevate the Mongols even further is valid. Sorghaghtani is too deep into the heart of the empire to understand the harm that Tolui inflicted on Fatima and many others just to get that copy of Elements. Given that Sorghaghtani is the one making the requests for books like this, she’s culpable. 

At the same time, the real insult Fatima experiences is that Sorghaghtani has the same, generally noble cause as her previous adopted family. From the beginning, Jaadugar has framed the pursuit of knowledge as noble. Seeing the trait the original Fatima instilled in her reflected in Sorghaghtani throws Fatima for a complete loop, leading her to hold onto this rage at all costs. But rage alone cannot topple an empire. 

The passage of time is captured with immense beauty in Jaadugar: A Witch In Mongolia Episode 4.

Time marches on in more beautiful visual transitions as seasons and then years pass. Tomohisa Shimoyama‘s storyboarding and direction highlight life in the steppe through the small moments Fatima experiences. This is particularly evident in animals, which have thus far stayed in the background.

It’s an interesting way to pass the time, showing Fatima learning to live with the various animals of the steppe camps. The visuals even grow into full juxtaposition, placing the life of Genghis Khan against a wolf. At first, the wolf is strong and ferocious-looking, but then the Khan’s death is visualized when the wolf now collapses. 

What’s more, Genghis Khan is not given a face. Instead, light obscures his face or the camera faces away from him; the wolf replaces him otherwise. These visual choices give him a sense of mythical status.

Genghis Khan operates as a faceless force of nature even in his demise. 

Everything that has happened over the first three episodes of Jaadugar is the result of his vision, but it is more like a force of nature. Like a wolf hunting in the woods, the Mongol campaign is a predator pursuing prey by instinct. Even with proximity, Fatima cannot comprehend why any of this has happened to her people or anyone else. She can only survive. Before long, eight years have passed since her capture, and she finds herself at the next Khan’s coronation.

She’s learned the language and come to terms with how the food is prepared, despite conflicts with her beliefs. When asked about that conflict, she cheerfully agrees that their way is better. As a captive, she’s learned to play the game to stay in the favor of the Mongols.

Fatima’s current behavior is not unlike Zumurrud’s in Episodes 1 and 2. She assimilated into the household in Tus, becoming the original Fatima’s trusted aid, but when that life collapsed, her desire to return home was revealed. While she may have come to at least appreciate the household, Zumurrud was still ultimately a slave. Fatima, too, has spent 16 years as one. 

“Otchigin” doubles down on the dense and complex nature of the story. 

Jaadugar: A Witch In Mongolia Episode 4 is very careful not to filter these events through a modern-day moral lens. The humanity of enslaved people and their yearning for freedom are universal traits.

It’s for that reason, though, that the Mongols aren’t positioned as purely antagonistic. Fatima was technically just as unable to live truly and freely during her time in Tus; she was just favored. And by the end of “Otchigin,” it’s clear that this is how she’s going to survive again. 

It can be difficult to accept Jaadugar’s status quo. Despite its visual beauty, it does not shy away from the historical record. Fatima is not the only one captured by the Mongols, and while Episode 4 highlights those who can make peace with and adapt to their own lives, the fact is that their lives were upended without consent, a significant truth.

Jaadugar: A Witch In Mongolia Episode 4 refuses to shy away from history.

This is the truth of the history that informs this part of Fatima’s story, and it simply has to be accepted to enjoy the series. For some, this may be a tough ask, but it cannot be said to endorse what happened, one way or another.  

As set up for the next shift of Fatima’s tale, Jaadugar: A Witch In Mongolia Episode 4 excellently fleshes out the world around her. The people, culture, and animals of the Mongol empire really get to shine thanks to thoughtful animation and pacing. Things look to be getting far more intense in the coming episodes, so it’s a welcome reprieve to slow down and take things in. 

Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Episode 4 is streaming now, exclusively on Crunchyroll.

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