REVIEW: ‘Jaadugar: A Witch In Mongolia’ Episode 12: “The Steppe, Ever Unchanging”

Töregene’s back! If that’s all that happened in Jaadugar: A Witch In Mongolia Episode 12, it’d probably be enough to win high marks. That’s not the case, of course. “The Steppe, Ever Unchanging” brings the first season of Jaadugar to a solid and satisfying conclusion. After a season’s worth of pain and intrigue, it’s genuinely a relief to have some of that tension cut. 

How it happens is one of the series’ most surprising reveals. Just as it seems that Töregene (Ami Koshimizu) would be in immediate danger, Sorghaghtani (Misaki Kuno) plays an expected trump card. It turns out that the Great Khan himself is not immune to the matters of the heart. Ögedei (Hiro Shimono) genuinely loves Töregene and knows that she’s also Boraqchin (Kujira)’s pawn. 

This detail, along with Sorghaghtani’s bold magnanimity, makes Jaadugar: A Witch In Mongolia Episode 12 a bit anti-climatic. Instead of Fatima (Akira Sekine) once again being pushed against a wall as a consequence of her outburst, this time things have worked out in her favor. It’s an awfully convenient turn to tie up the season. 

Jaadugar: A Witch In Mongolia Episode 12 hits all the right notes even while keeping it subdued. 

Not having a bombastic climax doesn’t mean that there’s nothing in its place. Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Episode 12 finally reunites Fatima with Töregene and lets the two speak on the same level. Throughout the episode, Koshimizu absolutely shines, stockpiling energy after not being in half the season. From her despondent state, to her deep regret, to even her moment of levity when doting on Güyük (Natsuki Hanae), there’s not a moment where Koshimizu’s Töregene misses the mark. 

Only at the end is it clear just how much Töregene adds to Jaadugar. Her absence over the past arc has left a real void. On the other hand, the same absence makes her return so much more powerful. By the episode’s ending, when she and Fatima reaffirm their mission – with the declaration of intent to “become witches” – Töregene’s stolen the show and elevated Sekine’s already great performance with it. She’s just that charismatic. 

Which makes it all the more striking that the best moment of the episode somehow doesn’t include her. Instead, that honor goes to Ögedei because Jaadugar: A Witch In Mongolia Episode 12 doesn’t just put him at the center of one of the more surprising reveals of the series with his affection for Töregene. His reason why is the actual biggest reveal.

Ögedei’s reveal changes the entire scope of the series. 

Ögedei knows. He knows how much Töregene hates him. He knows what the people the Mongols have conquered feel. What’s more, he understands it. Ögedei gets it well enough to immediately detect it in Fatima, going as far as to goad her into letting her mask slip completely. Then he credits that rage, in Töregene specifically, for driving his vision for the Empire. 

Until this point, Ögedei has been something of a distant presence befitting his place in the power structure. Töregene has never kept her disdain secret, but his hand-waving of it earlier in the series implied he didn’t think much of it or her. Instead, that’s what makes her his “treasure.” His dreams of building a city and creating a different kind of Empire seem to come from a genuine desire to make her (and now Fatima) happy.

With this, much of his behavior this season has to be seen in a new light. Even the death of Tolui, which he heavily implies he knows was orchestrated by Boraqchin, serves in this goal. Now, the conflict of the series isn’t just about two women struggling against a power structure that doesn’t care about them; they’re now struggling against one that purports instead to care completely. 

Science Saru sticks the landing, proving the series a formidable addition to the anime landscape.

Ögedei doesn’t feel guilty or responsible enough to, say, surrender his or the Empire’s power. Even so, this presents a very compelling layer on top of what Jaadugar explored this season. Throughout, both Fatima and Töregene see others assimilate or accept their current conditions, and the series has been careful not to pass judgment on anyone for doing so. Fatima nearly did when she got Elements back. But now, to let go and move on isn’t just a personal choice. It’s also a concession to the man who rules over them. 

That reveal may have overplayed Ögedei’s hand, as this truth definitely reinvigorated the resistance effort. But the temptation of comfort and prosperity will always be there. Power, too, in Töregene’s case. These prospective witches will need to not only resist Ögedei and the Mongols, but themselves too. For Fatima, that temptation will come sooner than she expects. The post credits scene points back to the home of the girl was Sitara and the battle to become its governor. No doubt she’ll be very interested in that.

However, that will have to wait for the currently unannounced second season. For now, Jaadugar: A Witch In Mongolia Episode 12 brings this story to a close. Jaadugar has been stunning from the very first frame with strong direction, performances, and animation experimentation. Not once did the series sit on its laurels and that dedication is why this finale’s lack of a real climax barely matters. What a tremendous journey for Science Saru to take audiences on.

Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Episode 12 is streaming now, exclusively on Crunchyroll.

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