「 The Review 」
SynopsisA talented witch who passed the magic exams at a young age has decided to travel to different countries to write her own book.
Story
From the very start, we learned that Elaina really wanted to travel to share her adventures, similar to Nike, the witch who inspired her. So, that's the basic part of the plot. But, besides that, there's nothing else. And I found that to be lackluster.
Take Attack on Titan, for example, its pilot episode was so jampacked, the viewers had tons of questions after that. And 'cause of it they stuck with the series for a long time. There were problems to be solved, and mysteries to be discovered. In the case of this show, it's purely various encounters of the main character. She didn't even have other goals, like knowing who Nike was, nor wanting to find her to probably thank her for inspiring her to write a book as well.
In short, there's no end goal. Knowing about her travels ain't that intriguing enough to continue watching every episode. But, if you're the type who doesn't want to bother yourself waiting for some serious case to be solved or a goal to be achieved, then you can give this one a shot.
In the finale they also showed a sign of a possible tease for season 2... but, I'm just not digging it.
Characters
So our main character was sort of a prodigy in the circle of witches, and loves adventure... but, enough of that (lol). Here's something the anime low-key advertised: Girl's Love.
Yes, if you're a fan of GL, and you're desperately seeking something authentic, yet one-sided, then this show just had the right couple for you.
Saya's a supporting character who has deep, romantic feelings for Elaina. The reason why I mentioned 'authentic' earlier, was because most GL anime I've seen were mostly focused on making sexy scenes that's catered to male viewers. They're not really intended for the female audience who want pure and honest girl-to-girl relationships.
Thankfully, this anime in some way has delivered that. Although, like I said, it's just one-sided.
Other interesting characters you'll encounter while watching this was their mentors: Fran the Stardust Witch and Sheila the Night Witch. Episode 10 covered their background story, so I won't spoil them for you.
Writing / Storyboarding
Amongst the travels of Elaina, the top two for me were stories from episodes four and nine. Both had a very dark theme and were easily the most memorable (even better than the finale).
Episode 9 definitely took a 360-degree turn.
Artwork / Animation
There's some CGI here, but it's a hit or miss for me. For example this waterfall:
I'm not quite fond of it. But, here in episode 4, these swords were just pure awesome:
That episode also had the most amazing shots: (and magic showcase!)
Other shots also looked amazing:
Music / SoundThe BGMs throughout the series definitely hit the right emotions in every scene.
And both the opening (Literature by Reina Ueda) and ending (Haiiro no Saga by ChouCho) themes were also beautifully sung well.
Episode Ratings- 1 - Elaina, the Apprentice Witch - 4.5
- 2 - The Land of Mages - 3
- 3 - The Girl as Pretty as a Flower / Bottled Happiness - 4
- 4 - The Princess Without Subjects - 5
- 5 - Royal Celesteria - 3
- 6 - The Land of Truth Tellers - 3.5
- 7 - The Wall Etched by Travelers - 4
- 8 - The Ripper - 2
- 9 - A Deep Sorrow from the Past - 5
- 10 - The Two Teachers - 3.5
- 11 - The Two Apprentices - 3
- 12 - The Everyday Tale of Every Ashen Witch - 4
PS: There were after-credit scenes on episodes 5 and 12.
「 Series Rating 」
An otaku since the mid-90's. I consider Evangelion as the most influential anime. My favorite classic films are Laputa: Castle in the Sky and Spirited Away.
