Witch Watch is a fantasy-based manga with the underpinnings of a romcom. Unsure if this will standout among other existing publishing romcoms.

What I loved: the total cliff hanger ending, Nico's hair made to mimic a witch hat, Moi's stoic resignation and unfaltering cool demeanor.

What I didn't love so much: Nico is rather whiny at times and is trying WAY too hard to make the fairy tale in her head come true.

Morihito Otogi's family is descended from ogre familiars. One day his father says he will be the familiar of his childhood friend Niko. The art was adorable and the story was enjoyable. Sometimes silly but overall worth reading.

3 stars

<b> I received a digital e-arc of this manga in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and VIZ Media for the opportunity. </b>

This was so cute! This is a cute slice of life/magic combo manga. Nico has just moved back to our world after completing her training as a witch. Childhood friend Morihito (or Moi) is appointed her familiar and guardian. Trying to reintegrate into normal society is hard, and how's one supposed to keep a secret in high school?

This was such a good start. I can't wait to read more. The magic was present through the whole story while not being overwhelming. The characters are endearing and even with those who have supernatural lineage, it still feels like a slice of life manga.

I received an eARC of this title through NetGalley in return for an honest review

This was a cute story full of romantic antics and magic mishaps.

Morihito, or Moi as Nico calls him, is your typical silent protector type. He is from a lineage of ogres which makes him super strong, but he hides it from everyone because he thinks people will be even more afraid of him than they already are. He falls under the strong guy trope in manga for sure. He is extremely protective of Nico as he takes his job as her familiar very seriously, as he does everything else. He is pretty clueless when it comes to Nico's advances on him as well.

Nico has not been in the human world since she was little, so adjusting to her life around non-magical folk is an adventure to say the least. She has a lot of magical mishaps and comes up with crazy (but somewhat realistic) antics to get the romantic attention of Moi. However, at her core, she genuinely wants to use her magic to help people.

The story itself is pretty cute and the art is nice. The first volumes ends with some ominous vibes which implies the cutesy story is going to pick up in action a little bit.

If you want a cute magical manga to read, you should give this one a shot.

A fun beginning to an interesting story! The characters are very unique and their interactions are pretty hilarious. I can't wait to read more!

This was so cute!! I really loved the characters - especially Nico. I liked that her ambition is to become a witch that helps people. Her relationship with her ogre bodyguard Morihito is adorable and I can't wait to see where it goes from here! Overall, I think that this was a fantastic first volume and I'm very excited to read the next volume!

The artwork for this Manga is so stunning! The thing I cannot stop raving about is the artwork. The story was really good but the artwork will have me coming back for more!

A very cure little manga about a witch and her childhood friend, an ogre, who try to navigate high school. It is the ogre's job to watch over the witch, because her mother has had a vision of impending disaster.

I loved the art style and the adorable atmosphere of this manga, but there isn’t anything about it that’s memorable. I’ve seen this with a few witch inspired stories, where the vibes are excellent, but the story is lacking, so there seems to be a problem with balancing those two elements.

Nico and Moi grew up together, but Nico isn't just the girl next door - she's the witch next door. When her mom foresees trouble ahead, she sends Nico back to live with Moi and forces him to become her familiar (body guard) due to the ogre blood flowing in his veins. Moi reluctantly agrees to watch over Nico and almost immediately regrets it as he has to chase her down in the first few moments of their reunion. Shenanigans ensue at each plot twist and with each turn of magic Nico performs.

What I loved: the total cliff hanger ending, Nico's hair made to mimic a witch hat, Moi's stoic resignation and unfaltering cool demeanor.

What I didn't love so much: Nico is rather whiny at times and is trying WAY too hard to make the fairy tale in her head come true.

Overall, I thought this was super cute and a fast read. I liked how you could predict all the trouble Nico would cause with her magic, but yet, she still tried to help others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viz Media for allowing me to read the ARC of this manga!

This manga is going to be a hit for sure. It is incredibly funny and well-written. The art is spectacular and I think the combination of all those things will make it a popular title in stores.

The main characters are really adorable and likeable. The childhood friends trope appears as well and it is slightly humorous as she wishes to fall in love and expects it to be her childhood friend. Yet no matter what, he doesn't see her that way yet. He simply sees her as someone he has to take care of and look out for.

This is a great manga and for anyone who really likes Little Witch Academia and wants some great humor, this is for you!

I loved the concept behind this book - super cute witch is reunited with childhood best friend who is actually a ogre who must protect her. I didn't like Nico's obsession with making Morihito fall in love with her and acting like they were a married couple. I wish the title focused more on the interesting magic and powers of the teens than the sexual innuendo.

Witch Watch is a nicely paced humorous story featuring a witch and an ogre. The first volume included the tropes of childhood friends (to lovers, eventually?) and an ominous prophecy. The spells Nico casts are fun with interesting side effects that add to the story line. My favorite part is the eraser scene.

This book had a cute premise, but the way it was pulled off was a bit odd. I’m not sure why a teenager would be assigned to protect Nico, even one with super strength. Wouldn’t it make more sense for her to have an adult ogre or witch bodyguard? I was also a bit disappointed with the way ogres were depicted in this book. There are hints they have alternate forms, but all we see is just a boy with super strength.

A cute high school romance manga with a little fantasy sprinkled in. Nico is a young witch in training, with a somewhat airheaded attitude toward life. Her mother, who can predict the future, decides to send Nico to live with her childhood friend, Morihito, to keep her safe. Her exact opposite, Morihito is actually an ogre who ends up being assigned as Nico's familiar. His job is to keep her safe until the impending doom has passed. Meanwhile, Nico seems to have romantic plans of her own.
While it does have a plotline, that often gets lost in all the little side stories and puns. I'm not a fan of the ditzy behavior and side skirting of the main plot. I find the main character agitating and she often puts herself and others in danger. It might be a personal preference, but I don't care to continue with this manga if this is the planned pace for the storyline.

A solid first volume. Morihito is an ogre (it's a secret though) who's just become the familiar to his childhood best friend, a witch named Nico. When Nico's mother gives a prophecy that disaster will befall Niko and only her guardian can protect her, Morihito must be extra vigilant. Only, crazy things keep happening. Niko loves using magic, with unexpected results and Morihito has to deal with his own status as an ogre. Solid first volume. This is pretty cute, though hopefully it won't devolve into fanservice. Everything here is pretty light hearted and zany.

Nico has finished her witch training and she is on her way home. Her childhood friend who she nicknamed Moi is descended from ogres. He has had issues with bullies but since he was a child with Nico and beat one up too much and got in trouble he's restrained himself and has tried to ignore them. Moi is told by his father that he will be alone at home for a while while he is on a business trip and Nico has chosen Moi as her familiar and it is allowed since he is descinded from an ogre and is technically an animal. Since his father is leaving there is room for Nico to live in their house and they are going to high school together. Moi wants Nico to keep the fact that she's a witch a secret but she can't help but use her powers and it couldn't be hidden. So everyone at school knows she's a witch and are kind of thrilled about it. Moi has a big job trying to be Nico's guardian when she's pretty carefree and apparently is destined to have some danger befall her. This was cute and the illustrations were easy to follow. There were some references to Japanese stories I wasn't familiar with but it didn't really affect the story.

Witch Watch is definitely one of my new favorite Shonen Jump titles. Kenta Shinohara balances a large cast of characters, giving each of them distinct personalities and enough backstory to keep the reader wanting to know more. Morihito and Nico's dynamic is fresh and always entertaining, and the story is self-aware and not afraid to push weird and wacky factor.

Witch Watch is a great read for fans of Mashle and Gintama, a series that Kenta Shinohara was an assistant on, and I'm looking forward to the next volume.

Story and Art: Kenta Shinohara

ENG Staff
Translation: Adrienne Beck
Lettering: Ace Christman
Design: Yukiko Whitley
Editor: Rae First

JPN Staff
Art Staff: Hasegawa, Ashida, Takuro Nagoya, Ryo Chigira, Hitomi Erika
3D modeling staff: Hiromu Kitano, Aya Nakamura
Editors: Shu Murakoshi, Ryosuke Yoritomi
Graphic Novel Editor: Yuna Kato
Designer: Rina Takahashi

There wasn't anything in this volume that I honestly haven't seen before, and I found the story to be a bit aimless. Hopefully future volumes have better footing with establishing the plot and characters, though I am unsure if I will continue.