“Stupidity and genius are two sides of the same coin.”
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Asahi Sakano
Translation: Adrienne Beck
What They Say
In a world full of Evils, humanity’s only hope is the inhuman power of the witches.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Closing in on nearly three months’ worth of material, Guardian of the Witch is at that phase where it’s make or break when it comes to both character and story for me. I’ve liked aspects of what we’ve gotten so far, notable with the recent addition of Drake as a cautious teacher for Fafner. We’ve seen Fafner grow with what he’s learned in the last couple of days but the reality is that he has to be able to connect, protect, and utilize what it is that Manasfa brings to the table with her abilities. If he can’t do that then he can’t protect her and deal with the larger witch situation. A situation which has now rewritten some of his views on the death of his family by them, but not in a way that felt like it was really grounded in emotion or thought through fully. It was the kind of reveal that felt like it came too early.
With this chapter, it’s focused almost entirely on the fight and that works well as I do think that Sakano has a good sense of style and design about the work. It’s light on the background details more often than I care for but when it does deal with backgrounds and the like it works to enhance the scenes and dialogue well. For Fafner and Manasfa, the two are definitely struggling at first against Drake simply because it’s true that they’re going with obvious attacks. And for a younger fighter like him this makes sense and is his own way of trying to get a handle on who he’s facing. Drake, for his part, is able to push back everything which just frustrates the pair even more since he does it with such ease. It’s with this that we see Manasfa really getting intense and wanting to go all out, which allows Fafner to try and throttle her down a bit so that they don’t exceed anything that would turn her into an Evil.
While the two have been working fairly well together overall, all things considered, it’s this event that’s really putting them on the same page in how they interact as a combat unit. Manasfa’s outburst is a welcome one here as she makes clear the guilt she’s carrying and why she wants to step up more with everything. And that helps to refocus Fafner even more against the varied and intense attacks that Drake is throwing at them. It’s no surprise that things are wrapped up with the pair putting in a decisive attack that surprises him, allowing him to let them leave of their own accord, but it plays well enough that I liked it. There are some hints of bigger things from Drake in how the world works and what may be potential future allies for them and I’m glad we get some gadgetry for the pair in a magic gauge that will help figure out power levels. It’s the little things sometimes.
In Summary:
With two more chapters with which to really cement my interest, Guardian of the Witch is well-positioned. Our two main characters have come together well and earned a friend and potential ally of sorts for the future. They’ve learned to harness Manasfa’s abilities in a way that will definitely give them a fighting chance. And their bond is a good bit deeper with some real honesty. While I do expect more village to village journeying ahead, it’s the how of it and who they’re going to come across that will determine if I continue on past the twelfth chapter. It has the potential but it really needs to grab hold of something with real forward momentum.
Content Grade: B-
Art Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Shonen Jump
Release Date: April 5th, 2020
