Since childhood, Elaina has always been fascinated by the stories written within her favorite book, especially those about Nike, a renowned witch who had numerous great travels across the world. Wanting to experience the awe of adventure herself, Elaina strives to become a witch, and despite the numerous trials that come her way, she eventually succeeds.
Now a full-fledged witch, Elaina finally embarks on her long-awaited journey, in which she meets many people along the way, learning their various stories. Through all of this, she explores the world at its fullest—experiencing both its bright and dark sides—starting her legendary tale.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Veronin
"Happiness is a way of travel, not a destination." Fiction often tells us a similar tale: one of the hero saving the day, where happiness is a commodity given as a reward for good and just deeds. In the case of Majo no Tabitabi, which follows Elaina's solitary journey throughout the vast skies and endless seas, this rule of fiction is approached in a more skeptical manner. Good intentions may be rewarded, but it is not always so. Unlike most anime, Majo no Tabitabi doesn't portray karma as an infallible law from which we can never escape. Sometimes the characters will strive to resolve an issuewith good intentions, but as a consequence of following their heart, it can sometimes lead not to a problem being fixed, but a problem made worse. These themes can potentially be misconstrued by some viewers as the story being pretentious (among other disparaging terms), but Majo no Tabitabi does not claim that optimism or idealism is wrong, either. Karma and morality are treated as an open-ended question of which there is no inherently correct answer. It is situational and oftentimes a matter of luck, which is demonstrated by the various happy and unhappy conclusions to the episodes.
It's precisely this unpredictable pattern of storytelling which makes Majo no Tabitabi so enchanting. There are happy episodes that warm the soul, more slice-of-life in nature and which will make the viewer laugh and smile. There are darker episodes, which are less frequent, but which make you question the characters' actions as well as your own beliefs. And even in the quieter moments, where the story is meant to be approached more as entertainment, there are subtle themes that can be pursued by the viewer at their behest. What happens when a wall is erected in the middle of a small town, for example? While these themes are nothing exemplary on their own, they do complement the story on a wider scale by showing facets of Elaina's personality which are not otherwise explored in the more serious episodes. It is, after all, as much a story about Elaina herself as it is about the adventure. Travel is personal, and is inherently a story about the traveler.
Most likely, there will be some people who disagree with aspects of Elaina's worldview. And that is fine, as she is an observer and fervently avoids the role of hero. Unlike most anime protagonists, while Elaina is naturally a kind person, she will sometimes ignore the plights of others if it is not of personal benefit or interest to her. There are of course times where she will help the strangers of a country on a more selfless basis, but by and large, she calculates whether or not it is worth getting involved in a problem, just as the vast majority of people in our world do. After several years travelling from place to place, being embroiled in local issues that do not affect her personally, it is inevitable that at least some of her good intentions would have led to tragedy and less-than-happy outcomes. And so Elaina knows, and so she does not assume the helping hand will be met with a just reward. There is a big difference between someone like Elaina, who is experienced and hardened, and an anime character who is cynical and morally grey simply because it is perceived as cool to be so. I would even go as far as to say this is what separates Majo no Tabitabi, a surprisingly adult-oriented anime, apart from series like Oregairu and Re:Zero. Elaina may not possess the same innocence and happy-go-lucky nature as other characters in anime, but that is because she has traveled far and seen the world at large, and has thus not had the luxury of being trapped in a small social bubble, as so many are.
That is not to claim that Majo no Tabitabi's storytelling is without error, because it is not. There are a few aspects that I wish were better, particularly the conclusion of the 9th episode, which was excessive in a way the show hadn't really been up to that point. It's possible the anime staff tried to capture part of that Re:Zero audience, which, for a product seeking financial success, is unfortunate but expected. The themes and the plot of the episode were engaging and shocking in the right ways, but the visual direction had me almost feel as though I were watching a different anime entirely. But it is not as though the serious episodes all follow this same formulae, so the odd directorial shift for the one episode was given little more than a shrug from me.
Another issue some might find is that the pacing, particularly at the start, is lightning fast. Hearing "And so, six months later..." doesn't really allow the viewer to get all too attached to the events of the episode. I do appreciate that the story covers a large span of time (essentially 4+ years, and likely more in the light novels), and I even prefer this over more traditional slice-of-life, but trimming the timeskips down a tad would help to make the passage of time feel more natural and less abrupt. The presence of yuri elements towards the end - a frequent trope in slice-of-life series with predominantly female casts - was also a bit on the unnecessary side. That said, it is not pervasive, and is largely relegated to a single episode, which is fortunate as the series' strengths are not in romance and sudden... homoerotic proposals.
On a more technical level, Majo no Tabitabi is solid. While the animation is not something that will explode your mind and make you feel as if you were watching some massive-budget production, there is more effort here than the typical static visuals of most anime. In a lot of anime, it is essentially just a slideshow - panning over a single image for five or more seconds, with the only moving parts being the flapping of a character's lips. Majo no Tabitabi may occasionally fall victim to this shortcutting as well— there are weekly deadlines to be met, after all— but there is often more going on than the average anime, even if it is something as subtle as Elaina shrugging her shoulders while speaking. As well, the art style of Majo no Tabitabi is vibrant and lively, and the characters' facial expressions convey considerable emotion. They do not need to explicitly say 'I am angry' or 'I am sad' for you to understand what they are thinking and feeling. This may sound obvious, and something to be expected, but the sad truth is that most TV anime forget the importance of facial expressions and instead rely on voice acting talent to illustrate a scene. Majo no Tabitabi may be simple, but it excels in said simplicity.
It is also admirable how the anime staff honoured the creator's wishes to keep the anime adaptation free of sexual fanservice. I don't have any issues with sexual content in anime, and— to the contrary— view it as a positive when handled well. But moments involving pantyshots and things of that nature are juvenile and would do nothing but detract from Elaina's character. She is mentally and emotionally mature in a way that most female characters in anime aren't, and seeing her get embarrassed because she was caught changing clothes— or whatever else ecchi anime do these days— would diminish who she is as a person. The anime is confident enough in its own qualities that it does not need to add gratuitous sexual fluff. Leave that to the doujins and fan material, and keep letting Majo no Tabitabi be as it is, I say.
So, yeah. I liked Majo no Tabitabi. Quite a bit, too. A lot of people have drawn parallels between it and Kino no Tabi, and I would say that is quite appropriate. But where Kino no Tabi excelled in worldbuilding, I sometimes thought it fell short with regards to characterization. Majo no Tabitabi is the answer to that issue. While it may be more divisive than other anime of its genre, it comes as a solid recommendation to all varieties of anime fans. Anime like this are exceptionally, and increasingly rare in today's marketplace. If you haven't watched it yet, you're missing out on something special.
And if you're curious, I'll even go a step further: I think Majo no Tabitabi is the best anime of the year - and potentially more.
Stark700
A journey always begins with the very first step and that’s truer than ever for a young girl named Elaina. With a fantasy setting built by the creative mind of Jougi Shirashi, we are treated one of the must-see shows of this year. Despite the light novel popularity, we didn’t get an anime adaptation airing until 2020. What’s slightly more concerning is that the anime itself is contained within a 1-cour of 12 episodes, and it raises the question if it’s enough to show its true colors. Thankfully, I can say with easy confidence that Majo no Taitabi (Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina) does indeedmeet its expectations. This is more than just a fantasy adventure but explores the character journey of a human being.
Watching Majo no Taibtai feels like watching a child growing up, with every day being a new experience. This idea applies directly to Elaina, a young girl who became a witch. She has the heart of an adventurer, the ambition to succeed, and a thirst to prove herself to the world. From the very first episode, she wants to show the world what she’s learned starting with her mentor, Flan. Unfortunately, it also exposes some of her vulnerability as a witch and that she has a lot to learn than meets the eye. That’s where her journey begins. Elaina embarks on personal journey to learn about the world and discover what’s hidden from horizons beyond.
As an episodic adventure, the storytelling usually has a self-contained story but always follows how Elaina meets people or dealing with whatever problem she comes across during her journey. Early on, she encounters Saya, and after helping her, they become friends and seemingly forges an important friendship. It goes to show that Elaina herself is both someone easy to get along with and is a selfless person. She puts others’ needs above herself and is never afraid to take risks to help others. This also leads her into dangerous circumstances where her own life is at stake and she must resort to using what she’s learned to survive. From her journey, Elaina also discovers some of the darker truths of the world. This includes her stay in The Land of Truth Tellers or dealing with a princess with lost memories. From the hidden truths, it reveals that underneath the lighthearted magic adventure, there’s a deeper darkness. Elaina never becomes a victim herself but that doesn’t make other characters an easy prey for sin. One of the most prominent example is during episode 9 when she finds out the dark past of a girl named Estelle. I won’t go into spoilers but from this episode alone, it’s shown that some characters are really beyond redemption.
With each passing episode, we learn not just about Elaina’s adventure story but also about Elaina herself. She has a lot of potential as a witch but sometimes, she isn’t able to fully solve the problem of others. In fact, this anime can be depressing with episodes of despair. In other words, don’t go into the show expecting every episode has a happy ending. Some of them ends up with tragedy and even Elaina herself shows moments of despair. She is still a sensitive girl that is vulnerable to deep emotions. But through meeting new people, she improve herself both mentally and physically. Thankfully, the anime isn’t shy on displaying the character personalities and chemistry of the cast. Two of the most noticeable pairs are Elaina/Saya and Elaina/Fran. One of them is based on mutual friendship as their fellow witches. The other is based on a student and mentor relationship as Elaina wants to prove herself. One other noticeable character by the name of Shelia also appears later in the show. Her personality is mostly characterized being an antithesis of Fran. The anime seized the opportunity to show their past and present relationship, and by the end of this series, they became close friends. In fact, I would say with confidence that friendship is an important theme of the show. It’s through friendship that people can understand each other and resolve problems without just resorting to the magic arts.
Majo no Taibitai is both a light and dark show, meaning that where there’s light comedy and humor, there’s darkness and despair. The comedy mostly comes from the character personalities of the main cast while the darker elements are hidden within the self-contained stories. However, I will say that overall entertainment value still revolves around Elaina’s journey. She carries this show with each episode that has us, the audience, wondering what’s ahead. Will she live up to our expectations or is her journey one that has serves with little purpose? It’s an ambiguous question because it depends on how you approach the show. Despite the storytelling showcasing episodic adventures, they each have recurring elements that ties the overall anime together. When you’ve seen what this anime for what it really is, then there’s a great chance you’ll want more than just 12 episodes.
Studio C2C managed to do excellent work when it comes animating the setting and overall world fiction of the show. From day one, I noticed that every character is distinctive in some way or form. Elaina has the classic look of a young witch complete with a hat, silver hair, and youthful appearance. Similarly, other characters such as Fran and Shelia has their look as more experienced witches. However, the biggest perk of the show is the overall world building. Almost every episode depicts a new setting as Elaina travels from place to place. It sort of feels like playing a JRPG with a character going into towns and resolving new problems. Only here, we follow Elaina on her adventure as we watch her. The different settings are also saturated with colorful content such as the Land of Mages and magical Kingdoms. Without a doubt, Majo no Taibitai convinced me that Elaina’s journey knew what it was doing when it sells its visual storyteller.
On the subject of character voice acting, I would like to say the majority of the character cast fulfills their role but Elaina herself can sometime display childish tendencies, which translates to some awkward moments in the show. Other than that, the anime contains charming themes with an elegant tranquility, especially for its opening music song and general pace of its soundtrack.
Yes, it’s only 12 episodes long and the light novel has more content if you’re thirsty to continue Elaina’s journey. But judging on the anime adaptation, this is nothing short of a hallmark of entertainment. It shows that when a show with creative ideas and charming character cast is executed together, the storytelling sells itself. You can be the judge and decide to recommend this to others or not. But for me, Majo no Taibitai is a show that sets a fantasy adventure by excellence.
Jaereku
Every season as of late, I can’t help but find myself on the lookout for fantasy stories to sink my teeth into. Oversaturated as the genre may be, sometimes, only sometimes, among all the manufactured shlock you’re likely to find a single gem rising above. Gems in which the fantasy setting is often merely used as a backdrop for a greater purpose, while also fully exploring it without getting caught up in the numerous tired tropes. You can see why the promotional poster alone of Majo no Tabitabi sucked me in. Majo no Tabitabi started out strong. Not held back by lazy tropes, complemented with sometimes breathtakingvisuals and a couple of OSTs that captured the magic of the genre, it wasn’t hard for it to capture my interest and had me expecting more. The lack of tasteless fanservice and the way the characters were written (in the earlier episodes) almost made me think the series’ writing had a distinctly female touch. But decently-executed fantasy often isn’t enough: it’s the focal point of the show that distinguishes it from the rest.
The show is about Elaina. This is her story, her journey, and other characters are only anecdotes, mattering only in the extent of how much they relate to her. Putting aside my grievances with the series which I’ll list later, I enjoyed Elaina as a protagonist. It’s not often that a more self-centered, immodest character takes the focus (excluding the overly loud and cocky shounen protagonist trope) -- Elaina feels real, unexaggerated in her demeanor and deeply human. When Majo no Tabitabi is at its best, the show uses her journey and its magical setting to deliver certain ideas with its episodic adventures. For the first four episodes, that use of the setting pleasantly surprised me and kept me coming for more -- the show had not only subverted my expectations of a light novel-based fantasy series protagonist, but also the morals we’re used to in the medium.
It is up to the individual viewer whether some of the episodes’ unusual, seemingly anti-idealistic nature feels heavy handed and edgy, or whether it’s a nice breath of fresh air. Majo no Tabitabi doesn’t indulge in edginess or try to “be different” -- while the contrast between some of the more horrible scenes and the cutesy art is a pleasure to watch, even the seemingly grim episodes have satisfying endings, and their messages are often much less edgy and more grounded than given credit for. There is one particular episode where the “edginess”, however, does undeniably stand out — and it comes after a series of more whimsical and light-hearted adventures. I think most viewers will know which episode I’m referring to. Although it’s hailed as the peak of the series, I could only find it jarring and overly shocking after all the light-heartedness that preceded it (despite the terrific job in imagery, I commend the animators). There is little point in having a shocking encounter to break the protagonist down, only to completely forget about its events in the next episodes onwards. I’m not a purist who thinks development is everything a character needs (characterization is great, people!), however, beyond that episode, even directly following it, we barely get to see how Elaina was affected (in fact, her character remains mostly static throughout the series, with some effective characterization sprinkled here and there) -- this wouldn’t have bothered me as much, had the episode not possessed the trappings of a “cathartic” episode for her.
If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably wondering “how can that description be anything less than a 7?”
I almost feel bad writing this part, after having such high expectations and good faith on the show, but the more I watched, I found myself realizing that too much good faith was wasted on Majo no Tabitabi.
It’s hard to pinpoint when exactly my excitement for the next episode turned to mild interest, and then hope that maybe, just maybe the next episode would be better -- though if I had to say, it’d probably be after episode 4.
I mentioned how natural and grounded Majo no Tabitabi feels, despite some of its more grim episodes. This only goes for the first few episodes. After a certain point, the show derails to the point of indulgence -- and I’m not talking about amped up edginess. We get a character who reminds me of Demon Slayer’s Zenitsu -- who continually follows and harasses the protagonist, takes away from whatever conflict the characters are involved in, and generally is a nuisance to watch. The gag may be funny to some the first time -- it wasn’t to me, and certainly not the second, third or seventh time. I made the Zenitsu comparison, though I feel that may’ve been unfair to him, when he has a variety of different dynamics with characters other than his love interest -- Majo no Tabitabi being focused on Elaina alone, this tomboy character’s sole intrigue is in her insistent love for Elaina, and little more. That's one weakness of the show's inherent structure, as if you can't make other characters lovable or interesting from Elaina's perspective, then they won't be lovable or interesting to the audience, either.
But I could bear through a horribly-written and aggravating cast member every couple of episodes. This show had, after all, a lot of qualities I looked for in fantasy. "It will get better!", I told myself. I think it was around when the show indulged in the typical sister-incest gags that I came to terms with the fact that I’ve been giving it far too much leeway for what it was, a fantasy light novel -- with all its tropes, flaws and failings, only disguised differently and unique enough not to be a waste of time.
If you enjoyed the first few episodes and expected more, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. If you haven't, then you probably won't like the rest it has to offer, as it's only an inconsistent plummet downhill from there.
Cozye
If you went into this show expecting all sunshine and rainbows, you would be sorely mistaken. This is not your typical lighthearted fun adventure. Elaina’s journey is bittersweet and oftentimes filled with some truly dark and depressing moments. The story centers around Elaina, a talented witch who happens to be a rare prodigy. She is coined the Ashen witch based on her long ashen colored hair. Being so young, she embarks on an adventure traveling from place to place encountering many people along the way who all have their own issues. There are many other shows this premise draws similarities to such as Kino’s Journey andMushishi. While in Mushishi, Ginko would go around and help people with their problems, Elaina doesn’t necessarily do that. There are some exceptions but for the most part, she would just happen to stumble upon the misfortunes of other people and choose to not get directly involved. She is a morally grey character and this plays a role in making the show bittersweet and distinct. Not every tale ends in a delightful and happy way meant to teach you some important lesson about life. Elaina isn’t some champion of justice who tries to push her self-righteous beliefs onto others. She is for the most part blunt and distant with her interactions and personality. She is admittedly kind of full of herself, self-absorbed and can come off as a bit of a jerk. If something were to put her at risk with nothing to show for it, she will simply not bother and choose to avoid the issue at hand.
As one would guess the show is episodic in nature. Despite this, some of the side characters Elaina meets are recurring resulting in there being a sense of payoff with her encounters and progression in the story. Each episode features a new concept to keep itself fresh. In one episode Elaina could be in a civilization of people who can’t tell lies and in another, she would find herself in a decimated city with an angry fire breathing dragon roaming about. There is no shortage of diversity here. The opening song compliments this as it is a wonderfully light and soothing adventurous soundtrack with gorgeous visuals to ease you into the wonder of the show.
This show has some elements of intrigue but it is not without its faults. For one thing, it is a bit slow paced at times so if you are into more of the action stuff, this probably won’t be for you. This is very much a show about absorbing the atmosphere and setting. Unfortunately, while there were certainly some tragic tales and rather unnerving scenes, the majority of them did not invoke much of a reaction from me other than a bit of shock value or dread. I didn’t feel like there was a meaningful lesson to be learned by these tales other than “Oh, life is tragic” or “things are not always what they first appear to be”. It feels a bit monotonous and pointless.
This issue is only elevated by the lack of proper character development and herein lies the main strength and weakness of the show: the personality of our main character. While on one hand, some people may find Elaina to be an interesting and charming character as she is simply a traveler who acts more like an observer than a justice seeker, others may view her as being relatively shallow and a narcissist. She more often than not doesn’t bother to help people despite having the means to do so and one can’t help but feel a bit of disconnect. But I do believe that this serves the story well as her lack of involvement in some of these tales gives the world a life of its own as we often don’t see the conclusion to several people’s stories even if a certain outcome was implied. Even with all this power and being a prodigy, Elaina is just as much an ordinary person as anyone else thus begging the question of “why bother getting involved in the first place if it’ll only cause me harm?”
The other witch who has a crush on Elaina has a relatively flimsy and one note personality. I didn’t find anyone from the main cast all that interesting. In fact, the only characters I could find any investment in who have some level of depth only appear in one episode while the recurring cast lacks any likability. They could have made things more interesting by having Elaina go through a bit of an emotional and internal psychological struggle. Instead, she comes off as someone who doesn’t care about the messed up world around her and turns a blind eye all while spouting obnoxious one-liners about how amazing she is. We also never really explore her psychology especially after the first episode where it looked as if that would be the case. Unfortunately, she just comes off as a self absorbed character who lacks any endearing qualities aside from being cute which seems to be more than enough of a selling point.
With all that said, the visuals are pretty incredible. There are countless gorgeous backgrounds that give more life and personality to the world. There is an attention to detail on small items that would appear on desks or cluttered rooms and some of the buildings in the city landscape. Some of the character designs truly stand out and are appealing like a few of the witches while others like random villagers and townsfolk or some minor characters are pretty forgettable and bland. Elaina’s design is overall fantastic and clearly the main draw of the show. Her dark witch outfit compliments well with her ashen hair giving her the aura of an imposing figure. She is inarguably very cute and definitely stands out among all the other characters. The animation is mostly stunning, capturing the feel of being a whimsical experience filled with magic and witches similar to what you would get from something like Harry Potter.
It’s difficult to parse what kind of experience one should expect to get out of Majo no Tabitabi as it almost seems niche. On one hand, it can genuinely be an enjoyable show to watch with its exquisite art and episodic variety. Seeing one tragic tale after another in a seemingly messed up world can be fun as you are never certain what will happen next. It might also scratch that itch that some fans of Kino’s Journey or Mushishi yearn for with a whimsical tale of adventure and uncertainty but at the same time rarely provides anything truly deep or inspirational that you’ll be thinking about down the line. The characters in this show also seem to be lacking in many ways making it difficult to invest in or care about them. But despite there being many flaws with the show, it can still be engaging if you become enthralled in Elaina as a character and whatever tale she finds herself in.
Psphone
Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina, is the perfect anime if you want your blood to boil. Eleina is the absolute worst protagonist I’ve ever seen in any show. I do not mean to be harsh, but her character and what message this anime sends out triggered something in me. All episodes follow 1 or 2 plotlines each, often with new characters. The plotlines often have something to do with each other. This is what, in my opinion, makes it easy to binge-watch for entertainment. I usually enjoy these types of shows, but considering how triggering this series was, I just can’t give it any higherrating.
(Spoiler for episode 3):
In episode 3, we see 2 different stories. Assuming you've alreadu seen the episode, I'm not gonna go into detail, but both have a pretty infuriating end.
One of them revolves around some magically cursed flowers. My problem with it is that it ended with her leaving a dying boy without trying to help. I get that this is a ‘realistic thing to do’, but real people with human emotions are emotionally affected by things like this in the aftermath. Eleina shows no second thoughts, no empathy, no sign of care whatsoever. But it gets worse.
The other story shows a maid that has been bought as a slave, and is clearly being abused by her owner. This is a very strong theme to bring in to this kind of show, and if you do choose to have plot lines like this, you need to do it right. It is implied that this maid is likely going to end her own life at some point. Eleina is in a position where helping the girl would be very possible for her, but helping can be hard and her leaving is pretty realistic, yes. What is not realistic is her not showing any regret, nor sadness, nor anger, and it is never mentioned again after this episode.
Eleina is the definition of a bystander, and although episode 3 is definitely the worst one, she shows this side of herself throughout the whole show. Calling her a realistic character paints the picture that it is completely normal and okay to not care about anyone else than yourself, and not help anyone if it does not benefit you. This is a dangerous mindset, and I’m scared people on the younger end watching this ends up with the same thought process as shown in Eleina.
I enjoy the motive of not doing anything you don’t want to do, that’s a great motive. But this character simply does not care. She is sosiopathically coded, and completely ignorant.
In short, I would definitely stay away from this anime, and I would never ever show it to any children. This series romantizises narcissistic, greedy and careless personality traits, and I'm not here for it.
That being said, the art style is pretty amazing and aesthetically pleasing. The overall anime is boring and is good for nothing more than rage bait or background noise.
Jagerschnapps
Wondering Witch Elaina, “Every journey begins with a single step. We just have to have patience.” The story isn't all adventuring to fun nations; it gets dark from time to time. The story shows that the world isn't always a bright place, especially since magic isn't always used for good, and there are wars going on... Elaina's character display is a realistic portrayal of personality that isn't being shown on some anime nowadays. If you notice every little detail, and character interactions, you'll start to feel that some of this is not being shown on some typical anime that you've already watched. If you are thetype who enjoys Fantasy, Slice of Life and somehow a little dark twist, then this one is just for you!
That being said, this is the type of show that you will very much enjoy from the start to the very last episode.
bthmh2
Much like Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica this show doesn't pull any punches. You haven't seen Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica? ok well add that to your list too. Majo no Tabitabi is lighter and more upbeat in general but still gets very dark in parts. You may expect a slice of life with generic characters but instead get something far more nuanced then we expect from typical anime these days. Sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes you can help, and sometimes you can't. Sometimes you make things worse. Sometimes you can say "That problem is not my problem" (a logical stance neverbefore taken by anime protagonists)
I suppose I was delighted by the show's willingness to break most rules of anime and have real characters make real choices. Sane choices by real world standards. Also when characters help others there is no guarantee they will make the situation better, things could go poorly, you just don't know. This keeps you guessing about choices, about outcomes, about everything.
Delightful surprising anime. Would recommend.
KurumiS2
Brother, what the fuck did I just watch. I'm finishing ep 12 by questioning the reason for the existence of this anime. Why does this poha exist? Why did I watch this shit? As I keep wondering why I watched this until the end, I realize that it was just a huge waste of time that I had besides discovering myself as a bit of a masochist, since this poha is so bad that it made my brain hurt. Anyway, the protagonist sucks and, if she didn't exist, the anime might be much better. Ep 12 meaningless, and even though some people say it makes sense,it's because they smoked about 5 tons of marijuana. Besides, her teacher is also a horrible character. Other than that, the other characters are well built (some, not all). I just wondered at the end why every witch is arrogant, but I think it's a characteristic that the author wanted to put in all witches, because it is not possible.
KANLen09
"When I grow up, I'm going to go on an adventure just like Nikéh did!" - A young, growing silver-haired "Ashen Witch" named Elaina. To be completely honest, this show is one of (if not) the hardest reviews I've ever written, and for very promiscuous reasons. From the "similar-but-different Kino's Journey" vibes, to the many controversies of "fanservice" and the in-between stories of light-heartedness and deep, plunging darkness, Majo no Tabitabi (or Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina) is definitely something that's a stand-out in the Fall season alone for the lore of fantasy, with a cinch of the classic adventurous spirit of young-and-upcoming newbies juststarting their magical journey across the outside world. Prepare your witch brooms and sit comfortably, because this will be a long and arduous journey, from start to finish. (Spoilers be warned, but putting in storyline context so that it's not as heavy.)
The wonderous life of a young child that's awakened by the love of books, and one particular book about it raises this young girl's interest: "Nikéh's Adventure", based on a collection of short stories which detailed the former's adventures around the world (a.k.a a re-imagining of Kino's Journey's "The world is not beautiful, therefore it is" tagline). The growth that spurred her to become the youngest apprentice witch at 14 years of age, and in order to travel to places unimaginable at age 18, this is the "adventure of a lifetime's" journey record of the Wandering "Ashen" Witch Elaina, off to mimic Nikéh's legacy and create new ones in the process (even if she has a hint of knowing who Nikéh was in the first place or not, that's not the main point).
Right off the bat, you'll notice that I didn't mention that Elaina IS a protagonist, because like Kino, they're NOT meant to play off as the "hero" counterpart, and at its core, they are what they are: adventurers at heart (or you could call them protagonists, but on a neutral standpoint, same thing). For the most part, these adventurers can only "monkey see, monkey do" at the various towns of strange cultures and folk people, and strike up conversations with them, while letting the "series of unfortunate events" play out as follows in a 3rd-person perspective. If there are circumstances which need their help, they can only offer as much as they're willing to, everything else is out of their control. This is a stark contrast to the obscene counts of Shonen characters who are oh-so-willing to see lives in danger and adapt their instincts to save the day (of which there are many, don't quote me on that).
With that out of the way, let's go through my main counteractive points:
Remember what I've said in the beginning about the "similar-but-different Kino's Journey" vibes? Because this series is just that and more with the added elements of fantasy and magic brewed in for a change of diversity, that's honestly not a bad thing. As much as I love both the 2003 (original) and 2017 (re-imagining) versions of Kino's Journey, the thought of adding a magical fantasy pinch would leave me springing for so much more, and thankfully newbie novelist Jougi Shiraishi has brought that to his first LN work released in 2016. The thought of reading a LN that's far in the way, interesting and original (well, in its own skin) really fascinated me, and these kind of fairy-tale-esque stories of comedic, mysterious, yet emotional and dark finesse are really one-of-a-kind, and I highly recommend that if you're left wanting for more, please pick up the LN.
Speaking of Jougi Shiraishi, there was a panelist interview between the anime magazine Newtype and the creator himself, speaking after the series' debut of Episode 1, with the VERY ODD request that he was stressed and nerve-wracked out while meeting with the production staff, with a simple request of: "Absolutely do not show underwear, please." to limit the appeal of the anime to pure fanboys "sexism fuel". WHY? For all you people living in the West who DO NOT understand the complications of Japan's adoration for such overuse of warped and perverted "sex appeal" censorship material, recall of the ecchi shows you've watched before, and insert the context to this. This was such a controversial topic that initially had fans wreck the internet with heavy backlash about such a decision made, and sadly this wasn't the first time this request was done before (e.g. Rumiko Takahashi's Inuyasha with Kagome, and director Tsutomu Mizushima with Girls und Panzer). Regardless of the decision made, I'm not watching this series to experience "fanservice" quality, and absolutely understand why Shiraishi-san made this "infuriating" request. Because this show is meant to be an open wonder for a broad audience, and even with some "fanservice" shot (a.k.a Episode 1 when Elaina was battling against her teacher Fran) that wasn't meant to be the extra appeal in the first place, the damage was (kinda) done. In the light of all these however, I'd commend Jougi Shiraishi for making this decision that no matter how questionable this gamble was, it's a good call regardless. Not that I'm complaining, just here to give my 2 cents, and more power to y'all if you think otherwise.
Going back to the diversity of the "in-between stories of light-heartedness and deep, plunging darkness", yes, this series functions like it does. Elaina starting out her journey as the youngest "most genius and hardworking" 14-year-old apprentice witch, only to be found that her discipleship was marred by the other witches in retaliation, and leaving her to the only witch that could: the "Stardust Witch" Fran. For three years this weirdo woman's decision to take Elaina under her discipleship was anything but ordinary, and teaching her life lessons that "shooketh" Elaina's smugness of overwhelming pride and ego into one of failure and setback before the 18-year-old Ashen Witch sets out in motion (because we can't all have nice things in life, but I do dig Elaina's smugness).
The main meat of interest in Wandering Witch, is of course, all the inhabitants of strange towns and cultures, plus the other characters that come into contact with our lovely smug-looking silver-haired apprentice witch:
Saya (or what I could call her the supporting character if in an RPG) is a laid-back girl, often needing others' reliability for support and generally a negatively-filled character...that is until Elaina comes along and gives her a pep talk of self-confidence and having "a couple's" item in exchange for the bonding and exchange, so much so that her reliant personality shifts exponentially and creating that "Yuri, but not so Yuri" vibe, therefore training to be a witch like Elaina and earning her the title of "Charcoal Witch" to match. Should I really talk about Mina (because she only appears in Episode 11), because as stern of a younger sister with a siscon complex and taking tutelage under the same teacher as Saya, is she that important to the (anime) storyline? Nah.
In any case, moving onto the sisters' mentor tutelage from the "Night Witch" Sheila. A member of the United Magic Association with the task to investigate the abuse of magic, she's a pretty calm and collected character...that is until the reveal of which like the "Stardust Witch" Fran, are former disciples under Nikéh (really heavily implying that she is Elaina's mother, because of similarities). Both having distastes for one another due to the way of their work-arounds, they're yin and yang to compliment each other nicely in spite of the accumulated love-hate relationship over the years. Really a fun duo to take out snuffs (a.k.a the recurring "antagonist" Curio Company band of thieves).
The highlights of this show, from happy-as-dope to dark-as-hallucinating lands, and truth-telling to abusive environments, to the comical and depressing moments, this series has it all. The eccentric personalities of the towns are there to provide an objective as to what the characters want to do (much less achieve, if ever possible) and get their jobs done as swift and quickly. Most of the time though, the unrealistic fantasy feels nonsensical (a.k.a Episode 7's old art of grape-stomping and wall graffiti) to the point of being very disheartening (a.k.a Episode 3's flower symbolism and Episode 9's deep sorrow), but like I mentioned, all is taken from a neutralist's POV. I know, I know, this series is a wave of roller-coasters of mish-mashed expressions and feelings that make you either want to sympathize or rip your heart out, because it was made that way. Lots of opinions that'd either drive you crazy or be mad about it, but don't take it into heart, because it's the beauty of small-screen anime.
A new fresh and renewed logo for a long-standing studio (of close to 15 years), that's why you call yourselves C2C. The production for Wandering Witch brings about all sorts of admiration, really pushing the studio's tagline of "Challenge To Challenge" even further with promising words into giving the anime industry with a new and refreshing image each and every time to move people with animation. Regardless though, I'd have to say that C2C did a great job of adapting the LN in both style and direction, partly thanks to director Toshiyuki Kubooka in honouring Jougi Shiraishi's words and doing the rest with the production staff. Very clean and bright animation (as C2C productions tend to be) with a fair use of 2DCG (not 3D) and keeping it consistent throughout. Even with all the gory visuals, I wasn't put off by all that imagery, and what an accomplishment.
The music department is also another aspect to selling this show, because it does the "pulling ass" treatment of showcasing everything on a light-hearted note, only to then pull a fast one on us of a trick plot to subdue us into a streamline of horror. That said though, Reina Ueda's "Literature" for the OP, I really cannot commend this calm and lovely song enough, not just for its light-heartedness, but also for a sensation of fluffiness. That's not to say that ChouCho's "Haiiro no Saga" for the ED isn't bad, but you can tell the tonal shift between both songs (if you're not a music nut, the color change should be significant: bright to dark colours). Overall, great songs in a season of some impressive OSTs.
In a nutshell, I would agree-to-disagree if this series is a 50-50 competent/incompetent way of saying that it's a poor man's version of Kino's Journey (but with magic), but also, I'd give the same reasoning of why this series is so compelling that it leaves you hanging and wanting for so much more (although the story choices here are somewhat limited to being only 12 episodes). This show, whether it took your breath away or not, to quote @SSGSlayer: "It is the work of our lifetime. Don't miss it (even for the world)." A must-watch in 100% confidence, and a heavy contender for Fall 2020's best (to end the year on a good note).
MozillaFennekin
Fiction is all about perspective, and what can be taken from a piece of art will depend on the person viewing it. This is an incredibly generic opening statement that can be plastered onto any review for anything in existence, but such a primal notion is paramount to The Journey of Elaina. It’s a series that lives and dies by your appreciation of the main character, or lack thereof. It’s a collection of vignettes that can either move you, or have you mumbling “What the hell was the point of that?” at the end of twenty-two minutes. “Who’s that hot witch who’s also a bad bitch?That’s right, it’s me.” --Elaina (probably)
Welcome to the wonderful witch waifu show! Elaina has a big hat that looks really cool and she has long silver hair, 10/10 flawless character design. Also she’s smug as shit and that’s funny and also based. Good show.
Elaina is a terrible person who willingly enables bad things to happen to other people; she has the power to make positive changes but chooses not to out of her own convenience. She’s incredibly stuck-up, self-centered and rude whose only likable trait is being cute.
This is all well and good and all but it’s basically Kino’s Journey again, just with more magic and less talking motorcycles, and also less set rules for the main character.
I’m not trying to throw you off with conflicting opinions, these are just various things I’ve heard others say about the series. And they’re all valid statements. Elaina’s journey is not a clear, focused narrative, largely guided by the actions and personality of the titular character. As simple as that is, it’s plenty of cause for division.
Elaina is not a hero and it’s made clear rather quickly. More often than not, she chooses to stay out of conflicts, even if she seems to have the power to take action and solve them. Her main interest is her main interest, and all she wants to do is see the world around her. On top of this, she thinks highly of herself, not just by keeping herself out of harm’s way, but also by never sparing a moment to compliment herself.
As said, your opinion of Elaina the character will completely influence your opinion of Elaina the show. So what do I think of Elaina?
Oh, ho ho ho………
You want to know what I think?!
Ha ha ha ha!!
She’s a great character.
You might be wondering if my infatuation with witches and their stupid ass hats is the reason why. Well, anon, let me tell you, I’m not so shallow as to completely set aside all personal beliefs for cute girls in big hats. But yes, that’s correct.
Joking aside and alongside, Elaina is funny. She’s witty, she’s relatable, and I think she’s interesting. It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a character in an adventure series like this, and many of her moments had me smiling. With a series of short stories about different pieces of the world, the two options are to make the world good or to make the character experiencing the world good. Ideally, you’d like to have both, but unfortunately that doesn’t happen in this series, and we’ll get to that. Not all stories are created equal, both in regards to the entire medium of fiction and the collection of Elaina’s travels. Some episodes were quite interesting and memorable and others felt rather pointless and silly. Despite an unbalance of quality, one element was consistently amusing: Elaina herself.
With a large world offering many different concepts, a more plain character is typical, as it allows the world to shape and develop them while also letting us project onto them more easily. Elaina isn’t an example of this--although I do relate to her much more than a generic adventure protag. Her laid-back attitude was what related me to the character, and her bold self-appreciation, often stepping into pure entitlement, was endearing and made her stand out a lot. She’ll often ask the audience directly who’s “that beautiful girl with ashen hair flutters in the wind, etc.” but her own self-entitlement will bleed into her everyday actions, like in episode two. After a clumsy apprentice mage crashes into her, sending them both falling onto a roof and destroying it, Elaina shows more concern for the lack of an apology from this girl rather than the blood trickling out of her head.
It’s a quiet, subtle savagery that just makes her so enjoyable. Her reactions to things around her are often sarcastic and witty, and despite a general lack of initiation she’ll take to conflict, anything bad that happens to her will immediately enrage her to the point of threatening to kill. Said bad things include cutting her hair, swapping bodies with her, or making fun of her chest (or lack thereof lmoa).
Most of the series is whimsical and largely undramatic, but Elaina doesn’t go entirely unchallenged. Occasionally, she WILL face an unpleasant situation and find herself unable to do anything about it--not actually from a lack of desire, but due to the laws of a region or her own lack of experience and power. Whether it causes a grimace on her face or a full blown meltdown, the dark realities of the world don’t leave her completely unfazed, and her weakness comes out.
If there’s any big problem with the journey, it’s that these moments don’t occur enough. Most of Elaina’s stories hold little to no consequence to them, which is why the character becomes so centralizing to its enjoyment. Some of these stories just happen and they could be mildly amusing for what they are, but a lot of them can feel largely unimportant and forgettable. For that reason, episode 9 truly stands out as the one episode with consequence and impact, where it feels like Elaina is truly tested and affected by this story. Even its music and cinematography are elevated much more seriously to the point where it almost feels like an entirely different show, and it’s a shame that it didn’t bleed into the episodes after it, because it was a genuinely terrific episode.
The other exception is the final episode, and without spoiling anything, it actually does connect the pieces together and ties Elaina's journey up into a nice, satisfactory ending. It highlights the consequences of Elaina's actions by showing different outcomes that might've happened had she done something differently, reinforcing the story's themes and giving weight to the past stories. It's also delivered in the most Elaina way possible, and I mean that in the most literal way possible. The finale is definitely worth the eleven episodes that build up to it.
Occasionally, Elaina is joined by some other characters--I’m sorry if this statement caused you to leap out of your seat. Her mentor satisfies the trope of stupidly powerful characters with lovable, lackadaisical personalities, especially with the voice of Kana Hanazamallamasama. Saya is the main subject of consequence from Elaina’s journey, as she enters the series as a fledgling mage who Elaina coddles somewhat, to quickly becoming a witch herself who then spends her screentime simping for Elaina as hard as she can. It’s good to have a character I can relate to so well. Her mentor, Shiela, is somewhat unremarkable outside of her tomboyish personality and the fact that she smokes out of a pipe and rides a motorized broom, so actually she’s really fucking cool. They’re alright.
The art is often quite good; never bordering on the territory of fantastic, but characters are well-designed, detailed, and animated with care. Background art is often given a great amount of attention-to-detail, but can easily go unnoticed for the settings themselves being fairly normal and uninteresting. Nothing in this series would win any sort of awards for presentation, except maybe the directing of episode 9 which was actually fire, but it’s all cleanly above-average and contributes enough.
Elaina deserves its divisive reputation, and maybe that was the point all along. Good stories aren’t necessarily made to be agreed with, it’s the way they’re told and what happens that defines them. Having clear, set attributes will only appeal to those who can appreciate them, and for me Elaina’s personality is what helps me get through the day. But it’s true that the series could have done more, and one can only hope that future installments can elevate it to the heights that it’s teased us with.
In other words, Elaina is my waifu and she can do whatever she wants because I said so and if you don’t like it then fight me irl punk
Story: 7/10
Art: 8/10
Sound: 6/10
Character: 9/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Witch hats: 10/10
Overall: 7.75/10 (Range: 6.5 - 8.5)
Abbeyland
Here's the official synopsis for for Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina (Majo no Tabitabi): "Once upon a time, there was a witch named Elaina, who set off on a journey across the world. Along the way, she would meet all kinds of people, from a country full of witches to a giant in love with his own muscles—but with each meeting, Elaina would become a small part of their story, and her own world would get a little bit bigger." Sounds nice, doesn't it? Sounds like a nice laid back iyashikei you can chill out to when feeling down or stressed out. A bit like FlyingWitch or Aria.
However, what you get instead is the story of a self-absorbed, narcissistic teenage witch who doesn't seem to give much of a shit about anything or anyone but herself. She's like those Instagram backpackers who travel around the world without ever learning anything about the people or cultures they come across on their way.
Elaina is a powerful witch. Yet she doesn't use her powers to do anything for others. She's callous, shallow and largely indifferent to the people she meets. This becomes evident for the first time when, in one episode, she visits the home of a rich man who has a young slave. He bought her because she was cheap and because she will grow up to be beautiful some day (hint: she'll be his sex toy). Does Elaina do anything to save this girl from her terrible fate? No. The slave girl is just another prop in Elaina's travels. She waxes philosophical about how trying to make people happy might actually just make them miserable as she leaves her behind and goes on her merry way. She has learned nothing. She has not grown as a person. She has not used her considerable powers to save a girl from slavery and future sexual abuse. The girl is forgotten as Elaina flies on.
And that's pretty much how the show goes. Elaina is a cynical, unlikeable person who travels the world without taking it in or taking responsibility for her fellow man. The places and people she comes across are just fodder for her diary and one of the few things that can actually elicit an emotional response from her, is if her beauty is questioned or ruined (when someone cuts her hair off). As far as using her magical powers, it is never done to help others.
So my question for whoever wrote this story is: Are we actually supposed to like Elaina? What is the purpose of a character who goes on a journey, has adventures, but never actually grows as a person? In fact, she only becomes more narcissistic and self-absorbed as the story progresses. The entire last episode is about her meeting other versions of herself and coming to terms with who she is. However, this isn't used as some kind of epiphany or self-discovery. She does not take a good hard look at herself in the proverbial mirror and decides to become a better person. Instead she accepts her weaknesses as part of who she is and that's it. Her experience does not make her grow as a person. It doesn't bring about any sort of critical introspection. Instead it inflates her ego even more. The ACCEPTANCE is the point. Not what she actually accepts about herself (which is pretty depressing), but the fact that she is able to accept anything at all. Yes, our main character is actually such an obtuse narcissist that the fact she has any introspective moment at all (because she wanders into a magical kingdom where she is forced to deal with versions of herself, not because she deliberately wants to) is supposed to give her a bit of depth. Instead it ends up exposing her for what she really is: Shallow.
I'm not sure who the target audience is for this show. It wants to be all things at once. It wants to be funny. It wants to be serious. It wants to be adventure, but also horror and also poetic.
It is in fact a study in anarcho-libertarian self-centeredness.
The moral of Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina, as far as I can tell, is to not bother doing anything for other people unless you stand to personally gain from it. Or to put any work into improving yourself or learn anything from the experiences you have. Instead, accept yourself for the perfect and immaculate being that you are and fuck everyone else.
All that said, the art is decent enough and the show does have its amusing moments. But the main character drags it down quite a bit. She's just not a likable person.
ren0080
How would I start these disappointing thoughts I have? Mild spoilers ahead. The story itself is bland and boring. It's about witches and traveling and sh*ts, but there wasn't really any depth in both the story nor the worldbuilding. There wasn't any explanation about the magic, the witch association, or some sh*t like that. The timeline is a mess too. Certain jumps in the story happen and the timeline is very inconsistent. They tried to be serious, they tried to do comedy, the tone of this series is all over the place. Pair that with an edgy cliche subplot and you got a mixture of a boring and insultingstory.
The characters are all one-dimensional characters. I can't fathom how much I despise all of them. There wasn't really any development in the characters. The MC, Elaina, is a Mary Sue which is not a problem in itself since I kinda like her pre-episode 9. But past that, and I kinda don't like her. In episode 9, she showed some kind of development... which completely vanish in the following episode until the end. That's the final nail in the coffin. She showed completely how much of a cardboard character she is.
The side characters aren't any better. They ain't likable because of how one-dimensional they are.
The animation and music are this anime's saving grace. The ost is decent, but the Opening and Ending are bangers. The animation on the other hand is kinda decent. It's inconsistent at times, but sometimes, it kinda looks good.
Enjoyment-wise, I enjoyed the first few episodes. I kinda dig the episodic theme of the story but they dropped real hard when everything past episode 9 happened. There wasn't any real development happening, neither in the plot nor the characters. That is why I felt like this is such a waste of time.
Overall, would I recommend this?
Yep. I'd still recommend this. All the problems I had in this story are analytical problems, which can easily be ignored if you turn off your brain while watching.
Yumerlol
Majo no Tabitabi follows a tale of a young, aspiring witch named Elaina who travels to various kingdoms and lands. Majo no Tabitabi seemed like one of those animes where the protagonist goes from here to there and solves everyone's problems. Judging from my synposis, this should have been the case - the most generic fantasy anime with predictable outcomes, yet filled with those wholesome moments that make the audience appreciate it. Well, I'm glad that wasn't the case. Majo no Tabitabi has a "story per episode" kind of deal, but each one of them are filled with unique themes and ideas that are explored inElaina's POV that contribute towards the quirkiness of this anime. The audience experiences it at the same time Elaina does. Now, let me explain why I find Majo no Tabitabi's storytelling so enjoyable and unique. This goes along with Elaina's well-written character. Elaina is someone who is different from most MCs. I compared her character to someone like Subaru from Re:Zero. Unlike Subaru, she does not feel obliged to help someone even though she has a kind personality and is morally fair. As shown in the entirety of the anime, she either gets herself directly involved in the problem because she is affected by it, or she doesn't do anything about the problem at all, as shown in episode three. That's not to say I dislike Subaru, but it's just a comparison between two polar opposite characters. Elaina's character is explored more and more in each episode, regardless of what type of story it is, happy or sad. For example, in episode nine, Elaina breaks down as she was helpless to help someone who she thought she knew, but in the end, this person was betrayed by her own ideals. This shows she is actually a very kind and compassionate person.
This story is about Elaina and her adventure. Her own choices she made through these adventures. I feel that this was the true intention shown by the storytelling in Majo no Tabitabi. The storytelling is not perfect, and there are definitely some parts where a story could have gotten better. The pacing is also not the greatest; a fine example would be episode one. This is not a rant though. This review is meant to point out the good things that this show offers. This is my first time I've watched one of C2C's works, and I am thoroughly impressed what the animation has to offer. It captures every moment needed for the best experience.
Let me conclude my review. Majo no Tabitabi is definitely one of the more refreshing animes I've ever watched because of Elaina, herself and the storytelling. I am hoping for a season two since I'm not big on reading light novels or reading in general, but until then, enjoy this anime if you haven't seen it already.
dlxuniuniu
Let's go on wonderful journeys with Elaina! Travel around the world, get to know new cities and cultures, experience exciting adventures and meet new people. These are certainly things that many of us would also like to do. The beautiful witch Elaina takes us on her journey, together with her we witness the stories from her world and experience the thrilling stories behind the cities and their residents. Hop on this “broom”, make yourself comfy and get ready for many exciting adventures with her! STORY: Once upon a time there was a sheltered child who was greatly proficient in magic, innocent and didn’t know what “failure” means. She wasyoung and pure but always had the dream of becoming a witch one day. Because of her young age, no experienced witch wanted to accept her as an apprentice although she successfully passed the Magic Exams, which are required to be recognized as an apprentice. Her parents recommended the "Stardust Witch" Fran to her in the end, who has also a very interesting and unique background story. It can be assumed that Fran’s master was Elaina's mother. With the help of her master Fran, Elaina mastered the stony path as a witch and became "The Ashen Witch". She made her dream come true! From now on she can finally fly through the whole world and discover all the things unknown to her before!
Each episode of "Majo no Tabitabi" is about a different story: how she visits a different city, meets other people and discovers new things. Every story is unique and really fascinating, sometimes beautiful and enchanting, but we also have sad and violent times.
CHARACTER:
When talking about the characters of "Majo no Tabitabi", the very first thing to mention is the beautiful main character Elaina. She is a wonderful witch who charms everyone. By becoming a witch at the young age of fifteen only, three years before the main story begins, she is not that experienced yet. Nevertheless, she knows exactly what she wants to do in her life. With each of her unique adventures, she gathers valuable experiences and lessons which makes her stronger. Elaina is a loving and considerate person. Although she doesn't like looking for trouble, she is always willing to help other people with their problems. She “protecc” the poor and vulnerable people.
Besides the main character, I would also like to say a few words about Saya. She is an apprentice witch who Elaina meets in the Land of Mages as a novice. Elaina changed Saya’s life through her influence. Meeting Elaina was destiny. Elaina helped her practicing for the magic exams and because of that she was able to pass the exams and become an apprentice witch. We see her a lot in the anime and you can really feel how much she adores and loves Elaina.
Of course, we have to thank Elaina's master Fran, for making Elaina the person she is now and we all love.
The world is so big and yet so small, all of our characters have a special relationship that unites them.
ART:
The world of Elaina is beautifully designed, all colors are chosen and put together perfectly. Every little detail is highlighted to the audience. The portrayal of the characters, especially Elaina’s, surprised me extremely positively. Elaina is definitely one of the most charming characters I have ever seen. It was animated with great effort and a lot of work. But also, by the other characters, you can already notice what kind of personalities they have through the animation.
SOUND:
Are you ready and prepared for a journey with Elaina? The OP “Literature” from Reina Ueda gives you directly the feeling that it will be YOUR journey. It will be THE journey and adventure of YOUR life. Make your own dream come true and write your own story! Not only the music appropriate to the anime, but so is every little sound in the background.
The ED on the other hand was performed by the artist ChouCho, she is also known for the mysterious but beautiful OPs of "Hyouka". Even this ED sounds very mysterious because of the music and the lyrics. You really want to learn more about the world and the hidden secrets.
ENJOYMENT:
„The Journey of Elaina“ – I really loved accompanying her on her journeys. Even as someone who doesn’t like actions and horror in general (which we will see here as well), I enjoyed those adventures. Every single story gave me a new feeling. So many different characters with their unique backgrounds. I was fascinated by their stories, what they tell, how they feel and think. I am sure that we are all unique and in some way we different us from the others. This feeling is brought out strongly here. Be proud of yourself because you also have a unique story to tell!
In the end, all I can say is that I'm looking forward to more stories and journeys with our beautiful witch. I want to see what more she has to tell us, what kind of people she meets ... all of these things. I really can recommend this anime to everyone, no matter what genre you usually prefer. "Majo no Tabitabi" combines all the elements that you like from your genre type here.
I am sure that the producers will not let us down and will delight us with a second season!
RebelPanda
The Journey of Elaina has an identity crisis. On the surface, it appears to be an inspiring adventure across a magical fantasy world. In truth, it is something else entirely. In the beginning, it is exactly what you'd anticipate. Then it blindsides you with something unexpected. The show reveals itself to be a thoroughly depressing, tonally maligned 'journey' driven by a narcissistic main character through a nihilistic and morbid world. It always left me anxious, nauseous, frustrated, and sometimes all of the above. If you want to draw meaning from suffering, it needs to be natural and purposeful. The Journey of Elaina manufactures pain to givethe audience catharsis, but there is never a satisfying conclusion to relieve the pent up emotions it conjures. At the end of each chapter, we're gifted dubious life lessons from the self-absorbed main character. She should figure out her emotional deficiencies before waxing philosophical like she's Aristotle.
In the first episode, Elaina studies to become a witch. She passes the sorcery exam at 14 years old, then seeks to become a witch's apprentice. After being rejected by the witches nearby, her parents send her to Fran. A secluded witch. Elaina is a very vain person. She obnoxiously praises herself at least once an episode. Her arrogant monologues go like this, "Who is the beautiful girl wearing a brooch that signals her status as a witch, whose ashen hair flutters in the wind, shining so much with beauty and talent that even the sun's eyes squint involuntarily? That's right, it's me."
What a humble person. The way she talks about herself borders on narcissism. You're a child prodigy. We get it. Outside maybe the first episode, I have no reason to believe Elaina is as wonderful as she pretends to be. Her motivations are money, free food, a place to stay, and being praised for her beauty. She travels for the sake of traveling, there's no depth to her. It's clear right away that she should be the main selling point of the series. She'll make or break the show for you.
I tried to like Elaina at first, she is an interesting person to analyze. Make no mistake, she has next to no character development and no growth whatsoever; however, her cruel actions and lack of empathy are confounding. I always wondered what her endgame would be. Would she finally have a character arc? Or would the entire show be a series of disjointed stories? (It was the latter) It's hard to feel any empathy towards Elaina when she's so arrogant, and her travels are either silly or comically morbid. Among her exploits is a visit to a place where slavery is legal, a town of strange people obsessed with dolls, and a bandit infested village that hunts witches.
In the very beginning, she talks about her life as a child, reading a book about a traveling witch. She dreamed of being her. And that's it. The fictional witch's adventures were probably more exciting than what we got. The only memorable stories are the ones with gratuitous gore and depressing premises. On multiple occasions, children are beaten and bloody. One of them stands, and calmly tells us how her parents abused her. For what? They aren't trying to portray mental illness realistically. I wish, but it instead devolves into dumb laugh-inducing shock horror. The author is incapable of writing serious dialogue. He barely has a grip on his story's tone. His ineptitude caused the trainwreck that is episode 9. Watching it was like witnessing someone get shot—you can't look away. I felt corrupted, violated, by such a morally bankrupt display of self-masturbatory edgy writing. How on Earth could anyone think this is deep?
Often the show tries to be something it's not. I don't feel the world is an exciting place to explore, partly because there's almost no world-building. The only aspect which connects every chapter is cynicism. Seemingly everyone in this world is evil. In this show, people are either thieves, liars, swindlers, child abusers, or murderers. Even the kindest character, Saya, comes uncomfortably close to being a "psychotic lesbian" because she persistently loves Elaina. It's like the author grew up getting bullied, lied to, cheated on, then fired from their job, so they decided to write a book about how much people suck. And I agree with you; people do suck, but if you want to tell a story about it, make it purposeful. When a series about adventuring doesn't make me want to go on an adventure, it's troubling.
Frequently, this anime gets compared to Kino's Journey. I thought Kino's remake was ok, but the original (from what I've seen and read) is fantastic. I see the similarities. The Journey of Elaina reminds me of Kino because each setting explores flaws and morality in society. Such as if liars or murder are should be illegal/legal. Or what would happen if slavery was legal. They're not quite the same. Elaina's themes are more superficial and sometimes preachy, but they're told through complicated metaphors and wordy dialogue.
In contrast, Kino gives us information without much talking and filters through a bias due to Kino's moral compass. Kino allows us to draw conclusions ourselves. Kino empathizes with the people they encounter. If they see someone suffering, they will help. Although they don't sacrifice their life, they do put themself in danger for others/to stay true to their moral compass. But Elaina doesn't have much of a moral compass. She only intervenes if she has something to gain, like money, a free meal, or a place to stay. If her beauty is insulted, she retaliates. Her motives are less relatable or admirable, in my eyes, at least. I think some of these issues were due to a poor adaptation—I haven't read the light novel, so I can't say that for sure. You directly access the characters' thoughts in a light novel, and the author can easily exposit information. The anime may have struggled to get that information on screen. At some point, I'm going to read the light novel, and then I'll have a better idea of if it's a problem with the source material or the adaptation itself. Even with the sparse information given on screen, there are worthwhile observations to be made.
At first, it may seem self-obsessive; women can receive confidence from gazing at themselves in a mirror, ignoring cultural beauty standards or intrusion of the male gaze. Staring at oneself can be a way to take power back, especially in a society that tells women that their external appearance matters. In some cases, society says appearance matters more than anything else. To look in the mirror and love yourself for who you are is healthy, in moderation. This logic applies to men as well. By observing your emotional expressions in a mirror, you condition yourself to be more comfortable. Becoming aware of your own emotions, thoughts, beliefs, and expectations is a necessary first step toward acceptance and self-compassion. Elaina's self-obsession doesn't stem from her insecurities or cultural expectations; in fact, she is a prisoner to them. When confronted with other beautiful women, or men who question her beauty, she becomes enraged rather than indifferent. Not only is she self-obsessed, but she also cares too much about what others think of her. Narcissists tend to have overinflated yet fragile egos that easily pop, like a hot air balloon poked by a pen. One could argue that Elaina feels insecure because the witch society hated her, but that falls apart when you realize they rejected her simply because she is special. Supposedly passing the test at only 14 made the other witches "envious" of her, which only inflated her ego more. Elaina has another prominent sign of narcissism—a lack of empathy.
On her journey, when Elaina briefly stops at a town, she avoids becoming connected with anyone or anything. She has a non-interference rule—influenced by her mother's guidance. Even if someone is suffering, she won't bother. It's not because she lacks the strength to help. Her magic is powerful, and she's rarely in danger. To rationalize abandoning people in need, Elaina says, "Just because you are doing something for someone else doesn't make it right." If this sounds like a shitty excuse, I agree. If someone is dying on the side of the road, do you call an ambulance or drive away? You'd help, of course. But she wouldn't. Elaina just cops out and says "not helping was the right thing." At least Elaina acknowledges she's preachy, but that doesn't stop her from being a jerk. As she flys away, she ponders her actions. Then pushes the thoughts out of her mind and continues onward. Nothing lost, nothing gained.
If that's something you want, feel free to watch this. The art, animation, and music are great. It's one of the best-looking anime of the season. If nothing else, watch it for the aesthetic. Although most of it is fluffy slice-of-life and silly short stories, it is always cynical. If you don't like morbidity and negativity in your fiction, I understand if you'd opt for something else. Nowadays, if I want to remember that the world sucks, I'll just turn on the news.
UncleJojo
At the start of this season, I was skeptical about Majo no Tabitabi at first because I thought it was gonna be some generic and bland fantasy romp that was skippable at best. But finally giving this series a watch proved me wrong and I was taken aback to what this series had to offer. The series does a great job exemplifying the slice of life aspects with the adventure-fantasy settings as Elaina learns more about the world she travels and writes in her diary. This is also prevalent in the episodes which covered the darker side of Elaina’s world, and helpdsubvert expectations and addto the series world building. The series isn’t perfect as there were instances where some episodes felt predictable and did take away the suspense of the story, given that it is a light novel adaptation. And the episodic tone can be a turnoff for most viewers as well.
Given how polarizing she was to some viewers, I’d come to appreciate what a great MC Elaina was. I really admired how she didn’t feel like a trope character that most viewers were used to in most modern anime. She didn’t have to be some justice-seeking action hero nor some stock isekai character, but her main gist was being an ordinary traveling witch who followed her code of staying away from others affairs (except for some cases). She’s funny, sassy, dorky, and can be narcissistic but to a point where she isn’t too stuck up about it. The biggest moment of Elaina’s character being in episode 9 where she does come to grips with her own weakness of being just a traveler and an observer. The rest of the cast was nice too like like Elaina’s wise and lovable teacher Fran, the childlike and yuri-induced gag-character Saya, and the hardassed witch Sheila.
The visuals and animation were really spot on, especially when it had it’s action scenes. There were instances where some shots were reused, but it wasn’t too prevalent. The voice acting was spot on as well with my favorite portrayals being Kaede Hondo as Elaina, Kana Hanazawa as Fran and Tomoyo Kurosawa as Saya. In the end, I personally enjoyed Majo no Tabitabi for what it was worth. While it isn’t perfect, it did blow my skepticism and expectations away with its narrative, setting, characters and production value. Given how much the series polarized a majority of viewers, I can respect that because people’s opinions differ. Overall, I give this a 8.5 out of 10, and I would definitely come back for rewatches.
Venucurius
Wandering Witch may not be the best anime of 2020 as I do find it to be flawed but what comes in solid theming and a multi-dimensional protagonist makes this series good enough personally. When I first started watching it, I thought that it might not age well all because of its fantasy setting as well as Elaina being arrogant. But after giving it a better look and having a better understanding of it, I got hooked on the show’s theming and how Elaina explores the places she gets into. Before I get myself into talking about the show, I want to mention first how thiswas often compared to a classic anime that took inspiration. Of course! What I’m referring to is Kino’s Journey… the 2003 adaptation. Kino’s Journey and Wandering Witch have female leads who are largely apathetic towards others around them and are travelers who aim to experience as many different cultures and societies as possible. Now you might think if both are similar then Wandering Witch is clearly a rip-off, right? To which I’d add, they’re quite distinct from each other regardless of their similar elements. Kino is mostly stationary with people and settings she encounters while Elaina would pretty much react to certain things one by one whether there’s chaos involved or not. In other words, both are a slice of life but Kino is more likely stoicism while Wandering Witch involves in narcissistic acts.
Alright, now onto the actual review!
The story starts with Elaina starting her journey after reading her favorite book. She travels around a medieval-like setting as a witch while viewing humanity as a mixture of a blessing and a curse. On paper, this is good. In the actual show, it’s still good. While I do find some episodes like 6 and 10 to be rather weak in my opinion, the story doesn’t feel janky or forced. It does take time for Elaina to react to stuff she is intrigued or worried about without rushing anything. It also explores the themes of the show quite well. The message of this show is that Elaina is a flawed traveler who has done mischief to people and places she encounters whether it’s on her hands or someone else. This is rather unique because it shows that humanity is not normal at all and would have bizarre scenarios involved.
The characters are quite interesting, although one carries the show and the others are motivated by the former in terms of depth. Elaina is a witch who, again, travels around and sees humanity as a mixed opportunity after reading her favorite book. She’s titled as the ‘Ashen Witch’ because of her hair. Why do I think she’s great? Her character. Yes, she has done asshat moves but her narcissistic behavior tends to play in the show quite well. What I’m saying is don’t always assume that being an ignorant prick necessarily makes you a bad character. Elaina doesn’t really give a shit when something bad happens. Elaina is NOT designed to be a white knight like most fantasy protagonists are nowadays. She just focuses on what she sees as important to her eyes. She does develop some heroic traits which I also appreciate but her arrogant acts top the show’s overall characterization for me.
While Elaina is a top-tier character and is one of my favorites, the side cast is decent. You got Saya, Elaina’s dubious friend, and Fran, Elaina’s master. The side cast tends to make a good yin and yang that Elaina is surrounded by. But there are characters who are either just there or irredeemable dicks. I did mention in my Elaina talk that being an ass isn’t really bad writing. But I’ll also admit, some asshats tend to take their negative behaviors seriously and thus, ruin their character. You got this Emil’s father guy who has done dick moves to Elaina and… that’s it. If I were to be in the show then I would kick his balls. Overall, the side cast isn’t bad but we could see better.
I’ll be short on the miscellaneous parts because, while they’re nice additions, are usually infeasible for the vast majority of the show’s writing properties. The animation is smooth, the art seems generic at first glance but it’s rather clean, the music is alright but mediocre in my humble opinion, and the voice acting is good, both in sub and dub (although, Amber Lee Connors as Elaina carried the English voice-acting for me. The others, I personally barely have anything against).
And that does it. Wandering Witch is a good series with a distinct message to it. Though, I will say that it would be boring without Elaina’s colorful presence because while the rest of the characters are fine, they aren’t really noticeable enough. And also, back to the Wandering Witch vs Kino comparison, if one person asks me which of the two is better when it comes to overall writing then I’d say Kino reigns supreme. But it shouldn’t be that way. While again, Kino does better with certain elements Wandering Witch has, Wandering Witch still holds up quite well. Anyways, if you disagree with what I said and/or if I missed something, let me know. Criticism is always welcomed. Thanks for reading!
Yeetomfg2
*THIS REVIEW DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS* I was once again convinced by the r/anime community to watch an anime that didn't really look too interesting. Let's just say I got what I came for. STORY: 3/10 By far the worst part about this anime is the story itself. It's the most basic shit ever and plays it way to safe. It's a story about a young witch that travels through a fantasy world. Yes, that's it, a 7 yo could come up with something like that. Either way, Majo no Tabitabi follows an episodic formula with a problem getting introduced and resolved in the same episode. Let mejust say, i hate this way of telling a story, i know its done to "feel" like the book the MC is writing but it ends up hurting the show. It gets boring fast and it feels like the main character never really learns anything from these experiences. At this point I realized: this show is just a bunch of filler episodes stuck together. And that is even more obvious when the show finally has a story "arc" that is 2 and a half episodes long and its fucking amazing compared to the rest of the show. Overall, not trying enough.
ART: 6/10
The art, like the story, is very basic and doesn't really manage (or even try) to impress the viewer at any point during the show. But when we are talking about animation and art, it doesn't hurt the show as much to not take any risks, because that means there wont be any mistakes. Majo no Tabitabi takes the safe bet once again and delivers on an ok art-style with decent to good animation, doesn't do anything too good though.
SOUND: 7/10
I didn't really make anything of the music, once again, like this whole show, its kinda forgettable. But the music isn't overwhelmingly annoying and also the voice acting from the main character is amazing so at least it does something right. I would comment on the OP and EP but i don't remember it. I'm just gonna give it a 7 because they didn't make any mistakes.
CHARACTER: 7/10
The MC is the only important character, who is the best part of the show because for once, it's a pretty original take on a character just starting their journey, being awfully cocky and selfish during the duration of the whole show. That's (finally) something original about this show and she really manages to kinda carry the show. The other recurring characters are the MC's friend who is neither funny or annoying, and a teacher that only appears in 2 episodes but i thought i had to include her. Overall all the focus goes on the MC so the makers of this show don't really have to worry about jugling other characters.
ENJOYMENT: 4/10
Boring. That's the word that describes this show perfectly, i thought multiple times about just dropping it but i said to myself that I'm too many episodes out to drop it now, i never looked forward to the next episode and the show overall bored me to death. There was one episode in which the show goes full fucking berserk and just drops a super gory and serious episode out of nowhere, which i really enjoyed but the show sadly didn't stick to the narrative. It also has that 2 episode arc which I already said I enjoyed but that's about it.
ENDING STATEMENT: It ended up being a pretty boring and uneventful ride, it didn't really make any mistakes but it's safe-ness pisses me of and makes it seem like more of a quick cash-grab than a project people poured their all into. I think you should stay away from this one.
Overall: 5/10
Blue_Maroon
An anime that goes all out on the aesthetics while the writing fails to keep up. I have some very conflicting feelings with this anime because it is not as cut and dry with its quality. It looks absolutely beautiful and has some of the best art and animation of the year. The music is very good too. I can actually remember some of the songs that played throughout the series even with all of the other seasonal anime I have watched. Also, the direction was pretty good too. There is some great framing and camera-work that really adds life to the episodes. This anime looksand sounds great.
But, in fact, it is only these aesthetic aspects that kept me from dropping this anime. This is because the writing is absolutely awful, some of the worst that I have seen this season. The writing completely fails to create compelling characters, episodic narratives, and overarching narratives.
Starting with the character writing, I did not like a single character in this anime. How much I liked a character varied from indifference to disdain, with most of the prominent characters falling in the later category. The main character, Elaina, is young witch prodigy and she never neglects to mention it. She is narcissistic, vain, and greedy, with no redeemable qualities that I can think of. Whether or not she chooses to help people relies almost entirely on what she can gain from it and she often neglects to help people is literal life-and-death situations for no real reason. She gives the rationalization that “you can hurt people by helping them”, but that is not an actual reason. That is just some psuedo-philosophical BS that you give BECAUSE you don’t want to help someone. The rest of the characters are similarly unlikable, with Saya, whose entire character is being obnoxiously obsessed with Elaina, always dragging down my enjoyment even more.
The story writing is not much better, as the series is comprised of mostly episodic narratives that may have some slight connection to the overarching story. The story is all about Elaina traveling to a variety of different countries and cities, documenting her travels and meeting new people along the way. A premise that holds a lot of promise, seeing a fantasy world with many different societies.
Unfortunately, all of that promise goes out the window because the writer has no concept of world-building. We have no clue where all of these countries and cities are in relation to each other. We never see a map or any comprehensive flow between the places Elaina visits, she just arrives at a place and then leaves at the end of the episode. The whole point of fantasy-adventure series is to engross the viewer in the world so it feels like they are adventuring with the characters. If the viewer has no idea where they ever are, then that impacts their engagement with the series.
On top of the writer’s inability to build a compelling world, they also have no idea what tone they want for the series. Elaina will go from some uninteresting, mundane story in one city, to a story about people dying gruesome deaths (of which Elaina does nothing to help), to another mundane story where nothing serious is happening. The jarring events that occur in this anime have no point whatsoever other than just shock value for the people watching. Elaina will spout some fake-deep nonsense about the cruelty of the world or about how she couldn’t help anyone and then be completely fine in the next story.
The only time that the disturbing stories are shown to have any significance occurs in the final episode, where Elaina faces herself and her despair from experiencing these events. However, since Elaina never really showed any despair outside of this episode, this did not feel like any character growth because she seems like the same person that she always was.
So, we have characters that are completely unlikable, poor world-building, uninteresting stories, tone-deaf narratives, and little to no character development. Yet, it is still a 4/10. That is how good the art, animation, music, and direction are. If there was actually good writing behind this, hell, it may have been a contender for AOTY. It’s a damn shame.
It is closer to a 5 than a 3
