In the Kingdom of Ridill lives a genius magician known to be the first person to ever use chantless magic. With this amazing skill, Monica Everett joins the Seven Sages as a hero who can defeat powerful dragons, such as the legendary black dragon, all on her own. However, the truth is that the Silent Witch developed chantless magic due to being too shy—preferring to live on a mountain top, far from society.
Her secluded lifestyle changes, though, when a fellow sage tasks her to covertly defend the second prince, Felix Arc Ridill, from attempts on his life. Unfortunately, that means she will have to go undercover as a student at Serendia Academy. Between guard duty and her social anxiety, Monica is facing her most difficult mission to date.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Marinate1016
There’s some shows that immediately grab you not because they’re loud or flashy, but because they feel like coming home. Secrets of the Silent Witch was exactly that for me. As someone who’s been a longtime fan of the light novels, this was one of my most anticipated adaptations of the season — and I couldn’t be happier with how the studio brought Monica’s story to life and showed her development. From the very first episode, it captured everything that makes this series special: the warmth, the character growth, and the quiet magic that lives between people. This isn’t a show that tries to blow youaway with big action set pieces or political intrigue. Instead, it understands that the heart of Monica’s journey isn’t about the prince she’s assigned to guard, or the secret mission she’s on. It’s about her. It’s about a shy, anxious, socially awkward genius slowly, haltingly, learning how to live among others. Monica is one of the most powerful mages in the world, capable of silently casting immensely complex spells, mastering multiple forms of magic and yet, when it comes to talking to people, she freezes. She stutters. She retreats inward. And that vulnerability is exactly what makes her so relatable and loveable. As an introvert myself, I find Monica’s preference for solitude, but desire for connection to be extremely relatable. Deep down humans are social creatures and we all want to have friends/loved ones who truly care about us. What I loved most about this adaptation, though is how it depicted her development. Monica starts the series living in a secluded cabin, studying magical formulae and staying away from people. But throughout the season, every interaction she has with Lana, Claudia, and the other students chips away at her walls. She starts having more casual conversations. She takes risks. She gets embarrassed. She laughs. She struggles. And she grows. By the end of the season, she isn’t a completely changed person — she still has a long way to go — but she’s undeniably more confident and socially connected than she was at the start. The part of the story this season adapts isn’t anything revolutionary, it’s mainly slice of life stuff following Monica’s day to day activities as she keeps the prince safe from harm, but the progress we see her making as a person makes this show special. Every episode, Monica comes out of her shell just a little bit more. She gets more comfortable speaking to people, making eye contact, playing games and even comes to take pride in her role on the student council. She basically gets the school life she never got to have as a kid and seeing her hit these various milestones was amazing.
One of my favorite parts of the show was Monica’s relationship with the student council, especially Cyril. Watching their bond develop was genuinely heartwarming. Cyril starts off as this composed, intelligent figure, but Monica’s presence ends up having such a quiet yet profound impact on him. The way she surprises him, inspires him, and slowly draws out a softer, more emotionally open side of him was just beautiful to watch. Seeing her become such an important person in his world, often without realizing it herself, honestly got me emotional more than once. It’s not just Cyril, though. She does this with several characters throughout the show, even though she struggles to express herself, she’s such a naturally earnest and beautiful person that people can’t help but be drawn to and inspired by her. The best leaders are those that just lead with their actions as they say.
Sadly there’s no overt romance in this story yet, but the ship teasing is delightful. The subtle moments between Monica and Prince Felix, and also Monica and Cyril, are some of the sweetest parts of the show. The stolen glances, awkward exchanges, and unexpected acts of kindness are so cute! I love how both of the boys understand Monica’s awkwardness and always try to make her feel more comfortable around them and reassure her. It’s the kind of soft, slow-burn dynamic that makes you grin like an idiot. Even without a confession or big romantic subplot, the chemistry is there, and it makes the world feel more alive and warm. I also love the yuri shipping moments with she and Lana.
There’s something beautiful about how Silent Witch frames growth as a gradual, everyday process rather than a single, dramatic turning point. Monica doesn’t suddenly conquer her social anxiety with one rousing speech. Instead, she learns through friendship and small acts of courage. Lana’s outgoing warmth, Claudia’s quiet strength, and her classmates’ support help her find her footing, and you really feel like you’re growing alongside her. It’s wholesome, it’s cozy, and it’s deeply human. That’s why this story is so highly regarded. A lot of people will make the Bocchi comparisons and there’s definitely some similarities, but Monica’s struggles were more realistic and her growth was much more pronounced in her one cour series than BTR imo.
Production-wise, the adaptation does a fantastic job of complementing the story’s tone. The soft, warm color palette and gentle lighting give the series a cozy fantasy atmosphere that’s a perfect match for Monica’s emotional arc. The animation isn’t crazy, but it doesn’t need to be. The direction prioritizes subtle character moments, nervous glances, hesitant smiles and emphasizes the quiet magic that happens in conversation. The music deserves a shoutout too: it’s understated but emotionally resonant, especially during Monica’s quieter moments of growth and the big set pieces!
As a longtime reader, I was honestly worried the anime might flatten Monica’s journey or rush through key parts of her development like what happens in 90 percent of LN adaptations. But they nailed it. The director and staff understood the assignment. Pacing is perfect, every episode we see Monica grow and it feels like they’re all nice self contained mini arcs. They clearly knew that this isn’t just another overpowered MC fantasy and making sure the audience feel apart of Monica’s journey is essential and they nailed it.
This adaptation truly understood the heart of the source material, and it delivered something special. It’s a cozy, heartfelt, magical coming-of-age story that you can’t help but fall in love with. For fans of the novels, it’s everything you could’ve hoped for. For newcomers, it’s a gentle but powerful reminder that even the strongest people are growing too and there’s a beautiful message in that.
Secrets of the Silent Witch gets an extremely easy 9, out of 10
BrotherCoa
Without any doubt, the best anime this summer season. Everything about it was great. The music, the animation, the characters, the story... it just clicked. Bocchi the Witch delivered way more than it originally promised and I hope we will not have to wait for season 2 for too long. Animation and music - fantastic. The animation was of high quality for most of the show, especially for the battle scenes. There is really shined, with great care poured into every frame. And the music... it is out of this world for how good it is. This is a prime example for to make a memorablesoundtrack. The silent with theme with orchestra and vocals is so epic that I have felt chills while listening to it. And the tracks like promise to the silent witch and take a step forward show an arrow in my heart with it's sad and tragic themes.
Overall - fantastic in both areas, really made the anime shine even more.
Characters - People call this anime Bocchi the Witch for a reason, the MC Monica is really carrying the show on her shoulders. She is OP character who is extremely shy and has issues socializing with other people. This entire anime is her journey to overcoming her shortcomings while making friends and helping people on the way. Her role is so important that people who fail to connect to her will not enjoy the show at all. I have my doubts but after seeing Joe Freshest giving it a B while caw TV gave it S I understood that very well, failing to connect with the MC here can hamper the entire show down and thus degrading it's overall performance. Hopefully Monica is very likable character and if you had any social issues in life you will feel with her. Other characters worthy of mention are her cat familiar Nero, faithful servant and a goofy character who is responsible for keeping her mental state functional. Ryn, second best character in the show, a maid of Louis who is Monica's Sage colleague. Her every interaction is funny as hell and enjoyable to watch, for a kuudere character she has more personality than most MC's of other shows. Then we have Prince Felix and Ashley, who are in the student council and last, but not least, Isabelle and Lana who are her most trusty friends and supporters.
Overall - Monica is the star of the show, she is the main reason it is this good. And watching her struggle, grow and make friends is the very core of this anime. She is so lovable and cute that you will want to protecc her from beginning to the end. .
Story - the story starts with Monica showing her bada** magic, saving entire city in the process. Only for us to learn minutes later that she is very shy and socially awkward person. Her collogue Louis appears in her house and offers her a job - protect the 2nd prince from the assassination by infiltrating school as a student and watch him from the shadows. While reluctant to take the job at the start she crumbles under pressure and accepts. And that is how her story starts, full of struggle, mystery and action. Along the way she makes friends, establishes her status at the academy and little by little overcome her shortcomings and slowly changes as a person. The story left many mysteries and unanswered questions. Hopefully some will be addressed with season 2 when it releases one day. But the things that are present are more than enjoyable, and seeing Monica dealing with crisis after crisis is highly enjoyable. Only thing I disliked is how they cut some things from the LN and manga but I can understand that because of the time constraint.
Overall - story is good and it will keep you amused for the duration of the anime. The world is rich and the pacing is good. Only critic I have is cut content from the LN/manga, but other than that everything else it good.
Overall grade - 10. Well deserved, the show is one amazing package from start to finish. It only leaves me wanting to see more of it.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this show. If you like fantasy with good magic system and developed world with character as cute as Boochi from 'Bocchi the Rock' than you will definitely enjoy it. I really hope season 2 will be announced soon, this show more than deserved it.
Macher125
First few episodes were fine and I was expecting it to get better as story moves forward. I could not be more wrong. It went from fine to bad. The main plot does not progress at all, and when we finaly got to some interesting part, it ended way too fast. Episodes feel disconnected, if you would skip some of them, you wound not miss out on anything. Story is badly written. Main character is crying at least once in every episode. There is barely any character progression/development. MC is pathetic and she is bombarding us with same expressions every few minutes. Side characters arenothing special.
I do not understand how this anime could get rating over 8. The only good thing about this whole anime is opening.
voafelai
This series is a classic example of a lot of time, money and effort spent on a story that didn't deserve it. Stripped of competent directing, sound, voice acting, animation and so on, this is a Mary Sue derivative story about the smartest and strongest person on the planet having self-evaluation issues caused by childhood trauma. A trite cliche in the world of modern fiction. The protagonist's sole plane of change and improvement is limited to overcoming her trauma. Said trauma is presented in an explicit and cruel way, drawing in more cheap pity. Otherwise, Monica gives isekai protagonists a run for their money on howperfect she is, both in her ability and in her moral purity.
Naturally, the plot never dives into something potentially dangerous like presenting difficult choices or anything really bad ever happening to anyone who doesn't have a "villain" stamp on their forehead, except for trauma flashbacks.
Because of this all, thinking about what you're watching gives you second-hand embarrassment similar to cheap isekai anime experience.
That said, if you don't think about what you're watching the ride is enjoyable and I would be lying if I said I hated my time watching. The story itself is boring but presentation alone makes you want to click on the next episode. Characters are simplistic but surface level likable. I can only hope the people behind this series will someday gather again to put the same time and effort into animating a better source material.
Monica's funny faces - 10/10
Anime - 6.5/10
patkarunungan
'Secrets of the Silent Witch' is my favourite anime this season, partly because I know that the light novels' content is superb. The anime has great production values, and it has a great story. That's why I give it a 9 out of 10. That said, I'm gonna be frank about the mistakes of this adaptation. As a standalone season, it's great and worthy of this high score. But if we consider it as a potential first installment in a multi-season series, which the story rightly deserves, it faces critical issues I'll discuss at length. § Overview Monica Everett, the Silent Witch, who is one of Ridill's7 Sages, has been tasked to protect the Second Prince, Felix Arc Ridill. To do this, she has to go undercover, take the name of Monica Norton, and become a student of Serendia Academy. Can she fulfill her mission despite her overwhelming social anxiety?
§ Notes
1. Let's talk about the technical aspects first and the staff. When I first heard of the Silent Witch, it was called 'most anticipated' at least for Japanese viewers, and its great visuals show that the studio took care of it and gave it some love.
Studio Gokumi isn't really well-known for having good visuals. Of the two anime I watched from them — 1) Seiren, 2) I'm Getting Married to a Girl I Hate in My Class — they are average in terms of visuals. I am willing to bet that this anime is the best-looking one they've done so far.
1a) I heard the Konosuba director also handled this, and I checked. MAL lists two directors: The chief director, Kanasaki Takaomi, and the other director, Iwamoto Yasuo.
Aside from Konosuba, Kanasaki Takaomi also storyboarded Episode 9 of Apocalypse Hotel, storyboarded Episode 8 of Gleipnir, and was a key animator for Episodes 2 and 7 of Please, Teacher — these are anime I've seen. Other well-known anime I haven't seen he is involved with include storyboarding Episodes 11 and 26 of Nisekoi S1, storyboarding Episodes 4 and 7 of Nisekoi S2, and storyboarding Episode 6 of Psycho-Pass.
If there's a person responsible for making Monica really adorable, he takes the credit. But he also takes the blame for some of the things I dislike about this anime. More on this later.
1b) The other director, Iwamoto Yasuo, also worked in Konosuba as an episode director. He also worked as episode director of the first episode of the Quintessential Quintuplets Season 1.
With how well Secrets of the Silent Witch turned out, I'm now inclined to check out Konosuba, and maybe compare. After all, it should be no surprise that their previous works served as a foundation for whatever we are enjoying with the Silent Witch.
1c) Let's talk about the chief animation director, Hirata Katsuzou. I've seen some of his older works — Tenchi Muyou! Ryououki, Shinpi no Sekai El-Hazard, Mahou Shoujo Pretty Sammy — where he worked as an in-between animator or key animator. They're okay for their time.
But his recent work, Anyway, I'm Falling in Love with You, not only failed to impress me; it utterly appalled me. It's amazing how the animation in Silent Witch is superb, while that travesty leaves you so disgusted.
1d) I haven't seen the other works of the cinematographer, Etou Naoki, and for the other cinematographer, Satou Souta, this is their debut work.
There are some moments in this anime, especially in Episode 2, where the cinematography shines. In Episode 2, the environment is unfamiliar, and it looks so daunting and huge from the perspective of Monica. Also, Nero is framed in such a way that it provides a clue for anime viewers and makes source material readers like me smile.
2. Let's talk about the story, the characters, and the execution.
Secrets of the Silent Witch is what I call 'overpowered done right.' Monica is extremely powerful yet has a great weakness that practically negates it.
The big picture view of the story is that Monica is called upon to protect Prince Felix, and as an undercover student of Serendia Academy, Monica experiences tremendous personal growth. Eventually, the plot involving Duke Clockford and geopolitickal implications is revealed.
As for the anime, it only covers the first part of Monica becoming a student again. It doesn’t reach the serious plotlines yet. Despite that, it succeeds in showing Monica's personal growth, arguably much better than Gotou Hitori, aka Bocchi the Rock, dropping hints here and there of the more serious plot.
With all due respect, this is why I have a love-hate relationship with the moniker 'Bocchi the Witch.' It's an awesome description that one can use if you want fans of Bocchi the Rock to consider watching this anime. Those who loved Bocchi's funny facial expressions and how she tries to overcome her social anxiety will also love Monica, as she displays awkward facial reactions and tries to do the same.
But I am uncomfortable using the Bocchi the Witch moniker for two reasons: 1) I wasn't pleased by how some people treat Bocchi's social anxiety as a laughing matter. Speaking as someone who has social anxiety, it sucks. 2) The light-hearted moments displayed by Monica acting similarly to Bocchi understates the seriousness of the plot down the road. And even before we reach that, framing it as Bocchi the Witch makes people unprepared for the tonal shift, where this anime is not light-hearted all the time. It includes drama and heavy emotions.
3. Its execution is a mixed bag. The chief director, Kanasaki Takaomi, has done a great job in endearing Monica to anime watchers thanks to his previous work in Konosuba. But he has neglected the worldbuilding aspects and failed to convey much of the same information through different scenes.
I know an anime adaptation can't include everything, especially one that's constrained in a single cour, which is a shame. The author of the light novels has wrought something meticulous in worldbuilding, either through dialogue or foreshadowing. This is watered down in the anime, and it pains me that some people and haters are criticising the writing of this anime just because the intricate narrative structure of the source has been destroyed or at least damaged in the anime adaptation.
One great example I can cite is how Monica handled a life-threatening situation. Without spoiling it, the anime did not provide enough details as to the gravity of the situation, leading to some posters who criticise it as having plot holes. The anime mentions the name of the neighbouring kingdoms, but it underemphasizes the geopolitickal implications of what Monica does.
It would have been better if, instead of adapting 3 volumes in a cour, the anime had chosen to either 1) adapt only two volumes, or 2) adapt three or four volumes in a two-cour season.
I know one should be thankful that the adaptation of the Silent Witch is better than many adaptations. I acknowledge that. It's just sad that this anime hasn't shown the full potential of the story. It's one of those stories that I believe should have been given the Apothecary Diaries treatment, i.e., give each volume time to breathe by including as many episodes as possible. Slow burn is the way to go, so that the plot will reveal itself from all the hints, foreshadowing, and worldbuilding.
4. As for potential romance and shipping, I don't mind it, but I also don't look forward to it. They are there to spice things up.
A change from the light novels is that the director appears to be biased to the Monica-Prince Felix pairing and ignores the Monica-Cyril pairing. The light novels are more balanced. The Monica-Cyril pairing has more chemistry, and there are several situations showing how they care for each other, situations that are omitted or minimised in the anime. It's a shame, even if I'm more in favour of the Monica-Prince Felix pairing.
I'm partial to Prince Felix because he comes across as mysterious, and there's more to him than meets the eye. (From the spoilers I've seen, I was right to suspect that!) Unfortunately, such characterisation is bungled in this anime, and he comes across as flat.
In fairness to the anime, it did foreshadow something that's gonna be revealed in the volumes that are untranslated as of the date I am posting this review. It's not possible to do so in the written medium of the LN, but it is possible in the visual medium of anime.
5. Another missing part of the worldbuilding is something basic. It's in Chapter 2 of LN1 and should have been in Episode 1. It's about the rank of nobles and how Monica, by virtue of being a sage, has a rank of Countess. Knowing this fact would have made quite a difference in how viewers see Monica's bullying by random NPCs.
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Excerpt from Chapter 2 of LN 1:
Louis pushed his monocle up with a fingertip and heaved a sigh. “First, try to get at least this into your head. In Ridill, the noble ranks are, from highest to lowest, duke, then marquess, then count, then viscount, then baron. There are other ranks below that for the lesser nobility, but I’ll spare you the details. For now, just remember that if you ever meet someone who is a duke or duchess, that means they’re most likely part of the royal bloodline.”
Committing his words to memory, Monica muttered, “C-counts are higher than I expected.” To tell the truth, she’d thought Count was the lowest rank.
Louis’s eyes widened until they couldn’t widen any more, staring at her in disbelief. “…My fellow Sage? You do remember that you have a noble rank yourself, yes?”
The Seven Sages were given a special rank called a “count of magic” that corresponded to a normal count. In other words, Monica was a noble, too.
She was also a rare female titleholder, one of less than ten in the whole kingdom…but for someone who had been shut away in a mountain cabin for two years, she certainly didn’t think of herself as a noble.
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6. Also note that another member from the student council, Bridget, has been downgraded to a bit player, whereas she should have been one of the mean girls.
7. I know anime-only viewers wouldn't find the pacing an issue, and some even complain that it's slow, but knowing how much of the source is omitted, it is quite painful. The pacing is too fast, so that the impact of some scenes is less than it could have been. You can't help but imagine what it would be like if an already excellent adaptation were to be improved and given more episodes to accurately convey all the good stuff the author had in mind.
Despite all these issues, at the very least, the anime has provided enough characterisation of Monica as well as the supporting cast. It could have been better, but it's enough for anyone to conclude that Silent Witch has a roster of great supporting characters.
8. Miscellaneous Items
I love that a serious Monica uses her Kimishima Ayano voice. This role elevated her status among seiyuu.
Hitsujibungaku's performance in both the OP and ED is decent. Nothing spectacular, but good enough.
Monica's leitmotif reminds me of Zenshuu in the transformation sequence.
Its use of mathematics is just elementary arithmetic and geometry. It's not advanced, but for what it's worth, the light novels and, to a certain extent, the anime are effective in using maths as a tool for characterising Monica.
§ Conclusion
Despite sounding negative in this review about how the adaptation misses the story's true potential and how it could have been better, I still gave this anime a 9 out of 10 just because I'm a true believer that it's an excellent story.
You can watch this for the great relationships Monica develops and be inspired to overcome social anxiety if you are similarly wired.
The adaptation is great, but I implore everyone who loves this anime to read the source material, as that is even better. You'll be in for a treat.
NOTA BENE: A grade of 9 out of 10 means that I find this anime to be exceptionally great, an almost masterpiece, but it falls short in some aspects. Perhaps it is also other people's 10 out of 10 anime, but it did not capture my heart. I definitely enjoyed watching it.
My enjoyment spectrum lies from 4 to 10. If I have scored an anime below 4, I actively dislike it.
Prar_3
this is one of the most beautiful anime ever....the story is heartwarming and this is what u call 'animation done right!'.. the story was pretty unique with some real character background stories and also the female characters other than fmc were unique and had their own pesonas ,not like the usual timid and weak ones always asking for help or attention seekers, which was one of the best parts of this anime . it had well written villains carrying some actual purpose rather than just the typical "bad guys doing bad stuff" and pretty unpredictable plots too... if u r looking for something slow andrelaxing with good story and the very amazing animation ,then this is the best for ya
{ p.s. it has some funny parts too >~< }
cadieeee
It was a very cute and wholesome story, but that was about it. Liked that the MC got most of the screentime., but feel like they needed to add more on the side characters as I was confused why the guy with the glasses had such a weird complex with the MC. Good for someone who enjoys more wholesome shows with a lot of purity, but personally I don't think there is anything too special about the show. It was just cute. However, I really didn't like how the show kept referring back to the mc backstory without us knowing much about it. Wish there wasmore of her backstory earlier in the show.
BooBoozBelly
Wonderful,show, Monica is the kind of MC you just want to wrap up in safety and make sure no one ever hurts her (despite the fact she can defend herself just fine thank you very much) Her shyness but obvious slow growth is a hilarious thing to watch. The VA is top notch so you can’t help but laugh during her awkward moments, so7nds, outbursts and grunts. Since the story is really about her, you can’t help focus on how much you love her character vs some of the usual plot point and tropes you have seen before. Too many showsforget that you are supposed to love the MC regardless of the story and Monica thaws my cold heart about as good as anything I’ve watched recently. Despite her power, she has many flaws and gets in pickles unlike other OP protagonists. The antagonists change and move around and her supporting cast can all be enjoyed for what they bring to the table
As always, any negative things I see written seem to be from people who just watch shows that aren’t made for them. If you don’t like a slow burn with tons of cutesy, mostly hilarious moments, then go watch something you like. This shows relies heavily on Monica and a handful of semi main characters regardless of the story. I find they up to the task to deliver peak entertainment and this was a surprise for me this season.
Love it and If anything I said positive is up your alley, you will too.
SashimiDon
Why ain't there more episodes for this? Great visuals for the background scenes, building, characters, clothes, and accessories. Protagonist has unique personality and interact with other characters in interesting ways. Shows character development the more she interacts with others around her. If you like magic in an academy setting, then this is your genre.Enjoyed it where she adventures by taking different hobbies. This is relatable to the ones that want to change themselves.
Would like it if there are more scenes showing magic-related works. But the focus is more about character episodes, and trying to solve problems without magic is indeed challenging for a witch.
hereforsnake
Overall, I’d say this show was a solid watch. The animation style is great—clean, expressive, and full of life. While the plot isn’t exactly groundbreaking, it doesn’t feel like a blatant copy of anything either. The world-building, story, and magic system were genuinely enjoyable and kept me engaged throughout. That said, I had one major issue: Monica is almost unbearably pathetic. If you’re reading this, you probably already know the main character, Monica, is one of the seven most powerful magicians in this world of magic. She became so by mastering “silent spell casting,” an ability she developed to avoid speaking in public due to past trauma.That premise is fine, even interesting—but the show goes way overboard with it. Monica spends half the series trembling, apologizing, or breaking down in tears. It’s meant to make her sympathetic, but it often just makes her exhausting to watch.
Zeno_Artaxerxes
The story of a girl with a very unfortunate life, trying to do her best, and while succeeding in certain parts at great levels, life really likes to take from other areas in the same amount. This story is a very lovely one, but also a bit depressing. It is one of the few in which I actually loved the wimpy, full of anxiety, socially awkward FMC and started to root for he and wished for her happiness, which is quite hard to do, as a lot of stories have those kind of MC/FMC and I think they bring mostly downsides, if not even make thestory unbearable.
The story is presented in such a way that it seems to me more on the idea of: show, don't tell. You do have the main story that follows the FMC which is still a kid, but a very accomplished one being one of the seven sages in her country given her unique ability of using spells/magic without the chants. From the beginning you just cannot not think that this girl must have went through a LOT to end up being so powerful, yet so meek, full of anxiety, crying from a lot and barely being able to speak with people. She actually has a fear of humans. A lot of times she's being compared to a little squirrel, and tbh, from her behavior and not taking into account the powers she has, it is quite spot on. And the thing is, that once you see a bit of a background, you start understanding how she ended up like that. The big traumas she has been caring, that nobody really cared to treat, because there wasn't really anyone like that for her... At least until now, or at least a part of the events seem to be directed to helping her as well. To not spoil much, from the get go you find out she's being sent to a prestigious school of nobles for a mission, where she needs to act like a normal student and not be recognized (you will see why nobody can really recognize her easily). There, she meets a lot of new people, good and bad, and here lies the beauty of this anime to me: you start to actually see her grow. You see her getting in all sorts of situations, either related to the mission or her school life, and you see her start being... a kid. Something that she missed out on, that seemed she wished for a lot too, as you can clearly see her trying for it, battling all the traumas behind her. You see her fail, but you see her also succeed in her own way, even though progress is slow... but hey, it is still progress, no?
But all these don't really sound like an unique story, especially when you put together some generic characters that you can find in all stories like this, so what is it that made me love this anime? One was the presentation of events and the interactions between characters. They were great. Besides the generic characters, which aren't that many, don't really take much screen time and aren't written badly or so, but it was a bit funny how you could guess what everyone's personality were and how they would react, you have other characters that really make this anime more dynamic, more lovely to watch and add a different layer to the story that just makes it feel more special, or better said, real? It is fantasy though... And another aspect of this anime was the art. Great art overall. Especially the last episode had some shots that really surprised me (mostly cuz those I remember right now as I just finished that episode and didn't binge watch it)...
And with all these, you couple this with a few hidden side plots that are clearly presented that they progress behind the scenes, but you're not being told much, and it felt like a very interesting world that made me want to know more about it.
A few things that bugged me a bit:
- cut content... people that read the novel were saying in comments regarding one of the arcs what they altered and left out, which felt to me like a lot... made me question a bit how some other arcs were altered and cut... sometimes it did feel a bit of a weird progress at certain points in the story, like a bit jumpy and awkward, but at least not that many instances....
- the FMC is "silent", aka can't really talk with people as she seems afraid or something like that, so her inner thoughts most likely matter a LOT in these types of stories... but anime format doesn't really work with those type of story parts, which is a bit of a shame... so reading the light novel most likely will shed so much light on certain decisions and events or actions that it will be like a different story most likely. Can't wait for the light novel to finish so I can read it...
Story: 9 -- A very lovely story, where the meek and full of anxiety FMC actually grows + a lot of side plots growing behind the scenes that make you try to guess quite a few things. Albeit the altered and cut content do not bring me a lot of joy to hear about, especially because I felt it a bit while watching that something wasn't right...
Art: 9 -- Very lovely and great art
Music: 9 -- Great OP and its animation. The ending is okay as well.
Characters: 10 -- Loved the FMC and most of its characters. Very well done and presented
Enjoyment: 9 -- I enjoyed it a lot
Overall: 9
Right now it has 8.15 from 58.850 votes Ranked #485 Popularity #1694 Members 151,467 as of 25/10/2025
Highly recommend it to people that want to watch a lovely, a bit more on the slow side, story, that follows a FMC growing out of her traumas, with great art and presentation. Can't wait for the light novel to finish so I can read it. Really made me feel like I have to protect Monica!
joemaamah
I started a new rule a few seasons back. I swore I would never watch another anime with a title more than 4 words long. I guess every rule needs an exception. I was attracted originally by the art, but feared this was going to wind up flashy trash. Wrong. The artwork remaIned strong throughout the season. Backgrounds are very well done. The animation may not have been the best I've ever seen, but for this genre of anime, it stands head and shoulders above the crowd. The characters here are a high point. I couldn't help but love Monica and root her on. She developsnicely and has to overcome quite a few issues. In some cases, she's still struggling by the end of the season. But you've gotten the sense she has a strong heart and great determination. She'll eventually overcome the obstacles in her life. She gets lots of help from a strong and interesting cast of supporting characters along the way. The character designs in this series are strong, indeed.
The narrative is nothing spectacular, but it is interesting enough. I was looking forward to each week's episode. There are some unexpected twists to the plot. But there is also some wandering along the path, especially in the middle epsiodes. Sometimes things seem a little slow to roll out. It's not annoying, but it was noticeable. The writers tightened things up toward the end of the season.
The VA work was strong. They didn't slip into the loud, annoying, cloying trap that so many high-school-centric animes tend to fall into. Give the direction a pat on the back in that regard, Overall, their contributions were well done.
I'd give Monica and her crew a great big shout out. If I broke out my gradebook, this scores a high B+ at 89/100. Make some noise and give this a try.
Canafa
I was recommended this show as "Bocchi the Witch" by a friend of mine. I can't quite agree with that assessment, as while there are some superficial similarities between the way the Main Character, Monica, acts to Bocchi, they are completely different characters. Not that that's a bad thing, as I found myself enjoying this show more and more with every passing episode. There's not a ton of action to go around, but for someone who doesn't tend to be a huge action fan anyway, I found this to be an incredibly good watch and one I'm disappointed didn't wind up on my radar untilafter it was already done airing.
Visually, it's a relatively simple show, though it executes on the artstyle well. What fight scenes are there are flashy and fun to watch, a cut above some similar shows, without being overly intrusive on the wider story. The visual gags are spread out in a way that isn't overly intrusive either, and are also consistently well done. My one critique here would be that some of the characters can look a bit same-ish, and while for the most part that wasn't a problem I did consistently get two rather generic-looking characters confused throughout the runtime.
The story is pretty alright, with a bit of an awkward start leading into a generic set of school-related arcs. It's fine, and there's no really offensively bad episodes in this one. There is one twist that I didn't particularly like with an antagonist whose motivations were, in my opinion, weak and ill-explained, but otherwise I'd give this section a solid passing grade.
Character-wise is where this show really shines, though. With the sole exception of one that antagonist, the characters are all really well written, with actual growth. And not the one-and-done type of growth either, the characters don't get easy resolutions, they have to take it one step at a time. What backstory we do see of the various characters are well-thought-out and emotionally impactful, and seeing Monica progress throughout the season was truly the heart of the show and easily carries the rest of it (which would still work decently without her, as most of the characters have fun dynamics. She just really makes it, though).
Overall, this is a fantastic little fantasy slice of life that I can't recommend highly enough. Its amazing characterization carries it to a solid 9/10 for me, with the rest of the show executing well enough to keep it there, and I cannot wait for a season 2!
RomanRonin
Silent Witch was such a fresh breath of air. I truly expected going into it to be watching a cliche fantasy anime, complete with all the typical tropes: Mary Sue MC, power of friendship, meaingless plot. Well, I couldn't be more wrong, and a large part of the reason why is Silent Witch's MC, Monica. She may be the world's biggest nervous wreck when it comes to social interaction, but she really stole the limelight. She's an intelligent character who rose into the Seven Sages, the highest rank of mages there is, by capitalizing on her knowledge of mathematical formulas, the language underpinning magic inher world. This knowledge of hers is not just her expertise, it's her dearest love. Give Monica a tax accountant's ledgers and she will pledge her undying loyalty to you. As an MC, she's really a nuanced character fighting through her anxieties to do her job as one of the Seven Sages. and she's played to absolute perfection by her voice actress. If you don't fall in love with Monica within the first few minutes of seeing her, you're just beyond redemption at that point.
But Monica isn't the only great thing about this anime. Visually, it's great with fluid animation and a refined art style that legitimately reminded me of CloverWorks. There's also a great cast of characters who befriend Monica and really make the world come alive. Most interesting among all of them is the Second Prince, an enigmatic figure Monica is secretly protecting but who no one truly knows much about. The interactions between him and Monica are just some of the best scenes in the entire show. The plot too is great with some degree of depth, but it takes a backseat at times to focus on character interactions first and foremost.
Now this isn't to say that I thought the show was perfect. There were some minor gripes I had with details. The plot, while still good in every sense of the word, rounded out some details at times that I felt could've been expanded upon. There were also some weird choices with a couple characters, including a development with a close friend of Monica's that comes out of left field (if you've seen it, you'll know exactly what I mean). Most notably, in my opinion, is the lack of detail we see with the magic system. When it comes to Monica, we see some scenes where she really gets into the nitty gritty about the formulas behind certain spells and how they work, but there's only a couple of these. Beyond Monica, magic feels very stale and generic, with no real sense of scale or significance. Magic may not be actually core to the story, but I kinda wish they fleshed it out a bit more, just for immersion.
But none of those minor things should deter you from watching the show. It's a great, refreshing take on the boarding school sub-genre of fantasy anime, and Monica is a top-tier best girl, so watch just for her alone.
5iv3_
This was a cute story. I'm a bit of sucker for these types of characters who talk very quiet and are shy, so this show very much played to my interests. I won't lie that there were a few episodes that weren't my absolute favorite and I agree with another user on here who mentioned they were enjoying it less and less as it went on. While I still really enjoyed this show, my enjoyment got a little smaller after every episode from like 7-8 onwards. I feel it peaked about halfway through. Animation is so damn good though. I have no complaints on thisfront, it looked visually stunning all the way through.
Plot was pretty good. Aside from the fact that I may have enjoyed it a little less after a certain point, I still really enjoyed the whole of it. I feel the beginning unfortunately set the bar too high for my expectations. While some of the things I was expecting to happen as well as some things I wanted to happen did occur, it was a little few and far between. That's probably my only complaint with it. Other than that, it was good overall on that front.
Overall, I think it was a good watch! I've seen the phrase "bocchi the witch" fly around this series and honestly, it sums it up pretty well (minus a few minor details). I'd recommend it if you like fantasy series with a cute female lead :3
dextr__
Art — 8/10 The visuals are a real highlight: clean character designs, expressive faces (especially Monica’s shy, tiny reactions), and nicely detailed backgrounds that make the fantasy setting feel lived-in without ever being overwhelming. Animation quality is consistent in dialogue and slice moments; action scenes pop when they need to, though there are a few very minor moments of awkward CGI blending. Overall I just loved watching it. Story-line — 10/10 This season isn’t about huge plot twists or nonstop action — it’s quiet, character-focused, and surprisingly satisfying for someone who usually prefers seinen/thriller/psychological series. The premise is simple: a genius witch who can cast without speaking goesundercover at an academy to protect the second prince. From there the show balances gentle comedy, slow-burn character beats, and light mystery. Monica’s innocent, awkward behavior is endlessly endearing and is the heart of the series; watching her tiny victories in social situations is a joy. The season mostly builds foundation and gives glimpses into a few characters’ backgrounds rather than resolving big conflicts, so it feels like the start of something larger — I’m excited for future seasons because the series drops enough hooks and emotional moments to promise deeper dives into characters and politics later. Important events here are mostly character introductions, a few revealing personal moments, and setup of the central protection/undercover premise — nothing that spoils future stakes, just enough to care.
Music — 9/10
Fantastic soundtrack that complements both the tender slice-of-life beats and the more suspenseful scenes. Themes linger pleasantly, and the OST elevates quiet moments without being intrusive. Opening/ending choices fit the tone well.
Ending — 9/10
The finale gives a genuinely sweet, memorable beat for Monica — a moment that connects her to a precious memory and a person who matters to her. It felt emotionally satisfying, though the episode itself comes across a bit short; I wanted just a touch more runtime to savor some scenes. I haven’t read the light novel or manga, so I can’t compare, but as a season finale it left me happy and wanting more.
Final thoughts — no spoilers
If you like character-driven fantasy with warm humor, an adorable lead, and strong production values, this is well worth your time. It’s not high-octane thriller fare, but it surprised me by delivering genuine heart and charm while teasing larger mysteries. Highly recommended if Monica’s shy-but-brave personality and a relaxed, well-crafted world appeal to you.
KANLen09
Secrets of the Silent Witch - I'm Bo-Bo-Bo-Bo-Bo-Bo-Bocchi Gotou...not the pink-haired guitarist, but Mo-Mo-Mo-Mo-Mo-Mo-Monica Everett, the blonde-haired Bocchi wannabe of a master genius mage I am! Pleased to make your acqu-acqu-acquiantance! D'oh! In the world of fantasy, especially when there's a butt-ton of works in the AniManga space, there's just something to be said if you can instantly connect with the vibes that some unique and not-so-unique series has to offer that has potential to make it big, and even more when the plot premise itself is just the foundation icing on a cake that has many layers awaiting to be peeled and taken a closerlook. And for shows in the modern era (looking mainly at the 2020s), we've had shows in the vein of Sousou no Frieren a.k.a Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, that "it's not the end journey that defines an adventure waiting to happen, but the process behind it that shows more than what meets the eye." And dear otaku friends, in this Summer season, there's a show that bears all that likeness, in a setting so common that it takes its own character to ascend to differing levels of proportionality: novelist Matsuri Isora's lone work of Silent Witch: Chinmoku no Majo no Kakushigoto a.k.a Secrets of the Silent Witch, a series that places social anxiety into the face of the traditonal noblist high society, where "speech is silver, (but) silence is golden".
From a story and premise standpoint, you can think of Silent Witch pretty much the same as Bocchi the Rock!, sharing pretty much similar circumstances of socially mute people trying to survive in a realist society that prejudices against the weirdness of the characters themselves, that it takes a unique bunch of people to actually understand them and put them through the wringer to put one foot out of the door and experience the public life, even if it meant going against their will to be the shut-in molasses they are at their most comfort. In Silent Witch's case, it involves the genius mage of Monica Everett, the youngest person in a group of dignatrities to have something that's only unique to her: Unchanted Magecraft, and especially in a kingdom where nobles of all sorts come into power and try to make their footnotes in both good and bad ways possible, the youngest member of the group of Seven Sages' mages, is easily one of the most recognizable faces at just 15 years of age, and has already contributed to the welfare of the Kingdom of Ridill by defeating evil powers and principalities for someone this young. However, as you've probably guessed by now, the Silent Witch herself is a mute, someone whom like Bocchi Gotou, literally just could not hold even a simple conversation between people, where her mountain cabin is her only close and holed confidante alongside her black cat familiar Nero. That's until one of her fellow Seven Sages' colleague of the Barrier Mage, Louis Miller, along with his high wind spirit Rynzbelfeid who can shapeshift into either the form of a beautiful maid or a small yellow bird, comes to consult her for a royal mission that's hard to ignore, more than Everett the Mute herself going into total shutdown mode, it's a mission that forces her to go outside of her comfort zone, right into the den of something that she would otherwise have not accounted for that's part of her life: school, right at the Serendia Academy. Faced with a prospect that Louis has thrown on her, Monica literally has no choice but to take part in the sensitive mission to protect royalty, as well as figure out the stretches of her way to improve herself and overcome her social anxiety. A masterclass at manipulation alright, at least for Louis's part to the Silent Witch.
As anyone well-versed with how AniManga goes with these traditionalist nobility-infested type premises, not everything is black and white, as the young nobles that are offsprings from their prestigous houses, will do anything in their power to instill either good or evil vibes into one house, and Monica finding herself infiltrating Serendia Academy to protect key royalty figures, gives her more than what's to see under both the watchful and private eyes of the prestigious school for nobles itself. As a distant "relative", Monica attracting the eyes of those who see her as salvation, as such with Count Kerback and his noble daughter of Isabelle Norton that is especially grateful to her for saving their land against dragonmages, taking her into their wing and making her one of theirs as a disguise to the overall mission. But holy hell, if there's a villainess character done right, Isabelle would be one such lady herself that's instilled in all of the correct ways: her influential network and collection of intel with high society aiding to protect the weak and bully the strong, Monica is especially grateful for Isabelle to be of help from both her outward-villainess theme and her inward-doting personality. Not to mention, the key figures themselves - the 2nd Prince Felix Arc Ridill (along with his high water spirit lizard familiar Wildianu) and Serendia Academy's Student Council of notable characters, like vice-president Cyril Ashley, secetaries Elliott Howard and Bridget Greyham, and General Affairs officer Neil Clay Maywood, of which Cyril's foster sister Claudia is one such notable character not just for being the former's finacee, but someone mysterious and discerning enough to be one of Monica's long friendships in time to come, alongside the merchant's family daughter of Lana Colette and the one that puts her relationship to the test, Casey Grove.
All the characters here are just written very well, precise and succinct to the T that you would not be able to foreshadow what's going to happen next, even when you least expected it to come. This is in part thanks to the depth of the story itself that concerns not just Monica, but everyone else pertaining to their (mostly horrific) backstories and how time sequentially passed, has made them into characters of not just confidence, but laden with vulnerabilities that can only be seeked to open their own Pandora's Box if they choose to confide with people they love or hate. I appreciate characterization if a story as bare-bones as this works good, so this is defintely a class act of writing that while isn't unique, it's indingeious to its setting that it feels as if you're fully immersed in its vast world that's "A Series of (Un)fortunate Events" for Monica Everett and her company of friends and enemies alike, along wtih everything in between that's the epitome of the terrors of people and social interaction.
To be frank, Studio Gokumi, even on its own track record, they're not a studio you immediately think of when it comes to quality. Though this time with Silent Witch, you can always expect a high quality production that comes mainly from Aniplex themselves, and with that boost in budgeting money, means that animation is up there along with the rest as well. And as you can already tell, Silent Witch just looks gorgeous, beautiful and a delight to look at for the eyes. Along with that, the inclusion of KonoSuba and PriConne director duo Takaomi Kanasaki along with his protege of Yasuo Iwamoto being the 2nd show that they have officially worked together on, as well as rookie music composer Rina Tayama with the help from CyGames, the OST itself too follows the same trend as said production quality itself that's subtle, but still good overall. And I love it when single artists can helm one show and do it just right, as is with Hitsujibungaku's OP and ED songs, though I have a preference more for the ED than the OP.
I may not speak this on behalf of everyone, but Silent Witch: Chinmoku no Majo no Kakushigoto a.k.a Secrets of the Silent Witch, is not just a show where its MC has all of the appeal of Bocchi the Rock!'s Hitori Gotou, but it's a show where, like Bocchi, examines how even the most minute and not-standoff-ish characters have a similar objective to overcome what they're worst in and continue to make their mark with the people around them, which makes yet another effective form of storytelling not just about the world itself, but of the characters themselves as well.
A mission to overcome social anxiety, much less high society? Hitori Gotou may have the guitar strings to survive reality, but Monica Everett is the newest and most recent darling of a young and growing woman that we all can root for.
Sefara
The premise of the series are simple, socially awkward MC, fantasy world whit academy setting and an Otome twist, not exactly something unique. The anime start whit a clear presentation of the Mc as a strong and unique mage, only for it to fell more and more towards romance that in the end serve no real porpouse for the story since a romantic life is not the goal of the Mc, and the fact that it also has an Otome aspect to it doesn't really help. In short it lacks a bit of action whit the result being that the starting plot of the whole storydevelope really slowly whit a worldbilding pratically non existing that would be fine if the premise of the first episode were different.
It's still a good enough watch in regard the comedy so it has that. The animation is really good just like the music that it really feel magical in some scenes.
valiantslakr
BOCCHI THE WITCH! What if you took Bocchi, made her OP like Frieren, made her even more moe/adorable, but still capable of casting magical artillery? Monica Everett, the adorable protagonist is thrust into an undercover mission of attending another magic highschool while secretly acting as a bodyguard for the second prince of the kingdom, but oh noez, her social anxiety is even WORSE than Bocchi; hilarity ensues. The anime does a fantastic job at balancing the light hearted humor, the cuteness, and the seriousness of conflicts that actually arises. You've got a blend of villainess isekai anime, a bit of 'Apothecary Diaries', and a bunch of'Bocchi the Rock', and maybe Kaos from 'Comic Girls' anxiety all mixed together in a fun manner. My only criticisms would be Monica being TOO meek at times and not standing up for herself in certain scenes while someone else steps in, but at the end of the day, that's how her character is slowly developed, albeit a bit too slowly. I also feel like the obvious romance with the obvious love interest felt a bit forced with how little interaction they actually have until the last few episodes of the season but perhaps it will improve should we ever get another season (it better).
All in all, really enjoyed this one; an underrated gem of the season that everyone ought to give a try if you enjoy "moe but strong" and "she's like me FR".
