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WITCH WATCH Episode 2puts Nico in a new environment: high school. Still introducing the characters and the plot, we learn the basics of what will probably be Nico’s routine from now on (or at least, for a while).
So far,WITCH WATCHbrings a promising gag series, but there seems to be room for a deeper plot, especially due to the tragedy that would eventually befall upon Nico. Episode 2 featured consistent animation, perhaps also because the series doesn’t require many action scenes.
Is A Witch Going To Regular School: Is It A Good Idea?
In Episode 2, Nico starts going to high school — shestated in the first episodethat she needs to help people to complete her training. While not necessarily mandatory, it seems that going to school would be a good way to do that, as she would meet a lot of people who could use some help.
Besides,Nico always wanted to go to schooland meet people her own age, something she couldn’t do because of her training. It seems that there are no “witch schools” in this universe, which is a bit refreshing.
At first, Moi doesn’t want her to reveal her true identity as a witch, as he fears that it will bring negative attention to her. In fact, we learn more about him in this episode and how the other kids distanced themselves from him when they learned that he is an ogre.
While he may seem strict with Nico, deep inside he just wants her to make friends, and he believed that she would be ostracized by her classmates if they learned the truth. Unwillingly, Nico plays along at first… or at least she tries to.
While everyone is introducing themselves in class, Nico quietly uses a spell called Embbigen (Biggun, in Japanese), which can make things grow to a larger size. She is trying to help Moi with his eraser, but instead of making the eraser grow, she accidentally casts the spell on his hair, and then on his head, on his arm and, later, on herself. The first half of the episode is almost entirely about this spell being used in class, and it’s really amazing how the joke never wears thin.
Anyway, it comes to a point whereNico is simply not able to hide that she is a witch, so she reveals her identity. The class teacher then says that her mother has already informed the school that she is still completing her training.
With A Little Magic, The Class Can Fly High
At first, it seems it is all over for Nico, and she will be seen as the “weirdo” of the class. But, fortunately, two girls invite her to hang out at a diner after school — they are Kara Minami and Kukumi Ureshino, and it seems that they will be Nico’s closest friends at school.
Kara asks her about Moi, and she seems to be romantically interested in him (well, he is supposed to be a handsome guy), but we will probablylearn more about themin the next episodes. There’s a sweet scene whereNico talks about Moi, and she says that he’s “not that cool”, but she is unaware that he is just outside protecting her from some thugs.
Anyway, the next daywe actually learn thatNico’s classmates are pretty excited about her being a witch, and she has become quite popular. The first class of the day is “recreation”, so they can choose what they want to do. Everyone wants Nico to show them some magic, and she ends up putting them on a barrier in the outside area where they can fly.
However, things will seemingly go wrong when a truck ends up entering the barrier, but Moi is able to prevent an accident with his insane strength. And that’s how he reluctantly reveals that he is an ogre. Instead of rejecting him, everyone thinks it is super-cool — Class 3 definitely rocks, and the series has already established that the absurd will be normal here.
Several References to Shonen Jump Manga
The classroom teacher is secretly an otaku, and there are lots of references toShonen Jumpseries in this episode. For example, when Moi’s hair grows due to Nico’s spell, the teacher wonders if it isn’t Gon Freecs (fromHunter x Hunter). Later in the episode,Demon SlayerandDragon Ballare mentioned during the episode.
The show will probably make more references to other series, soJumpfans have one more reason togive this series a try.
What’s Next For Witch Watch?
The preview of the next episode doesn’t reveal much about the contents, but we will likely see Nico in her new everyday life at school. And we can bet she will cast spells that will accidentally make everything worse.
WITCH WATCH is availableto stream on Netflix, Hulu and Crunchyroll. Netflix has already revealed that dubbed episodes will be added three weeks after the subbed version is released.
