Journal with Witch
Journal with Witch is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tomoko Yamashita. It was serialized in Shodensha's manga magazine Feel Young from June 2017 to June 2023, with its chapters collected in 11 volumes. The series follows Makio Kōdai, a reclusive novelist, and Asa Takumi, her orphaned niece who she takes in.
A live-action film adaptation was released in June 2024. An anime television series adaptation produced by Shuka premiered in January 2026. The early episodes of the anime received overwhelmingly positive reviews, with praise for its writing, animation, and exploration of grief.
Plot
Makio Kōdai is a 35-year-old novelist who dislikes social contact. Asa Takumi is Makio's 15-year-old niece left orphaned after her parents die in a car accident. While Makio had a strained relationship with Asa's mother, she takes Asa in after becoming frustrated with how the rest of their extended family treats her as a burden.The two soon begin living together, and although Asa's friendly personality clashes with Makio's reserved nature, they adjust to their new life as Asa works through her grief and Makio tries socializing for the first time in years. At Makio's suggestion, Asa keeps a journal about her daily life and feelings.
Characters
;Makio Kōdai;Asa Takumi
;Nana Daigo
;Emiri Nara
;Shingo Kasamachi
;Kyōko Kōdai
;Minori Kōdai
;Kazunari Tōno
;Mimori
;Chise Morimoto
Themes
Grief
The story's themes of grief were widely discussed. Sylvia Jones of Anime News Network opined that Asa's narrative centers around her acceptance of the loss of her parents. She felt that although Asa struggles to handle the situation, she nevertheless tries her best to navigate it with Makio, with the story focusing on their emotions along the way.Allyson Johnson of In Between Drafts argued that the show provides a deeply intimate depiction of grief, stating that it "capture sensation of murky, clumsy self-realization" that "there are no neat ends". She supported this through the analysis that the story deliberately avoids creating "breakdowns or breakthroughs" solely for "narrative convenience". James Beckett of ANN concurred, opining that the story is realistically depicted and sidesteps "melodrama" or "showy displays".
Several critics commented on the story's depiction of reactions to grief. Jones observed that after Asa has a "muted" response to the initial tragedy, Makio helps Asa understand that her feelings are for herself alone, rather than for others. Jones argued that Asa only expresses her emotions when she is "stripped of her agency to carry the sadness on her own" by her classmates. Similarly, Rebecca Silverman of ANN felt that Makio offers writing as a way for Asa to process her emotions without being forced to openly express them.
Guardianship
Makio's relationship with Asa was the focus of substantial commentary. Despite the differences in their personalities, Moore regarded their dynamic as "intertwined, one informing the other, greater than they are individually", while Jones argued that the narrative's "big picture" was about the importance of emotional bonds between women, which is shown through how the main duo gradually adapt to life together.Regarding Makio's portrayal, Richard Eisenbeis of ANN opined that the story shows her as an imperfect person who takes in Asa in a moment of "righteous indignation", yet ultimately characterizes her as "respect feelings and opinions even if she doesn't understand them." Silverman argued that Makio's initial ambivalence over caring for Asa is not "coldness", but rather a depiction of the privacy of her emotions and their divergence from social norms.
Tony Prickett of Anime Feminist contended that the story confronted the flaws of Japan's foster care system by contrasting its harmfulness with Makio's "duty and justice". In particular, Prickett highlighted a scene where Makio joins Asa in a lonely desert after Asa's relatives refuse to care for her. They continued that the narrative showed how foster children are often forced to prematurely assume the "responsibilities of adulthood", even when they are not ready for it.
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Tomoko Yamashita, Journal with Witch was serialized in Shodensha's manga magazine Feel Young from June 8, 2017, to June 8, 2023. Shodensha collected its chapters in 11 volumes, released from November 8, 2017, to August 8, 2023.Live-action film
In June 2023, it was announced that the series would receive a live-action film adaptation, directed by Natsuki Seta and starring Yui Aragaki as Makio Kōdai. For the film, wrote and composed the in-story song "Asa no Uta", while performed the song "Yoake no Anata e". It premiered in Japanese theaters on June 7, 2024.Anime
An anime television series was announced in May 2024. It is produced by Shuka and directed by Miyuki Oshiro, with scripts written by Kōhei Kiyasu, characters designed by Kenji Hayama, and music composed by Kensuke Ushio. The series premiered on January 4, 2026, on BS Asahi's programming block and other networks. The opening theme song is "Sonare", performed by Tomoo, and the ending theme song is "Kotozute", performed by.Crunchyroll is streaming the series. Plus Media Networks Asia licensed the series in Southeast Asia and broadcasts it on Aniplus Asia.
Reception
Accolades
In 2019, the manga was nominated for the 12th Manga Taishō and ranked fourth with 45 points; in 2020, it was nominated for the 13th award and ranked tenth with 31 points. On Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2019 for female readers, the series ranked fourth; it ranked tenth on the 2020 list; and fifth on the 2024 list. It ranked 17th in the 2019 Next Manga Award in the print category. The series topped the 2023 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine. The series was nominated for the 28th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2024.Critical reception
The early episodes of the anime received overwhelmingly positive reviews. All four reviewers from ANN gave the premiere a perfect or near-perfect score; Caitlin Moore, writing the lead review, acclaimed the show as the "anime of the season" and called it "so beautiful, so stunningly made in every dimension, that words fail me". Allyson Johnson of In Between Drafts wrote that the show was "poised to be a critical triumph", while Tony Prickett of Anime Feminist stated that it was "hard to overstate how much I recommend it". Sylvia Jones of ANN, reviewing the first three episodes, described it as "pull the weight of several equivalent series with the amount of confidence and craft on display" and a potential contender for one of the best shows of the year.The story and writing were widely praised, with James Beckett of ANN voicing his enjoyment of the "honest, pure reality" of a "deceptively simple human drama". Johnson concurred, acclaiming the writing as "extraordinary" in its characterization. Jones opined that the story's nonlinear narrative was particularly effective in setting up a climax in the premiere episode, while Richard Eisenbeis of ANN commended the pacing through "visual metaphors and tightly-written conversation".
Many critics commented positively on the story's emotional themes, with several mentioning that the show brought them to tears. Rebecca Silverman of ANN praised the show for being an "exploration of feeling at sea in the world" that was "resonant and quietly comforting". Jones felt that the story had a "quiet emotional intelligence" and was ultimately "one of the precious few anime" written for a more mature audience, while Prickett contended that the show "sp profoundly to the human condition, intimacy, and ambiguities of grief".
The production value was well-received. Moore acclaimed the "sheer beauty in every frame of animation, every line spoken, every note of music", concluding that it "may be the most powerful thing you'll watch all year". Similarly, Prickett considered the story "exquisitely boarded, perfectly edited, and loaded with meaning", with praise for "painstakingly animated" moments. Johnson called the animation "superb" and opined that the show used a subdued color palette to emphasize smaller details and convey feelings of sadness. Jones praised the show's voice acting, calling Miyuki Sawashiro, Makio's voice actor, a "generational talent" with "impeccable" chemistry with Fuko Mori, who voices Asa.