logan.mayer - 2017-01-26 19:18:20

Before you judge my five star rating, you should know that my opinion isn’t an unbiased one. I LOVE a good anime with a slow tempo. Here before you is an anime adhering perfectly to that description, and as such, I love it all the more.

What I find most impressive about a show like this is the attention to detail, and the rigorous behind-the-scenes type work that gets done. Even though the show is slow on the surface, its subtle world-building places us in a vast world with deserts and powerful magic, of famous mages who travel far and wide. We don’t see any of this first-hand of course, but that’s precisely the charm of it. It’s a story complex in nature, but told as simply as possible–it’s up to the viewer to draw that world out of the show, though it does exist in full.

What we see as viewers is a slice-of-life anime that tells lazily the colors of suburban Japan, and that in and of itself is something beautiful to tell. It’s a viewfinder looking out into the world, albeit a small viewfinder, but a beautiful one nonetheless. Rather than being told, however, we are shown in tiny bits and subtle ways what the world beyond our tiny viewfinder can encompass. A world of grandiose and ancient whales, traversing endlessly the clouds; a world of benevolent and shy ghosts.

Five out of five. Amazing.

javier.frami - 2017-01-12 15:54:13

2016 although not being the best in recent year, has still provided some very interesting and enjoyable shows, one being Flying Witch which is produced by J.C Staff who look on track of being the best animation company of the year. Flying Witch is an iyashikei type of slice-of-life anime which has similarities in tone and pace to others iyashikei such as Aria or Haibane Renmei, whilst a similar setting and premise of the 1989 studio Ghibli movie: Kiki’s Delivery Service. It looks like it will be a strong contender for anime of the year, having already been what many would consider anime of the season.

Story:

Flying Witch like Kiki’s Delivery Service is about a female witch learning to be more self-sufficient and grow, by moving out and paving her own way forward. We follow our main character Makoto as she moves in with her relatives whilst also trying to improve her witch abilities. The story of Flying Witch is designed to be taken slowly, as it is an iyashikei anime, it is supposed to be watched every now and then and not all at once. The story doesn’t have any real depth to it beyond Makoto going to school and using her witch powers every now and again, or encountering someone from the witch world.

The charm of the story is how slow it is, this is an anime to be watched at the end of the day just to calm down and relaxed. Their isn’t any real depth to it, and that works in its favor as the story doesn’t need to focus on an overarching narrative, but rather just on small digestible episodic storylines that get resolved in that episode. Because the story is structured this way, the episodes are for the most part interchangeable and no real knowledge besides the main characters is needed to understand and enjoy any episode.

Characters:

The characters of this show is what this show thrives at; all the characters are extremely likable, pleasant and easy to understand. You can connect with any number of them or even all of them whilst watching this show, Makoto does although seem at times like an air head throughout the show, but those moments are few and far between. Alongside Makoto are her two cousins: Kei the older more mature figure, and Chinatsu the younger more excited and energetic figure. They both complement Makoto very well, as having Chintasu being introduced to the witch world helps the audience also understand how the world works as we are in the same position as her.

Makoto’s older sister Akane does appear somethings and is always a delight to see on-screen, she adds to the tone and mood of the show quite nicely with her interactions with the rest of the cast. Like the story none of these people are designed to have that much depth in them; they don’t have epic and tragic backstories, they are not mentally disturbed and they don’t go through huge and drastic psychological changes. They are all pleasant and are people you would gladly be around for a day and do nothing but sit around. They are interesting to watch because of how simply they are.
Flying Witch

Animation:

This anime being done by J.C Staff who aren’t really know for the best and most gorgeous animation, but they do animate well when they want to. Flying Witch looks great, the animation used fits the show well and the quality of animation never drops throughout its run. Their isn’t much to say about the animation since their weren’t any real stand-out scenes unlike most series that spend a large potion on intense scenes to fully capture them. The animation is very consistent, and of a pretty high quality. It seems like the budget for the show was distributed well, to ensure that every scene looks as great as it can without breaking the bank.

Sound:

Flying Witch has an amazing soundtrack, all the tracks are very tranquil and calming which fits the tone of the show well. Like the animation their aren’t any stand-out but the whole is very good, these are tracks that most people should listen to before bed or even whilst taking a nap. They are designed to get you in a relaxed state to fully enjoy the series.The opening of it was really enjoyable, the more upbeat tempo really gets the viewer invested in the show.

tl;dr

This anime is amazing, most people would say it is too slow and nothing really happens in it and they would be 100% correct in saying that. Flying Witch’s beauty is in that; it’s great because nothing really happens, and that it is a really slow series. It is something to be watched every now and again, or once every couple of days. You should never marathon this show, and even watching more than 2 episodes of it in a day would be a detriment to your enjoyment of it. This is to be watched after a long day, and you shouldn’t really focus on how many episodes you’ve watched or how close you are to finishing it, but rather just enjoying what you are watching at the moment. Everything about it: Story, Characters, Animation and Sound all mesh together beautifully to create one great soothing and relaxing series. There are no real stand-outs, but everything is very consistent and at a high level. This was for me the best anime of the season, and definitely going to be in my Top 5 anime of the year unless some really amazing shows comes along at the end to dethrone it.

Scoring:

Story: 7/10
Characters: 8.5/10
Animation: 8.3/10
Sound: 9/10

[8.31/10]

Enjoyment: 9/10
Overall: 8.66

ivy46 - 2017-01-06 20:44:01

Maybe it’s me getting old but I enjoy slice of life shows more and more these days, and adding in a fantasy element in the form of magic/witches heightened my interest for this series. Well it did not disappoint, the day to day happenings of the main character are fun to watch as we seemingly experience this new world alongside the youngest of the main cast. As we both see the world of magic and witches unfold before us we can’t help but be drawn in. Add in comedy that hits the mark and you have a solid show that is relaxing and fun to watch over and over again.

ukub - 2016-12-19 22:39:11

Perfect for slice of life fans that enjoy a little twist. That twist being cute ass witches this time around.

If you don’t like it, you are probably dead on the inside.

pkirlin - 2016-07-24 03:59:52

VERY comfy show. One of the best shows to get some food or drink and sit back and relax.

allen.langworth - 2016-07-16 23:52:32

The show closely follows a budding witch as she moves to the countryside in order to finish off her studies, both as a witch and as a highschool student. She is taken in by relatives, some which she hadn't seen in years, and right then I was worried that there would be the usual pseudo-creepy aspect to saturated anime. There isn't much of an overall story, but more like little vignettes into Makoto's growth as a witch. I felt the growth that she went through even in-between episodes! The short stories within the episodes didn't feel too cumbersome; I found myself checking the length of the episode because I didn't think it would end so soon. Apparently, the whole phenomenon of feeling as if no time has passed is common in watchers, and I didn't think that it would affect me as well. Others suggested this anime as something to watch right when you get up or get in bed to sleep. I personally think this is a nice little show to eat breakfast to.

Makoto's interactions with everyone else is pretty believable. It's easy to see the family dynamic and how much they've grown to know and care for each other as the episodes go by. I probably would have liked to see Chinatsu try her hand at some magic spells but I think it was enough that she wanted to be one. There wasn't any strange tension between Kei and the rest of the girls in his life; he truly is a great example of how even both guys and gals can be friends (it's 2016, ya'll). The show leaves in enough about characters, both new and old, that you can feel okay with just learning that the flying whale used to have people living on it, and still yearn for more than that.

The food and magical beings are easily the best part of the show. Food, for one, because I can honestly say that there can be a bit of magic involved when one makes food. We're truly blessed as humans to have such a trait where a bit of curiosity led to making such delicious food, but I digress. The production team behind this did a great job of making these delectable dishes, from the melting of the butter to the rising of hotcakes. I usually eat breakfast when I watch this show, and it only made me long for more food (also there's a difference between pancakes and hotcakes?? What????). The magical beings also involved are wonderfully made; most of them I've never heard of which is a nice breath of fresh air. My favorite is the earthfish that came around festival time.

'SHA LA LA LA' The OP is too catchy. I find myself mentally clapping in time with the song (only because I've been shoveling food in my mouth). The soundtrack isn't really too overwhelming but it goes along well with the slow pace of the show. Nothing too memorable, other than the OP.

Overall, this was a completely enjoyable show, easy to go through once or in a slow course of a few days like I did. Now, I really wanna see more of them!

autumn84 - 2016-06-26 10:53:17

A great blend of comedy, fantasy elements reminiscent of the best Studio Ghibli films, and pure happiness on the level of Non-Non Biyori. Plus, it's absolutely beautiful, with both the magic and the mundane animated with loving detail.

friedrich69 - 2016-06-12 19:32:55

Found boring and bizarre in the beginning, Flying Witch magically seized my interests as I decided to keep watching it. The fun I got from the show not just increases, but multiplies exponentially!
Depiction of village life in Aomori Prefecture like I have never experienced before. Love the music, slow paced narration and the gags among the characters. Might be difficult to start with but as you move on you will definitely enjoy more and more from the show!

dickens.phoebe - 2016-06-06 07:35:08

This changed my life in unidentifiable ways. Diabetes could be a worry in the future because of the sweetness overload.

raynor.brandi - 2016-05-11 22:21:50

If Flying Witch doesn't make you smile, you might want to see a doctor.