Journal with Witch is the story of a teenage girl named Asa whose mother dies in a car accident. She is adopted by her awkward writer aunt Makio, who is the coolest person imaginable and yet completely unlike any other adult she’s ever met. Makio believes that Asa has the right to choose what she wants out of life. But Asa’s dead mom made every choice for her. Now that she’s in high school, Asa can no longer hide from deciding who she is and what she wants. Will she learn to believe in her own capabilities, when her greatest fear is being excluded by her friends and family? Will she ever understand Makio, who sees the world so differently than she does? Journal with Witch is also the story of Makio, a successful author who adopts her sister’s daughter Asa on a whim. Makio hates her sister but she feels sorry for Asa, who is treated by the rest of her family as a child rather than a human being with agency. What Makio doesn’t realize until later is that her lifestyle as a reclusive writer is incompatible with the responsibility of raising a teenager. Now she must balance her own needs with Asa’s without breaking down under the strain. Will Makio the lone wolf learn to let other people in? Will she ever understand Asa, who sees the world so differently than she does? Asa or Makio alone would be enough to anchor a great series. What makes Journal with Witch special though, is how it interweaves both. Any one episode might flip between high school shenanigans and adult romance. Rather than distract from each other, the two heroines reinforce each other’s narratives. Makio is the immediate standout as a thirty-something year old woman who works from home. She’s easily flustered by authority, can’t work with other people around, and still resents how her sister treated her even after she passed. Asa is bewildered by how she can’t cook or clean. Still, Makio knows who she is and is satisfied living on her own even if she still experiences sexual desire. She’s also a positive role model for Asa’s classmate Emiru, who is desperate for evidence that she doesn’t need to live like her parents to be happy. Asa’s struggle to define herself is also grounded in something specific: her memories of her mother Minori. We learn through Asa’s perspective that Minori was not just a bully who hurt Makio, but somebody capable of love. At the same time, Minori’s narcissism left Asa unable to make her own choices or live on her own terms. Makio presents Asa with an entirely different way of being an adult — one that accepts other people’s differences rather than demanding that they conform. The result is a series that plays differently depending on your perspective. Asa’s story functions perfectly well as a coming-of-age narrative for teenagers, with her aunt Makio wandering through like a cryptid. Makio’s story, on the other hand, is a contemporary TV dramedy for adults, with Asa as the wild card keeping her aunt on her toes. The range of subject matter means it’s that much more likely Journal with Witch will hit you where it hurts. No matter whether you are a high school student or a working adult, there is a scene in this series that will make you say, “Ow! Why did you have to remind me?!” That sharp sense of recognition is what makes Journal with Witch great. I’ve already had conversations with fans about moments they recognized from their own lives but rarely see depicted in anime. Like when Asa’s mom, who previously told her daughter that she must learn to make her own choices, immediately withdraws those privileges after seeing her daughter’s haircut. Or the way that Makio breaks down in conversation when Asa asks her to clean up after herself. The series is also not above funny pop culture references, like when Makio recommends in one episode that Asa watch Mad Max: Fury Road . (Asa’s response: “What’s that? Sounds scary.”) I can’t go back and watch Journal with Witch as a teenager rather than an adult. But following the series each week reminds me of my own experiences returning to past favorites. For instance, when I first saw the college romantic comedy anime Honey and Clover back in high school, I identified the most with Yuta, who grows throughout the series from a freshman arts student to a working adult. Coming back to the series in college, though, I found myself drawn to senior student Takumi, who graduates early in the series, and Ayumi, who loves Takumi despite the fact she knows that love will never be requited. What’s great about works like these is that they change as you change. I found satisfaction in the idea that I could return to Honey and Clover at any time in my life and have a different read on what was going through each character’s head. As for Journal with Witch , I’m already imagining how Makio’s struggles might read to me in the next few years, or whether I might one day forget how it feels to be as frustrated and tired as Asa. I’ve seen some people say, “Why should I return to anime I’ve already seen when I can seek out new experiences?” It’s true that with so many new series coming out every year, many of which are adapted from up and coming popular manga, there is every incentive to switch out your past favorites for new ones. Meanwhile, new generations of anime fans come and go, leaving behind their chosen series as cherished memories of their youth. That’s perfectly fine, and a part of how we experience culture. It’s healthy for your tastes to change! In fact, some of my favorites are particularly close to my heart because of how they represent a specific time in my life that I can never get back. Journal with Witch , though, is proof that art doesn’t have to be ephemeral or disposable. You can return twice, thrice, and still find new details that hurt your heart. Not because the story is complicated, but because you might be a different person the next time around, with a whole new set of memories, experiences and expectations. These are stories that grow with you.
