Secrets of the Silent Witch

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

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.

7.5/10 +Relatable female heroine with positive change +High production values: beautiful animation, sound, and direction -Low stakes and focus on filler distract from stronger character work -Unclear what kind of story it wants to be Silent Witch is a huge disappointment. On paper, it’s got likeable characters, a fun setting, and some interesting mysteries sprinkled throughout. Studio Gokumi pulls out all the stops to provide beautiful animation, a soft, feel-good score, and solid frame work. One can’t help but root for our clumsy but conscientious Monica as she tries to work through the challenges of navigating relationships. Her unyielding will, intelligence, and determination to succeed are traitsmost female MCs lack in fantasy epics. As viewers, we all can relate to feeling misunderstood at some point in our lives for our perceived appearance and abilities. We’re easily bought in to Monica’s struggles are excited for the ride to come. Unfortunately the rushed world building, lack of central antagonist, and unclear narrative kill what could have been a rich story. Key character beats are missing and there isn’t clear direction for where it’s heading. The highs and lows are there, but not fully earned. At times the direction is too bold, and others not enough. Superhero, slice of life, or mystery; Silent Witch lacks focus and doesn’t fully commit to tighter arcs. Silent’s Witch’s final product suffers from a massive identity crisis. In some ways it’s comforting, but isn’t fully satisfying.

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.