Witch Watch Season 1 Review: The Best Comedy Anime You Slept On in 2025

If you passed on Witch Watch Season 1 because the premise sounded too fluffy, this review is your wake-up call. This Spring 2025 anime from Shueisha and Bibury Animation Studios quietly became one of the most entertaining comedy shows of the year, and it deserves way more attention than it got.

Based on the manga by Kenta Shinohara (the creator of Sket Dance and Astra Lost in Space), Witch Watch ran for 25 episodes from April to October 2025. A Season 2 has already been confirmed, so now is the perfect time to catch up before the next cour drops. Head over to our anime blog for more reviews and news, or watch anime online to stream your next favorite series.

What Is Witch Watch Season 1 About?

The setup for Witch Watch Season 1 is deceptively simple. Nico Wakatsuki is a young witch who has just returned home after years of training at the Witches’ Holy Land. She moves back in with her childhood friend Morihito Otogi, a quiet, stoic boy who descends from a lineage of ogres. A prophecy declares that Nico will become a witch of tremendous power, but danger is coming for her, and only a familiar can keep her safe.

That familiar is Morihito. The problem? Nico is completely, hopelessly in love with him. Morihito has absolutely no idea.

What sounds like a romance setup is actually a comedy engine. Nearly every episode centers on Nico casting a spell to help someone, and that spell going spectacularly wrong in a way that only Morihito can fix. The magic always works, but always has a catch. Copy an outfit from a magazine, and only the front half gets rendered. Ask for super speed, and the entire world around you slows to a crawl. The internal logic is consistent and endlessly creative, and that is where Witch Watch Season 1 really shines.

Witch Watch Season 1 Characters: A Cast That Earns Its Size

One of the bigger criticisms of Witch Watch Season 1 is that the main household gets crowded fast. By the end of the first cour, Nico and Morihito have been joined by Kanshi (a wolf tengu who is smooth-brained and lovable), Keigo (a reserved student secretly sharing a body with a werewolf named Wolf), Miharu (a young vampire who drains energy and says exactly what he thinks), and recurring visits from Nemu (a witch who can transform into animals and is perpetually flustered).

Critics of the show say this bloats the cast and dilutes the central dynamic. There is some truth to that. The first few episodes, which focus tightly on Nico and Morihito, hit differently than the busier middle stretch. But what the expanding cast also does is give the show room to breathe. Not every joke has to ride on the same two characters, and over time the dynamics between the group become genuinely warm and funny.

Morihito is the standout. As the straight man in a show full of chaos, he is endlessly reliable and the emotional anchor of the whole series. His slow, almost imperceptible thawing toward the group over 25 episodes is more satisfying than most anime manage with a big dramatic arc.

The Surprising Side Couple: Why Keigo and Nemu Steal the Show

This is a content gap competitors mostly overlook, so let’s address it here directly. The most emotionally resonant story in Witch Watch Season 1 is not the main romance between Nico and Morihito. It is the slow, awkward, genuinely sweet thing building between Keigo and Nemu.

Keigo is a loner who wants to seem cool but constantly doubts himself. Nemu is a competent witch on paper who is too anxious to let anyone see it. They are both carrying the same quiet insecurity, and the show earns their connection the right way, by letting them be vulnerable with each other in small moments that sneak up on you. Episode 16 and Episode 20 in particular are highlights of the entire season.

If you go into Witch Watch Season 1 skeptical about the romance side of things, keep watching for Keigo and Nemu. They will change your mind.

Witch Watch Season 1 Magic System: Chaos With Rules

A lot of anime treat magic as a power fantasy. Witch Watch Season 1 does the opposite. Nico’s spells are almost never combat-ready. They are utility spells built for everyday life, and the comedy comes entirely from their drawbacks and unintended consequences. This is not magic as a shortcut. It is magic as a source of problems.

What makes it work is that the rules are consistent. The show never cheats. When Nico casts a spell, the outcome follows a logic you can trace back to the wording or the spell’s concept, even when that logic produces absurd results. This is the Doraemon model applied to anime comedy, and Shinohara executes it with the skill of someone who spent years as an assistant to the creator of Gintama.

Animation and Music in Witch Watch Season 1

Bibury Animation Studios (known for romance and slice-of-life titles) handled the production. The animation is colorful and expressive, and it holds up well for a 25-episode run, with a slight dip in fluidity toward the second cour that dedicated watchers will notice but most viewers will not mind.

The opening theme by YOASOBI is one of the best of Spring 2025. The visual direction on the OP is stunning, mixing gag humor with hints of something more dramatic in a way that sets the tone perfectly. Whether you end up loving Witch Watch Season 1 or finding it merely decent, most people agree the opening is exceptional.

The sound design during Nico’s spell sequences adds a lot. The little jingle that plays whenever magic is cast becomes a signature of the series, though it can wear thin over 25 episodes.

Witch Watch Season 1 First Cour vs Second Cour: Is There a Drop in Quality?

This is a split in the fanbase worth addressing honestly. The first cour of Witch Watch Season 1 is tighter. The focus is mostly on Nico and Morihito, the jokes are fresher, and the formula has not yet fully revealed itself as a formula.

The second cour adds more characters, relies more heavily on recurring gags, and spends less time advancing the central relationship. Some viewers dropped their score significantly because of this. Others found the second cour more relaxed and enjoyable precisely because the cast felt fully formed by then.

The honest take: if you are watching for plot momentum and character development, the second half will frustrate you. If you are watching to spend time with a warm, funny ensemble doing ridiculous things, it stays consistently enjoyable throughout.

How Does Witch Watch Season 1 Compare to Similar Anime?

The comparisons that come up most often from fans are Saiki K., Gintama, Nichijou, and Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun. Those are accurate points of reference. Witch Watch Season 1 shares the absurdist gag structure of Saiki K. and Nichijou, the pop culture reference humor of Gintama, and the oblivious-male-lead dynamic of Nozaki-kun.

What sets it apart is the magic mechanic. No other show in this space has a consistent, rule-based comedy engine built around spell drawbacks. It gives Witch Watch Season 1 a hook that is genuinely its own.

The anime references scattered throughout the episodes (including nods to Hunter x Hunter, Demon Slayer, Dragon Ball Z, Attack on Titan, and Fruits Basket) add another layer for longtime fans. Newer anime viewers will still find plenty to enjoy, but the meta-humor lands harder the more you have watched.

Who Should Watch Witch Watch Season 1?

Watch it if you enjoy comedy-first anime and are happy with a slow burn on the romance side. Watch it if you liked Saiki K. or Nichijou and want something with a similar vibe but more warmth between the cast. Watch it if you want something genuinely funny to put on at the end of the day without needing to track a complex plot.

Skip it if you are primarily looking for romance payoff or serious shounen action. Witch Watch Season 1 gestures at both but never makes them the main event. The prophecy of doom hanging over Nico barely advances across 25 episodes. This is a show about the journey, not the destination.

Witch Watch Season 1 is available on Crunchyroll and Netflix. For more series like this, watch anime online and discover your next binge.

Witch Watch Season 1 Review Verdict

Witch Watch Season 1 is a genuinely good time. It is not a perfect anime. The second cour loses some of the momentum the first cour builds, a few supporting characters feel underused, and viewers who went in expecting a tight narrative will be disappointed. But as a comedy experience, it delivers. The magic system is clever, the main cast is likable, the side couple is unexpectedly touching, and the YOASOBI opening alone is worth the first episode.

If Season 2 tightens the story and gives more space to the Keigo and Nemu thread, Witch Watch could become genuinely great. For now, Season 1 earns a solid recommendation for any fan of comedy anime who is looking for something warm, creative, and a little weird.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Witch Watch Season 1

Is Witch Watch Season 1 worth watching?

Yes, especially if you enjoy comedy anime with creative magic systems and a warm ensemble cast. It is one of the better comedy shows of Spring 2025 and has already been confirmed for a second season, which means the story is only getting started.

How many episodes does Witch Watch Season 1 have?

Witch Watch Season 1 has 25 episodes. It aired from April 6 to October 5, 2025, covering two cours (Spring and Summer 2025 seasons).

Where can I watch Witch Watch Season 1?

Witch Watch Season 1 is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Netflix. You can also find it listed on our site at 9anime-tv.pro.

Who made Witch Watch?

The Witch Watch manga was created by Kenta Shinohara, who also wrote Sket Dance and Astra Lost in Space. The anime adaptation was produced by Bibury Animation Studios and licensed by GKIDS for international release.

Is Witch Watch Season 1 a romance or comedy anime?

It is primarily a comedy anime with light romance elements. The central romance between Nico and Morihito moves very slowly and is mostly played for laughs in Season 1. Do not go in expecting major romantic payoff.

Is Witch Watch Season 2 confirmed?

Yes, a second season of Witch Watch has been confirmed. No official release date has been announced yet, but the announcement came near the end of Season 1’s run in late 2025.

Is Witch Watch suitable for kids?

Witch Watch is rated PG-13 on MyAnimeList. It is generally family-friendly with no graphic violence or adult content. Younger teens and older viewers will both find plenty to enjoy.

Is Witch Watch better in the first or second cour?

Most fans consider the first cour stronger due to its tighter focus on Nico and Morihito. The second cour introduces more characters and settles into a more episodic formula, which some viewers find less engaging. Overall quality stays solid throughout, but the first cour is the better entry point.