Review: WITCHCRAFT WORKS

Now that it's October, it's time to take a look at some spooky manga.  What could truly be more spooky than the topic of today's manga: RELATIONSHIPS!

Oh, and witches I guess.

WITCHCRAFT WORKS (Witchikurafuto Wakusu), by Ryu Mizunagi.  First published in 2010 and first published in North America in 2014.

PLOT:

Honoka Takamiya is your standard issue ordinary high school boy, albeit one who always seems to end up at the fringes of the crowds that seem to constantly surround the strapping, silent class idol Ayaka Kagari.  The two begin to connect when a strange new girl attacks them both, forcing Ayaka to reveal herself as a fire-wielding witch.  Ayaka declares Honoka to be her 'princess,' possessing great power that rebellious witches will do anything to possess.  Ayaka is determined to protect him no matter what, teaching him the ways of magic and the world of witches.

STORY:

Witchcraft Works is kind of fascinating in how it tries to tweak (if not outright reverse) a lot of standard manga romance tropes.  I'm not 100% convinced that all of these changes work, but the effort is appreciate nonetheless.

The most obvious tweak is with our leading couple.  Here it's Ayaka who takes the role of the dashing, powerful, protective hero, while Honoka plays the role of the damsel.  It's a welcome take on a tired relationship dynamic, but it's somewhat undercut by other choices that Mizunagi makes with their characters.  Ayaka is very much the strong, silent type, which makes it hard for the reader to connect with her.  She seldom raises her voice or changes her expression, even when she's meant to be furious, and she seemingly takes everything from epic magic battles to fawning classmates in stride.  She doesn't even seem to be all that attached to Honoka, saving him more out of obligation than any sort of repressed affection.

Honoka has a slightly different problem.  While he may ostensibly the damsel in this scenario and the only notable male character, he still manages to be The Chosen One.  He's the one with vague but incredible power that women fight over, all while a woman who is far out of his league swears her eternal devotion to him.  It's a move that completely undercuts what the role reversal between the two was trying to achieve, turning what could have been subversive into just another male power fantasy.

ART:

Mizunagi's art is a little more engaging than his storytelling.  While they do tend to have a bit of same-face syndrome, but they're all fairly attractive.  He very clearly savors drawing Ayaka, taking great care to emphasize her height, broad shoulders, strong arms and legs, and (of course) large breasts.  He especially loves to contrast her with short, frail Honoka as much as possible, whether it's her looming over him, carrying him bridal-style, or otherwise physically imposing upon him.  It happens so often that there's no way that this isn't a fetish for him.  He does play a little with visual shojo conventions in their scenes, complete with flourishes of flowers to frame a scene.

Where the art comes to life is when there is magic involved.  Ayaka doesn't just wield fireballs; she becomes a being of sentient fire, and the other witches have similar styles of powers.  There's also a touch of whimsy to the magical world, be it the fact that the witches do literally wear pointy hats and capes or witches who are armed with giant armies of adorable, well-armed plush bunnies.  It lends the whole book a touch of fun.

RATING:


Witchcraft Works makes magic look lively and neat, but its lead aren't engaging enough to make their dynamic work and the whole thing isn't nearly as daring as it thinks it is. 

This series is published by Vertical.  This series is ongoing in Japan with 13 volumes available.  12 volumes have been released and are currently in print.