Holiday Review #1: EDEN OF WITCHES

This year might feature the most diverse line-up we've had since I started doing these holiday reviews.  A big part of that is that we've seen a lot of new manga publishers start up, including this debut work from a French manga publisher.

EDEN OF WITCHES (Majo no Eden/L'eden de sorcieres), by Yumeji.  First published in 2021 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Long ago, plants, animals, and humans lived in harmony.  Then the humans began indiscriminately began killing the animals, and the plants and animals hid themselves from humanity.  A select few humans possessed the ability to sense and communicate with the plants, but they too were driven into hiding inside their own personal oases while the rest of humanity clings to life.

Inside one of these oases is Pili, an apprentice witch.  She has never ventured into the outside world, but her hand is forced when her mentor falls ill.  Instead of finding help she inadvertently leads an imperial inquisitor to their home who proceeds to kill her mentor and steal their precious plants.  In all the confusion, Pili summons an amurd - a power animal-plant hybrid spirit that she had previously planted.  Together the two must wander forth into the world to fulfill the dying wish of Pili's mentor: to find Eden, the last enclave of the witches.

STORY:

There's no doubt in my mind that Kana is hoping to sell this series to others because of its similarities to Witch Hat Atelier.  Too bad for them that those similarities are merely skin-deep.  Eden of Witches possesses none of the hope, whimsy, or charm of that series.  Instead it is a grim, post-apocalyptic tale of one young girl going up against the entire world.

Pili is an easy heroine to sympathize with but a hard one to love.  She's incredibly sheltered, constantly anxious about her abilities, and naïve to a fault.  It's unclear just how old she actually is, but she comes off as much younger and dumber than I think was intended.  Unfortunately, she's also one of those protagonists who are so naïve that they tend to walk straight into danger in defiance of all common sense.  That's how she gets mixed up with Zakum, the inquisitor who radiates Stranger Danger even before he drops his pretense, kills her mentor, and gets a wicked facial scar for his trouble.  

Maybe I'd feel better about Pili if she were more assertive in general.  Her uncertainty means that she's constantly fretting about her power, even in the middle of an angry horde.  Her naiveté means she'll follow anyone who shows her the slightest kindness, be it a helpful kid or a creepy imperial type.  On the rare occasion she does strike back at her oppressors, it's almost entirely involuntary on her part.  The quest to go to Eden isn't even her own - it was the wish of her mentor Toura.  She doesn't even have full control of Oak, the plant-wolf hybrid amurd who accompanies her.  He was bound to Toura, and follows Pili only out of obligation.  I'm not asking Pili to be a rampaging barbarian girl, just for her to take some actual initiative of her own free will once in a while.

This is definitely not a manga for nitpickers.  The premise begs a lot of questions as how humanity has survived without literally any plants or animals (be it for the sake of consumption or breathable air).  The only hints we get happen when Pili is stuck in a remote mining town due to an injury.  Even then, all we learn is that these communities are entirely dependent upon imperial rations and that for food they consume bars of a hard, fibrous, granular...something.  In fairness, this is also a world where magic can fuse plant and animal, so I can't get too pedantic about things.  Still, it was enough to be a distraction from what otherwise should be a compelling fantasy story.

ART:

You really can't avoid the Witch Hat Atelier comparisons when it comes to the art.  Like Kamome Shirohama, Yumeji favors an elaborate artstyle that's heavy on the use of hatching and details for texture.  That said, the character designs lean more towards the realistic than the cute.  The big exception to this is Zakum, with his completely bald head, narrow eyes, and serpentine grin.  If anything, Yumeji might have been laying on the visual indicators of villainry a little too heavily with him, even before he got a big facial scar.  

While the background are well-drawn, there's not they can do with a world that's mostly rocky wasteland and small, shabby stone houses.  Alas, that same sort of lifelessness also applies to the paneling.  Yumeji doesn't get playful with the panel styles like Shirohama, and their poses can be rather stiff.  You could argue that this fits better with the more serious tone of the story, but mostly it just renders the whole book a beautiful but lifeless shell.

PRESENTATION:

This series has a mildly interesting release history.  While it's not a French-made book like Radiant was, it was serialized in French previous to its release in Japan.  It's also somewhat unusual in that while it is a paperback book, it also has a book jacket.  I haven't seen something like this since the glory days of DMP.  That said, I do wish the inner cover wasn't quite so floppy, if simply to give that book jacket better support.

RATING:

Eden of Witches has a striking (and marketable) look, but its art can't entirely make up for a rather hapless heroine who is carried along by her own plot and a premise that begs more questions than it answers.  

This manga is published by Kana Manga.  This series is ongoing in Japan and France with 7 volumes available.  1 volume has been released and is currently in print.

Our Holiday Review Giveaway is underway! To find out more and potentially win a $25 Bookshop.org gift certificate, click the link above.