Kore ga ii desu yo.
Yes, this is the Witch Watch that works best for me. I love romcoms, and I like both couples in play here. But this show thrives on pure goofiness. It’s not that it’s bad at being a romcom, or even at being “serious”. Shinohara Kenta is too good a writer for that. But there are so many series that do those things, and quite a few do them better. How many are there that play the gag comedy role as naturally and charmingly as Witch Watch? I definitely like it best when it plays to its strengths and what makes it special.
For starters this week we get a Miharu chapter, our first look at his junior high school. His day starts out on the wrong foot when Moi leaves early, and Kanshi (not that I can really blame him) gets testy about giving away his life force and tries to charge Miharu ¥1000. At school he happens upon some bullies in action and breaks it up, only to have the student council president, Fujiki Rui (Azakami Ryouhei) scold him for foiling his plan to catch the bullies in action. Miharu has built a throng of female followers for his shoujo protagonist looks and demeanor, but he tires of putting on that act and wishes he had a real friend at school.
As it turns out, Rui will be that friend. He’s a weirdo because this is Witch Watch, of course he is. A masked student is randomly breaking stuff, and turns out it’s Rui. He says he’s descended from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and while Miharu internally protests that they’re fictional characters, given his personal sitch it’s not really his place to scoff. It does make it easier for Miharu to admit he’s a vampire though. Rui is an occult otaku and I suspect a bit chuunibyou, so Miharu’s living situation is catnip. Also, Jekyll or not his weird excess energy condition makes him a perfect candidate for a symbiotic bond with Miharu.
Next up, another “The Invisible Rainbow” chapter. And that means you can book two things – it’ll be hilarious, and end with people dressing nicely and apologizing. Keigo is bemoaning his lack of views, and his suggestion of using Nico as cute girl bait is shot down by Moi. But she does offer a spell, “T.S. Revolution” (my pop culture antenna is too weak to get that joke) that turns him into a girl. “Keiko” is basically Keigo with an extra “K” and one less “G” (and Y-chromosome), but the usual moping winds up being hugely popular. The next logical step, of course, is to start introducing the other “girls” in the house one by one.
This all proves to be an even bigger hit – Kanna, Miharun, and Hitomi Mori each scratch a fanboy itch and garner a fanbase. But when an accidental crescent introduces “Wolfy” into the mix, things take quite the unfortunate turn and quickly too (though I’m sure they were very nice). Not even producer-in-training Moi can salvage this situation, and as usually Keigo’s channel winds up stepping on a rainbow (metaphorically) rather than finding a pot of gold at the end of it.
Finally, Miharun and Rui have their first date. Having painted a gloriously absurd picture of his roommates Miharu invites Rui over to the Otogi house. But Rui is so keen he arrives early, and at the station he spies the bizarro student council there, waiting for their shota member. They match the description Rui has conjured up in his mind, and through a series of perfectly plausible (given the principals) misunderstandings he winds up going with them. To a rental space, where he’s given a couple of handbells and told to be “Fa” and “So”.
The truth is, this freakshow is way weirder than the Otogi menagerie could ever be, and even if a bit puzzled Rui is quite happy to play along. Fortunately Miharu is spotted by the president at the station, and soon puts two and two together. The punch line this is all building towards is Rui protesting that the student council doesn’t look normal and their being outraged, followed by protesting that the Otogi residents look too normal and getting the same reaction. And the poor guy has been picked out as a grooming target by the president before he even gets to his high school.
