Even slice of life has different levels from its core. Flying Witch in my mind sits somewhere near the very core of the genre, where pretty much many other Iyashikei (癒し系) / Healing anime are hanging about.
To the minor but vital details!
Type: TV Series
Genre(s): Slice of Life, Comedy and Supernatural
Source of adaptation: Manga
The time it was aired: Spring 2016, April 10 to June 26
Studio responsible: J.C. Staff
Because you need more synopsis from MAL, right?
In the witches’ tradition, when a practitioner turns 15, they must become independent and leave their home to study witchcraft. Makoto Kowata is one such apprentice witch who leaves her parents’ home in Yokohama in pursuit of knowledge and training. Along with her companion Chito, a black cat familiar, they embark on a journey to Aomori, a region favored by witches due to its abundance of nature and affinity with magic. They begin their new life by living with Makoto’s second cousins, Kei Kuramoto and his little sister Chinatsu.
While Makoto may seem to be attending high school like any other teenager, her whimsical and eccentric involvement with witchcraft sets her apart from others her age. From her encounter with an anthropomorphic dog fortune teller to the peculiar magic training she receives from her older sister Akane, Makoto’s peaceful everyday life is filled with the idiosyncrasies of witchcraft that she shares with her friends and family.
Story and plot
Nothing to see here. Let’s move on…
_______________________________
Okay I’m only half kidding. There IS a story and only one plot in this lovely show.
Actually never mind that. I just went back to read the synopsis above and all of the story is pretty much there, so go back and read up.
Sorry for being unprofessional but it’s the truth about this slice of life show.
Characters
Ah. Finally the time I can actually write something meaningful…
They are as real as they can get. None of the archetypal -dere here and there in exception of the protagonist Makoto Kowata who’s slapped with an ‘absolute airhead’ trope. All of these people have some of what we in the West consider the most natural interactions, not too fast and definitely not too slow. Nevertheless, the MVP of the show will have to go to…
The cats!
Yep. Cats in this anime aren’t the little shits you see on the fence meowing from time to time – they actually look like cats, right from their lazy ass habit to balls licking with the ‘I do not give a f*ck, literally.
So if you’re seriously in this show for the cats then you will not be disappointed.
Trolling at its finest
Art and Animation
If nothing else about this show tickle your sense of fantasy then this leaves one aspect for you to actually drool on – the visuals.
J.C. Staff has really put a ton of effort into this anime, doing what most other anime studios have been doing for a while – basing the show on real life locations. While I was editing the video below I noticed that the studio had used 30 fps production on this anime. This overall result is a scenic beauty that is the foreground, background and around! I had a good time looking at it, will you?
Feels like a good trip~
Animation for the MVP is also on point. I’m sure that they are not the focus of the show but it doesn’t take away the fact that looking at cats in anime has never been more relaxing and amusing at the same time.
Sounds
Opening Song
I truly believe that Flying Witch has one of the best and definitely the happiest opening theme for 2016 anime, period. I’m also absolutely thankful to the cute, goddess Miwa for providing yet another cute song to the anime industry (may you never stop doing so!). The song is literally my jam for whenever I’m working. This adds to the overall happiness Flying Witch has to offer!
The full version with lyric is here in case you want extra happiness.
Ending Song
It’s a completely different kind of relaxation to me. Also, it’s neat to have seiyuu to do at least the opening and/or ending to give the show that real ‘feel’. Ya know, that you’re still somehow listening to the characters in the anime.
Background Music
All of the background music are nicely arranged to relax you. Honestly, they are so carefully composed it took me a while to notice that they are the real cause of my mood being stable. I highly suggest you buy the OST if you would like great music to go with working environment.
Somehow I managed to find most of the songs on YouTube that haven’t been taken down via DCMA!
Please do not forget about the voice acting!
Relaxation isn’t all about letting everything go as you plummet down to the floor! I’m going to give my trophy to Chinatsu because she literally sounds like the sister I want to have; she’s energetic, cheerful and adventurous. Uh, those are the character traits but they aren’t convincing if the voice to go with them isn’t of a perfect match – that’s my point!
That is not to forget about everyone else, though. The rest of the characters sound real and amazing too, none of the sudden scream or meme tones.
Oh and the fact that Chito the black cat is voiced by Ai Kayano – your favorite person to ever voice masochists (Kasumigaoka Utaha of Saekano, Darkness of KonoSuba).
Despite being extraordinarily relaxing, this anime does have its moment for comedy
Most of them will fly over your head because all of the comedy in this anime has the ‘build up’ process. Some are instant and they are probably the ones you notice/laugh at immediately while some others take a good minute and involve subtlety.
In fact, the first four minutes into the anime I was already treated with some of the most common-but-never-too-old jokes in anime.
For the sake of my blog’s quality, I started recording (and sometimes editing) videos for my reviews… 🙂
How about some more laughs to make your day better?
I really wanted to post that ‘Mandrake’ video but I feel like it’s going to be too much video posting for a single review. 😛
The Verdict
In all honesty I have absolutely no major complaints about this anime. It fills all of the missing gaps left by other anime of the same type such as Non Non Biyori. If I’m allowed to nitpick though, I’d say that the pace of the show is slow, but then who am I to complain about a show that’s meant to cool your head off? Like I said earlier too, some comedic moments take long to build up and will come off as unfunny for some, but then again it’s alright – the show isn’t trying extraordinary hard to be funny at all.
Do watch this show if you have a taste for good animation in general – loving beautiful scenes and all.
Do watch this show if you’re keen to look into deeper levels of slice of life. Anime like Shirobako and K-On! are only scratching the surface of it.
Do watch this show if obviously, you’re tired of having to think about anything in anime or even in life.
Do not watch this show if you are here for a waifu war.
Do not watch this show if you expect multiple plots – there REALLY IS ONLY ONE (for now, the manga is still ongoing).
Do not watch this show if somehow you think that you’ll be rolling on the floor, laughing out loud all the time – that job offer was kindly taken by KonoSuba.
I guess this is what I’m doing to relieve my stress from the drama Saekano has brought upon me – reviewing a truly happy anime!
It has been a joyous time writing this post and I hope that it can somehow convince you to give Flying Witch a try.
Stay safe and see you all next time ^_^
Shokamoka's Blog of Wonders 
Flying Witch was beautiful but it wasn’t for me. Just too slow and too little happening most episodes. Still, for people who love slice of life, Flying Witch is a really well made show.
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That’s precisely what it is; It’s a show with little story and a single plot! Haha! ^_^’
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