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May 12, 2026
Up to this point, Ichi The Witch is standard Shonen and that’s ok, and while it’s definitely a series I enjoy to an extent I couldn’t with my full heart say that it is something that you should read. If you are simply looking for a solid fantasy adventure then go for it, there is nice art and an intriguing power system. If you are looking for something with a compelling cast of characters then you might want to read with caution as both the protagonists but mainly the antagonists are lacking in my opinion.
Let’s start this review with what readers might take away from
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it. The story has a solid premise and from my experience reading it, has a focus on found family, fighting against fate, love, etc. Of course the reader should have read the description of what this story is about but if what I took away from the story at all sounds interesting than you should definitely consider reading.
Now for the art, for me personally art style isn’t a necessity for a good manga and it shouldn’t, however Ichi The Witch blesses you with some fantastic art. One thing that I took away was how the artist, Shiro Usazaki, captures facial expressions, he is really good at capturing a wide arrange of emotions but it doesn’t seem to be what he is best at. His highlight to me being, how he drowns you in gorgeous double spreads of the scene at large and usually these spectacles happen back to back. Paneling is something that goes hand in hand with the art, and Ichi The Witch’s paneling usually helps to convey the small details and changes in the characters to help emphasize and enrich character moments. It’s clear and effective at progressing the story and something that is absolutely a strong point of this manga.
Another strong point is the humor, and while this is most definitely the most subjective criteria, even if slightly generic Ichi The Witch is also pretty funny. The chibi art style when used is super cute and really makes it that much more expressive. While there’ll be a section focusing more on the characters later, they are very quirky typically for any major Shonen.
A good power system is what any good Shonen needs and from what I take personally in a story, this is Ichi The Witch’s strongest point. Majiks and the hunts surrounding them, and how Witches themselves are only female, to me these are fantastic ideas and for around half the time I think this stories does a good enough job at executing them. For starters Majiks hunts aren’t based solely on strength they typically require a level of cleverness or trick to obtain them. These hunts are super fun, and truthfully I wish there were more of these to help showcase the creative talents of both the author and writer, though we are unlikely to get one any time soon because of how the plot is progressing.
Now while I am a male, I do believe it is incredibly important to understand why a women dominated witch society is really good. Typically in a lot of stories that I have read so far, they clearly treat women as lesser creatures and it is really upsetting to see, in Ichi The Witch’s there is none of that. It also serves as a critique to how women are treated in the real world, and also serves in general great representation for women who despite loving Shonen, a male dominated demographic, to find a story not seeped in misogyny. So this is definitely the make or break factor for how much you will like the series, because this series is woke and tries to challenge quite a few gender norms, not even just for the women. Obviously that alludes to the mc being a man, but other plot points later in the story.
This does bring about a massive criticism about this series, the writer Osamu Nishi, makes the characters so one dimensional that it is almost bland to read sometimes. Other than being quirky up till now they have shown little nuance that makes me compelled to like them beyond surface level. A big offender of this is Ichi, his whole mindset behind “Death for Death” is cool in concept but other than that there is very little to delve into with his character. But his character is most definitely written like that on purpose and despite at times being inconsistent it makes sense. And in general the good guys are good and the bad guys are bad, and the writer doesn’t make any attempts to try to question you. Now whether or not that is what you take away from this story or not is up to you, but to me the characters are painfully one dimensional.
This extends to the antagonists who are most definitely the biggest offenders of my one dimensional character critique. At this point of writing the review we have finished 3 major arcs so we have a fair enough idea of what kind of a story the writer wants to make, and if im right im going to be continuously disappointed at the poor antagonists cast. Because this story revolves around witches and their hunts against Majiks at the end of the day they are all evil just for the sake of it, which is fine, however antagonists are a major aspect of what drives a story forward and if you are lacking in that it makes it all kinda fall flat.
The writer also struggles with their build up and their execution of the plot to me. At times she sets up a nice idea and instead of letting it wait just a little bit, she impatiently decides to skip ahead leaving out potential emotional build up. But the problem is how inconsistent this is, I feel like if she was to make everything face paced then that would be fine, I could adjust how I view the story. However she is pretty inconsistent around 70% of the time she follows through on fast pace storylines, the other 30% is a weird kinda slog to get through. The writer needs to sort out and balance when exactly to let things play out and when to give things little breathing room, while this might have been because of fear for the axe, from this point forward I will hold nothing back when it comes to criticisms for this.
Now modern day manga and Shonen has been criticized for being unoriginal and bland, what exactly qualifies this I’m not too sure. Despite that I think Ichi The Witch is a case study of this, because in one of the early paragraphs I mentioned what the themes were of this story. The “problem” is that well… this just seems like any other Shonen series, found family, adventure, love these are some of the earliest ideas that Shonen has to offer, and Ichi The Witch tries to offer nothing more of value to me.
To summarize my thoughts I believe Ichi The Witch to be solid surface level enjoyment. it is something that I absolutely would recommend to someone new to anime/ manga as it has a creative power system, good humor (imo), great art, and a simple premise. However I find it harder to recommend it to someone who is looking for a well developed cast of characters (especially antagonists), worthwhile build up and execution of plot points, and overall something that isn’t just a regurgitation of the standard Shonen formula.
In my opinion to enjoy this series the most just read Ichi The Witch but don’t expect anything mind blowing or thought provoking.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 1, 2026
This one shot is everything that makes Hokazono such a fantastic mangaka, if the reader is a big fan of the action that Kagurabachi has then this manga is a must read. Its creative use of perspective and fantastic panel composition is at full display in this one shot, and while the plot and characters aren’t the greatest they are definitely interesting enough to not bore the readers until they get to the fantastic action.
With it being a one shot there isn’t much to talk about, however I wouldn’t be honest with myself if I didn’t believe that the art at times does look flat,
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despite how much I enjoy Hokazono’s art nowadays, his earlier art was definitely rough. But don’t let these little gripes deter yourself from reading this one shot it is still a good read.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Mar 1, 2026
A corporate take on the magical girl genre, and it does so pretty incredibly. This series features a loveable cast of characters, surprising amount of intrigue, and it doesn't overstay its welcome. If there was one way that I would describe this series it would be unexpectedly amazing at points.
Magilumiere has very effective art and paneling, and while neither are outstanding they are both effective enough for the reader to get engaged with the story. However, when the series touches on darker topics, it doesn't hesitate to shock the reader with a dramatic change in art style. The combat that features within this series is
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nothing spectacular however with it being so simple, it is very easy for readers to follow along.
Now while the cast of characters is loveable, they are also slightly forgettable because of the simplicity that the manga tends to take. This simplicity is by far both the series biggest strength and weakest, preventing it from becoming something truly compelling, however allowing almost anyone to be able to engage with this series. The plot also has a surprising amount of intrigue and mystery to it, and while it is certainly nothing life changing, it is most definitely engaging enough to keep readers hooked.
And the most important aspect to this series is how it never wavers from what kind of a story it tries to tell the reader even by the end. The intention of the series is known from the start and readers will learn to love the different aspects that will come there way. The story doesn't try to make it something that it isn't like, stretching out the ending for no reason, or adding unreasonable plot lines. Magilumiere does neither of these things and stays a relatively short and concise series from beginning to end.
Overall, Magilumiere is manga that more people should read, despite the story telling never being able to take that next leap into something truly incredible, the aspects that make this series fascinating definitely out weigh its slightly bland parts. This series will shock the reader at points, however it's slightly doubtful that it will make a lasting impression. With all that said, it is a good coming of age story that has simplistic story telling, however while not for long there will be some shining moments within it that will sit longer in the readers mind.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 26, 2026
Unbelievable boring and slow, if you want to engage with it just watch the fights on YouTube.
This anime has a nice aesthetic with the hip hop influences, and very clean fluid animation especially for the time but that doesn’t negate how dull it is. The pacing is genuinely so egregious in all aspects, horrendous during backstories, horrendous during the “normal” scenes, and ok during fights. And while the main glaring issue is the pacing that isn’t the only issue.
Another are the characters, with 5 episodes and the reputation that this show carries the expectation set for the characters were never high, however it felt like
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they didn’t try at all. Afro is an unbelievably boring character and somehow an even worse character during flashbacks talking about how he needs to get the number two headband. Afro probably only spoke no joke maybe 20 lines in the whole series and that is being generous. But don’t worry at least Ninja Ninja isn’t boring but he is unbelievably annoying.
The plot is also lame and boring, the show tried to set up how the cycle of violence will always continue and how it affects Afro and stuff like that, however it was just done really poorly. Like mentioned previously the plot never was the highest priority during my watch however they surely could’ve tried better than this.
But surely the fights are good right? Not really, between spending smilingly 10 hours during each episode because of the egregious pacing, the horrific characters, and almost nonexistent plot the show finally “rewards” you with action, and gives you the most lackluster and disappointing fights imaginable. They simultaneously last too long and too short at the same time, and while there is a certain factor of coolness that they bring it is not nearly enough to feel rewarded for the snooze feat one would have to go through to get to this point.
Tldr I went in with the expectation of cool fights and something I could turn my brain off at, however while watching it somehow was even dumber than expected and had such poor fight quality that it didn’t make this show worth it at all.
I know most people heard it was super cool so don’t bother actually watching this show and wasting your time, if you’re only here for the fights just search them on YouTube, because the characters, and pacing are so horrendous. I went in with the expectation to not expect much if not anything and even still I was dissatisfied, complete waste of time.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Feb 15, 2026
Enough Time Has Passed, after 112 chapters of nonstop action, Part 1 of Kagurabachi comes to an end and now is the perfect time to not only recommend this manga but to start reading it yourself. Any fan of the Shonen genre MUST start reading this manga, and soon to be anime because it has every quality that a top tier Shonen has imo. And what started as a meme even before the series was officially released, has turned into one of Shonen's hottest and best selling manga without an anime ever, and what makes this achievement even more impressive is that Hokazono is doing
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this in a market where physical copies are becoming less popular. Regardless of how one would feel about the series itself, for Takeru Hokazono to be making a manga of this quality and this popular as his first fully weekly manga series is a feat on its own.
After this paragraph this review will be filled with some spoilers and a more in depth review of all the main qualities that make this such a special series already. However, if readers don't want to bother themselves with reading the rest, what makes this manga so compelling is its simplicity. The series starts off very simple, with basic but cool premises; however, it evolves and grows with the rest of the story to make something truly compelling. Another aspect that makes it spectacular is how Hokazono wastes no time in not only setting up characters and arcs, but also finishing them and making each chapter a special read. Lastly Hokazono wears no shame in putting what helped influence this manga on full display while making it entirely his own thing. Kagurabachi has many special qualities, from its unbelievable fights and use of perspective/ paneling, emotional backstories and fantastic cast of characters, to unironically the aura that it has and how cool it is.
Lets start this review briefly talking about the main character Chihiro Rokuhira, one of my favorite Shonen mcs to come out not only in recent memory but of all time. He first comes off as this edge lord who just wants revenge but as the story goes on and as the reader learns more about him you realize that he is the exact opposite and he is one of the most hopeful, optimistic and GENUINELY empathic mcs that have graced the Shonen landscape in recent memory. And another aspect of his character that is great is that up until now he has been more "developed" and "mature" than other Shonen main characters but not in the way the reader may think. It isn't necessarily that Chihiro is more mature than characters like Luffy or Asta because of how he acts, its like that because it feels like he is already way farther along on his journey than other mcs when the main story starts, (which sort of gets into how fast paced this manga is) as the story starts after a 3 year time skip with his father already dead and he having pretty good proficiency of his weapon the Enten. Chihiro in Part 1 is basically like a sponge retaining all the information that the world is giving him about their view of the enchanted blades after being sheltered and only fed his father's description of what they should be used for. And despite the conflicting ideals he gets ready at the end of Part 1 to forge a new blade with a new ideal that HE, Chihiro Rokuhira wants to wield. His growth as an main character is absolutely fantastic to see grow weekly and something that the reader should experience themselves, as I do feel like I am leaving off details about more of the intricacies of how he acts but that should be left up to you, the reader.
This review will continue with characters as it will briefly summarize some of the side characters and what makes a lot of them (not main antagonists or main side characters) so compelling. Kunishige Rokuhira despite not being present in many chapters and being dead since the start of the manga, his impact and weight is felt by EVERY character in the series and helps drives them further despite not being dead. Every time a character gets ready to claim or forge a new ideal it is off the basis of his enchanted blades that he crafted with his own ideals to end the Seitei War. Soya Sazanami, despite being an awful person who tortures one of the main deuteragonists, does so because of the legacy of their family and their twisted views on love. Despite how I may feel about him as a character, he is undeniably compelling to a certain degree. Ikura (THE GOAT) is unironically something that made me believe that this series was going to be truly special, despite only being a friend to one of our other deuteragonists the way he carries himself after seeing what Chihiro does and his desire to protect Iori is wonderful. Kiri is another wonderful side character who has shown herself to be cute and quirky but also to be a further big player later, despite not having much about her character yet she proves that Hokazono can make lovable characters very quickly.
Continuing with characters lets start with the Antagonists/ Villains, because despite it only being Part 1 Kagurabachi has laid claim to already having one of the strongest Antagonist cast in not only Shonen history, but potentially even manga history already. The first main villain of the story Sojo is fantastic as he directly opposes Chihiro's ideal and also features in one of the greatest first arcs in manga he is cold menacing and actually funny (bonus chapters). Kyora Sazanami the main villain of the next arc is bold and extravagant, in many ways he feels like the ultimate Shonen villain, being unbelievably extra with his Presentation, PROCEED! The way that Hokazono presented and paneled his arc made it such an unbelievable read and him such an unbelievable villain, PROCEED! The Hishaku, the main antagonists cast for Part 1 of this manga have been fantastic so far, from their leader Yura, to the members such as Hiruhiko, Hokuto, Uran, Bingo, Yokishida, Kuguri, Toto, to the two unnamed members. To keep from dragging this review out it will be leaving out why this group is unbelievably good, but I will briefly mention both Yura and Hiruhiko. Yura's character and how he was developed directly contrast Chihiro in many ways and makes their interactions very interesting, and even before knowing his inner machinations he was still very elusive and mysterious which gets explained later in the manga. Hiruhiko is mischievous and is set up to be a potential final villain candidate for Chihiro, his fighting style and presentation to his current weapon all are so fitting (duh), they all work together to make a very complexing villain who at any point could live or die, which makes him even more fun. The Sword Saint is this version of Chihiro in a different era almost, despite being massively more powerful, he wields the same ideals as Chihiro and similar mannerisms as Kunishige.
Finally, former antagonist Seiichi Samura is one of the greatest characters that have popped up in the last 10 years. Almost every time he was on screen he stole the show, with some of the coolest and well thought out character writing that I have witnessed in animanga history. To have a character this good, this compelling be set up and concluded in around 60 chapters is what confirmed to me that this was a future hall of fame manga. I don't want to explain any parts of his character, because they are better left interpreted and left for the reader, because his story is something truly special.
Finally the main side characters and deuteragonists, which won't be as long but they are just as great. Hakuri Sazanami, the way that his past shaped him to force him to hurt himself to his own detriment, how he helped save Chihiro by just being fantastic and funny in his own way makes him incredibly lovable. Iori which wasn't entirely revealed until the end of Part 1, which just shows that Hokazono is setting up for something big in the future. Still her reveal in the Swordbearer Execution Arc and her own personality makes her lovable. Characters like Shiba who is sort of like a Satoru Gojo in a way with him always being too late to help and being the pinnacle of sorcery (not enchanted blades). And what separates him from other mentor characters is that he is an irresponsible and lazy adult, he is still also really cool and has awesome teleporting. The characters have all been absolutely fantastic and get a 9/10 with the antagonists being stronger overall and some backstory nitpicks but here are some other awesome characters to take note of on your read: Uruha, Azami, Natsuki, Char, Hinao, Ikuto, Hiyuki, and The Masumi.
Next up are the incredible paneling, perspective and fights, because at the end of the day Shonen is about cool fights, and Kagurabachi has no lack of that in any department. His love of movies are on full display with unbelievable cinematic fights and perspective shots. Not only that Hokazono makes his art and by consequence characters feel so alive whenever he draws a panel. His fights read like a movie and they are truly a sight to behold, whenever reading I always can just see the anime because Hokazono made a manga that was 100% made for an anime adaptation.
The power system is very simple, however like mentioned previously it is that simplicity that makes it so good and evolves and grows throughout the story. Sorcery is powered by spirit energy which equals to life force. In fact it is basic, however the fact that later on it is revealed that if you burn up too much energy it condenses and turns to black and kills you is a fantastic addition. Another thing that makes it great is you really feel how powerful the enchanted blades are early on, despite some readers maybe thinking that this just feels like super powerful weapons that can slaughter anyone, and in some aspects they may be correct, story and power wise the Enchanted blades have all been set up fantastically. Their unique powers are simple, however their applications evolve with the reader and make them their own special weapon.
The arcs in Part 1 have all so far been masterfully set up and all got magnificent conclusions. All of the main overarching arcs: The Vs Sojo Arc, The Rakuzaichi Arc, and the Swordbearer Assassination Arc all are incredible, however it truly feels like with each arc, each chapter, each panel is better than the last. They set the tone for the series wonderfully, and add more details and mysteries as the story goes on. Despite it only being Part 1, Hokazono makes each arc feel like the last, because of how incredible he is at building tension.
Let’s conclude this review because hopeful enough was explained for the reader, Kagurabachi, while not straying away from any violence manages to be one of the most hopeful reads. And it does so while having awesome fights, paneling, perspective and characters. Each chapter seems better than the last and the art feels unbelievably alive. It is clear that Hokazono has a plan for this manga and it is abundantly clear that any reader should be along for the ride, because with the end of Part 1 of Kagurabachi, truly Enough Time Has Passed.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jan 4, 2026
An alright but generic story, plagued with awful animation but had moments of promise that will leave the viewers emotional.
As someone who hasn’t read the light novels or manga this anime felt like it was generic average isekai boring garbage. That said there were a couple of moments which left me craving more the main being the interaction than subsequent fight between Shinya and Girard. The fight wasn’t done well animation wise however it actually was very effective in tugging on the emotions.
Another story telling aspect I really liked was the passage of time, in a somewhat similar yet completely different method to
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Frieren (big difference in quality I know) seeing Shinya’s interaction with the current generation and his companions from the past proved intriguing.
The harem adjacent aspects are incredibly annoying to watch through however that doesn’t make the characters annoying or bad, just incredible bland. The main character as well isn’t offensive just boring.
Which gets to the point of this review, this anime could’ve been so much better, the foundation was there for a solid yet generic isekai story however such lack luster animation quality made it nearly impossible to do so. However that doesn’t make the emotional scenes any less impactful just their weight gets significantly lighter because of the poor animation quality. I sincerely hope that this never gets another series because this story doesn’t deserve to be butchered this badly and to this extent.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jan 4, 2026
I did not expect to like this anime this much, despite some standard anime nonsense plaguing it, ultimately it is a good watch.
Dennis is actually a pretty good main character and the animation was solid especially in fight scenes, nothing groundbreaking however good enough to not make it a bore. The first bit of episodes were fun slice of life adjacent scenes, and introduce the characters that become good friends with Dennis. And while I do wish the backstories affected the characters more in day to day life, they are still very impactful and effective to show the side cast and get you to
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bond with.
My favorite thing about this series was seeing the relationship that Dennis had with Atelier and Vigor respectfully. With Atelier’s dynamic I have a sweet spot for good written children in anime, but this was done really well. Maybe im just glad that Dennis isn’t a pedo but seeing a father daughter relationship and be that enjoyable is great. And with Vigor his backstory shocked me but also surprised me with its amount of depth. It was a very effective way to get the viewers to understand and hate him, and his quest to also reach level 100 parallels Dennis pretty effectively.
The final episodes are dramatic but also well done, getting the side cast to set the stage for the final battle was actually really well thought out. The final battle itself had good animation and somewhat tense stakes, and when Dennis finally achieved level 100 it was done in an almost truly incredible fashion.
Now I have no information about the light novels or manga however the ending of ‘Welcome to The Outcasts Restaurant’ left it open ended enough for it to be a satisfying conclusion, but also sets up more for if it gets another season.
Overall this anime is good and more people should watch, it has half decent attempts at adding character depth and what it gives you is way better than what it doesn’t. This anime doesn’t overstep or try to be to incredible but for what it does give the viewer, anyone who watches would surely not regret watching.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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