2 Charming Modern Day Witch Anime Spring 2025

Once in a while, a niche in anime captures the majority’s interest — and this time, it’s witch anime. Modern-day witches, in particular. Basically, magic in an age of science and technology. It’s like sword fighting in the age of guns.

Witch Anime?

Just like many other tropes, witches have popularity in anime, often showing up in various fantasy series. There are some witch-centered anime — we all remember the classic, My Witch Academia. In recent times, we’ve seen Witch Craft Works, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina, and Flying Witch as some of the notable ones. Burn the Witch and The Witch and the Beast are witch-centered too, but they feel more like power fantasies (like how Fairy Tail isn’t really about magic, but rather just another battle anime power system).

This season, we have two of the most distinct witch anime taking place in a modern setting. There’s also Maebashi Witches, which technically isn’t a witch anime — rather, it’s an idol one. There’s also a witch as the main character in I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level Season 2, but that’s an isekai set in an RPG-like world. Once Upon a Witch’s Death and Witch Watch are our main topics of discussion, as they stand out from the rest of their contemporaries and offer a fun yet compelling experience.

Once Upon a Witch’s Death

Once Upon a Witch’s Death (Aru Majo ga Shinu Made) follows Meg Raspberry, a 17-year-old witch cursed to die at age 18 unless she consumes a Seed of Life — created from a thousand tears of joy. So, she runs around helping people in need and often meddles in personal matters that end in tears, which in turn provide her with the tears of joy she needs. Meg, on the other hand, learns from these events, grows as a witch, and finds new hope to continue — despite her fate carved in stone.

It’s a bittersweet story with some fun lighthearted moments, and Meg’s struggle to change her fate by giving her all. Some early moments are really well done, with well-executed poignant scenes. Later, as she grows as a witch, she bonds with more prominent figures in the story and faces bigger obstacles that test her determination and character.

How will the story end? Only time will tell. We can only observe Meg’s journey to a bittersweet end — or see her break the curse, which surely won’t come at a cheap price.

Witch Watch

Here’s a unique kind of witch anime that follows Nico Wakatsuki and her misfit group of friends. Nico is prophesied by her mother that a disaster will fall upon her. So she is sent to live with Morihito “Moi” Otogi — her childhood friend — after six years of training. Moi is from a family of ogres, which are commonly associated with witches. Later, Kanshi Kazamatsuri (the tengu), Keigo Magami, and Nemu Miyao join the group as they become part of Nico’s adventures.

Nico is a happy-go-lucky girl who wants to help others with her witchcraft and spells. She wants to be more social and open to everyone, since isolation could turn her into a dark witch with malicious intent. Moi, on the other hand, wants her to be more careful about how she uses magic, as overexposure could bring disaster right to their doorstep.

If you’re familiar with the manga author Kenta Shinohara’s work, then you know it’s a fun comedy series with some heart-wrenching moments — as seen in his previous work, Sket Dance. On the surface, it’s full of goofing around, nonsense comedy, and anime/manga/pop culture references now and then — just like Gintama, as Shinohara was once Hideaki Sorachi’s assistant. (For the record, I personally hated Sket Dance’s_ ending as it failed to pay off what it built over its entire run — so I’m a bit skeptical about how Witch Watch is progressing.)

If you’ve watched Astra Lost in Space, another one of Shinohara’s works, then you already know he’s capable of executing surprises, building tension, and landing strong plot twists. And Witch Watch isn’t far from that. Sure, it spent most of the season dilly-dallying, but it introduced the characters and the world through them — so when the plot twist hit, it hit hard. It still has to dive into emotional depth, which we may see in time.

Did I mention how amazing the Opening and Ending are? Just take a look and you’ll see.

Afterthought

A simp would only fanboy/fangirl — but we watch it for the taste of the story. Magic itself is as creative as writing can get, and having a witch at the center makes it all the more appealing. We have some incoming witch anime that might be the peak of this niche — Witch Hat Atelier, Secrets of the Silent Witch, A Witch’s Life in Mongol. So go watch some witch anime and be charmed.

Anyways, thank you for reading ♡. More Anime Reviews here if you are interested. Here’re our pricks for spring 2025 anime. Join with the community on our Discord server & Telegram chat. Check out our YouTube channel for extra content. Take care.

After Conclusion

Another compelling aspect of Once Upon a Witch’s Death is its world-building. The narrative doesn’t rely solely on Meg’s personal journey; it paints a broader world filled with folklore-like elements and layered characters, each with their own backstories and emotional baggage. The tears of joy mechanic, while sentimental, cleverly ties emotional catharsis to magical progression, giving weight to episodic character arcs. The show also subtly critiques how emotional labor is often expected from kind-hearted individuals — Meg, despite her looming death, still finds herself burdened by others’ problems. This emotional realism contrasts well with its whimsical tone.

On the other hand, Witch Watch shines in its group dynamics. While it’s comedic on the surface, the chemistry between characters deepens with time. Each supporting character adds a different flavor — from Kanshi’s airheadedness to Moi’s deadpan seriousness — making the slice-of-life moments genuinely engaging. The show also plays with genre-blending, seamlessly jumping from school life comedy to emotional drama to supernatural action. As it progresses, it teases long-term plot developments and gradually builds tension beneath its easygoing exterior. This balance between humor and looming threat keeps the tone fresh. In a season of overly dramatic or overly goofy shows, Witch Watch manages to stay emotionally grounded while still being unpredictable.