First Glance: The Circle of relatives Cases of the Abnormal Witch
Alternative title(s): Dekoboko Majo no Oyako Jijou
Manga Adaptation by A-Real
Streaming on Crunchyroll
Premise
A newborn is discovered in the wilderness by a witch named Djeeta Alissa, who decides to raise it as her daughter. The girl is given the name Viola, and she matures quickly. When she turns 16, no one can distinguish between her as a child and an adult.
Jel’s verdict: How did they get Nana Mizuki for this?
This could have been good with a few adjustments. The mother-daughter bond on display in the show is unexpectedly strong and based on love and trust. Despite their outward appearances, both characters normally behave their age, which is meant to be the point. Even the jokes were funny to me, like the cartoonish phoenix they summon that appears to have been drawn by a third-grader.
Sadly, Viola has breasts, and like many anime, its makers are forced to make that its main point of interest. Her character is purposefully made to appear older and sexier than she actually is in order to sell the joke, but this doesn’t work because they also underline the fact that intellectually, SHE IS STILL A CHILD. She physically smashes her boobs into her mother’s face for half of the episode, and for the other half, the other witches speak about how she’ll find a partner soon, so I can’t just ignore that. gross.
To be fair, what is shown on the television is actually quite mild. There aren’t any creeper cams or anything like that (yet) flying up Viola’s dress. There is no denying that Viola’s physique is emphasized, though, which adds a creepy element that I don’t want to cope with. Even if you removed it, I’m not sure whether this show has what it takes to be much more than a passable, heartwarming comedy. After all of that, I don’t suggest watching this.
(Programming note: episode 1 and 2 were released simultaneously, this review is based on only watching episode 1)
