If You Love ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service,’ Watch Netflix's New Magical Anime Series -

Spring is blooming, and that means a whole new round of romantic anime titles are ready to stir up the game. Enter Witch Watch, the newest magical rom-com that is changing the “Golden Trio” trend to the superpowered odd couple dynamic. Based on Kenta Shinohara’s Weekly Shōnen Jump manga, the highly anticipated series recently premiered on April 6 on Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu and is already earning laugh-out-loud praise from fans.

Witch Watch centers on Nico (Rina Kawaguchi), a bubbly witch-in-training, who moves in with her childhood friend and crush, Morihito (Ryota Suzuki), a deadpanned human-like ogre. While Nico aims to strengthen her magic skills and win Morihito’s heart, he must face all the mayhem that comes with being a witch’s familiar. Their electric chemistry evokes the whimsical charm of Kiki’s Delivery Service, and immediately makes its mark in Episode 1—equal parts magical setup and chaotic rom-com energy.

‘Witch Watch’ Is an Anime About a Human Orge Who Becomes a Familiar to a Rookie Witch

Nico using a pink magic spell in the Japanese rom-com Witch Watch by Kenta Shinohara. — Image via Bibury Animation Studios

Adapted by Bibury Animation Studios, Witch Watch is a parody of tropes from popular fantasy anime and films, intertwining cartoonish humor, magic and realism, and a bonkers main duo. The show’s premiere, “Witch’s Return”, jumps right into the magical time bomb when Nico Wakatsuki, a teenage witch who has completed her six years of training in the Holy Land, returns to her hometown and reunites with her childhood friend Morihito “Moi” Otogi. For Moi, he couldn’t be in for a bigger awakening!

Moi just happens to be an ogre and a descendant of familiars who used to serve witches. Though familiars were usually animals, the evaluation of time has transformed them into humans. Nico has chosen Moi for this very purpose, but he’s in denial since he only remembers Nico from their childhood. Having to keep the code of the ogre clan’s master-servant relationship, Moi reluctantly accepts his new role and is tasked with protecting Nico despite her tendency to ruin everything she puts a spell on. And to top it all off, they become roommates!

These two teens couldn’t be any different, but that’s its beauty. The interplay between Nico and Moi forms the heartbeat of the anime’s belly-laughing jokes. Nico’s heart-eyed exuberance and klutzy nature clash with Morihito’s disciplined and serious-minded persona, creating a classic “grumpy meets sunshine” dynamic. Nico’s magical experiments go awry as she attempts to impress her crush, leaving Moi to manage the fallout. In one scene, Nico accidentally turns herself into a paper doll, which goes sideways. An amusing chase follows. Morihito sprints through the neighborhood, trying to catch his paper-thin roommate as she floats like a flyer in the breeze. It’s pure slapstick brilliance, reminiscent of old-school Looney Tunes, that only gets more haphazard.

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‘Witch Watch’ Is a Parody of Studio Ghibli’s ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’

Episode 1 makes it clear that Witch Watch isn’t mocking magic anime; it’s celebrating them while having a blast flipping expectations. The familiar tropes are all there: the prophecy, the childhood promise, the friends-to-lovers setup. But every time you think it’s going to follow the formula, it does something goofy instead. This is a parody with heart. The jokes don’t come from a place of cynicism; they come from genuine affection for the genre.

Nico may fly on a broomstick and carry herself with the giddy confidence of Studio Ghibli’s Kiki, but she’s a walking parody of magical girl protagonists. Where Kiki delivers pastries and packages, Nico delivers chaos. Her energy is infectious, and Morihito’s deadpan reactions are comedy gold. He genuinely cares about her safety and well-being, though he’s also exhausted by her unpredictability. There’s also a layer of sweetness underneath the funny mishaps. Viewers can already see that these childhood sweethearts are already blushing, turning away, and pretending not to care.

This defines the story’s blend of absurdity and cuteness. No melodrama, no blaring romantic music—just two awkward teens stuck in a magical mess, trying their best. The anime knows we’ve seen the “childhood friend turns romantic interest” thing before. Instead, it leans into the ridiculousness of it all, much like Mashle: Magic and Muscles parodies Harry Potter. Witch Watch is fast-paced but not rushed, funny without being chaotic-for-chaos’ sake, and sweet without drowning in sugar.

Best of all, it leaves you itching for more weekly episodes—more spells gone wrong and more of Nico’s novice magic crashing against Moi’s stone-cold realism. Their cohabitation, filled with budding feelings and mishaps, sweetens the physical gags and romantic tension as a foreboding prophecy hints at impending danger. If Episode 1 is any indication, Witch Watch is shaping up to be one of the most charming anime of the season.

You can stream Witch Watch on Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Hulu.

WITCH WATCH

Release Date: April 6, 2025
Network: TBS, MBS, CBC, Tulip Television, BSN, tys, NBC, HBC, RKK, i-Television, SBS, IBC, BSS, MRO, OBS, TUF, RSK, TUY, tbc, RKB, SBC, KUTV, RBC, UTY, RCC, MRT, atv, MBC