The Witch and the Beast

Episodes 1-2

The Witch and the Beast is a dark fantasy following the adventures of a sexy chain smoker with a coffin backpack and his feral gremlin companion who wants to throat-slash every broom-riding woman in sight. The characters are crass and uncomplicated, the action is sporadic and edgy, and the presentation already has cracks showing. I also like this show a lot and I can't wait to see where it is going.

My appreciation of The Witch and the Beast is, so far, almost entirely vibes-based. However, since vibes are the most difficult and most ephemeral component to nail down in any piece of art, I believe this series has a potential that is greater than the sum of the parts we're currently privy to. It's in the balancing act. The writing, for example, offsets the infodumps about witches and magic with the familiarity of its modern and vaguely European metropolises. I love to see posh security guards with riot shields trying to subdue a giant monster. The gore also hits the Goldilocks zone of being just gross enough to be uncomfortable (in a good way). Too little would look tame and tryhard, and too much would be grindhousey and hilarious. The series certainly knows when to have dumb B-movie fun, but I was genuinely unsettled by that girl waking up to find her hands and feet gone. Well done!

The biggest draw for me right now is Guideau, who is introduced chewing angrily on a straw with their mightily fanged set of chompers. What's not to love? At first blush, they're a blonde girl with a sailor's mouth and a penchant for picking fights. This tomboyish archetype is nothing new, but Guideau is especially vulgar in a delightful way. Later, we learn that they've been cursed by a witch and that their true form is a muscular monster man in a metal muzzle. Not only is that a fun surprise, but it also makes Guideau a more interesting protagonist. While their magic-induced fluidity doesn't precisely map onto any real-world gender issues, it hints at depths to their story and personality beyond an obsession with finding and killing witches. I'm also partial to characters with gender weirdness going on (see Kiruko from Heavenly Delusion), so I'm eager to see how their arc progresses.

Strong character design aids The Witch and the Beast a lot too. This is most evident in our two leads. Guideau's diminutive frame belies their power, and their draconic eyes and sharp fangs further hint at their true monstrosity. Ashaf is the opposite. He's tall, dark, and handsome, and his well-coiffed appearance fits his composed demeanor. Together, they have the visual and interpersonal chemistry of a classic buddy cop pairing. Opposites attract. And speaking of attraction, I like that they're both quite explicitly designed to be sexy, but in subtle and fashionable ways. The premiere, for instance, puts a lot of work into drawing all the contours of their ears and respective piercings. Ashaf has long eyelashes and lights his cigarettes with a flick of fire magic. Guideau wears long coats and chokers in girl mode and boasts rock-hard abs and a fur-lined cape in beast mode. They're both hot! I've seen other viewers call the series a bisexual's delight, and I see no reason to disagree.

The overall production is less hot. It's not bad, but you can tell it's working with constraints. The adaptation leans heavily on static close-ups of the characters, opting for detailed portraits instead of fluid animation. While not an invalid approach, it can fall apart quickly if the constraints grow tighter as the season progresses, and sure enough, the second episode is a downgrade from the first. That, however, is the nature of the beast in the current industry. More immediately concerning is the overall flatness of the storyboarding. The individual shots aren't bad, and the show finds dynamic ways to frame the scenes, but there's a lack of three-dimensionality to the blocking and structure. Director Takayuki Hamana is experienced, so the anime still captures the cool factor of the source manga. I don't even mind the muted color palette, which is appropriate for the dark fantasy tone. But I'd prefer less stiffness and more creativity in the staging.

The plot is unremarkable too. Was there any serious doubt that the witch in the first episode would turn out to be evil? The second episode fares better by throwing in a hard-boiled detective out for vengeance, but any payoff has been shunted to next week's episode. I don't think this is a big deal yet, however. These basic stories have done a good job familiarizing the audience with the setting and characters, and The Witch and the Beast's true charms lie elsewhere. There are weird monster designs of the city shark and the platypus dragon, and I appreciate that they're hand-drawn. Even if the animation is stiff, they still look more natural than if they were CG. I like the classiness of the restaurants and mansions our heroes visit, which contrasts nicely with the gruesomeness of their cases and the grotesqueness of Guideau's behavior. And most importantly, I love our leads. Their chemistry comes through in all their interactions, but let me pick my favorite example. Ashaf successfully calms Guideau down by handing them a stripped chicken bone, which they proceed to gnaw on like a dog. The casualness of the moment means they've done this exchange many times before. That is how you write a compelling relationship.

I'll conclude by disclosing that I haven't read the source manga by Kōsuke Satake yet. I intend on reading at least a little in the future because I like to talk about adaptational choices/changes, and because I like what I've seen in this anime so far. The Witch and the Beast is flawed and breaks little new ground, but I'm charmed nevertheless by its charismatic leads and its potential for grander and weirder developments.

Episode 1 Rating:

Episode 2 Rating:

The Witch and the Beast is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.