Title: Ichi the Witch
Author: Osamu Nishi and Shiro Usazaki
Demographic: Shonen
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 2024 – Present
English-translated Chapters: 47 and Ongoing
MyAnimeList Rating: 7.76
Rating: 6/10
Welcome to a land of witches and magical creatures where women can be specialized hunters who obtain magical abilities while men are unable to use magic. Well… until a random guy named Ichi unintentionally becomes the first male witch to ever exist! So how exactly did this happen?
Well… to answer that, let’s back it up a bit and get to know Ichi. He had a rough start to life growing up alone on the Druid Mountain after being abandoned as a child. Over the years, he taught himself how to hunt and survive when one day he runs across an odd creature. After years of honing his hunting skills, he is prepared to kill this anomaly. But his plan is quickly muddled by the arrival of the world’s greatest and most powerful witch… Desscaras. Because as it turns out, this creature is a majik capable of granting magical abilities to the witch who is able to kill it. But this particular majik has one trick up its sleeve. It cannot be killed by a woman. So in rushes Ichi to save the witch, kill the majik, and obtain its magical ability. And with that, we’ve got our first male witch.
As you can expect, this sent shockwaves throughout the witch world and Desscaras brings Ichi to the association where he is evaluated, officially recognized as a witch, and assigned his first mission. To join a team tasked with eliminating human-hating majiks. The perfect job for our capable hunter.
Pros:
Steady Improvement in the Story
Around chapter 23, the author introduced some intriguing antagonists that upped the stakes and there were better battle scenes that really showed off some of our characters’ magical abilities. The worldbuilding details added plot layers to the story and Ichi had some good character development that added depth to his personality. To top it off, new characters were introduced including my absolute favorite character in the series so far… Gokuraku. Right when I was about to give up on this manga, I started to get bought into the story and the characters and by chapter 43, I was hooked.
Lots of Potential
Ichi the Witch is definitely showing some potential and if it keeps improving like it has, I think this could be a really good series! You may have to push through the first 20 to 30 chapters but I think it’s worth it. If you still aren’t captured by the story once Gokuraku joins the team, then this series may not be for you.
Cons:
Rough Start
For me, this story had a rough start with a simple-minded MC, a high-and-mighty witch, and immature, annoying magical creatures. The childish characters and humor made it feel like a kodomo manga series for kids. It also felt like a race from one battle to the next with little character development or magic exploration. Ichi seems to become a natural at using his magical abilities overnight and quickly becomes overpowered. And those battles? They were more like crazy trials instead of serious fights.
Overused Tropes
Prepare to experience the prophesy, chosen one, and overpowered main character tropes in this story. It’s too early on to see if they’re done well… but I do get tired of some of these heavily used tropes.
Luckily, the story worked through some of those initial kinks and became a much stronger and more interesting story around chapter 23.
Overall…
It’s going to take more chapters for me to solidly recommend this series. But it has significantly improved with each chapter and I hope to see continued progress. If you’re struggling with this story, try to push to chapter 43 before dropping it.
Caroline’s Library 