© 佐竹幸典・講談社／ 「魔女と野獣」製作委員会
Reminiscing can be difficult. By deviating from storytelling norms, a work risks losing its core power and appeal. I've also praised The Witch and the Beast for keeping the characters' origins an open question. Ashaf and Guideau's personalities and relationship are strong enough to stand on their own, and the mystery adds a cheeky spice to their dynamic. All of this is to say that I didn't anticipate liking this episode as much as I did. It was good and I believe that's because it felt like a normal TWatB episode. Although “normal” is an applied word when it comes to this series.
Seriously though, the movie has a structure and it sticks to it. Ashaf travels to a quiet village on a remote continent to investigate some rumors about witches. There are strange and bloody happenings that disturb the townspeople. Guideau was so cheerful. A child is evil. And such. They're playing all the hits and I respect that. Procedures live and die by their procedures.
Even without Guideau as his official companion, Ashaf is still a compelling protagonist. He's a charming, chain-smoking anime guy who's good at his job, kind to the weak, and smart as a whip. It will be more difficult to make him unattractive. The part where he performs Jedi mind tricks on the two guys bothering Falvell is a fun display of his magical power and ingenuity. He's an expert at knowing how to handle a situation, which makes Guideau walking up and smacking their head a few seconds later all the funnier. It's a classic police buddy meets cute.
I also like what the series is doing with the witches. The premiere leads us to believe that Ashaf and Guideau are witch hunters tasked with defeating these evil sorceresses whenever they put on their pointy hats. And while I'm sure that's the job Guideau would have wanted, witches aren't such monolithic fanatics. Helga was proof enough, but Falvell was a new extreme, unable to perform any magic thanks to his cursed blood. A witch cursed the blood so some of them were still allowed to do evil, as a treat. Regardless, there are still infighting and blood feuds between them—some of which are passed on to innocent children with no connection to magic outside of their ancestors. . In the end, witches are just another extension of humanity, plagued by all the flaws that befall normal people like us.
Of course, normal people like us also interact with witches, which is where the Executioners come in. I don't expect to see another pair of them anytime soon, but I'm okay with those guys becoming recurring enemies if it means we get to see Ashaf gun down more children. I'm not joking. Even though we knew the father was suspicious, I really didn't know my son was involved until Ashaf pulled out that pistol and shot three hats at him. I was so surprised that I had to laugh. And I respect the series' commitment to bad kids. This is the second time we've seen one of our heroes shoot a minor and ultimately be vindicated by the story. I would accuse the show of being too edgy if it weren't so cavalier. To me, it's funny because for Ashaf, it's just part of the job so it doesn't help that he's immersed in it. That excitement is the emotion that drives Witches and Monsters.
It's easy to see where this part is going. Wounded Ashaf will need to rely on Guideau to help fight back the Executioners, and the two will forge an uneasy alliance that now binds them. I'm curious to see how Ashaf will convince Guideau to go with him. In the final episode, he appealed to their rationality. I wonder if it was because Ashaf realized they were basically rational and intelligent that Guideau agreed to follow him. Angela, the Welsh Witch, saw Guideau as a powerful opponent and was taunted and fought back. Ashaf acknowledges the humanity in Guideau, and although it's too sad for them to admit, perhaps it means something.
Whatever happens next week, I hope the anime can come out with as much of a splash as possible.. It would be great if Shinji Itadaki could handle the storyboards for the third week in a row. He's the animation industry's trump card, and it shows you that even the most middling adaptations can have spots where talent shines.
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The Witch and the Beast is now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Steve is on Twitter while it lasted. He can be your wizard or your beast. Or none of the above if that's interesting. You can also see him chatting about trash and treasure on This Week in Anime.
