Reviews for Once Upon a Witch's Death

Sweet 17. That age where adolescence peaks, everyone celebrates it, and gifts are practically guaranteed. Meg is no exception. And her gift? Being casually informed by her adoptive mother that she’s cursed to die next year—in the most nonchalant way possible. Meg, being the cheerful soul she is, simply responds, “Nay, I don’t wanna die. There must be a way for me to keep living.” Her mother sighs and says, “Sadly, no… but also, yes.” And just like that, the story kicks off. The quote “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey” can sound downright pretentious sometimes, but it fits this anime perfectly. Becauselet’s be honest—the “destination” here is limited to two outcomes: either Meg succumbs to the curse and dies a horrible death, or she overcomes it and lives happily ever after. Either way, it’s dreadful. But that’s not the point. The real magic of this anime lies in how she deals with it. How she tackles her problems, how she shoulders the burdens of others, and how she attempts to break the curse—it’s a compelling ride, especially since Meg feels like she was custom-built for this setting.

Some of you might notice that Meg is basically the polar opposite of a certain silver-haired wandering witch. While the ashen witch stays away from trouble and adopts a “not my problem” mindset, Meg dives in headfirst. She wants to help people. She wants to solve problems—not because of the curse, but simply because she wants to. And honestly, it’s damn charming.

It might sound like I’m exaggerating or stretching things, but Meg is seriously one of the best-crafted strong female protagonists out there. Her casual attitude toward death, her drive to connect with others, her sense of humor, her belief in her own abilities—yet she still has her moments of vulnerability and flaws. She fits this story like a glove.

Now let’s talk themes. Yes, this is a story about a witch’s "journey"—though it’s more like snippets of her daily life than a full-blown quest. Still, it's a journey all the same. And when a story involves a witch and a journey, you know it's gonna slap you with some melancholic shit. This anime is no exception. If you’re a sensitive soul like me, better keep some tissues nearby. Your eyes will get wet.

I don’t really have any major complaints—except maybe the animation. It’s not bad by any means, but it could definitely be more polished. The source material is fantastic, and honestly, it deserves better.

All in all, this anime is a beautifully bittersweet tale wrapped in magic, humor, and emotional depth. It doesn’t rely on flashy battles or over-the-top drama—it lets the characters breathe, lets their choices matter, and reminds us that sometimes, the most powerful stories are the quiet ones about trying, failing, growing, and caring.

Aru Majo ga Shinu Made or "Once Upon A Witch's Death" is as the title suggests an anime about a witch on the verge of death. The premise is quite simple. A young 17 year old apprentice witch finds out she's cursed is going to die in a year. Being an orphan, our mc, Meg, has had to put up with working herself tiresome to the bone under the tutelage of Faust, one of the great seven mages of the world. Initially, finding out that she's going to die in a year makes her feel that all her hard work was for nothing but sheresolves herself to gain a thousand teardrops of pure joy so she may avoid dying to her curse.

Unlike a certain other anime about a witch, Meg is a character enjoyable from the start. She's a hardworking individual but she also doesn't tend to take life too seriously. She's kind hearted and has clearly struggled to gain the knowledge and power she has. In these first couple episodes, she stays in her hometown and gains tears by complete accident purely just because she wants to help out her community. It feels very akin to something like the Atelier Sophie duology, helping people for the sake of helping people. I can tell that going forward she's eventually going to adventure outward and explore to gain more tears since It's probably impossible to gain a thousand tears in one single city but as it stands, learning about the people in one town, the community that thrives there, how they've shaped Meg, is fairly enjoyable. Meg is a protagonist written very well and her prowess with magic or knowledge never comes off as showy or unearned because of how silly and purposely oblivious she acts. There are also a couple flashbacks that contribute to us learning more about her character and I would say these flashbacks are probably some of the best placed flashbacks in media I have seen.

What's fun about this anime is how it takes place in a modern world, the internet, phones the works, unlike most anime following magic characters. At first, it's one of those things you don't even realize just cause of how well setup the world is between magic and modern day technology. I think it's also enjoyable to see the balance between the two and how much normal people respect magic but don't rely on it for everything. One concept I really enjoy that seems so simple is that there are fairies in pretty much every object inorganic and organic. From watches to lamps, fairies are the driving force behind how objects work and when objects stop working, witches have a ritual to set free a fairy from an object so that they may be put into another object. It's a simple concept but one that works really well in an emotional anime such as this one since the fairies are spirits who carry memories and people's lives with them, observing the world and cherishing it in ways unbeknownst to most.

The overall premise of this anime is one that is simple but just works. This vibe is everything I wanted out of an anime like Frieren but never exactly got. (Although, Frieren is still a good anime don't get me wrong) This anime has a very melancholy feeling to it. I haven't read the source material at all but I will likely read it after this anime finishes airing. The exploration of existentialism in a magical world is one that will certainly take viewers on a fun comforting (albeit sad) journey.

“It’s the waiting that’s hard” What would you do if you only had a year left to live? Being aware of one’s own coming mortality makes every day, every interaction and every moment so precious. More importantly, it makes you keenly aware of the impact you have on people. For most of us, there would be an initial shock and depressive stage where you don’t do anything for a while because you’re so upset about the bad news. Not our MC, Meg, though. This badass totally not gay™️ witch sets out to break her curse by bringing tears of joy to people. What we endup getting is a very well done character driven anime that took us through every emotion from dying of laughter to bawling our eyes out. If you’ve been wanting more Majo no Tabitabi/Elaina, look no further, you got it.

I should temper expectations, AruMajo never gets as dark as Majo no Tabitabi and the best cases from that series are better than the best ones here, but where this show excels and surpasses that show is the character development and cohesive narrative. This is one continuous journey where we see tangible evidence of Meg developing as a character. Every person she meets has an impact on her and we often see them as recurring characters in the story which can be used as frames of reference for how much our girl grows. Meg is a very real protagonist. She’s not perfect, she goes from wanting fame and success to getting that and letting it get to her head to redeeming herself and understanding WHY she has magic in the first place. In an ideal world, every 12 episode anime would handle character progression like this. I want to look at my MC and know they’re a better person at the end of all their struggles in a season.

Most episodes are self contained mini-arcs where Meg has to help someone, but they’re not disjointed. They all feel like they build on the last and the skills and mentality Meg acquired from the last job are always relevant to the next. It’s a very surgical style of storytelling where there’s no fluff or wasted time, which you have to appreciate in modern seasonal anime.

You can’t have great character growth without great supporting characters and this has them in spades. Whether it’s Meg’s adoptive mother or the numerous members of her ever growing lesbian harem, there’s so many fun and memorable characters here that made this a great experience. I really appreciate how everyone introduced is actually plot relevant and moved the story along too. This is a very purposeful story, every episode and interaction has meaning and now that it’s over, it’s really going to leave a hole in my heart. I really fell in love with this story, the characters, the magic mechanics, the unique mix of magical and modern technology, it’s great.

Production wise the show is solid. Nothing to go crazy about save for a few really cool action set pieces, but I like the character designs a lot. The voice acting is also quite good and helped push me over the edge and cry on a few occasions.

I had a lot of fun watching this show every week and came to see Meg as one of the best characters of the season. She’s beautiful, powerful, determined, but most importantly she’s flawed. She isn’t perfect, but she has a profound impact on those around her through her deeds. I think that’s a lesson we can all take from this show... along with magical yuri being awesome.

Arumajo gets 9 broomsticks out of 10.

Once Upon a Witch's Death — What awaits us at the very end of the tunnel...or in this case, the unpredictability of life where we would be told to depart from the world early? In a world where the likes of Kanehito Yamada's Sousou no Frieren a.k.a Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, and other similar adventure fantasy stories exist to keep the belligerent mind thinking of existentialism and the like, it always comes down to the hard-hitting questions that are the utmost and deep, but sane, questions that linger in our minds when topics like life and death are not often raised. Such is the case ofone such show this Spring season: novelist Saka's lone work, Aru Majo ga Shinu Made a.k.a Once Upon a Witch's Death, a show so underrated that everything on the surface seems simple; however, it is anything but.

What are you going to do if you're told at your Sweet Sixteen, turning seventeen once your birthday strikes, that death incarnate awaits you in a year's time? If you're thinking of partying and enjoying what life has to offer for the year-long limited time, you're right. If you're thinking of just giving a heck of a care to the world but are still being taught life stories that, as cliché as they sound, are life lessons that you can't take away, you'd be right too...if you can put yourself in the shoes of the laid-back magical girl of Meg Raspberry. The apprentice to one of the Seven Sages of the land, the Eternal Witch Faust, whom the lone granny has been taking care of this girl for quite some time, it's quite the bombshell of truth to be given a death sentence of an incurable curse this early, and yet, not feeling like there's enough time to savour life at its finest. As much as the unwilling magician sucks her thumb at the disposition of the stark truth, she's told one final "quest" before she departs from the world: "Collect in a bottle a thousand Tears of Joy. No questions or answers; how you decide to collect them is anyone's guess." That, there and then, starts the grumbling young magician trying to understand how cursed her life is...or, in a twist of blessings in disguise, spending time with people to get those Tears of Joy anyhow she could.

From the get-go, you know that this show is something special when, like Frieren, it doesn't try to sell you man-made creations for the sake of drama, hype, and the like. This is an anime that gets to the heart of the truth at its very core, and it's not pandered to sugarcoat the frailty of life as something that is a throwaway thought at best. Through Meg, her POV into her death incarnate circumstance forces her to (literally) "go out and touch grass" and visit people whom otherwise she would not have met. Should she choose to just laze like a couch potato, this "life" of hers would not have hit the same as like motivation lost from an incurable disease. From the newfound friends of fellow magicians (like Sophie Hayter) to the ordinary folk who would otherwise just see Meg as a nuisance of a young adult, the unwilling young magician herself peers at her surroundings with the magic of her know-how to help even the most maligned of people, and in turn, allows the softening of her heart to learn and have a burden for the same group of people she interacts with. It's like Jesus Christ and the 12 Disciples along their journey of Christendom, spending time with people of all statuses, and not in a single moment judging them for who they are, serving them to their humble roots.

And nothing quite says it all like the symbolism of raspberries: the plant's bushes used as boundaries to protect sacred spaces from unwanted spirits; its leaves and canes believed to have magical qualities that could drive away negative energy and promote harmony. In a modern context, they represent kindness and virtue in the language of flowers, often used in bouquets and garden designs to convey these attributes. The resilient and tenacious nature also makes them a symbol of perseverance and determination, qualities highly valued in modern society, and their ability to communicate subtly yet powerfully enhances the emotional impact of gestures.

For a show of this nature, character is of the utmost importance, and novelist Saka gets the formula right, interpreting Meg Raspberry as the girl who didn't know that she could do things beyond her scope as someone who sees people as equals and learns of their ambitions and struggles—that's the daily bread of the ordinary folk. I love Meg for a lot of reasons, one of the utmost important traits of which is her steadfast willingness to help without judging, which is a fine character trait to have and one that helps bolster her own circumstances with the people that deeply care for her, no matter if she's going to die in a year's time or the next day. That's melancholia in quite the rosy way, as cheesy as it sounds, and as playful as Meg always puts it out to be. In fact, she's one of a handful of female protagonists who are not only strong but can also joke at their circumstances (when the situation is right) and live life on a pedestal as if death doesn't faze them. No matter the issues that she faces, both minor and major, she takes them with a happy heart, not wanting to worry the people around her, and just goes around being the good Samaritan that'll please people out of kindness and virtue. If anything, this is a show where "girl power" is not only first and foremost, but it excels to a degree that (to my knowledge) hasn't been seen much in the anime medium yet. Still, blending both the old and tried tradition of magic with modern technology? It's quite the aesthetic for standing out in a way that's not done without risk involved. Also, the Raspberry name isn't just for show, but its hidden meaning, which is linked to love, kindness, and protection; they are also associated with fertility, abundance, and even fragility due to their delicate nature.

For the 3rd-rate studio of EMT Squared, the studio has constantly been bombarded with bad and mediocre works left, right, and centre for quite a while now. But in this Spring 2025 season, other than Sunday's Kanchigai no Atelier Meister a.k.a The Unaware Atelier Meister, both this show and Ballpark de Tsukamaete! a.k.a Catch Me at the Ballpark!, to dub the "EMT Squared Tuesdays," have been quite the blessing in disguise for such anime of different calibres, yet both are enjoyable in their own right. Moreover, I'd say that out of the 3 shows this season, this show has definitely been given EMT's big glow of production, and it benefits all the more from it with rich and luscious animation (even when it feels minimalistic at best), so not once do I feel like this ever came from the studio at all. And as a crowning achievement, this is in-house director Atsushi Nigorikawa's first show, and he has done a marvellous job adapting the LN, with the assistance of series composer maestro Keiichiro Ochi at the scriptwriting helm.

Even better, the music is tailored for it. Going into this anime with the help of famed music composer Akiyuki Tateyama (of Yuru Camp fame) for the OST, I instantly knew that I would be experiencing a whiplash of emotions, and truthfully, this is what we got, unapologetically front and centre. Maaya Sakamoto coming with her slow burn of an OP song, "Drops" is simply put, her latest and most emotionally exuberant song ever that helps lean and grow the anime's charm when it comes to accentuating emotions, and I LOVE it. Aoi Teshima's ED, on the other hand, is fine and all, but calm, collected, and enjoyable due to Yuki Kaijura's composition, though considerably less than the perfect OP.

Instead of gloating about the current AniManga industry filled with hype, shill, and the like, I'm just sad that works like these are few and very far in between. This show has been quite the acid trip of emotions that, at times, can be speechless and/or unspeakable, filled with joy and such that even when desperation wears on the sleeves of all of us, hope for the better is never too far away. And in such thoughts, we should care for existentialism just as much as shows like this have taught us how to be better people, and while we may not have the magical fantasy, it still captivates us in a manner that brings us to our very knees to shed Tears of Joy, something we can wish for where we can afford to be a little more like Meg Raspberry.

A bittersweet tale of fantasy adventure that's wrapped with human humour and supernatural magic that, when combined, gives you a sense of emotion? That's why the quiet ones shine when the big guns fizzle to nothingness, and I can promise you that Aru Majo ga Shinu Made a.k.a Once Upon a Witch's Death, is a show that will pander to the soft and beautiful hearts wanting and wishing for hope for a better day, every day. It's a crowning achievement for a show that's not Frieren, but there's a story to be learned as well.

Considering the plot and the goal of the story, we know that every episode is all about emotional bonds. Life, death, love, family. I guarantee you'll cry at least once every couple of episodes if you've even lost family or a loved one. The writing, animation voice action are all top-notch and the music is fantastic. Yes, it tugs at your emotions but we expect that. It's a novel concept for an anime - or at least one I have not seen before now. Sure, it's a serious topic - one's mortality and what to do when you know exactly when your time is up."The time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say" really applies here. What does she have to say and can it save her?

A common question that people get asked is what they'll do if they learned they only had a short amount of time left. Something that never gets considered, however, is what they'd do if they had a way to prevent this hypothetical fate. Would they try to do the thing that would save them as soon as possible, or would they put it off until the last minute and end up dying, anyway? The reason why I'm pondering this is the subject of today's review, Once Upon A Witch's Death, which I found out about when the anime was announced and thought seemed interesting. Itseemed heartwarming yet simultaneously heartbreaking, and....well, in some ways, I was right about that.

Once Upon A Witch's Death, originally titled "Aru Majo ga Shinu Made", follows Meg Raspberry, a young witch who is an apprentice to Faust, also known as the Eternal Witch and one of the Seven Sages. On her seventeenth birthday, Meg is given some shocking news by Faust: she only has a year left to live due to a curse that, once she turns 18, will cause her to rapidly age and die. All hope is not lost for our young heroine, however, as there is one way to break this curse; she needs to consume a Seed of Life, which can be created by collecting one thousand (crystallized) tears of joy. Why did Faust only tell Meg about this when there's not a whole lot of time to collect them all? Because Faust knows Meg well enough that she knows that she'll procrastinate on collecting the tears of joy until it's too late. (Man, ain't that a mood....) Anyway, with this newfound goal and a limited amount of time to accomplish it, Meg starts to help the people of her town of Lapis with their problems, forming worthwhile connections with each of them and really coming into her own as a witch in the process.

Look, I really want to say that I really like Once Upon A Witch's Death, as there is quite a bit of it to like. For example, I really liked the character of Meg Raspberry. She has a cheerful personality despite her circumstances and a willingness to help the people around her, no questions asked. I really liked seeing how her character developed. I also kind of liked Faust, although I wish the series explored her character more than it did. A couple of other things I liked were the opening and ending themes, which are respectively "Drops" by Maaya Sakamoto and "Hana-saku Michi de" by Aoi Teshima; I'm not sure if I would go out of my way to listen to either of these songs (okay, maybe I would do that for the opening theme), but they do fit in with the fantasy setting pretty well. The voice acting is also pretty decent, with Youko Hikasa giving a particularly good performance as Eldora, even though her character doesn't appear much in the series.

With that said, however, I do have one major problem with Once Upon A Witch's Death, and it has to do with the way Meg is going about collecting the tears of joy in the first place. It's a fundamentally flawed method, since there's no guarantee that she'll get the correct kind of tears she needs for the Seed of Life, if any at all; in fact, there are a couple of times where she gets (crystallized) tears that aren't exactly tears of joy. Another issue is that going around and helping people with their problems would take a longer time than she'd be likely to have. There is one episode where she actually gets quite strategic with how she does this, but she ends up being told that she's in the wrong for it, and it turns into a lesson on actually cherishing the people she meets and helps. It's a great lesson on paper, but things like that do take some of the urgency of Meg's situation away. The anime also has a "screw you, go read the light novels" type of ending where we don't get to see the end result of Meg's quest, so there's that, too.

What else is there to say....? Well, there aren't any unlikable characters (at least, no unintentionally unlikable characters), but I didn't really care too much about all of them. I thought Sophie's backstory was pretty sad, but other than that, I don't really have any strong feelings about her character. I don't have very strong feelings about the animation, done by EMT Squared, either. The colors and character designs are very good, and there are some gorgeous shots occasionally; however, there are some moments where the characters' movements feel a little stiff. At the very least, it's an improvement over anime that they've done in the past, and given the fact that the studio was working on two other projects that came out this season (including the pretty boring "Unaware Atelier Meister"), it's a good thing that Once Upon A Witch's Death didn't turn out terrible!

Overall, Once Upon A Witch's Death was an okay anime, which is a shame, since I really wanted to like it more than I did. That being said, anyone who likes witches and is really into the fantasy genre in general might get more enjoyment out of it than I did. Maybe some moments in it might make you cry some tears of joy of your own!

I came in expecting fantasy drama, and instead got emotional damage and a main character who roasts everything that moves. She's chaotic, sarcastic, and somehow deeply relatable — like if anxiety had a sword and a to-do list it kept ignoring. Every episode lands emotionally, balancing humor and heartbreak with surprising grace. The side characters? Not just background noise — they shine, grow, and hit hard when it counts. The world-building is subtle but immersive, never forced, always intriguing. It’s hilarious, heartfelt, and weirdly comforting. If you like laughing through tears while questioning your life choices — this one’s for you. Idk how but the mc is one ofthe best mc i've ever seen

Great concept! Weird execution. I went into this anime really wanting to like it, then immediately souring on it halfway through the first episode, but pushed through and realized it's better than I first thought. It's not terrible by any means, but I think it has some serious flaws. First, I love the concept. The main character, Meg, is told on her seventeenth birthday that she only has one year left to live until she is killed by a curse, and the only way to prevent it is to collect one thousand tears of joy from other people. And second, Meg is very likeable as a character.She's cheerful and optimistic, but she also has a vain and greedy side that gets played up for laughs. It's fun watching her interactions with the other characters that get introduced through the show.

But there's a HUGE problem with how the main conflict is treated. The anime is a comedy, which is fine, but at times they mostly treat Meg's condition as a joke, showing that she doesn't really take it all that seriously because of her upbeat personality. There's a jarring tonal mismatch between how serious her condition is, and Meg's reaction to hearing and knowing about it. At times literal weeks pass it feels like she's mostly dicking around instead of going out of her way to do something about it. I mean, no one is perfect and you can only do so much, but get your priorities straight!

Overall it's fun and watchable, but don't expect to be blown away.

First assumed this series was all about a funny witch on her way to gather some teardrops and get her life living after a year, but wow, it wasn't all that. I would give high praises to this series because even with just 12 episodes, i rode through a rollercoster of emotions. That was just a good blend of drama, tragedy, comedy, and the relationship of each characters. Each episode was such a great watch, even though it wasn't that deep, I was so interested in each 24 minutes it has. This series had made me giggle a lot, and tear up more than twice.I love how fun and so well-written our main character is! I seriously recommend this anime to anyone who wants to watch a heart-warming and comedic series, this anime just got the touch!

I hope they will have a second season, I will for sure wait for it and immediately watch it once it comes out! I'm so excited to dig in more lore regarding meg's, faust's, and eldora's backstory!! esp how meg's life goes on on her new journey, and how she'll survive her less than a year time limit before her curse takes on effect.

Meg, the core protagonist of the show, is extremely charismatic. She's a neat mix of fierce and silly, but also a selfless, kind-hearted soul that is always willing to help. And even in the face of her rather grim fate, this unlucky girl finds the strength to fight back with joyful defiance. To escape her prophesized death, the young witch has a year to collect enough magic tears by helping people in need. It may sound like a simple and predictable premise, but the show avoids getting stale, often going in unexpected directions, mixing whimsy and tragedy in equal sizes. This aspect is even underlinedin the chosen theme songs. The opening is cute and cheerful, while the ending theme, composed by Yuki Kajiura, drowns you with its haunting melancholy.

The story doesn't have a resolute ending (the novels are still ongoing), but just for Meg's antics alone this anime deserves to be seen - like a storm she's certainly going to leave her mark on the magical world.

'Once Upon a Witch's Death' is one of the anime from the Spring 2025 season I always looked forward to watching. It's a pleasant and enjoyable watch, even though it is rough around the edges. § Overview On her 17th birthday, Meg Raspberry receives this bad news from her foster mother, Faust. Due to a curse, she will die on her 18th birthday unless she gathers 1000 tears of joy. This is the story of how this seemingly quirky but immature girl grows as she tries to gather the tears that will prolong her life. § Notes 1. If you read the synopsis, which is paraphrased in myoverview, this anime seems to be one of those tearjerkers. Nope!

It can be frustrating that Meg doesn't seem to be taking the countdown to her death seriously. Even worse, Faust just keeps giving her busywork that is actually taking time away from Meg gathering the tears of joy.

A certain quote from the Stoick philosopher, Seneca, comes to mind.

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“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested. But when it is wasted in heedless luxury and spent on no good activity, we are forced at last by death’s final constraint to realize that it has passed away before we knew it was passing. So it is: we are not given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it… Life is long if you know how to use it.”

— Seneca in 'On the Shortness of Life'

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It is Meg who should be chiefly applying this insight, that life is short and that her life might be extremely short if she doesn't do something, but she was slacking off in the initial episodes.

We saw more of her perverted side, that she wants to have a harem of both boys and girls. She acts more like an old perverted man, but in the body of a young girl. She's rather silly.

On one hand, this gives this series a lighter tone than expected. Some even welcome it, especially yuri fans who would rather Meg be paired off with one of her female friends than with a boy. On the other hand, such silliness can be off-putting, especially if you expect her to be more serious, given her situation.

One way to explain this away is that it's a product of her own habits, and it takes months before it fully dawns on Meg the gravity of her situation.

If this were serious right from the start, it could have been a meditation on the shortness of life in a similar manner that one can extract such lessons from Frieren. The initial tone and vibe of the show is off-putting.

If you're considering dropping this anime, just be patient. It gets better, and I disagree that the earlier parts were better.

2. SPOILER ALERT: This anime is more than what the synopsis is telling you, and it deviates from it. Some don't like it and pejoratively call it bait and switch.

I answer that by considering the distraction principle in hypnosis and why it's a useful analogy. The distraction principle is simply the idea that the therapist must provide a distraction, such as the thing associated with hypnosis, like the swinging of a pendulum, basically to catch one's limited attention, and then suggest positive messages or suggestions that will be useful for the client.

It's a kind of misdirection. We thought it was nothing more than Meg's quest to gather tears in the same manner that the kdrama 49 Days is exclusively about the protagonist trying to gather three tears of joy so she can get back to her body.

3. The real plot is all about Meg's growth as a witch by 1) finding friends and allies, 2) discovering her unique gift, and 3) confronting her true identity.

She meets other powerful witches such as Sophie and Inori, who provide guidance as well as emotional support.

Meg initially seemed to be a nobody, but she has a gift that will be revealed in one of the later episodes, signalling that the story goes beyond the goal of gathering 1000 tears of joy.

SPOILER ALERT:

Episode 11 had all the elements of a good finale, and one can argue that it should have been the finale. Episode 10 was rushed anyway. Episode 12 was not a proper conclusion but a setup for a possible Season 2. It's a creative risk because this really assumes that the anime gods would give the go-signal for a Season 2, and it takes away the impact of the content of Episode 11. Added to that is the fact that Season 2 hasn't been announced. Viewers might have tolerated this decision had a Season 2 been announced at the end of Episode 12.

4. The character designs are above average, especially Meg. She stands out because of her looks.

5. Even if I don't count the OP and ED in my consideration, both add up to the atmosphere that I desire from this anime's premise. It's unfortunate that the vibe of these songs doesn't match the initial episodes. They only match much later.

§ Conclusion

This is an enjoyable anime. It's just hampered by the unseriousness of the initial episodes. It does recover, though, in later episodes, which I judge as worth watching despite the blemishes of the earlier episodes.

NOTA BENE: A grade of 7 out of 10 means that I find this anime is very good and two notches above average. I enjoyed watching it.

It is a high score because it is two notches above average. It's not mid or average unlike the misconception of some people in this site.

My enjoyment spectrum lies from 4 to 10. If I have scored an anime below 4, I actively dislike it.

Once Upon A Witch's Death overall I want to say was an enjoyable watch. The somewhat episodic layout is nice, a good bundle of characters to push through the plot, and just a nice set-up overall. The synopsis of this series when I originally heard about it, sounded really engaging and seemed like it'd be a really great show. Now, it's not great, but it was still a fun show to watch. Some episodes are better than others, and some were worse than others. But the complete story itself was good. I have a few complaints but they aren't big, nor are they that impactfultowards the show. They didn't hinder it so it's just personal gripes.

1. Animation: Overall, the animation is okay. it's not great, not good, but it's okay. It can look at a little stiff, and flat at times. A little amateurish, but that's okay. It doesn't really take away from the story so it's alright.

2. Plot: This more so a complaint I have with specific episodes, as some episodes were absolutely phenomenal and amazing. Meanwhile, others were sorta boring for me and didn't catch my attention. The middle of the show wasn't hitting too well for me but around episode 8 till the end, it was great. Some episodes are again it's more of a personal thing.

All in all, I did enjoy it most of the time. Though it has its flaws and imperfections, it was still a nice show to watch and pass the time with.

A witch might die a thousand deaths. A heroine dies but one. This was the season of the witch, and I mainly gave this a try because I liked some of the artwork. The character designs were a bit cliche but kinda cute, too. There's nice background work applied. The animation is kind of a mixed bag. There's some decent sections, to be sure, but there's some obviously sketchy scenes tossed in as well. It came across to me as there weren't enough resources put into this, as would have been needed to make the animation top notch. The characters are widely varied as well. MegRaspberry, our MC, is smart, caring, kind and compassionate. She tries her best to always do the right thing. But she's something of a greedy degenerate as well. The other characters call her a middle aged man in a teen girl's body. Still, the flaws round out the character well. It's nice to know she's not perfect by any means. She is apprentice to the master witch Faust. She comes off as grumpy and frumpy at first. But as time goes on, she shows a kinder and gentler side. We learn she sees herself as Meg's mother, not just her sensei. There are quite a few other characters in the cast that have varying degrees of depth to them. Overall the character writing is a strength of this production.

The narrative is a bit disjointed though. It starts off with Meg having a quest to gather 1000 tears of joy before she turns 18, or she will die. But after a couple episodes that kind of falls to the wayside and becomes an afterthought. Things turn episodic for a while, then become something of a suspense thriller. The writing isn't terrible, but it certainly could have stuck to one direction or another. So we'll call the writing simply mid.

What helped was a very good VA cast. Three characters I thought were done particularly well were Meg, Faust and Inori. I thought the direction was decent for what resources the producers gave them. This would have been exceptional with more budget to work with.

Not magically magnificent, but certainly entertaining, especially as the season wore on. One might need a couple extra episodes after the 3 eps test to get a real feel for it. I would have started this as a mid level C grade at 74/100, but it climbed into B- territory by the end of the season at 81/100. While it has its quirks, I still could recommend it overall.

If Violet Evergarden and Kikkis Delivery Service were combined this is the outcome. Right off the bat I will tell you. This is one of my favorite show of Spring 2025. I was thinking of giving it a 10/10 but I noticed at one point, maybe halfway through the season animation quality seemed to be dropping. I think halfway through the show they might have faced some production issues? I just loved the premise of the show. I watched it is English dub and thought the same actress who played MaoMao in Apothecary Diaries did the voice acting of Meg Raspberry, who is the main protagonistof the show. Her voice acting is good but kept reminding me of Mao Mao which was a bit distracting.

I liked that unlike so many other fantasy anime its not really about how powerful she is. She doesn't seem like a powerful witch at all. But she doesn't need to be as her main objective is to collect the tear drop marbles in her bottle so she can remove her curse.

The moment tear drops are added to the magic bottle, is a beautiful moment because its often done so well.

Kiki is my favorite witch of all time. Meg Raspberry is probably my 2nd favorite, after Kiki. I don't know of any plan for a season 2 but I hope really there is another season.

I liked both the intro/OP and Outro/ED..

It wasn’t too long ago (a little over a year before I write this) that I watched a little show called Kobato (2009). It’s a sweet series by Clamp that didn’t quite work for me for a number of reasons. But I’m not going to compare this series to that one. The two have a very similar core drive to them: fill a bottle with something that represents a sort of healing or happiness brought to someone else. It’s a simple but effective recipe for a series of interactions between the lead and a wide variety of other characters, placing them in the driver’s seatto interact with a broad assortment of individuals that yield easy tear-jerking drama. That’s what Kobato did anyway, combining it with a romantic throughline and a central mystery. So I expected more of the same from this series.

Thankfully, Once Upon a Witch’s Death is decidedly different in its approach. The search for tears of joy is still central to the story, but this is a series that really interrogates what goes into that effort. Initially, it puts Meg through the emotional ringer, but Meg has to gather 1000 of these tears and she meets powerful witches who are all too happy to discuss speed run strategies. It’s very interesting to see the series drill down into the choices she makes under this stress, both with the knowledge that she may not reach her goal (and therefore her impending death) and how the shifts in strategy she tries affect her interactions with the people of Lapis. The more this series digs down into this, the more effective it is for me.

Aside from that element of the narrative, I think the series juggles more than it should over a 12 episode run (it definitely feels like this should have just been two cours rather than two divided seasons, which I still hope it gets), but for the most part it works.

I think the series manages especially well as it finds points of connection between its ideas. The use of magic circles and how to apply them, Meg’s eyes and her ability to perceive things others cannot, the emotions built from connection to various living people and entities, the drive to help in the face of danger, and the bonds Meg forms with a variety of other characters (both distinct from and a part of her central quest) yield a lot of her development over the course of the series. It can feel a bit rapid, but that’s part of the point: what she’s doing is not exactly common practice for witches, and it’s breaking new ground when it comes to wielding magic in this day and age.

Even so, the series meanders a great deal on its way to these points of connection. There’s a subplot about demons that is very consequential in a broad sense, but feels pretty out of place in the moment. There’s a whole episode with a big magic competition that’s decent for showing us a little of the broader world of magic, but also seems like a sideshow. A couple of episodes deeply involve some of the major Sages of this world, and while the bonds Meg forms with them are interesting and sometimes emotional (hard not to get connected with Sophie), their plots can sometimes feel pretty superfluous in the broader scheme of the show with a couple of major exceptions.

Meg’s relationship with Faust is the most interesting bond she has in Lapis and she’s a great mentor. I like both her familiars and they get some occasionally very fun moments. Fine’s inclusion in the plot was… fine. Some decent if repetitious comedy with some light yuri baiting.

Overall, while I don’t think the series quite sticks the landing with an ending that is mostly just a prelude to more events next season (and which necessarily will take Meg away from her mission… is she going to be able to finish that?), it does pave the way for what I suspect will be an interesting continuation of the series, one that will take a longer view on the history of this world and the enmity certain events have bred. It’s not as emotionally resonant as I was expecting, nor is its world quite intriguing enough to hold my attention, but I think when the series explores its premise and takes its time developing its character relationships, it is strong. That’s enough to keep me interested and hungry for a second season.

What would you do if you had just one year left to live? Maybe you'd travel around the world with your loved ones and—what? Spend half of it lazing around doing nothing? Well, congratulations, you're a perfect fit for the protagonist of this show! Meg Raspberry is about as unmotivated, selfish, stubborn, manipulative and annoying as you'd expect a 17yo to be. But believe it or not, she is probably the most enjoyable aspect of the anime. I don't mean to say everything else is complete dogshit, it's just that Meg is genuinely a fun character to watch. The dichotomy between the gravitas of her situationand her unabashedly carefree attitude is humorous and charming. Though, at times I find her irreverence in some scenes off-putting as it detracts from the emotional weight they otherwise could have had.

As a result, I expected the anime to be more comedic than serious. So when shit does hit the fan in later episodes, I just could not care less. And worse, it seemed even the people behind it could not be bothered either. Everything went downhill after the introduction of the 7 sages; slowly but surely the anime's direction and animation quality deteriorated. Conflicts are resolved haphazardly with no hope for some emotional catharsis or payoff. Character motivations are all too simplistic and only act as episode filler as they rarely carry forward or develop.

The premise of the anime was about helping, connecting and bringing joy to others. Instead, it'd been bastardized by a plot I was neither promised nor do I care for. Where the show shone best was when it focused on Meg and Faust's relationship, the ethics of tear-collecting and Meg's cuteness. Conversely, it was boring when it fixated on the fate of some water city introduced only 1 episode ago and half the cast of sages who barely have any depth to them. I strongly feel the writer tried to bite off more than he could chew. If it stuck to its original premise, the show would have worked best à la Wandering Witch or Kino's Journey. Sure, that would make it trite, but I'd prefer unoriginality to plain uninteresting.

This anime was great watch, one of those you play at Saturday afternoon to have a good rest from all the stress of the daily life. It didn't feel like it was dragging or throwing too much things at once. It was enjoyable watch from start to finish. Animation and music: this anime is well animated, and the music is certainly adding to the feel. Animation was fluid across all 12 episodes, there was no drop in quality or power point scenes. The characters, the background and effects all felt incredible and genuine. Music while good did not leave a lasting impact in me, that onespecial track I would recognize and play every now and then. But even so the animation alone was more than enough to carry the show and I wish to God that this is industry standard now.

Characters: Meg is simply adorable, she is filled with emotions and do not try to act as highly moral or a 'badass' character. She is 17 year old girl and acts like that, being selfish, bratty as well as noble and self-sacrificing when it is required. Characters like this is what is carrying the show and I wish more of them have been written like her. Other characters worthy of note were Faust, an old and wise grandmother character. Sophie, kuudere who got her heart melt by Meg and she slowly becomes her close friend. Inori, witch with the smelly feet and Anna, her childhood friend and possible wife in the future.

These characters were the ones that stick with me the most, the rest are all there but they didn't make enough of an impact on the show or Meg to be remembered. All of them are interesting in their own way and are slowly helping Meg to develop as a character. Sadly, only Sophie is the one that is developing alongside Meg. Other than that there are no true villains of the show outside the curse that is slowly going to kill her. There was devil foe in one episode and that is about it. If it was not for Meg and her mischief with others this show would be very boring, hopefully if season 2 is ever released it should add some permanent enemy and let it and Meg develop further as show goes on.

Story: the premise is interesting - collect 1000 tears in 1 year or you will die. But show took this and actually made it like a side quest. The show is more about Meg encountering people and problems and solving it while slowly growing up as a character and working toward solving her problem. The show has every possible situation for her, from helping old grandmother having good time one last time before dying, to helping wolf man and human lady making out to saving entire town from natural disaster. Alongside that road Meg is constantly learning new things and meeting new characters, growing her skills and her character. And that is the center of this story. one which I like a lot. And the season ending in her going aroudn the world last 6 months of her life to try learn about what happened to her homeland of Orlov and other countries that were hit by similar disaster is clearly build for her to overcome many more obstacles in the future and further grow as a character.

I wrote about Meg all this time and I didn't mention other plot things like devil worship, research into magical disasters, global warming slowly destroying nature and other things - because in the end world was build for Meg to interact with it and not the other way around. Which is fine as this is in the end her own journey. There are many other things left to uncover which will be address if we ever get season 2.

Overall grade: 10. Easy recommendation, I quite enjoyed this show.

If season 2 was ever released some time in the future I will watch it for sure.

Man, what can I truly say about "Once Upon A Witch's Death" but other than just how lovely this anime truly is To get things rolling, let's start with just saying how this anime made us feel, at least how I feel, that every minor character Meg Raspberry comes across has a very impactful moment with her in her journey in collecting Tears of Joy for her curse. Even if these characters only have minutes of screentime, their words and actions behind them are wonderful for the growth of Meg. Even from the start to now, Meg has stayed true to who she is Be that a witchwho's very greedy, who wants all the wealth, fame, harems of hot/pretty guys, everything that this world has to offer

Just that and her playful character is what made me love Meg so much and dearly.

So, what does this anime have to offer?

Honestly, quite a lot but I believe for that to happen, its best for you as someone whos reading this review to watch the anime firsthand before taking word of some guy whos been watching anime since they were 2 years old lol, but 1 thing for certain is that I 100% recommend this anime to anime whos starting in anime or anyone who's experience.

The release of this new anime to the market is among the earlier ones for the year, and it was during the period from October 18 to 20, 2025, that I got to see it. The series is an interplay of the supernatural/fantasy drama genres, and even though it is branded a shonen anime, I must say that I didn’t get that typical shonen vibe at all. What’s more is that the anime centers a woman, an actual female protagonist?, who is the child of the witch Faust, one of the “Seven Sages.” At the age of 17, she learns that she is under a cursedestined to die soon. The witch does say that there may be a way to break that curse, but how the girl goes about it and the adventures that unfold… well, that’s for you to discover. (No spoilers, promise!)

Now, if I am to describe the whole experience — I could say it is okay. Not bad, not great at all. The plot has no special thrills or strong characters, hence very little, if any, emotion is developed. The whole thing doesn’t captivate you like a powerful fantasy would. It’s a quality anime of a mid-rate — just a light one that can be watched during casual moments or when you want a little fantasy to fill the time.

I wouldn’t really recommend it strongly, but it’s not a waste of time either. If you are into witch or fantasy-based worlds, you can give it one watch. For me, it’s a 6 out of 10— decent enough, but definitely not something I’d rewatch.