Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo – 08

The Fifth Witch – Takigawa Noa:

Yakigawa Noa (Yuuki Aoi) is one of the witches I can remember quite well from the manga, even if the details of her story were a little hazy going into this episode. There’s something distinctive about this petite first-year (other than her bright blue hair…) that had me looking forward to seeing what her episode would entail. For the most part, she’s an actress – putting in a image and playing up to Yamada. He knew she was a witch, but didn’t know her power, so his aim was to kiss her to find out (as I said last week, don’t force a kiss on someone who doesn’t know or want it! – that’s a terrible idea). But Noa manages to charm him silly, convincing him he had it in the bag, before declaring him gross and walking off without any charges against her. It was this introduction scene that made me remember how fun she was. If there’s one thing the anime has done better than the manga, it’s making these witches even more enjoyable and distinctive. Except for Shiraishi, of course. She was always the best, and some things never change.

Trauma & Making a Difference:

Last week we had visions of the future, this week it’s visions of the past. Noa’s power seems like the mirrored version of Sarushima, and I suppose that’s intentional. Instead of preventing what’s yet to happen, this time around the characters are dealing with traumatic memories – albeit in unsuccessful and damaging ways. Noa has her three friends gathered, and at first it seems like they’re just causing trouble for their own satisfaction. Trashing the Supernatural Studies Club and stealing the information on the witches was the final straw, but it’s hard to to feel angry at Noa once you find out that’s she’s trying to get rid of the witches in order to transfer the powers to her new friends, in hopes of ridding their trauma.

During all this, Yamada learns that the witches all received their respective powers because of some insecurity. He’d guessed that already, but a confirmation is useful. No matter how much I sympathise with Noa’s goal, I still can’t get behind her methods. She’s destructive and doesn’t care what that could mean for her or her friends, or those she’s hurting. Thankfully, body-swapping saves the day, allowing them to blackmail Noa into giving back their book of witch secrets. Cue some tears and some punches, and we’ve already reached the end of this week’s witch story. There wasn’t much an epic climax to Noa’s story. The conclusion was a simple one: even though these three friends could become popular again by distancing themselves from Noa, they’re going to stick with their friend through the pain.

Overview – What’s Next?:

It may seem like Noa is going to be added to the harem, but I’m afraid that’s not the case. Next week does look like we’re going to see some of the previous witches return. Sarushima popped up a few times in the preview, so that has me looking forward to next week. We can also expect more kisses and the introduction of a lime-green haired boy. Who knows what his story is. Is he the first male witch, perhaps…?

Preview