DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA AdventureMajo no Tabitabi
NOVEL AdventureMajo no Tabitabi
MUSICHaiiro no Saga

REVIEWS

• 

  AnimeDweeb

  70/100
  These Journeys are Simply Bewitching.

  Nothing fills us with wonder the way that stories do.

  

  Whether you're cracking open a good book or turning on the telly, there's always something special to be found in consuming media, through sheer enjoyment and the impact they have on our respective worldviews. Growing up with stories is a universal experience. From various walks of life, both young and old alike are bound to come across any number of stories. Stories come in a limitless number of forms, ranging from whimsical flights of fantasy to the simplest of daily interactions. These tales have the potential to shape how we see the world, and thus influences how we interact with everything around us. Our personal experiences are stories in themselves, and the way they're told and interpreted gives way to an infinite number of stories internalized and shared. It's a beautiful cycle, one that Majo no Tabitabi revels in exploring. A collection of a wandering witch's adventures, Majo both celebrates and questions how we perceive media. And heck, even if you're not all that into meta-contextual analysis, the episodes themselves are loads of fun, capable of bringing out that childlike wonderment we associate with a great story. The following review is spoiler-free, but do jump ahead to my Tl;Dr if you'd like to go in blind. Without further ado, let's take a journey into the fascinating world of Majo!

  ---

  Majo is like a box of chocolates - packed with assorted variety and "flavors."

  

  You'll never know what kind of episode you're going to get in any given week, but they're all but guaranteed to surprise and deliver. The series follows Elaina, a young witch, and her travels to various locales. While rarely deviating from this simple formula, Majo more than makes up for it by regularly switching up its setting and themes. The show's stunning presentation goes a long way to draw us into its realm of magical mystery. One of the prettier shows you'll find this season, Majo is filled with distinct character designs, great lighting effects, a charming musical score, and most things in-between. An especially praiseworthy aspect are the strong directorial choices, bringing the best out of a tonally-colorful script. Anything from goofy comedic romps, high-stakes energy, and sinister dread is depicted well, through good shot composition and fun choreography. All in all, Majo's versatile presentation is beautiful to take in.

  Prettier still, however, are the storytelling tricks scattered across the series.

  

  Integral to the show's "variety-hour" narrative structure is the inclusion of magic. While the in-world magic system isn't comprehensive or the most thoughtful, it's clear to follow within the context of each episode and allows for plenty of inventive plotlines. Personally, I find that the real "magic" of Majo lies in its ambition. The series takes every opportunity to explore fascinating concepts through various mysteries and obstacles Elaina faces in each of her tourist stopovers. From creative thought experiments made possible by magic to non-linear narratives, Majo is very much interested with keeping the journeys as unpredictable for us as they are for Elaina. The show is comfortable with competently playing to familiar story conventions in one week, before shockingly subverting them in the next. Where other programmes would prefer to maintain a status quo, Majo is not afraid to venture into the unknown with each new episode. Intriguing story concepts are often established and exhausted within the runtime, ensuring that each storyline doesn't overstay its welcome.

  Perhaps the most interesting experiment of all though, is Elaina herself.

  

  Her character is introduced as a bright-eyed child, enamored by the wonderful tales of her favorite book, 'The Adventures of Nike.' She aspires to follow in Nike's footsteps, in the hopes of too becoming a travelling witch and experiencing similar stories for herself. At first glance, the origin of our Ashen Witch signals a rather standard character, but what comes next reveals anything but. She's no audience surrogate or tropey righteous do-gooder. She has personality and wit, keeps a level head and at times indulges in refreshing sarcasm. She's vain as heck, she knows she's a queen and she owns it. Most importantly, as much as we'd like to believe otherwise, Elaina is pretty far from perfect. At several junctures she makes decisions, and not all of them are necessarily choices one would agree with. Which brings me to what I feel makes her so special: Elaina is a representation of the audience.

  Majo creates an engaging discussion about escapism and audience expectations.

  

  'The Adventures of Nike' plays a prominent role in the show, often mirroring or contrasting the reality Elaina encounters. In fulfilling her childhood dream, the travelling witch goes from locale to locale, not getting too attached to her scenery. The world is her oyster, she can seek out new places and people as and when she likes. However, that reality isn't always in line with the world of her folk tales. Things don't always go as planned, and she isn't your fairytale heroine. Oftentimes the show reminds us of Elaina's inexperience and immaturity, highlighting how much more she has to learn in life. Elaina's relationship with her childhood tales and her real-life decisions achieve three things. First, Majo challenges the idea of how audiences are conditioned to consume media. We're accustomed to expecting stories to play out in a specific way, with some sort of closure at the end. These happy endings aren't quite what Majo is shooting for, however. I've seen several discussions questioning Elaina's failings in a given episode, which the show doesn't portray in a positive light. We're not forced to accept that Elaina has handled these situations to the best of her ability, and the resultant lack of catharsis compels us to reflect on her decisions. This means that we, the audience, become more involved in the story, and I find that effect to be incredibly engaging. Just like how we're sometimes dissatisfied with Elaina's choices, Elaina herself is disappointed with the outcomes she faces. Which leads me to my second takeaway: Majo explores our relationship with escapism. How often do we find ourselves sifting through the various catalogs of our preferred anime streaming sites, picking what to watch? In a similar sense, Elaina is Netflix-surfing before Netflix was a thing, roaming without staying in one place too long. It's certainly not a poor habit in moderation. However, Elaina's mythologising of Nike and refusal to return home does depict a less-flattering extreme. An extreme not dissimilar to those attained by real individuals today, who may find themselves obsessed with escapism while neglecting loved ones and work^. With social media and shows becoming more accessible than ever, it's somewhat sad that this illustration hits home in a present-day context. If we enjoy a medium, we might give it an unhealthy amount of attention; if we don't find pleasure instantaneously, we are conditioned to change the channel. But as much as we'd like to enjoy the world of fiction, there are some things in life we can't escape from. And that leaves us with the third point: Majo demonstrates how we're tied to reality. The great big world can be a scary place, filled with things we can't hope to comprehend in our lifetimes - things that get us down, things that change our lives. Sometimes I feel greater comfort turning to the stories I enjoy, instead of facing the music. And it's in those times that I forget to appreciate how wonderful life can be, in all its unpredictable chaos. The stories we consume are often in our comfort zone, but stepping outside into reality could be more rewarding than we could ever imagine. Who knows if things are gonna go my way, or if I'm gonna make the right decision? Uncertainty and lows are what makes the highs so precious.
  Isn't that exciting?

  While I enjoyed Majo, the series is a "mixed bag" in both senses of the word.

  

  It's variety is engaging, and provides some compelling commentary about how we consume stories. But the problem is, the stories themselves can sometimes leave plenty to be desired. And it's not the script's fault or anything, these episodic plots are mostly strong, fascinating ideas. That being said, the show's commitment to reinventing the wheel each week can work to the detriment of each concept. The standard 20-minute runtime we're used to suddenly seems small and insufficient with Majo. Plenty of story material seems left on the cutting room floor, resulting in cheesy spurts of exposition and ideas not fully explored. Recurring characters and plot devices serve their purpose, but don't really stand out to me (sorry, Saya.) The biggest issue with Majo is that there's not enough Majo! It's certainly not a bad problem to have, but the stories do leave me wanting more when the credits roll. It really makes me wonder how much better the show would fare with double the runtime, as opposed to its typical single-cour structure. Another point worth noting is that there are certain episodes that approach some seriously messed-up territory (looking at you, Episode 9^^.) One of the common complaints about Majo as it aired was the sudden tonal whiplash some viewers experienced after the first two episodes. Do prepare yourself for the unexpected, and exercise caution if you can't handle dark subject matter.

  Tl;Dr:

  

  Majo no Tabitabi is a layered and rewarding journey. Appealing visuals and a great score allow for the series' versatility to shine through; a variety of tones and themes are carried out brilliantly, ensuring that episodes are different but consistent. A vast realm of spells and splendor, the true magic of Majo's world lies in its fascinating concepts and meta-commentary. Majo has a thoughtful message for viewers, challenging the way in which we consume stories and perceive the world around us. However, there's also plenty of fun to be had for viewers tuning in to exciting adventures starring one of the best characters all year. Despite its many qualities, the show's short runtime does lead to untapped potential, which left me wanting more. That being said, Majo's adventurous offerings should not go unnoticed. 7/10~

  ---

  STRAY RAMBLINGS (SPOILERS):

  • ^This is totally me attacking myself for my daily Groundpound sessions with Amelia XD
    Jokes, jokes. The V-Tuber rabbit hole is one I'm far too scared to fall into; I'm already shit enough with my time management as is!
    -^^Ladies, Gents & Others: we have a controversy on our hands. Simultaneously the best and worst episode of Fall, your mileage will vary immensely with this adventure. Personally I'm mighty impressed at the craft going into this, so let's take a closer look. Being a wannabe pretentious douchebag film geek, I gotta gush over how much I enjoyed how the episode presented itself. Story structure does tickle my nerdy pickle, being as literal an interpretation of Campbell's Story Circle as you can get. Elaina's gets a "call to adventure" when she receives the flyer and returns to that same bench from the beginning, changed and shaken by that harrowing encounter. Oh, and let's not forget how Elaina & Estelle cross a "threshold" into the past - it's great geeky fun. Though I'm pretty sure none of this structure bullshit appeals to anyone reading this, so let's jump into the aspect that makes it all work: the visuals. Little expense was spared in making this work. Neat cues like Estelle's magic ring and the newspaper scene are purposeful and add a lot more than flashy tricks. Direction is also consistent throughout, and I was gripped from start to finish. The premise is where we run into some problems, holy hell that was messed up. Personally I don't have big problems with the arc itself, even if things didn't make sense and seemed out-of-nowhere. The dark twist hinges on an info-dump, and Selena (much like the Doll Town episode) has all but one normal scene before going full-psycho. Another problem is with the idea that Selena's parents are abusers, which isn't nearly as developed or convincing as the other setups introduced throughout the episode. Once again, Majo is simply too short for its own good IMO. The show had its work cut out establishing not just technical devices (Estelle's magic cauldron, alternate timelines,) but also setting up the steps Estelle took in saving her friend. Her countless sacrifices are what connects us to the story, which in turn makes Senena's betrayal hit so much harder. At a baseline the episode still functions, and Selena's tragic story works on paper. However, it's a lot weaker than if we got more than an hour to rewrite Selena's history. Or rather, more than the 20 or so minutes of runtime every episode is allotted.
  • Lighting Round of some of my favorite arcs: Ep 4, while contrived, did eventually become one of the more memorable episodes. I really liked how it turned out to be a complete subversion of your typical fairytale, and the concept of the ghost town was super interesting. I also liked short about the Wall in Ep 7. The pacing was a tad too fast, but what's pretty special was the passage of time. Was kinda hoping for the wall to be a recurring plot device, but those hopes got crushed about 3 mins later when it came down lol. Just thought it'd be fun to see how much Elaina had changed as time went on.
  • Wow, that finale was nothing short of amazing. It addressed the idea of choice in stories, going as far as to label (our) Elaina The Protagonist. Really fun meta stuff once again, I really dig the Remedial Chaos Theory vibes. Also:

  RUSSIAN ELAINA. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

  

  • IN A NUTSHELL: Kino's Journey meets Harry Potter.
  • BEST GIRL: Who is the charming, beautiful witch, who arguably beat out every waifu this year? That's right, it's Elaina (and it's not even close.) Gotta forgive Saya for all that simping, God knows I'd do the same.

  

  ---

  And we're done! Thanks so much for making it this far, glad you stuck around with this "journey," heh. If you happen to like my verbose rants, feel free to check out my other reviews for seasons past and present, peace~

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• 

  SaJewise

  80/100
  A Beautiful Exploration~

  __ A journey filled with wonder__

  ---

  Whether you're a long-time fan of SOL or you're just curious about what magical fantasy this could be, this show gives you a nice calming dose of everything a child could dream. A collection of dreams a child grew up to realize. A literal book of the achronological story has unfolded and this review will be spoiler-free but please feel free to skip to the Tl;Dr if you want to go in blind. Now, let's get into these adventures!

  __A Rubix cube with something new on each side__

  ---

  This story follows a little girl named Elaina, whose one true dream is to become a witch and travel around the world like the witch in her favorite story. Once this dream is realized, we follow her story as with each episode she embarks on a new journey to another place, documenting it as she went. The animation is definitely one worth speaking on and is absolutely what makes this show one of- if not, the prettiest new-gen anime of this season. When you watch it, it's almost like you're pulled into the scenes because of how pretty and quite ironically- how magical it all looks through how it presents the transitions from place to place and each character.

  __You can get lost in the magic__

  ---

  While this is certainly a more laidback fantasy SOL, the story elements of where you can see the beauty of the magic of the different characters you encounter. However, you could also say that this strength in a beautiful and diverse storyline could also serve to be part of the show's flaws. While Majo was certainly not afraid to put the audience in a different location every Friday, it can sometimes be seen as hard to grasp the fact that the focus for each episode will be different with no real closure until you watch enough of it to realize that fact. As you go through the show, while each adventure is new and exciting, there is still much to be fulfilled with each episode having Elaina leave to go off somewhere else without really exploring where she's been. This reigns especially true by suddenly exploring darker tones without showing the recoil from it in Episode 9- nobody was prepared for; so do be cautious when beginning the watch that one. You truly never know what may come in an episode of this which can really through individuals who like closure in adventure stories like this.

  ____Tl;Dr____

  Overall? Majo no Tabitabi is a beautiful visual journey of wonder. Interesting and engaging themes sprinkled throughout twelve very unique episodes. While its greatest strength of diverse episodes also serves as its greatest weakness due to the lack of real closure in every episode, Majo is still a show that one can truly expect to enjoy in the long run. There's definitely more to be desired with this show and this hidden gem shouldn't be overlooked. ~8/10

  ---

  Annnd, that's all folks! This was my very first review and I'm a little nervous writing it because my tastes are typically really different from others- BUT that's okay! Thank you for reading and expect more in the future+

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• 

  Antimony

  40/100
  A clunky and disjointed episodic tale with flashes of potential.

  I really, really wanted to like Majo no Tabitabi. Anime, manga, and light novels have been short on more episodic series for quite a while, particularly those centering on a traveler's journey through varying settings. The best-known and best received light novel-turned-anime in this vein is Kino no Tabi, and Majo no Tabitabi takes obvious and direct inspiration; in both cases, a female protagonist travels alone, staying for short periods in small cities, acting primarily as an observer to events rather than as a catalyst (though generally being drawn in against her will). This isn't to accuse Majo no Tabitabi of being a ripoff--most works in this medium are derivative to some extent or another, and there are meaningful differences in both the protagonist's personality and in the settings themselves. Indeed, Majo no Tabitabi tries to tell its own story--it just doesn't do a very good job at it.

  The protagonist, a newly-minted teenage witch named Elaina, having spent two arduous years as an apprentice to an older witch, decides to travel the world on her own, visiting various "countries" (as I mentioned above, none of these are larger than city-states), most of which have a unique theme that causes some sort of conflict over the course of the episode. For instance, in one of the episodes that I thought that squandered its potential, the country's prince had cast a spell banning all lies, causing the effect of the townspeople using underhanded ways to be dishonest without directly lying. Yet compared to say, Kino no Tabi, and oddly for a work focused on traveling between different locales with different cultures, nothing is really done with this outside the opening minutes of the episodes.

  Elaina herself is, at best, a mixed bag of a protagonist. She's portrayed as slightly vain and self-centered--some people I've seen dislike her just because of this, but I'm generally more defensive of these sorts protagonists with personal flaws. The real problem is that her development over the course of the series is inconsistent, and cuts off right as it's seemingly about to go somewhere in the final episode. One of the later episodes, without getting into specific details, shows her failing to stop a gruesome murder, and ends with Elaina devastated and reconsidering her future as a traveler. The next episode proceeds to...not feature Elaina at all until the final few minutes, and then the episode after it doesn't seem to address anything that happened previously that seemingly would have caused her at least some trauma. While some of this can be ascribed to the decision to adapt chapters out of order to create more of a unified narrative and provide more spotlight to some secondary characters, the actual effect ends up being a clunky whiplash between very dark and fairly light-hearted episodes while failing to properly bridge the two, while emphasizing mostly uninteresting secondary characters over any sort of worldbuilding. An earlier episode features Elaina learning that a family has been staying with owns a slave who is repeatedly abused by the head of the household. While she at one point repairs a vase and stops the father from beating her, she chooses to not intervene any further and leave without attempting to free her from bondage, even after seeing the slave girl traumatized from learning about the outside world (it makes more sense in context). I don't necessarily think it would have been better for the story for Elaina to be a more active heroine, whether in this episode or in other episodes, but it reflects on a common problem in the series to introduce a moral dilemma without giving it any real weight or meaning.

  There are definitely some highlights to the series. The overall production values are above average despite some awkward 3DCG usage (the worst offender being a breaking vase in the aforementioned slave episode), and there are a couple episodes that I genuinely liked, including both the first episode (Elaina's background story) and one about a vineyard. Ultimately, however, due to both misguided adaptation decisions and an author biting off more than he can chew, Majo no Tabitabi, like its protagonist, fails under its own hubris.

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