Six Magical Reasons to Watch 'Maebashi Witches'!

It’s always great to find a colorful new anime to help us escape from the real world. One fun show that will definitely brighten your day is Maebashi Witches, a stress-free magical girl anime with gorgeous visuals by SUNRISE. Read about the show in this blog post!

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The Setting of Maebashi Witches

Yuina Akagi is a bright and energetic girl who loves snapping pictures of the beautiful scenery of Gunma Prefecture. One day a talking frog named Keroppe appears in her room, and asks if she would like to become a “witch.” She agrees and passes through a magical doorway that appears in her closet to meet four other witches.

The new girls are Choco, an optimistic and airheaded blonde; the carefree Mai, who’s always on her phone; and Kyouka, who is tall and level-headed. But the best girl is the fiery tsundere Azu, who really brings the Sailor Mars vibes for me. As they train to become full-fledged witches, the girls must run a “magical idol shop” whose location changes from place to place, depending on whichever person needs their help that episode… making it similar to the Room of Requirement from Harry Potter.

Maebashi Witches has been described online as Love Live Nijigasaki meets Madoka Magica, and I’m totally down with that description.

A Magical Girl Anime Set in My Hometown?

Maebashi Witches is set in the Japanese city of — wait for it! — Maebashi, located in Gunma Prefecture, about 100 km north of Tokyo. Coincidentally, J-List is based just one city over, in Isesaki, which anime fans might recognize as the setting for Nichijou. Maebashi holds a special place in my heart. It was the first city I came to when I arrived in Japan to teach English over three decades ago. Maebashi was where I ate my first 7-Eleven rice ball, and where I learned to order beer at an izakaya bar. I even met Mrs. J-List there! So when I heard the name of this anime, I was immediately intrigued.

That said, I’ve grown a little more cautious when it comes to anime set in real-world locations in Japan, because these shows can feel a bit forced. The turning point for me was 2011’s Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne. The show made a big deal out of being set in Kamogawa, a seaside town across Tokyo Bay, clearly hoping to spark an “anime pilgrimage” movement like Onegai Teacher or Yuru Camp did.

But when a show pushes its setting too hard, it can feel inauthentic, especially when it’s obvious the municipality involved kicked in money to fund the anime in an attempt to boost “otaku tourism.” It reminds me of how Robotics;Notes tried to force a new Dr. Pepper-style meme by having its characters drink Skal, a local soft drink. But fans felt they were being patronized, and they weren’t having it.

Maebashi Witches Features Gorgeous Visuals by SUNRISE

No offense to P.A. Works, but when the Narenare: Cheer For You! cheerleading anime came out, I was worried it might not catch on with fans. It had charming characters, but it was the same old P.A. Works character designs, and it seemed to lack the “spark” to engage with fans. (Except for the entire nation of Brazil, who loved the Brazilian character Anna Aveiro.) But I think the higher quality of visuals from SUNRISE means there’s a better chance fans will stick around past the first few episodes.

Maebashi Witches is light-hearted and fun, and the banter between the girls is excellent. The anime is written by scriptwriter Erika Yoshida, who also brought us Bocchi the Rock! This probably explains why the vibe between the characters is so good. Because this is an original series, no one knows where the story will end up. Waku waku suru!

Is It a Magical Girl Anime or an Idol Anime?

An anime with “witches” in the title must belong to the magical girl genre, right? Not so fast. The girls do transform and use magic from time to time, but this seems to be more of a feel-good anime about cute girls who use songs in order to help people who are struggling with deep problems. So if you were expecting a major new entry in the pantheon of magical girl anime, you might be better off adjusting your expectations ahead of time.

The Best OP of the Season So Far!

I love that there are many ways to discover a new anime. You could follow the original manga or light novels. You could be a fan of the character designer and find a new show to watch that way. Or you could be an aficionado of anime songs and only watch shows with songs that really rock. If you fall into the latter category of fan, you’ll be happy to hear the Maebashi Witches OP really slaps!

Thanks for reading this blog post about the new Maebashi Witches magical girl/idol anime. How do you feel about anime set in a real location in Japan? Are there any real anime locations you’d like to visit? Tell us in the comments below!

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