Review | Majo no Tabitabi

This review of Majo no Tabitabi Chapter 2 contains spoilers. If you haven't seen the chapters, we recommend you do so and then come back to read the review.

Majo no Tabitabi - Chapter 2: The Land of the Magicians

Elaina arrives in the land of the magicians, a nation where only magic users can enter. So they let her in after confirming that she is a witch thanks to her brooch. Elaina had always wanted to visit that country, so she is excited. However, within her distraction by the emotion, she does not notice a young girl who loses control when flying on her broomstick, crashing into the 'Witch Ash'. After making sure she is all right after the impact and fixing the damage caused by the fall of both of them, Elaina leaves in search of a place to stay.

Hoping to receive some kind of benefit for being a witch, but being rejected everywhere she goes. She ends up at a simple inn, meeting the girl she bumped into earlier, who works there. Elaina ends up staying at that inn. After taking a bath, Elaina is received in her room by Saya, the young girl, who asks the 'Ash Witch' to help her pass the exam and become an apprentice witch. Elaina agrees to help her, only until she finds her brooch, as she seems to have lost it during the incident that day. She seems to have lost it during the incident that day.

Seeing Saya's ability, Elaina is sure that her chances of passing the test are close to 0, but it is not impossible for her. So she begins by teaching her the basics of flying and the use of magic that they ask for during the test. Something Saya learns very quickly. After a few days, Elaina continues to look for her pin, discovering its whereabouts after asking a witness. That night, while Elaina and Saya were lying together, the 'Ash Witch' faces the young girl, as she now knows she has her brooch. In her talk about it, Elaina manages to get Saya to be brave enough to face the exam alone, without keeping her with her as a replacement for her sister, who had already passed the same exam.

The country of the magicians

Although the previous episode was just the beginning of Elaina's journey as a Witch. The Land of the Magi is the first place that is shown in her journey. Although it must have been some time since she started her journey. Something that leaves me with a strange feeling, as if things were happening very fast. In a way I understood that it was like that in the first episode, since I was more focused on how Elaina found her teacher and went from being a witch's apprentice to being known as the 'Witch Ash' after a year with Fran-sensei. However, in Majo no Tabitabi - Chapter 2 I felt that they rushed things a bit.

And as a consequence I feel that they did not take full advantage of what the country of the wizards had to offer. For example, being a place where its inhabitants are so focused on magic, along with Elaina's taste for books, I must admit that I thought a library would be the first place I would visit. Staying there until very late, looking for a place to sleep being rejected and ending up at the same inn where she originally stayed in Majo no Tabitabi - Chapter 2.

But, not having read anything of the novel (yet), I can't assure that the story as I imagine it is the original one or simply that it stays as my imagination flying away.

Not only was that something I was not satisfied with as I felt the plot in Majo no Tabitabi - Chapter 2 was rushed. I would also have liked to know even more about the country's population, since, although you are supposed to have magical knowledge to be able to enter, there are some extra characters who don't seem to be very skilled in magic. For example, the woman who witnessed Saya get Elaina's brooch. She looks like a simple ordinary woman and not a witch or witch's apprentice. Even though she is a novice in magic, her stay in that country still doesn't fit.

In the end it is an insignificant detail to know everything about the population of a country. However, it is a point from which, for some reason, I cannot ignore that information. After all, I think it would give at least a little more depth to the place and perhaps to the history in the future.

Rookie" Saya

In Majo no Tabitabi - Chapter 2 Saya made her first appearance, a "novice" in magic who aspires to be a witch's apprentice like her sister. Coming from a distant country in the East, Saya shows customs that reflect a re-enactment of some Japanese customs. A bit of a cliché, but I don't dislike seeing it even in Fantasy stories without being Isekai.

Returning to Saya, I confess that from the beginning I did not like this character. Mainly because of her personality, which is desperate for me. In most of the scenes in which she participated, I felt uncomfortable. Something that happens to me with all characters with the same or quite similar personality. While his aesthetic aspect is not bad. Although I like it less than Elaina's or even her own sister's. Although they don't mention her age, Saya seems like a young teenager, being a few years younger than the naive Elaina. Which for Majo no Tabitabi - Chapter 2 should be around 18 years old.

I became suspicious of Saya when I heard her story and realized that she came from a distant country. If she was coming from so far away specifically to the Land of the Wizards to become a witch's apprentice, why couldn't she fly properly? At first I imagined that it might be because her sister was the one who took her, but then how would they have let Saya into the country? Considering that it is a place where the use of magic is so notorious (and almost obligatory).

Then there was the detail of her very rapid learning. If she was learning so quickly, why couldn't she pass the test? His sister had already passed, and assuming that the photo they were in together was taken in their home country, they don't seem to have much of an age difference at that point to the present. Taking Saya as a reference. So, my conspiratorial side created the toeria that her sister is a prodigy in magic and Saya tries to be like her, but seeing the difference in level she got "stuck" because of her feeling of loneliness when she separated from her sister. Therefore, when she met Elaina, a genius just like her beloved sister, she did all those actions in order to be with her as if she were a replacement. This makes Saya a somewhat "dangerous" siscon.

As I said, it's a simple theory that might not be true, but even after visualizing Majo no Tabitabi several times - Chapter 2 I can't help but think it's pretty accurate.

Even though Saya is a secondary character, I have the feeling that this will not be the only time she appears in the anime. For already being a witch's apprentice she will seek out the witch she loves. Which I like for the simple fact of having that yuri touch.

The seiyuu in charge of giving voice to Saya is Tomoyo Kurosawa, who has also done it with characters like: Sylphy (Amagi Brilliant Park), Hitoha Hongou (Araburu Kisetsu no Otome-domo yo.), Kumiko Oumae (Hibike! Euphonium), Phosphophyllite (Houseki no Kuni), among others.

By the way, there are some characters that I feel should have had more relevance in Majo no Tabitabi - Chapter 2, although it was not in much quantity. For example, the man who appears as a cameo when Saya cries when she is "saved" from the loneliness she felt. Straight away, who was that man? The first thing I thought was that he was the owner of the inn, after all Saya only works there. But if that's not the case, then I'm even more confused as to why he showed up.

Technical details of Majo no Tabitabi - Chapter 2

I have mixed feelings because of the animation, because, although in most cases the quality is quite good, there are moments when I can't help feeling that your production was not finished. On the positive side, the quality of animation in the magic effects in Majo no Tabitabi - Chapter 2 I liked quite a lot. Seeing how the magic surrounded Elaina's wand was beautiful.

However, there are several details that, personally, do not convince me at all. The first one is the clothing of the characters, since from time to time you don't notice an outline to show features of the clothing, so I feel that the 'nature' of various garments is lost a little. While the second has to do once again with water, this time specifically with the water in the bathtub. Well, other than that it was evident it wasn't the same style of animation as everything else in that scene. And that the water was dark enough to censor Elaina. The amount of water in that bathtub had already exceeded the limit, but it didn't spill. It could be just my perception, but I really think the water must have spilled. Generating the typical sound of water falling to the floor in bathing scenes.

Of course, there were also moments when the characters looked out of proportion, and not comically so. But it was never alarming and in fact it usually happened in the scenes where the characters were a little far away in the shot. Something that I see as normal to happen, but in case of doubts I will be more attentive for the next chapters.

In the sound aspect of this anime, in Majo no Tabitabi - Chapter 2 the opening and closing themes of the anime appeared together with their respective animation sequence.

The opening is "Literature (リテラチュア)" performed by Reina Ueda. This opening left me a strange feeling of "disinchrony" between the song and the animation. Not because either of them is bad, but because sometimes I like the song better while other times I like the animation better. But in spite of having seen it several times, in none of them I could assure that I liked both at the same time. I feel as if my senses of hearing and sight are fighting to show which aspect of the opening is better.

As for the ending, it is performed by ChouCho and the song is "Haiiro no Saga (灰色のサーガ)". From the ending I must confess that both the animated sequence and the theme song only make me see an 'ending' (worth the redundancy). By this I mean that, by the tones of the song and the simplicity of the animation, I was left with the feeling of "seeing it" at the end of the anime season. Something like it was made for the credits of some movie. I'm not saying it's bad, but it's definitely not my favorite of this season. And if I had to choose between the opening or the ending in Majo no Tabitabi, I would definitely opt for the opening.