The Witch and the Beast: Season 1 – Episode Recaps & Review

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Plot Summary

Episode 1 “The Witch and the City of Blazing Red”

Director(s)	To Be Determined
Writer(s)	To Be Determined
Newly Noted Characters and Cast
Ashaf	Toshiyuki Morikawa
Guideau	Yō Taichi

Recap

Ashaf and Guideau are part of The Order of Magical Resonance, and while Ashaf’s focus is simply tackling magic-related troubles, Guideau is looking for revenge after being cursed by a witch. Now, what is the specific curse? That isn’t revealed in episode 1. However, what is, is that Guideau is an “On Sight” type of person, with both a human body and a demonic form.

In the first episode, they come to a city that, 417 years ago, put a witch at the stake under the impression they tried to set the city on fire. However, we learn from their granddaughter that her grandmother actually sealed the hellfire.

But, to get revenge, she plans to use almost half a dozen of the young women of the city to unlock the keys to the hellfire seal and burn the city to the ground. Thankfully, though, Ashaf and Guideau stopped her.

Episode 2 “The Witch’s Pastime: Opening Act”

Director(s)	To Be Determined
Writer(s)	To Be Determined
Newly Noted Characters and Cast
Ms. Haines	Junko Minagawa

Recap

Little by little, we’re learning about Ashaf and Guideau’s partnership. Guideau makes it clear that her working with the Order of Magical Resonance is purely to find the witch who cursed her, have her curse removed, and kill the witch. But, because the Order doesn’t work like that, and witch cases aren’t common, she is forced to do mundane work.

As you can imagine, after meeting Guideau in the first episode, she doesn’t do this with any form of enthusiasm. So, Ashaf sometimes has to trick her, and this leads to him being someone she plans to kill when she gets her true form back.

But, luckily for her, though not the 41+ victims, a witch case does appear in Hayden, the capital of Pheres, and the Order assigns the case to Guideau and Ashaf. Now, unfortunately for them, they need to work with Ms. Haines, the sole mage of the Hayden police department. However, they do win her over by being honest about their purpose, beyond what the Order stands for, so it seems they’ll officially begin working together in episode 3.

Other Noteworthy Information

1. We’re told there are magical objects out there that can allow people to have powers that mirror that of witches, but they require a sacrifice of some kind, such as the wielder’s lifespan.
2. Paladin Corps: An organization of global peacekeepers that are called in when there are witch problems

Episode 3 “The Witch’s Pastime: Final Act”

Release Date	January 25, 2024
Director(s)	To Be Determined
Writer(s)	To Be Determined
Newly Noted Characters and Cast
Shulk	Kousaka Atsushi
Loran	Terashima Takuma
Previously Noted Characters and Cast
Kiera	Minagawa Junko
Ashaf	Morikawa Toshiyuki
Guideau	Taichi You

Plot Recap

The Closer I Get To You – Kiera, Ashaf, Guideau

After the witch attacks Ashaf and Guideau, they start to realize Kiera isn’t just the detective of this case; there is a personal connection, too. She notes the witch seemingly hurts anyone who gets close to her, like her magic teacher and boyfriend, alongside her sons. But, as for why it avoids hurting or killing her, that is unknown in the beginning.

The Prodigal Sons – Shulk, Loran, Kiera, Ashaf, Guideau

That is until Ashaf uses his familiars, the crows, to track down the witch, and Guideau discovers the witch exists in two parts – Shulk and Loran, Kiera’s adopted sons. From what we’re told, it seems their love for her surpassed that of her being a maternal role and veered towards something inappropriate, and with the grimoire, “Sarnovasus” appearing on Kiera’s desk and the boys taking it, they were immediately cursed.

So, to satisfy the grimoire and not be killed by it, they massacred multiple people, mainly those who got close to Kiera. In return, they stayed powerful, but with needing to fake their deaths, all they could do was stalk Kiera rather than remain close to her.

As you can imagine, Kiera is shocked, and Guideau, frustrated that they aren’t witches, simply wants to kill them. However, Kiera takes on that task, and after Guideau gets the grimoire out of the boys hands, Kiera fires shots into the boys’ heads.

Thus leaving her not only single but childless, but at least via Ashaf, maybe Guideau, having new connections in case she ever needs anything.

Things to Note

1. Witches are immortal
2. Guideau’s curse is being in the human state we see

General Information

Created By	Kousuke Satake
Network	Crunchyroll
Start Date	January 12, 2024
End Date	To Be Determined
Number of Episodes	12
Genre(s)	Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller, Young Adult, Animation, Non-English (Japanese)

Content Information

• Dialog: Cursing (Throughout)
• Violence: Amputation/Dismemberment, Blood, Fight Scenes
• Sexual Content: Nudity (Full – Blurred)
• Miscellaneous: Depiction of Corpses, Body Horror, Smoking

Renewal Status

To Be Determined

Directory

(Series Page | Character Guide)

Discussion Items

Let us know your thoughts in the comments:

1. Why do you think Guideau was cursed?
2. Episode 3: How did you feel about the conclusion of this two-episode arc?
3. With witches being the most powerful, yet others still having an affinity for magic, how do you think that works? Are they people not descendants of witches, but maybe their ancestors gained favor from a witch, hence the ability to use magic?

Review

Notable Performances, Moments, or Episodes

Episodes To Anticipate

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Highlights

General: The Art Style Mixed With The Story

I don’t know the technical term for the art style used in “The Witch and the Beast,” but we love how it lends itself to expressions that allow for innocence and deviousness. It makes every character seem morally gray, and even for the most innocent smiles, there is a question of whether that smile is part of a mask or a character’s true face?

Episode one shows this notably through the witch’s main assistant. With how witches are pushed to be, it is hard to say if that smile of joy is for an evil puppet, due to naivety, as we learn later in episode 1, or something else entirely.

Which is going to surely make Ashaf’s investigations of interest as the season goes on.

Episode 1: Ashaf and Guidea’s Introduction

While dynamics between multiple lead characters usually fall into certain combos, such as the calm, cool, and collected, and the impetuous type, as seen via Ashaf and Guideau, it is a classic for a reason. But, what makes these two interesting is that their dynamic could be more than a pairing because of who they work for.

Now, this isn’t to say there is something romantic or even of a sibling nature there. However, it does seem Ashaf respects Guideau enough to know when to let her run wild, and there is some form of reverence Guideau has for Ashaf when her adrenaline hasn’t taken over.

So it will be interesting to learn about not only their individual backstories but also more about their bond.

Low Points

On The Fence

Episode 2: Hoping The Cases Are More Interesting Than The Gore

As the luster of Ashaf and Guidea begins to wear off, there is a hope the story will quickly come in and compensate. The first episode made that seem possible, but considering the filler that began episode 2, which led to the case spilling over into episode 3, there is a slight worry that pacing might not be this show’s strong suit.

Never mind, while Ashaf remains cool and interesting, Guidea could grow tiresome as she remains one note. Especially since she knows nothing about the witch who cursed her, and it seems they are in no rush to reveal the events that led her to partner with Ashaf anytime soon, beyond her being cursed and needing an organization with a robust network to find the witch.

Episode 3: Lackluster End That Allowed For Some World-Building

While there are promises of new blood for the next episode, I’m at the point of believing Ashaf and Guideau are a bit stale, and unfortunately, their cases may follow suit. But, while the characters we’ve met and cases we’ve seen thus far have been underwhelming, I will admit if you shift focus and see each episode as a means to do world-building, and we just so happen to focus on Guideau and Ashaf, then “The Witch and the Beast” isn’t terrible.

The first episode introduced witches, the second and third forbidden tools like grimoires, and who knows what else could be explored, with Ashaf and Guideau as mediums, to show us the power or why The Order, among other organizations, keep a careful eye on something or someone.

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