is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tomoko Yamashita. It was serialized in Shodensha's manga magazine Feel Young from June 2017 to June 2023, with its chapters collected in 11 volumes. The series follows Makio KÃ Âdai, a reclusive novelist, and Asa Takumi, her orphaned niece who she takes in.
A live-action film adaptation was released in June 2024. A 13-episode anime television series adaptation produced by Shuka aired from January to March 2026.
The anime adaptation received overwhelmingly positive reviews, with praise for its writing, production value, and exploration of emotional themes; several critics named it as the best series of the season.
Makio KÃ Âdai is a 35-year-old novelist who dislikes social contact. Asa Takumi is Makio's 15-year-old niece left orphaned after her parents die in a car accident. While Makio had a strained relationship with Asa's mother, she takes Asa in after becoming frustrated with how the rest of their extended family treats her as a burden.
The two soon begin living together, and although Asa's friendly personality clashes with Makio's reserved nature, they adjust to their new life as Asa works through her grief and Makio tries socializing for the first time in years. At Makio's suggestion, Asa keeps a journal about her daily life and feelings.
Makio's relationship with Asa was the subject of substantial commentary. Yamashita, the manga's author, stated that a theme of the story was how people can never truly understand each other. Yuko Hasada of Quick Japan Web argued that the story depicts Asa becoming more expressive with her feelings, even when they are not necessarily understood. Hasada referenced a scene where Makio affirms Asa's right to feel as she does despite her emotions conflicting with societal norms. Writing for Real Sound, Tomariko suggested that Makio and Asa are connected by their shared separation from societyâÂÂMakio by choice and Asa by circumstance. Tomariko argued that Makio's role lies not in understanding Asa's feelings, but rather accepting them, and concluded that the one of the series's central themes is acknowledging the independence of individuals.
Hidekazu Yuki of Nobody Magazine opined that the story differs from other stories regarding different personalities because it respects the characters' mutual differences, rather than depicting them easily getting along or adapting to each other. Similarly, author Hirano Yà « felt that the series emphasizes the importance of respecting boundaries and not imposing values on others, as shown by interactions where Makio tries to make Asa understand that feelings are not meant to be judged. In regards to Makio and Asa's dynamic, Caitlin Moore of Anime News Network (ANN) regarded its portrayal as "intertwined, one informing the other, greater than they are individually". Sylvia Jones of the same site argued that the narrative's "big picture" was about the importance of emotional bonds between women in ordinary life.
The story's treatment of grief was widely discussed by critics. Tomariko observed that Asa's initial emotion following her parents' death is anger rather than sadness, attributing this to her complicated relationship with them and newfound need to find her own path in life. Similarly, Shosuke Tanihara of Book Asahi, from the Asahi Shimbun, noted that the narrative focuses on Asa's difficulty processing her emotions in the wake of loss, and argued that the series addresses the challenges of understanding contradictory or unfamiliar feelings.
Allyson Johnson of In Between Drafts opined that the anime adaptation's approach provides a deeply intimate depiction of grief, stating that it "capture[s] [the] sensation of murky, clumsy self-realization" that "there are no neat ends". She supported this through the analysis that the story deliberately avoids creating "breakdowns or breakthroughs" solely for "narrative convenience". James Beckett of ANN concurred, arguing that the story is realistically depicted and sidesteps "melodrama" or "showy displays".
Written and illustrated by Tomoko Yamashita, Journal with Witch was serialized in Shodensha's manga magazine Feel Young from June 8, 2017, to June 8, 2023. Shodensha collected its chapters in 11 volumes, released from November 8, 2017, to August 8, 2023.
In June 2023, it was announced that the series would receive a live-action film adaptation, directed by Natsuki Seta and starring Yui Aragaki as Makio KÃ Âdai. For the film, wrote and composed the in-story song , while performed the song . It premiered in Japanese theaters on June 7, 2024.
An anime television series was announced in May 2024. It is produced by Shuka and directed by Miyuki Oshiro, with scripts written by KÃ Âhei Kiyasu, characters designed by Kenji Hayama, and music composed by Kensuke Ushio. It was broadcast from January 4 to March 29, 2026, on 's programming block and other networks. The opening theme song is , performed by Tomoo, and the ending theme song is , performed by .
Crunchyroll is streaming the series. Plus Media Networks Asia licensed the series in Southeast Asia and broadcasts it on Aniplus Asia.
In 2019, the manga was nominated for the 12th Manga Taishà  and ranked fourth with 45 points; in 2020, it was nominated for the 13th award and ranked tenth with 31 points. On Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2019 for female readers, the series ranked fourth; it ranked tenth on the 2020 list; and fifth on the 2024 list. It ranked 17th in the 2019 Next Manga Award in the print category. The series topped the 2023 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine. The series was nominated for the 28th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2024.
The anime adaptation received overwhelmingly positive reviews. All four reviewers from Anime News Network (ANN) gave the premiere a perfect or near-perfect score; Caitlin Moore, writing the lead review, called it "so beautiful, so stunningly made in every dimension, that words fail me". Allyson Johnson of In Between Drafts wrote that the show was "poised to be [...] a critical triumph", while Tony Prickett of Anime Feminist stated that it was "hard to overstate how much I recommend it". Sylvia Jones of ANN described it as "pull[ing] the weight of several equivalent series with the amount of confidence and craft on display" and a potential contender for one of the best shows of the year. Several reviewers named the show as being the best of the Winter 2026 season.
The story and writing were widely praised, with James Beckett of ANN voicing his enjoyment of the "honest, pure reality" of a "deceptively simple human drama". Johnson concurred, acclaiming the writing as "extraordinary" in its characterization. Jones opined that the story's nonlinear narrative was particularly effective in setting up a climax in the premiere episode, while Richard Eisenbeis of ANN commended the pacing through "visual metaphors and tightly-written conversation". David Wilson of IndieWire praised the show for its character writing, stating that it "proves [adroit]" in expanding its cast while also "never losing sight" of the central characters. Eljiah Gonzalez of The A.V. Club wrote that it "rejected everything simplistic and superficial" in favor of having "depth and humanity".
Many critics commented positively on the story's emotional themes, with several mentioning that the show brought them to tears. Rebecca Silverman of ANN described the show as an "exploration [...] of feeling at sea in the world" that was "resonant and quietly comforting". Jones felt that the story had a "quiet emotional intelligence" and was ultimately "one of the precious few anime" written for a more mature audience, while Prickett contended that the show "sp[oke] profoundly to the human condition, intimacy, and ambiguities of grief". David Opie of GamesRadar+ praised the series as having "great poignancy" and a "soft emotional intelligence", concluding that it was a "unique marvel [and] a one-of-a-kind masterpiece".
The production value was well-received. Moore acclaimed the "sheer beauty in every frame of animation, every line spoken, every note of music", concluding that it "may be the most powerful thing you'll watch all year". Similarly, Prickett considered the story "exquisitely boarded, perfectly edited, and loaded with meaning", with praise for "painstakingly animated" moments. Johnson called the animation "superb" in its style and coloring, while Wilson opined that it "further[s] the show's down-to-earth, realistic tone". Jones commended the show's voice acting, calling Miyuki Sawashiro, Makio's voice actor, a "generational talent" with "impeccable" chemistry with Fuko Mori, who voices Asa. Lewis Parker of Kotaku concurred, praising the two voice actors as "giving the best performances" of the season.