Nozomi Witches

I'm not into sports at all but I've watched a few sports anime's and for some reason the sports element seems to help tie the story together and provide a good straight cut direction for the anime. This is a pretty short anime so the characters don't really get fleshed out. That being said the artwork is great for the time period, I enjoyed the score, and although the plot could have been strengthened with more time and development it is pretty sturdy. If I had watched a typical 12 episode half hour each anime I would be quite disappointed, but for the amount of time allotted, this series it is pretty damn good. It gets a 8 from me for telling a good story in a very short amount of time.

You'd be forgiven for thinking Nozomi Witches is Adachi Mitsuru's creation: it's a boxing anime; it possesses a quiet, tranquil atmosphere; even the plot feels reminiscent of his other works. Most suspicious of all, the character designs, with their soft, wistful looks, are unmistakably Adachi's style. I too was fooled. But in actual fact Adachi Mitsuru didn't have anything to do with the source material: he merely did the character designs for the anime. Nozomi Witches is a strange OVA. It tells the story of transfer student Ryoutaro moving into a new neighbourhood next door to the titular Nozomi, who claims to be a witch. Nozomi, recognising Ryoutaro's potential, encourages him - or perhaps more accurately, pushes and tricks him - to take up boxing so that he can fulfil HER dream (like I said, a plot worthy of Adachi himself). Aside from the bizarre premise, Nozomi Witches feels strange because it's such an obviously unfinished work. The manga was still ongoing at the time of the adaptation, and the OVA chose to cram the available material into just three episodes with each one clocking in under an hour. It's not a surprise then, that the plot travels at breakneck speed, particularly Ryoutaro's progress in boxing. Strangely, despite the fast progress, what's happening on screen rarely feels hurried. In fact, as I alluded to at the start, the mood is generally calm and serene. The speedy narrative juxtaposing with the laid-back mood leaves Nozomi Witches feeling like the recap or pilot episodes of a full TV series. While the boxing action sequences can raise the heart rate a little, they're not dragged out in the typical style of the genre - understandable given the runtime constraint. The general lack of tension means that Nozomi Witches doesn't feel much like a sports anime, let alone a boxing one. The overall experience isn't bad though. Nozomi's strong-willed personality has a certain magnetism, while her backstory and motivation serves as a minor but spicy hook in the story. There's chemistry between the leads and the interaction between them is cute. Nozomi Witches is pleasant enough to watch, but it's just not particularly exciting nor memorable. Oh, and one final reason to temper your expectations: there's no actual witchcraft in this show. Personal rating: decent (+0.5)