Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina (Japanese: 魔女の旅々, Hepburn: Majo no Tabitabi, lit. "The Witch's Journey") is a Japanese light novel series written by Jougi Shiraishi and illustrated by Azure. SB Creative have released nineteen volumes since April 2016 under their GA Novel label. A manga adaptation with art by Itsuki Nanao has been serialized online since November 2018 via Square Enix's online manga magazine Manga UP!. It has been collected in four tankōbon volumes. The light novel is licensed in North America by Yen Press, and the manga is licensed by Square Enix. An anime television series adaptation by C2C aired from October to December 2020. Plot[edit]Fascinated by the stories of Niké, a witch who traveled around the world, Elaina aspires to take the same course. Her determination of studying books and magic leads to her becoming the youngest apprentice witch to pass the sorcery exam. However, when Elaina attempts to receive training in order to become a full-fledged witch, she is rejected due to her extraordinary talents until she finds Fran, the "Stardust Witch", who accepts her. After earning her title, the "Ashen Witch", Elaina begins her exploration around the world, visiting and facing all kinds of people and places. Characters[edit]Elaina (イレイナ, Ireina)Voiced by: Kaede Hondo[2] (Japanese); Amber Lee Connors[3] (English)Elaina grew up reading stories about the adventures of a witch named Niké, who is heavily implied to be her own mother, and decided to become one as well, taking the title of "Ashen Witch" and traveling the world. The story is told through her diary entries.Fran (フラン, Furan)Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa[2][4] (Japanese); Jad Saxton[3] (English)Known as the "Stardust Witch", she is Elaina's mentor from a distant land. Beneath her laid-back attitude lies an incredibly powerful and knowledgeable witch. The most important thing she taught Elaina was to stand up for herself and not just endure mistreatment in the hope that it will all work out. She, along with Sheila, was an apprentice to Niké.Saya (サヤ)Voiced by: Tomoyo Kurosawa[2] (Japanese); Dani Chambers[5] (English)An apprentice witch from an eastern land. Relying on others for support, she secretly stole Elaina's witch brooch and then offered her shelter in an attempt to force her to stay with her. However, Elaina eventually figured her out and taught her to have more self-confidence. She later becomes a full-fledged witch, taking the title of "Charcoal Witch" to match Elaina, and starts working under Sheila at the United Magic Association.Sheila (シーラ, Shīra)Voiced by: Yōko Hikasa[6] (Japanese); Leah Clark[7] (English)Known as the "Night Witch", she is a member of the United Magic Association, which investigates the misuse of magic, as well as Saya and Mina's mentor. She, along with Fran, was a former apprentice of Niké.Mina (ミナ)Voiced by: Minami Takahashi[8]Saya's younger sister. While she appears stern and aloof, she actually has a sister complex. She was separated from Saya when she started working under Sheila at the United Magic Association after becoming a full-fledged witch while Saya was still an apprentice. She is jealous of Elaina's closeness to Saya.Production[edit]At one point, Jougi Shiraishi was disappointed at the prospect that he would not become a professional writer. It was around this time when he discovered that it was possible to self-publish books on Amazon's Kindle service. As such, the series debuted as an e-book in 2014.[9][10] Shiraishi professes that in terms of inspiration, he comes across various stories and material from other genres and formats. He also cites National Geographic and the ecology of animals and plants as the inspiration for the various countries and creatures featured in the series. When he thinks about the story, Shiraishi states that he focuses on the setting and world first.[10] Shiraishi requested the production staff of the anime adaptation, as the only major request to them, not to show any panties, in order to broaden the age range of the audience.[11] Media[edit]Light novels[edit]The series was acquired by SB Creative, who began publishing the series in light novel format through its GA Novel imprint with illustrations by Azure on April 15, 2016.[12] Nineteen volumes have been released as of September 14, 2022.[13][14] Yen Press has licensed the series in North America and the first volume was published on January 28, 2020.[15]
Manga[edit]A manga adaptation by Itsuki Nanao began serialization on November 29, 2018 on the smartphone app and website Manga UP! from the publisher Square Enix, which published the first volume of the series on April 12, 2019;[53][54] it has been compiled into four volumes as of March 7, 2022.[55] The manga is published in English by Square Enix.[56]
Anime[edit]An anime television series adaptation was announced during a livestream for the "GA Fes 2019" event on October 19, 2019. The series was animated by C2C and directed by Toshiyuki Kubooka, with Kazuyuki Fudeyasu handling series composition, and Takeshi Oda adapting Azure's character designs.[2] AstroNoteS composed the soundtrack for the anime, which was later released in an album on January 27, 2021.[62] The series ran for 12 episodes from October 2 to December 18, 2020 on AT-X and other channels.[63][64] The opening theme is "Literature" (リテラチュア, Riterachua) performed by Reina Ueda, while the ending theme is "Haiiro no Saga" (灰色のサーガ, "Gray Saga") performed by ChouCho.[6][65] Funimation acquired the series and streamed it on its website in North America and the British Isles.[66] AnimeLab simulcasted the series in Australia and New Zealand.[67] Wakanim streamed the series in select European territories.[68][69] On December 3, 2020, Funimation announced that the series would receive an English dub, which premiered the following day.[3] Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll.[70] Muse Communication has licensed the series in Southeast Asia and South Asia and they streamed it on their Muse Asia YouTube channel.[71][72] Episode list[edit]Reception[edit]The light novel series ranked ninth in 2018 in Takarajimasha's annual light novel guide book Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi!, in the tankōbon category.[86] It ranked sixth in 2019[87] and sixth again in 2020.[88] Notes[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Will there be Elaina season 2?The second season of Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina still hasn't been confirmed or canceled yet. The first season aired only two years ago and while there still is a lot of material to adapt from the light novel series, the second season is still uncertain.
Is Majo no Tabitabi season 2 confirmed?Majo no Tabitabi Season 2: Release Date
In this case, Majo no Tabitabi Season 2 will likely premiere in the first half of 2022. Otherwise, the adventures of Elaina will return to screens by the end of the next year.
Who is amnesia in Wandering Witch?Amnesia (アムネシア Amuneshia) is one of the recurring characters introduced in the Wandering Witch series. She is described as a mysterious girl who always loses her memories every time she sleeps.
How old is Elaine in Wandering Witch?Intelligence: Elaina is also a smart and talented witch, proven by how she was the youngest to pass the sorcery examination at only fourteen years of age.
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