Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches Review: A Delinquent Accidentally Kisses a Girl and Discovers He Can Swap Bodies With Her
by Miki Yoshikawa
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Quick Take
- A high school romance comedy where body-swapping through kissing is the supernatural gimmick that drives the plot and makes the romance progress in unusual ways
- The seven witches mystery gives the series structure beyond the central romance; the student council arc expands the world significantly
- Complete at 25 volumes; the anime adaptation is solid; the manga is the full story with the more developed ending
Who Is This Manga For?
- Readers who want romantic comedy with a consistent supernatural gimmick
- Fans of school-setting romance where the leads develop naturally across a long series
- Anyone who wants Kodansha-published shonen romance with a complete ending
- Readers who want something lighter than standard action shonen but more structured than pure romance
Content Warnings & Age Rating
Age Rating: T (Teen) Content Warnings: Body-swap comedy that includes being in another person's body; mild fanservice in some chapters; romance situations
Standard T-rated shonen comedy-romance.
Yu's Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Story Depth | ★★★☆☆ |
| Art Style | ★★★★☆ |
| Character Development | ★★★★☆ |
| Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers | ★★★★★ |
| Reread Value | ★★★☆☆ |
Story Overview
Ryu Yamada is a delinquent who has lost interest in school. Urara Shiraishi is the honor student everyone admires. They fall down stairs together; the accidental kiss switches their bodies.
The body-swapping ability works through kissing — and through investigation, they discover their school has seven witches, each with a different supernatural power activated the same way. The student council knows about the witches. Someone has been manipulating the situation for years.
The 25 volumes balance the central romance (Yamada and Shiraishi learning each other from the inside, so to speak) with the expanding supernatural conspiracy that grows considerably beyond the initial premise.
Characters
Ryu Yamada — His specific appeal — he is genuinely kind despite his delinquent reputation, and he takes the discovery of the witches seriously in a way that earns everyone's respect — makes him more substantial than the genre's typical protagonist.
Urara Shiraishi — Her arc — from isolated honor student who hides herself, to someone who allows people in — is the romance's emotional core. The body-swap gimmick accelerates this; being inside each other's lives literally is the mechanism for learning each other.
The Witches — Each of the seven has a distinct personality and power; some become significant recurring characters. The ensemble grows substantially across 25 volumes.
Art Style
Yoshikawa's art is clean, expressive shonen work — the body-swap comedy requires the art to convey one character's personality through another character's visual design, and Yoshikawa handles this consistently well throughout.
Cultural Context
The student council as a powerful institution within Japanese high school manga is a genre standard — in Yamada-kun, the council's knowledge of the witches and its own history of manipulation gives it more narrative significance than the typical student government structure.
What I Love About It
Yamada taking the supernatural seriously. When he discovers each witch's power, he does not treat it as a threat — he approaches it as a puzzle to solve and a person to understand. His enthusiasm for the mystery, combined with his genuine care for the people involved, is what makes him an appealing lead in a premise that could easily produce a much more passive protagonist.
What English-Speaking Fans Say
Western readers praise the balance between the romance and the supernatural mystery — the series never loses either thread entirely, and the two develop together in ways that feel natural. The ending is considered satisfying. The body-swap gimmick's comedy potential is consistently exploited well across all 25 volumes.
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
The reveal of the student council president's specific relationship to the witches and their history — what has actually been happening and why — recontextualizes much of the series' earlier events and is the most significant narrative payoff.
Similar Manga
- Nisekoi — Shonen magazine romance, similar comedy register
- Tomo-chan Is a Girl! — School romance comedy, gender-related premise
- Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun — School romance comedy, different structure
- We Never Learn — School romance, similar ensemble development
Reading Order / Where to Start
Volume 1 — the body-swap discovery and the initial witch mystery establish both the comedy and the supernatural framework immediately.
Official English Translation Status
Kodansha USA published the complete 25-volume series. All volumes available.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 25 volumes, complete
- The supernatural mystery gives structure beyond typical romance pacing
- The ensemble of witches expands the series significantly
- The ending is satisfying
Cons
- 25 volumes is a real commitment
- The body-swap gimmick's comedy is front-loaded
- The supernatural arc becomes more complex than some readers expected from the premise
Format Comparison
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| Individual Volumes | Kodansha USA; standard |
| Digital | Available |
Where to Buy
Get Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches Vol. 1 on Amazon →
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*Affiliate link — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Written by
Yu
Manga Enthusiast from Japan
I grew up in Japan and manga literally saved me during a tough time in elementary school. My English isn't perfect, but my love for manga is real — and I want to share it with you.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.