Flying Witch Review: A Witch Moves to the Country and Mostly Tends Her Garden
by Chihiro Ishizuka
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Quick Take
- A teenage witch living in rural Aomori tends her garden, drinks tea, flies occasionally, and shows her cousins the small wonders of the magical world
- The most peaceful fantasy manga — magic is used for harvesting mandrakes and finding good mushrooms, and the rural setting is depicted with genuine affection
- 11 volumes, ongoing, with a long gap between updates that makes each volume feel like a reunion
Who Is This Manga For?
- Readers who want slice-of-life with gentle fantasy elements that don't disrupt the quiet
- Anyone who loves rural Japan settings rendered with care and detail
- Fans of Mushishi who want something lighter with similar atmospheric qualities
- Readers who want magic treated as part of ordinary domestic life
Content Warnings & Age Rating
Age Rating: All Ages Content Warnings: None
Completely accessible for all ages. One of the most calming manga in the medium.
Yu's Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Story Depth | ★★★★☆ |
| Art Style | ★★★★★ |
| Character Development | ★★★★☆ |
| Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers | ★★★★★ |
| Reread Value | ★★★★★ |
Story Overview
Makoto Kowata is fifteen and a witch. She moves from Yokohama to rural Aomori to complete the traditional witch training — living independently, learning the practical magical arts, becoming capable. She stays with her cousins: Kei, who is entirely unfazed by magic existing, and Chinatsu, who is delighted by every new magical thing she encounters.
Flying Witch has no plot. Each chapter is an episode in Makoto's life in Aomori: harvesting magical herbs, meeting the witch who runs a café that appears seasonally, encountering a fortune-telling dog, finding that a local barn harbors something ancient and harmless. The magical world and the ordinary world coexist without drama.
Characters
Makoto — Warm, slightly absent-minded, genuinely talented. Her magic is practical rather than spectacular — she is learning to be a good witch the way someone learns to be a good cook.
Chinatsu — Makoto's young cousin who wants to be a witch herself. Her enthusiastic apprenticeship provides the warmest relationship dynamic in the manga.
Akane — Makoto's older sister, an accomplished witch who drops in occasionally; her casual excellence contrasts with Makoto's earnest effort.
The Magical Neighbors — The cafe witch, the mandrake merchant, and others who populate the rural magical world.
Art Style
Ishizuka's art is the manga's greatest achievement — the Aomori countryside is rendered with the specificity of someone who loves it. Seasonal changes, the texture of traditional farmhouses, the quality of winter light — the setting is as fully realized as any character. The magical elements are drawn with the same matter-of-fact care as the ordinary ones.
What I Love About It
The seasonal structure. Flying Witch follows the agricultural calendar of rural Aomori — planting, harvest, the first snow — and the magical elements are integrated into this cycle rather than existing separately. Magic is harvesting mandrakes at the right moon phase, brewing things from what the garden produces, knowing when the seasonal café will appear. That integration makes the magical world feel genuinely lived-in rather than decorative.
Chinatsu's excitement at every new thing. She has not yet learned to take the magical world for granted, and her wonder is the reader's entry point.
What English-Speaking Fans Say
Flying Witch has a devoted Western following, primarily from the anime adaptation (considered one of the best slice-of-life/fantasy anime). Western readers praise the Aomori setting as specific in a way that teaches them something about rural Japan, and the magical system as original in its domestic grounding. The slow update schedule (the manga releases infrequently) is the primary frustration.
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
The chapter where Chinatsu joins Makoto for a night harvesting magical plants — the first time she participates in actual witch work rather than watching — is the emotional peak of the manga's early run. Ishizuka draws the night landscape with particular care.
Similar Manga
- Mushishi — Similar atmospheric rural fantasy; darker
- Barakamon — Rural Japan setting, similar warmth
- Laid-Back Camp — Outdoor activities, similar peaceful tone
- Yotsuba&! — Similar sense of wonder in ordinary things
Reading Order / Where to Start
Volume 1. The seasonal structure makes the early volumes particularly good — starting in spring (where the manga begins) sets up the calendar properly.
Official English Translation Status
Kodansha USA is publishing the ongoing series. Currently 11 volumes available in English.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The Aomori setting is one of manga's most beautifully rendered rural environments
- Magic integrated into domestic life in genuinely original ways
- Chinatsu and Makoto's relationship is warm and develops naturally
- Calming to the point of being actively relaxing to read
Cons
- Ongoing with slow update schedule — long waits between volumes
- No plot or dramatic stakes
- The peaceful tone may be too slow for some readers
Format Comparison
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| Individual Volumes | Standard Kodansha USA release |
| Digital | Works well |
| Physical | Recommended — the seasonal art is worth print |
Where to Buy
Get Flying Witch Vol. 1 on Amazon →
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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.