The magic on display is cool, and it's neat getting to see what the characters can do, but the core plot is simultaneously very simple, and largely unexplained: all these witches want Takamiya for his "white stuff," which is heavily implied not to be as lewd as it sounds-but again, it's unexplained so far. He's actively trying to better himself, and I respect that in a protagonist. Takamiya, himself, helped keep my interest up when he gets tired of putting himself and others in danger, and tries to pull his own weight by asking Kagari to teach him magic. It's really quite nice, and one of the saving graces of this volume. The line work is generally light and delicate, but it has a lot of personality. This leads to some very flashy action sequences, full of characters with great designs. He's suddenly the target of every witch in town (and there are a lot of them), and this leads to him being in way over his head, and constantly needing to be rescued by Kagari, his classmate, the most popular girl in school, and a very powerful witch in her own right. Honoka Takamiya is your bog standard average high school boy who gets wrapped up in a situation he never prepared for. Witchcraft Works would be a very middle-of-the-road series so far, if not for two things: the artwork, and the fact that the main character tries to take some control of his situation. I didn’t find it particularly amusing, and the chapters felt a bit repetitive, but I’ll read at least what I have. I don’t think this series is going to be successful for me. I will try to pick up the story again with volume 4, because the library currently has only volume 1 in their collection. I checked this out from the library because I have volumes 4 – 9, courtesy of Vertical. The actions sequences conveyed a good sense of motion. The characters’ noses look strange, and I found them distracting. The art is crisp and clean, with fine line work. Kagari is more noteworthy, just because she seems to be a badass with her fire magic, but she, like the other women in the story are there more for the big boobs and short skirts than anything else. He’s an okay character, I guess, but he is kind of weak and pathetic and therefore, not very interesting. Takamiya is constantly waking up in Kagari’s private room at school after she rescues him. There is a ton of action, but since I didn’t understand the point of all of these attacks and rescues, it didn’t really capture my attention. What is his white stuff? Who knows, though we all know what Takamiya thinks it is. He has been kept in the dark about why these evil witches are out to get him and his white stuff. I didn’t really understand what the hell was going on, and clearly, neither did Takamiya. Kagari is a good Workshop Witch, who protects the world from the Tower Witches. Takamiya, for reasons unknown, is wanted by the evil Tower Witches. Kagari rescues him, and he learns that she is a fire witch, he is her “princess,” and she will protect him at all costs. A weird girl with fuzzy ears attacks him with an army of large, creepy bunnies. Then one day, the tower in the courtyard collapses and almost falls on Takamiya. All of this gets him into hot water with Kagari’s fan club, whose members are fiercely jealous and protective of their idol. For some reason she keeps sitting by Takamiya. His classmate, Kagari, is known at school as “Princess.” She is smart, beautiful, graceful, and has her own fan club. To his surprise, Ayaka arrives to his rescue dressed as a witch and it is revealed that she is what is known as a " Workshop Witch".What did I just read? What a weird book. Honoka somehow becomes affiliated with and protected by Ayaka when his life is in danger one day. The two never talk to each other and any interaction with her result in attacks by her fan club! The plot revolves around Honoka Takamiya, an average student with no real talents or special abilities, and, in class, he sits next to Ayaka Kagari who is the "Princess" of the school.
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