MANGA REVIEW | "Flying Witch" - Volume Eleven
When a volume of Flying Witch arrives on one’s doorstep, it’s like a calm breeze during a hot summer day. You know your time with it will be short, and the wait for the next one will be long. But one appreciates it when Flying Witch arrives, as it offers a level of comfort that most other manga can’t. Volume Eleven continues with that trend, with tales that are as enchanting as they are funny.
Bookending this volume are moments of growth for Chinatsu. As she is training to be a witch herself, we witness some things in her life that aid in her quest. While making water bottle rockets with the mysterious creature Beachy may not sound like practicing magic, the way the two work with one another does hint at their future witch/familiar partnership. This is cemented at the Society of Witches, with one of its Seven Wonders giving the two the chance to make such a pairing happen.
Chinatsu’s evolution as a witch-to-be is showcased with child-like whimsy. Although there’s rarely ever a troublesome moment, that doesn’t mean a little adorable chaos isn’t in the cards. Case in point: Chinatsu aims to have her bottle rocket fly farther than her brother Kei’s. With Beachy’s skills, not only is such a goal reachable, it results in a funny gag involving where her rocket does wind up.
Of course, Flying Witch is more about Makoto’s journey as a witch, and we see her have more moments of growth when given a major task. A talking skeleton arrives in Aomori, seeking Makoto’s help with a bad cold. On paper, it doesn’t sound like much, only to witness the skeleton grow to the point of destroying the Kurimoto family’s front entrance. It leads to a solution that involves onions, bending space, and a very funny punchline involving what the skeleton looks like when 100% healthy.
Big sister Akane causes her own sort of chaos when she’s late for her bullet train. Even though she can simply teleport wherever she’d like, Akane at least wants to show some effort at making a promise. So she does the next best thing: stop time. As you can imagine, the plan works far too well, with many witches wanting to give her a rightful walloping for her deeds. (Thankfully, the Society of Witches may handle her properly.)
But a little kerfuffle happens back in Aomori, as Makoto’s friends accidentally stumble on her floating on her broom. Despite trying to convince them that she’s performing David Blaine-like illusions, the lies keep snowballing to the point that she can’t hide the truth anymore. It’s a good thing that her friends are the understanding kind, on top of being excited to be a pal to a real flesh-and-blood witch. (One wonders if them now knowing this truth will result in some more magical adventures with Makoto in the future.)
It’s always a wonderful time reading Flying Witch, and its eleventh volume is no exception. Every moment reading this manga is filled with joy, humor, and a mixture of calmness and calamity. Thanks to its tone and beautiful visuals, Flying Witch continues to be that nice cool breeze that we all should never take for granted.
