"The Worst Witch" is a beloved children's book series written by Jill Murphy. It follows the adventures of a young girl named Mildred Hubble as she attends a boarding school for witches called Miss Cackle's Academy. While Mildred is often portrayed as accident-prone and struggles with her studies, she is determined to prove herself and become a successful witch. At its core, "The Worst Witch" can be interpreted as a story about embracing one's individuality and overcoming challenges. Mildred Hubble is constantly compared to her highly skilled and successful classmates, which leads her to believe that she is the worst witch in the academy. However, throughout the series, Mildred learns to accept herself and her unique abilities.
However, throughout the series, Mildred learns to accept herself and her unique abilities. This fundamental interpretation is evident in multiple instances throughout the series. For example, Mildred's clumsiness and knack for getting into trouble inadvertently lead her to uncover important secrets or save the day.
Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina (manga) Vol 1 Review
Based on a series of light novels by Jougi Shiraishi, Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina is a manga that embodies the saying: “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” Beautifully illustrated by Itsuki Nanoa, Wandering Witch brings readers along for the ride, as the titular Elaina takes a fantastical trip to places unknown.
Synopsis:
As a child, Elaina adored a book series that chronicled the real-life adventures of a witch, named Nique, as she traveled to interesting places and experienced extraordinary things. Elaina studied hard and, thanks to her determination and natural abilities, she achieved the status of witch at an unusually young age and set out on her own journey to see the world. Elaina encounters all kinds of strange phenomena and meets a wide variety of people along the way, sometimes lending them a helping hand and other times simply observing the wonders (or horrors) of this magical land before moving on to her next destination, never knowing what new adventure might be awaiting her next.
Review:
Wandering Witch is a road-trip manga, with each chapter featuring a new locale and characters with unrelated problems for Elaina to solve, or at least bear witness to. The tenor of each of these self-contained stories varies, with some being cute and sweet, while others are creepy and tinged in horror. This can result in some tonal whip-lash, but I liked all of the stories and seeing the bright, talented and self-assured Elaina tackle all of these different situations with aplomb. As there’s no overarching plot or goal behind Elaina’s travels, aside from a desire to explore and a vague hope of meeting up with her former teacher and mentor again, there’s no urgency to Elaina’s journey and the manga has an overall leisurely feel to it that I found made for a pleasant reading experience.
Probably my favorite story in this volume was the last chapter, which showed us a flashback to Elaina’s time training as an apprentice under Fran, the Stardust Witch. The fact that Elaina advanced so quickly rubbed many members of the Mage community the wrong way and her reputation as an uppity brat made it difficult for Elaina to find a master willing to train her. As a result, when Fran takes on her apprenticeship, Elaina winds up putting up with a lot of odd and unfair treatment from her, until her master finally pushes her to her breaking point. However, this all turns out to have been a ruse in service of teaching Elaina a lesson about standing up for herself. Up until this point, I would have said that arrogance was Elaina’s main flaw, as she often acts full of herself and can be a bit condescending. Fran sees through all of this and recognizes that Elaina is a hard worker and mature for her age. She also realizes that Elaina thinks there’s nothing that she can do about the resentment that her success has earned her and has resigned herself to just putting up with it. Rather than trying to take Elaina down a peg, the Stardust Witch instead encourages her pupil to speak out against injustice and advocate for herself. I loved seeing a young lady encouraged to speak up for herself, rather than being punished for being proud of her skills and talent. It’s a moving scene and the emotional high point of the volume.
I’d describe Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina as a relaxing, rather than exciting, manga, but the variety of stories helped to keep things engaging and Elaina proved to be a fun and loveable lead character. I think I’d like to continue to accompany Elaina on her journey and I’ll be picking up the next volume in order to see where her travels will take her next.
Final Score: 7.5 out of 10
For more information on this series, visit Square Enix Manga’s website.
What did you think of this manga? Has anyone read the original light novels? Let me know in the comments.
Wandering Witch is a road-trip manga, with each chapter featuring a new locale and characters with unrelated problems for Elaina to solve, or at least bear witness to. The tenor of each of these self-contained stories varies, with some being cute and sweet, while others are creepy and tinged in horror. This can result in some tonal whip-lash, but I liked all of the stories and seeing the bright, talented and self-assured Elaina tackle all of these different situations with aplomb. As there’s no overarching plot or goal behind Elaina’s travels, aside from a desire to explore and a vague hope of meeting up with her former teacher and mentor again, there’s no urgency to Elaina’s journey and the manga has an overall leisurely feel to it that I found made for a pleasant reading experience.
Her mistakes and failures often turn into valuable learning experiences, teaching her important lessons about self-belief and determination. Moreover, "The Worst Witch" also explores the themes of friendship and loyalty. Mildred forms strong bonds with her classmates, especially with her best friend Maud Spellbody. They support each other, share their fears and insecurities, and work together to overcome the obstacles they face. This highlights the importance of having a support system and surrounding oneself with people who accept and appreciate one's true self. Overall, "The Worst Witch" can be seen as a story that encourages readers to embrace their own uniqueness, not be deterred by failures, and value the bonds of friendship. By portraying Mildred Hubble's journey of self-discovery and growth, Jill Murphy teaches children the importance of resilience, kindness, and believing in oneself. So, whether you're a young reader or an adult revisiting the series, the fundamental interpretation remains the same - embracing individuality and overcoming challenges is a lesson worth learning..
Reviews for "The profound interpretation of The Worst Witch: An in-depth study"
- Jane - 1 star - I was really disappointed with "The Fundamental Interpretation of the Worst Witch". It was slow-paced and lacked any excitement or suspense. The plot was predictable and the characters were one-dimensional. I found myself losing interest halfway through and had to force myself to finish it. Overall, a major letdown and not worth the hype.
- Mark - 2 stars - As a fan of the Worst Witch series, I was excited to dive into "The Fundamental Interpretation of the Worst Witch". Unfortunately, I found it to be a convoluted mess. The story lacked focus and seemed to jump from one unrelated event to another. The writing style was also very dry and didn't capture the charm and whimsy of the original series. All in all, a disappointing read that failed to live up to my expectations.
- Sarah - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "The Fundamental Interpretation of the Worst Witch", but it fell flat for me. The pacing was incredibly slow, and the plot felt disjointed. The characters were not as likable or relatable as in previous books, and their actions often didn't make sense. The author also seemed to rely too heavily on exposition, which made the story drag even more. I found myself struggling to finish this book, and it just didn't live up to the magic of the original series.