It's not often that you stumble upon a story with a seemingly simple slice-of-life premise and find yourself captivated by just how out there it is. Menota's Merry Witches' Life: The Three Bereaved Women of Berlebagille is exactly that: a whimsical story about love, loss, and moving on while relying on good friends.
We follow Zoe, a not-so-skilled witch who loses her beloved husband Clive, and decides to end her life. On her final walk, she meets a talking scarab named Eliza, who is also a widow. The two bond over shared loss and decide to learn magic to bring their husbands back. They are joined by Zoe's friend, Shishka, who followed her to the village of Berlebagille from their secret, witch-only island, and who also happens to be a witch (enthusiast). Together, they adapt to life in the village while meeting a slew of individuals with their own stories and troubles.
The premise may not sound too original, so what exactly makes the Merry Witches' Life special?
The Charm of Merry Witches' Life
Reading through the first volume of Merry Witches' Life was honestly a treat. What started out as a tragedy quickly evolved into an uplifting story filled with many memorable characters.
Although the initial focus of the series is the fact that Eliza has been widowed, this soon takes a backseat as we explore more of this world. This is not to say that it has been forgotten; her loss is always present, and so are Eliza's and even Shishka's to a lesser degree. But, the way they choose to move on and their companionship take the spotlight. Yes, they are bound by a somewhat unrealistic and grand goal, but it's the everyday small things that make their story worth following.
The series deals with some gloomy themes, but it's never too dark. The author masterfully incorporates humor and drawings that lighten up the atmosphere. For example, I loved how Eliza's true nature was incorporated into the story: she takes her time to adjust, leading to some quite comical situations. Similarly, Shishka's background is a literal "would you still love me if I were a worm" situation. Their backgrounds are frankly ridiculous, but somehow so well incorporated that they seem like a natural addition to the overall plot.
Side-characters in Merry Witches' Life tend to bring plot twists and more mysteries. In the first volume, we meet three who are quite important, and one of them is harboring a big secret that could upend Zoe's life. This plot twist, alongside a cliffhanger related to Eliza's identity, sets the tone for the continuation.
Overall, the story of Merry Witches' Life is quite promising, and together with great character writing and humor. Add to that an art style that places an emphasis on unique character designs and expressions, as well as detailed backgrounds, and you have a nice combination for success.
Technical Details
I had the pleasure of reading the review copy of Tokyopop's edition of Merry Witches' Life Vol. 1. The volume is quite hefty, with nine chapters and over 200 pages of content (including the shorts at the end of the volume), making this read a bit longer than you would usually expect.
The staff for the English edition of the manga has Katie Kimura as the translator, Becca Chen as the editor, and Sarah Levin as the copy editor.
The first volume of Merry Witches' Life: The Three Bereaved Women of Berlebagille will be released in English on May 16.
© 2023 Menota / Shutu To Seikatsu Sha
Anime Atelier received a review copy of the manga.
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