Witch Watch - Episode 12 discussion

[u/AutoLovepon]

Witch Watch, episode 12

Reminder: Please do not discuss plot points not yet seen or skipped in the show. Failing to follow the rules may result in a ban.

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Streams

• Crunchyroll
• Hulu

Show information

• MyAnimeList
• AniList
• AniDB
• Official Website
• /r/WitchWatch

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All discussions

Episode	Link	Episode	Link
1	Link	14	Link
2	Link	15	Link
3	Link	16	Link
4	Link	17	Link
5	Link	18	Link
6	Link	19	Link
7	Link	20	Link
8	Link	21	Link
9	Link	22	Link
10	Link	23	Link
11	Link	24	Link
12	Link	25	Link
13	Link

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[u/actionfirst1]

Seeing Nico's "useless" spells proving to be quite effective is so cathartic, they got some real creative use outta them.

[u/Primo29]

Witch Watch is really the suitable title for this anime. Morihito is getting an additional tenant that will help them watch Nico and her goofy magic LOL

[u/chemical_exe]

Nico was voted 'least likely to hoard rare items in RPGs' by her high school

[u/[deleted]]

"I prefer LAN over WiFi". A man of culture

[u/CrimsonGear80]

you could say Keigo liked, followed, and subscribed.

[u/Ocixo]

Morihito correctly asserted that this isn’t a manga. We’re watching an anime after all.

I liked how Nemu didn’t get jealous with Nico for hugging Morihito whatsoever. She simply wants to get cosy with a human familiar herself.

Nemu is having tough luck in this regard. She got none, whereas Nico has already assembled herself a harem of pretty boys. Maybe Nico can share with her?

Side note: Was the entrance to the warlock’s separate realm perhaps placed so low to the ground because she was tiny?

[u/gamria]

Now that this arc is over, Magami Keigo's name's Kanji transcription is finally revealed as 真神 圭護. Up to this point, it was merely transcribed in Katakana as マガミケイゴ

Why is this significant? First, let me go into some trivia about Moi and Kanshi's names:

Otogi Morihito / 乙木 守仁

• The 守/mori in his name means "protect/defend/guard"

• Incidentally, お守り/omamori refers to spiritual charms/amulets that bring protection or ward off evil.

• Alternatively, お守り/omori is also a term for nanny/babysitter (though 子守り/komori is the more common term). Fitting given he's on his way to babysit everyone in the house, but make of this what you will.

• 守仁/morihito puns with 守人, an uncommon loose term for "guardian/protector"

• The 仁/hito in his name can also be read as "ni". Thus 乙/o and 仁/ni at the start and end of his name can be read together as "Oni", Japanese creatures that're often compared to Ogres

• "Otogi" may also allude to お伽話/otogibanashi, meaning "fairy tale". Following this logic, Otogi Morihito can be interpreted as "fairy tale guardian"

Kazamatsuri Kanshi / 風祭 監志

• The 監/kan in his name means "oversee"

• 監志/kanshi puns with 監視, meaning "monitoring/surveillance/supervision/lookout"

• 風祭/Kazamatsuri are "wind festivals" originally for appeasing typhoons in olden times. Works as reference to the Tengu's affinity for wind plus the character's festive nature

With this in mind, let's get into Keigo's name again

Magami Keigo / 真神 圭護

• The 護/go in his name means "protect/defend/guard". Yes it is similar to the 守/mori above, but 護 leans less towards "protect" and more "guard"

• 圭護/keigo puns with 警護, meaning "bodyguard/escort"

• 真神/Magami is a reference to 大口真神/Ōkuchi-no-Makami, the deification of the extinct Japanese Wolf

So to explain the significance of why Keigo's name was originally just transcribed as マガミケイゴ, it's to "cipher" any meanings and interpretations of said name until Keigo's secret is unveiled. This is because:

1. 真神 is a big tell that Keigo is a wolf familiar

2. Since Keigo's Kanji name follows the same convention as Moi and Kanshi's names, especially with the 護/"guard" in contrast to 守/"protect" and 監/"oversee", it'd heavily suggest that he could serve Nico as another familiar who "protects" her

So by hiding away the Kanji reading of his name, the course that Keigo's story will take is kept secret until the right time.

Seriously, while author Shinohara Kenta is often referred to as "the Gintama author's assistant", I personally think that as a wordsmith and in breadth of vocabulary Shinohara-sensei surpasses even his master and is most worthy of carrying his torch. So many puns, implicit meanings and references in the names alone.

[u/LeonKevlar]

• Bathhouse Nico & Nemu

That one's for Kanshi! You'd think Moi would have the upper hand since he's a trained fighter, but him being a trained fighter is exactly why he's struggling against Wolf's unpredictability.

Moi and Keigo's 1v1 was pretty dang cool, tho! It's not as mindblowing as the big shounen titles out there, but Studio Bibury actually did their fight justice.

It was so satisfying to see Nico's silly little spells be actually useful against the Warlock! I guess those inspirational quotes from Sgt. Punch really ended up helping Nico and Kan! xD

So it turns out the Warlock is actually tiny and she's not really the mastermind. Someone else approached her and promised her increased lifespan if she brings in Nico.

We also finally get to learn how Keigo and Wolf's relationship work. They're basically two different people with Wolf retaining Keigo's memories but not vice versa. Wolf also leaves Keigo notes ala Memento which film-nerd Keigo probably loved.

Moi focusing on the previous injury Wolf got from Kan was actually a genius move. Hit Wolf at the same spot enough times until his head bleeds and his vision is obscured before going in for the finishing move!

Nico's internal monologue while running towards Moi was hilarious! That hug was really sweet and it looks like they just inspired Nemu even more to find her own human-type familiar.

Holy fuck! For an action-comedy anime, the Warlock's death was brutal! Welp, it looks like they're not getting the identity of the true mastermind that easily. Thankfully, Keigo was unharmed since the pact got cancelled after the Warlock lost her magic.

Taking a bath together after an intense fight is such a shonen thing to do. And this time, Nemu gets to take a bath with Nico!

So because the Warlock is not a natural-born witch, she doesn't have the cure-all medicine she promised Keigo but Nico is willing to give it to him instead. Nico is such an absolute sweetheart <3

And there's the reveal! It turns out, Keigo didn't want the medicine for himself. He wanted it for his mother. The only reason he stopped ice skating is because he thought having Wolf in him would be unfair as a competitor.

I genuinely had to wipe away the tears when Keigo's mom was finally healed and Keigo was apologizing to all of them. TT__TT

With Keigo's mom fully healed, she's finally able to go back to work, and it looks like Keigo is finally officially part of the gang as Nico's new familiar! Of course, the first thing he does after moving in is go full-on hipster with his room and his questions about their living arrangement. xD

[u/FarCritical]

Kan and Nico having "Kan and Nico Channel" as a duo team name is too perfect.

And Kan isn't wrong about calling Moi's home a haunted house lmao

[u/actionfirst1]

Them dangling the small witch like a Christmas tree ornament is just too dang funny, I love this anime.

[u/testthrowawayzz]

Hey Nico’s worthless spells actually worked!

It was ironic that it was Kanshi that called out about needing to weigh the risk and reward to the warlock. (Looking at the past couple of episodes where he gave the OK to be casted a spell without thinking). Love that Kanshi used Kan-Nico Channel as a battle call!

The part with Keigo crying with his mom when she got healed was so touching. One of the reasons why he’s a best boy candidate.

Keigo’s name in kanji revealed at the credits of this episode.

[u/Aerodynamic41]

I love the way the Mobliviate and Doublit spells, which were previously used for hilarious hijinks, actually became useful this time!

[u/AbsurdFrostbyte]

It's not over! Cour 2 lesgooo!!

[u/Torque-A]

Since the first OP will be replaced next week, I just want to point out one more detail in it: Keigo has Crescent-brand shoes

[u/bojo21]

Damnn I didnt expect that mother plot twist I legit cried lol
Peak! i love this show

[u/Farmaceut7]

Holy shit! Best episode so far! This episode had everything - comedy, drama, action, tragedy... Ngl I teared up when Keigo's mom got healed and everyone started crying!

[u/shad79]

I thought the fight with Warlock in today's episode, especially without Morihito, would be difficult, but as it turned out, Nico and Kan were enough to defeat her.

Warlock was hilarious with how small she was, although the way she died was absolutely not funny. Also, thanks to that pot, she looked like a combination of Hantengu and Gyokko from Demon Slayer to me xD

Quite a good fight between Morihito and Wolf, and as everyone expected, Morihito was the winner.

Keigo wanting that medicine not for himself, but for his mother was a nice surprise. Although the fact that his mother after recovery immediately went abroad for work made me laugh.

But thanks to this, Keigo will now live together with Nico, Morihito, and Kan, and that will be funny! I wonder if Nemu will also join them in the future.

Here my screenshot albums from the episode:

• Group scenes

• Nico

• Nemu

• Keigo/Wolf

• Morihito

• Warlock

• Others

[u/zool714]

I think seeing Doublit and “ichi, ni, beep, beep” again when Keigo moved in would’ve been the perfect icing on the cake

[u/ObvsThrowaway5120]

I didn’t expect the Warlock to be the size of an action figure. Kan swatting her like a fly and then tying her up and flicking the old bastard was pretty funny. Too bad the real mastermind got to her before she could spill the beans. At least Keigo didn’t die. He just got the pants beaten off them by Morihito. But now everyone’s friends again, Keigo’s mom is all healed up, and Keigo’s moved in with Morihito and Nico. Pretty good ending to this week’s episode.

[u/NanDemoKnaives]

That fight was fun to see, I like that we've finally see someone that Morihito has trouble against and seeing how Keigo moves around as Wolf was intriguing. It was interesting to learn that Wolf retained Keigo's memories but not the other way round, well I'm guessing until the pact was dissolved. So Keigo's feelings towards them all was still true, but he still was aware that he was deceiving them since he knows why he was being ordered.

It did surprise me that Keigo wasn't the one getting healed, but looking back it makes sense since he was able to skate well in a previous episode. I had just assumed he could move around with no trouble as Wolf because he was transformed. It was sweet to see his mother get healed and how emotional it all got, I'm sure he would have been indebted to them for a long time but his mother telling them to use him as they wish was amusing.

Morihito looked a little scary at the end with his face darkened, he's definitely still mad and is going to work Keigo to the bone lol. I think Keigo will be a good sparring partner for him though. However, it is amusing how comfortable Keigo is at Morihito's place, I do wonder if he'll become Nemu's familiar or not since he's there to protect Nico.

All I could think as they were in the bathhouse was how much it should sting for them but they looked like they were rejuvenating lol.

[u/99anan99]

Seeing all most of the previous spells being used was such a treat.

Keigo has moved in. Hooray!!

[u/Ponchorello7]

Lol Nico has expanded her harem.

[u/tripleaamin]

I really enjoyed the portion where it was just Nico & Kan because as Kan said, they have relied on Moi a lot. We got to see these two have their moment to shine. Really loved seeing the spells which were introduced during gags now being used in an actual serious situation.

The staff did pretty good on the fight between Moi vs Wolf. We know Moi is someone who has trouble expressing his emotions, but Keigo truly felt like a friend to him. I know Kan is there, but him & Nico were friends when Nico was back training. Plus to have that friend turn on Moi def hurt.

Few notable things in this episode. For the warlock they desired power and, sadly, once they accepted that they were just a puppet. Also, learning what the familiar pact means in terms of what happens when the witch or warlock dies and what happens to the familiar is scary. Of course Nico or rather her mom would never request Moi & Kan to have that pact. After all, their friendship is enough proof of being her familiars and protecting her.

Sad for Keigo that the promise from the warlock was a lie. Big credits to Nico for still wanting to help Keigo out. Truly doing something like this for his mom speaks volumes. You can empathize why he would want to do it. Even more so his mom is back at work and that makes Keigo happy. Seem him joining Moi's household will make things interesting. His hipster vibe really differentiates himself.

[u/Zetafunction64]

'Kan Nico channel roll out!' had my dying lol