Agredios, the margrave’s son, returns from an unsanctioned hunting trip hoping to surprise his family with a plump pheasant for dinner. Unfortunately, he returns to find his family and the rest of the town dead of unnatural causes. In his grief, Agredios rushes into the Forbidden Woods to confront the local witch as he believes she is the cause of all this death. When he finds her, he proceeds to use his magic to attack her. She claims she was not at fault for the town’s misfortune, so they decide to work together to discover the truth and survive.
The two discover a set of twins, Percie and Perla, who are still alive and begin to care for them. Then some villagers from a town over arrive being chased by an enormous fortress bee (best described as a giant bee that is also a hive for a large amount of bees). Agredios is joined by his sister Griamelda and is able to defeat the fortress bee. The family decides to stay for awhile and show the others how to use the bees’ honey, larvae, and bodies to make food to complement the little they have available.
This is an interesting start to a story; however, it is clearly the beginning to something long and involved that may not know where the end is supposed to be. Very little story building is provided for the world at large, including the country’s structure, how magic works, or anything about the witch’s origin. The focus is more on survival skills and immediate actions, which I enjoyed as well as the creatures that were introduced. But at the end of volume one, I was left wanting more information about these characters and the world itself.
While the art style is enjoyable, many of the illustrations are highly detailed to the point of obscurity, especially in panels that portray action sequences. The characters are easy to tell apart, but I didn’t think the action came across that well in black and white. Color definitely would have been helpful for clarity.
With the amount of violence and bodily fluids portrayed (as well as a panty shot on two young children), I wouldn’t be comfortable giving this to anyone under the age of 16. It’s meant for older teens and adult readers. Honestly, you could skip adding this title to your library’s collection unless it is turned into a popular anime.
The Witch and the Knight Will Survive, Vol. 01
By Dai Chikamoto
Art by Gonbe Shinkawa
Yen Press, 2023
ISBN: 9781975360603
Publisher Age Rating: 16+
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18)
Creator Representation: Japanese
