Journal with Witch Confirmed for 13 Episodes; Premiere Praised for Handling Grief

The anime adaptation of Tomoko Yamashita’s josei manga, Journal with Witch, has officially premiered as part of the Winter 2026 season and is set for a standard 13-episode run. Crunchyroll confirmed it will stream the series following the January 4th debut.

This standard season length provides ample space to explore the source material’s character-focused drama concerning grief and family reorganization. The opening episode, titled "Overflow," immediately established the heavy tone of the series, focusing on Makio taking in her 15-year-old niece, Asa, after both of Asa's parents were killed in an accident.

Initial audience and critical feedback have been strong, specifically noting how well the adaptation captured the manga's signature emotional subtlety. The debut installment avoided overt melodrama, instead using the metaphor of an endless desert to convey the feeling of being unmoored. Makio introduces the idea of keeping a journal to Asa as a controlled method for processing the trauma they are both facing.

New installments are scheduled to stream every Sunday at 7:30 a.m. PST / 10:30 a.m. EST.

Shuka studio is handling the animation production. Miyuki Oshiro directs the series, with Kenji Hayama handling the character designs. Kensuke Ushio composed the music, and Kōhei Kiyasu managed the script for the premiere episode.

The anime was first announced in May 2024, shortly after a live-action film adaptation arrived last June. Yamashita’s original manga ran in Shodensha's Feel Young magazine from mid-2017 through June 2023, totaling 11 collected volumes.