Yen press published the light novel series Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina earlier this year but I found it quite unpredictable. But the series was worth reading and that is the reason why I wanted to give a try to its manga adaptation which has been released by Square Enix. Is it worth your time and money, you’ll find out in this article.
The story revolves around a witch, Elaine who was influenced by the storied she read as a child and after she grew up, she turned into a travelling witch. She wanders all over the places and never stays in one place for longer. The series follows the story of the places she visit and the people she meets during her journey.
There are four chapters in Volume 1 with four different stories. The first story is about a witch in training who is searching for a teacher who could help her pass the witches’ exam. The next story is about a man-eating ground of flowers that Elaina visits. The third story is about the inflation in cost due to forged currency.
The problem I found while reading the light novel was with the tone of the series which was quite off. Elaina is brave and bold girl but in the novel she was way to relax and joyful for the situations that were not very cheerful. As the manga adaptation has not incorporated much of her inner thoughts, her personality seems a lot better than how it was portrayed in the novel  that seemed disconnected and unrelated to the environment around her.
The first volume had few stories which were all quite different from one another so it was one great advantage for the manga adaptation. The story about man-eating flower field a bit brutal but the rest are fascinating and interesting. It is not as depressing as the novel is when stuff like that appears in it
It’s rare to find the adaptation better than the source material but in case of Wandering Witch, the manga adaptation is unexpectedly better than the novel series. I did not enjoy reading it as a novel compared to manga as it seems to be better suited.
Itsuki Nanao has also created the manga adaptation of The Apothecary Diaries has done a great job in bringing that story to more attractive ad lively version with unforgettable artwork. Nanao has made Elaina very expressive that works in all kind of situation. The artwork is captivating that depicts both dark and the funny part of the series. After reading this volume I’m looking forward to the adaptation of the other stories in the novel.
The series has been brought to the West by Square Enix and the English translation has been done by Taylor Engel. The translation is smooth with no errors and is according to the novel even though the novel was not translated by Taylor Engel. The series is in continuation in Japan where 2 volumes has already been released. Whereas, Square Enix will be releasing the second volume in December this year.
Volume 1 of Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina is fascinating and fun to read series with a loveable protagonist and captivating tales. It’s a perfect adaptation of the novel series and if you have already read the novel then you would definitely love to read it as it bring everything to life beautifully with the characters and the artwork.
