Journal with Witch begins an anime about the intersection of neurodivergence and depression with Ep. 1 “Overflow”. All starring the introverted and heavily implied to be autistic Makio, when she takes her teenage niece Asa after a car accident claims the kid’s parents’ lives. The result is a slice of life story that’s poignant and thoughtful in the extreme as they learn to deal with the aftermath of that accident in their own ways.

Journal with Witch Ep. 1 “Overflow”: Details in Brief

Journal with Witch JP key art
Sad that a show this good still doesn’t have a NA key art.

Journal with Witch Ep. 1 “Overflow” is the very first episode of this slice of life comedy-drama anime series. Said anime is the anime adaptation of the manga of the same name by Tomoko Yamashita.

Shuka (Durarara!!x2 Shō, 91 Days, Natsume’s Book of Friends: Fifth Season) is the animation studio behind this anime. Miyuki Oshiro is the director of this anime, with Kōhei Kiyasu as the writer, and Kensuke Ushio as the composer for the music.

Speaking of the music: the opening theme song for Journal with Witch is “Sonare” (ソナーレ) by Tomoo. Meanwhile, “Kotozute” (言伝; lit. ’Hearsay’) by Bialystocks is the ending theme song.

Synopsis

There’s many reasons why she looks so shell-shocked.

Alas, Journal with Witch has only just recently made its debut. In fact, Ep. 1 “Overflow” made its simulcast debut on January 4, 2026 exclusively on Crunchyroll. Thus, here’s the synopsis for this episode from Crunchyroll below:

“When 15-year-old Asa loses her parents to an accident, she’s taken in by her strange aunt, Makio.”

And also the synopsis for the anime as a whole:

“Reclusive novelist Makio Koudai has always preferred the company of books—but when her sister and brother-in-law pass away, Makio unexpectedly becomes the guardian of her 15-year-old niece, Asa Takumi. As they navigate grief, clashing personalities, and the challenges of living together, the two slowly open their hearts to each other, discovering warmth, understanding, and the meaning of family.”

Journal with Witch Ep. 1 “Overflow”: The Good

Journal with Witch Ep. 1 "Overflow" screenshot 1
At least, Makio has a sense of humor…and embarrassment.

Journal with Witch quickly shows that it’s one of the most unique anime series of 2026 so far, even just in Ep. 1 “Overflow”. All because of its slice of life drama story about a middle-aged woman named Makio (voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro (JP)) adopting her niece Asa (voiced by Fuko Mori (JP)) after a horrific accident claims the lives of her niece’s parents. Among many things complicating the whole situation is Makio being extremely introverted, socially awkward, and heavily implied to be autistic. And on the other side, we have the extroverted Asa who also has a tendency to dissociate when under stress, and as a reaction to trauma as well. It’s this combination of personalities and how despite the extreme contrast, this aunt and niece get along pretty well that results in this story being surprisingly engaging.

All with a unique animation style from studio Shuka. They’re much less well-known than big time animation studios, but they’ve come up with a fairly high quality of animation for Journal with Witch so far. Said animation style also gives this anime its unique look. There’s a fairly realistic look to how the people look, and there’s an emphasis on smooth movements over small details that means that while the anime looks very old-style, the actual movements of the characters make it feel higher quality than it looks. Honestly, it’s that ability to make this anime feel higher quality than it looks that’s what makes that animation overall surprisingly good. Especially when the scene cuts to Asa’s depression desert, and you can see sand shift as she stumbles through it.

Journal with Witch Ep. 1 "Overflow" screenshot 2
The food may not be anything to write home about, but hilarious things still happen with them.

Journal with Witch Ep. 1 “Overflow”: The Bad

Journal with Witch Ep. 1 "Overflow" screenshot 3
No matter what, you can’t deny that this is a beautifully lonely desert.

Alas, even in spite of the efforts of Shuka’s animation team, they still can’t make Journal with Witch Ep. 1 “Overflow” look like a big budget anime series. Honestly, this anime feels very niche, both in terms of genre and in its animation. Decently good animation quality, but not especially great, and it’s essentially leaning hard on its story to attract audiences. And to be fair, Tomoko Yamashita has written a very intriguing story here. Now if only that story could’ve had more of an animation budget, we might’ve gotten a better anime. Alas, what’s done is done, but this is still one anime that I look forward to watching every week.

And as you might be able to guess, Journal with Witch Ep. 1 “Overflow” is not an action-packed episode, and the anime as a whole doesn’t appear to be like that either. This is not a shonen anime. This is a quiet, dramatic anime for those who want to think about what they watch. If you want bloody fighting sequences, you’re going to have to look elsewhere.

Anime Recommendations

Fortunately, there are many action-filled alternatives to Journal with Witch Ep. 1 “Overflow” in the form of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Kaiju No. 8, DDDD, DAN DA DAN, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II, Zenshu, Blue Box, Solo Leveling, Black Butler, Nyaight of the Living Cat, and/or May I Ask for One Final Thing? if those anime are more your thing. However, if you want more quite anime series like this one, then you might want to watch Spy x Family, Senpai is an Otokonoko, Apocalypse Hotel, Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf, The Ancient Magus’ Bride, My Dress-Up Darling, This Monster Wants to Eat Me, and/or Hana-Kimi.

What did you think of this first episode of Journal with Witch? Tell us your anime thoughts in the comment section below.

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