Hey Nerd Lighters!
2020 has been insane. But there is one thing we were able to take solace in, new anime releases! We had The God of High School and Tower of God, but we also had the most anticipated Burn the Witch. I’ve been wanting to check it out so here’s my episode 1 review!
Quick Summary
We are introduced to a pop idol walking away from the paparazzi hound her with questions. She loses them in an alley using a coin and her phone to open up a portal. Her name is Ninny Spangcole and we see her meet up with a Noel Niihashi to take down a deer-like creature.
The girls move to the WB (Wing Bind) building to check in their progress for points and coin for the job they completed. At the same time, there’s a dog with huge bat-like wings pulling a guy named Balgo Parks in the sky. Ninny and Noel banter about who is actually responsible for him, and decide to leave him be because “he looks so happy.” The supervisor busts through the door and states they have to go and get him down.
Balgo is flying through the sky and crashes into a chimney while a chimney sweep is on the chimney. Balgo tries to keep Osushi(the dog-dragon) from flying away. They fall of the house, Ninny and Noel catch them. Noel calms Osushi down and the wings disappear and he turns back into a regular dog. Noel checks the chimney sweep to make sure he did not touch Oishi. Here we hear a conversation between Ninny and Balgo about what will happen if a human touches a dragon, that is not a dragonclad like Balgo. Ninny explains that they will be severely punished like jail for 100 years or execution. Noel then begins questioning why Oishi reacted in this way, and figures out it must’ve been to protect Balgo. From a actual dragon, which shows up.
It starts chasing the girls and they make sure to send a distress signal so that Reverse London can evacuate it’s people accordingly. It’s huge, but Noel shoots it fairly quickly. The face of the dragon is cut off and you see the inside of the head. Thinking the dragon is dead, Noel and Ninny begin the preparation to have it cleaned up. The dead dragon starts to move and turns completely black. Ninny and Noel fight with the dragon as Balgo attempts to run away. When he is cornered by the black dragon Noel steps in front to save him. While the fight is going on, members of Wing Bind Supreme Powers That Be: Top Horns meet to discuss the dragon fight. A member states it’s been almost a century since a dragon has been sighted in Reverse London. He goes one to say that it’s an issue letting Balgo walk around. The next person Wolfgang Srashehout states that Balgo has been a point of discussion in many of the different WB squads. He then concludes the need to eliminate the dragonclad known as Balgo Parks. Extra scene: There’s a lady with pink hair lounging on a couch stroking some kind of flying creature. Someone comes through her door without announcing themselves.
Review/Reaction
I’m interested in seeing the connection to Bleach. I know this will eventually show itself in the upcoming episodes. Despite this, the first episode was packed with information. So this anime is supposed to be set in the Bleach universe, so let’s just start here. There’s witches in Bleach? AND a REVERSE LONDON??? So I’m trying to figure out if this is set after the events of Bleach or before it? Actually, it would have to be set after, because in Bleach there weren’t any smartphones like the one Ninny had at the beginning of the episode. So I’m eager to see how both places are going to collide. Are we going to see any Shinigami, who knows? But it would be really cool if we did.
Alright let’s talk about Ninny next. So at the opening of the episode we are getting this voice-over monologue about how fairytales are BS. And to sum it up, the voice would rather be the one doing the magic instead of getting saved by a prince in a fairytale. I enjoyed the quotable monologue. Definitely thinking about putting that fairytales are BS quote somewhere. Ninny is definitely giving me Hayori vibes. She’s short blond and an idol. So she’s probably a little more manageable. Her partner Noel is a taller with dark straight hair. She gives me like a Chad plus Ishida vibe. She is also a student. I can’t quite tell if Reverse London is the exact same as London except there happens to be dragon. I like their banter with each other and it seems that there is a level a trust between the two.
Not entirely sure about Balgo. It seems he’s only been a Dragonclad for about a month. So it seems to be some kind of process since he can touch dragons, and dragons seem to be attracted to him. He’s still human, but it looks as though he lives in Reverse London. There are two seemingly different poplulations for Front London, and Reverse London. I mean Ninny seems to be a idol in both versions. There was also a statistic early in the episode that said 72% of deaths in London are because of dragons. And these dragons, aren’t mythical or creatures. What are the dragons then? The design of the dragon is the first episode was creepy AF. And then when it got it’s face cut off but was still moving!! Bro. Freaking creepy man.
To end this review, I have to say I have a lot of questions, which is good. It’s making me want to continue so I can find out what all of this stuff means. I definitely like Ninny and Noel and I like that both their names start with an N. Balgo I’m iffy about, he seems a little ditzy to me. Looking forward to watching episode 2!
What did you think of the first episode of Burn the Witch? Are y’all interested? Do you think it’s going to be good? Tell me what you think in the comments!
