What do you think?
魔男のイチ [Madan no Ichi] #1
Ichi the Witch, tome 1
Les majiks : des sortilèges qui se matérialisent sous la forme de mystérieuses créatures vivantes... Seules les femmes sont capables de les traquer et d'accomplir les rituels périlleux nécessaires pour les acquérir. Elles deviennent ainsi des sorcières, protectrices de l'humanité, dotées du don de maîtriser et de déchaîner le pouvoir de ces majiks.
Après avoir été abandonné à six ans dans la montagne où il vit maintenant en solitaire, le jeune Ichi a développé un exceptionnel instinct de chasseur. La lutte pour la survie est une seconde nature chez lui, et il n'aime rien tant que remporter des duels à mort dans un milieu hostile. Alors, quand le majik maléfique Uroro menace le village voisin, il saute sur l'occasion de défier cette proie surpuissante ! Contre toute attente, il remporte le combat et devient ainsi le premier sorcier de l'Histoire... Mais un homme peut-il contrôler un tel pouvoir ?
Après avoir été abandonné à six ans dans la montagne où il vit maintenant en solitaire, le jeune Ichi a développé un exceptionnel instinct de chasseur. La lutte pour la survie est une seconde nature chez lui, et il n'aime rien tant que remporter des duels à mort dans un milieu hostile. Alors, quand le majik maléfique Uroro menace le village voisin, il saute sur l'occasion de défier cette proie surpuissante ! Contre toute attente, il remporte le combat et devient ainsi le premier sorcier de l'Histoire... Mais un homme peut-il contrôler un tel pouvoir ?
191 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 4, 2025
About the author
Osamu Nishi
127 books59 followersOsamu Nishi (西修; Nishi Osamu, Toyohashi, Prefectura de Aichi) es una mangaka japonesa. Osamu Nishi.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 221 reviews
January 12, 2025
Witches hunting down their magic and acquiring it through trials? I'm in.
(And while I'm not the biggest fan of the first volume cover, the art inside is actually stunning!)
(And while I'm not the biggest fan of the first volume cover, the art inside is actually stunning!)
February 10, 2026
This wasn’t really on my radar until I learned (thanks Anime News Network!) that it was written by the creator of Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun! and drawn by the artist behind act-age (who truly got screwed by that series’ writer). With that kind of pedigree, I felt it was worth a shot.
Well, the first chapter isn’t terribly exciting. We get a lot of backstory on Ichi and the world he inhabits, info dump at its finest, see that he’s good at hunting and then a witch shows up to hunt a majik, which are living magic that people can acquire through various means.
People meaning women, since men have no magical ability. Until one majik pulls a page out of the Peter Jackson Return of the King playbook and reveals he cannot be felled by a woman. Suddenly Ichi’s skills show themselves to work real well against magical beings and he smashes the matriarchy in one swoop. Or just kind of inhabits it.
Ichi’s okay as a character, earnest and thoughtful about not hurting for sport. He’s adept at using his skills, which allows for some clever stuff here and there, and he does have a couple good moments as a decent human being when he’s not on the hunt.
He is the epitome of the overpowered shonen protagonist, however, and that’s just the nature of his character. Still, he’s good enough to get the job done and the premise of him hunting these creatures is enough to hang a decent story on.
But, as often is the case in these sorts of scenarios, it’s the details that make a pretty okay story into a lot of fun. And the first detail is the ridiculously “high on her own supply” Desscaras - the first witch that Ichi encounters.
It’s not that Desscaras is bad at her job, no, she’s actually hyper competent. She’s just absolutely aware of it and full of herself as a consequence. This would be insufferable if she wasn’t so dang amusing and easily irritated by Ichi’s freewheeling spirit.
These two are the core for most of the story and Desscaras’ reactions are a lot of what made me come to love this. Well, the majik that Ichi kills to get his powers ends up living on him like a talking growth as well, which is a very Iruma-esque development. Especially with how useless it is once it’s been absorbed.
The last member of the team is the underpowered Kumugi, who gets assigned to record all the adventure that will undoubtedly ensue. Kumugi just wants to stay out of the spotlight, so naturally that’s not what happens, although I did really appreciate how Ichi reached out to her and made her feel better about her powers.
It’s good stuff. I am definitely way into Iruma and this is different enough to feel like it isn’t a retread, yet it also has an appealing familiarity. The art is pretty solid and hyper-detailed here and there; that one action moment with the frilly boots was well depicted.
The frisson of darkness and some genuinely cool designs, mixed with a strong sense of comedic timing and the good sense to not take this entirely too seriously, really help set this up for success. I’m hoping we get less unevenness, this dips a bit off and on, but there’s more than enough here.
3.5 stars - I’ll give it a benefit of the doubt based on its creative team and because this is a dang good time when it’s trying to be. If you like action and magic stuff I would say it’s a no-brainer.
Well, the first chapter isn’t terribly exciting. We get a lot of backstory on Ichi and the world he inhabits, info dump at its finest, see that he’s good at hunting and then a witch shows up to hunt a majik, which are living magic that people can acquire through various means.
People meaning women, since men have no magical ability. Until one majik pulls a page out of the Peter Jackson Return of the King playbook and reveals he cannot be felled by a woman. Suddenly Ichi’s skills show themselves to work real well against magical beings and he smashes the matriarchy in one swoop. Or just kind of inhabits it.
Ichi’s okay as a character, earnest and thoughtful about not hurting for sport. He’s adept at using his skills, which allows for some clever stuff here and there, and he does have a couple good moments as a decent human being when he’s not on the hunt.
He is the epitome of the overpowered shonen protagonist, however, and that’s just the nature of his character. Still, he’s good enough to get the job done and the premise of him hunting these creatures is enough to hang a decent story on.
But, as often is the case in these sorts of scenarios, it’s the details that make a pretty okay story into a lot of fun. And the first detail is the ridiculously “high on her own supply” Desscaras - the first witch that Ichi encounters.
It’s not that Desscaras is bad at her job, no, she’s actually hyper competent. She’s just absolutely aware of it and full of herself as a consequence. This would be insufferable if she wasn’t so dang amusing and easily irritated by Ichi’s freewheeling spirit.
These two are the core for most of the story and Desscaras’ reactions are a lot of what made me come to love this. Well, the majik that Ichi kills to get his powers ends up living on him like a talking growth as well, which is a very Iruma-esque development. Especially with how useless it is once it’s been absorbed.
The last member of the team is the underpowered Kumugi, who gets assigned to record all the adventure that will undoubtedly ensue. Kumugi just wants to stay out of the spotlight, so naturally that’s not what happens, although I did really appreciate how Ichi reached out to her and made her feel better about her powers.
It’s good stuff. I am definitely way into Iruma and this is different enough to feel like it isn’t a retread, yet it also has an appealing familiarity. The art is pretty solid and hyper-detailed here and there; that one action moment with the frilly boots was well depicted.
The frisson of darkness and some genuinely cool designs, mixed with a strong sense of comedic timing and the good sense to not take this entirely too seriously, really help set this up for success. I’m hoping we get less unevenness, this dips a bit off and on, but there’s more than enough here.
3.5 stars - I’ll give it a benefit of the doubt based on its creative team and because this is a dang good time when it’s trying to be. If you like action and magic stuff I would say it’s a no-brainer.
February 16, 2025
i’m desscaras’ biggest fan already
September 7, 2026
This was a solid read but nothing that necessarily blew me away. I’m looking forward to seeing how the story develops and if I’ll stick with it.
March 31, 2026
This is already proving to be such a fun series!
I’m really loving the concept of magic being alive, with Majik creatures creating trials that need to be overcome. It adds such a unique and playful twist to the world-building.
It’s fast-paced and absolutely packed with information, but not in a way that feels overwhelming. Instead, it pulls you in quickly and gives you a solid understanding of the world right from the start.
The main trio are such a great mix of humour, heart, stubbornness and intelligence. Their dynamic already feels strong and the banter between them is genuinely enjoyable.
I was also pleasantly surprised by how dialogue-heavy this volume is. It really helps establish the foundation of the story early on and elevates those character interactions even more.
And the illustrations? Stunning. There are moments where the art leans darker, and it creates such a strong impact visually! It really adds to the tone of the story.
I’m very excited to see where this goes!
I’m really loving the concept of magic being alive, with Majik creatures creating trials that need to be overcome. It adds such a unique and playful twist to the world-building.
It’s fast-paced and absolutely packed with information, but not in a way that feels overwhelming. Instead, it pulls you in quickly and gives you a solid understanding of the world right from the start.
The main trio are such a great mix of humour, heart, stubbornness and intelligence. Their dynamic already feels strong and the banter between them is genuinely enjoyable.
I was also pleasantly surprised by how dialogue-heavy this volume is. It really helps establish the foundation of the story early on and elevates those character interactions even more.
And the illustrations? Stunning. There are moments where the art leans darker, and it creates such a strong impact visually! It really adds to the tone of the story.
I’m very excited to see where this goes!
July 11, 2026
I really enjoyed this book. I'm not a fan of "woman vs man" themes, but this sets that trope on its head. Ichi is just a lot of fun and there is a "straight man" (Like Abbot to Costello, not the declaration of attraction way) that keeps things grounded and from getting too crazy. I love seeing a group of people with very set preconceived notions getting their eyes opened, kicking and screaming the entire way, until they realize that, "wait a minute...could we have been...WRONG!?!?" (Cue clutching of pearls here)
Ichi isn't TRYING to be anything special, he is just being himself, but that is enough to make an entire society realize, albeit very slowly, that change doesn't necessarily mean "bad". I love how innocent Ichi is, in his own way. Innocent of "civilized" society. He is anything but innocent when dealing with nature and in the wild.
This is a bit brutal and violent, as nature is when we pay attention to it, but it works well within the storyline of the book. It isn't violent for violence's sake.
Ok, my review really isn't doing this book justice. I blame a LOOOONG week at work killing my brain cells. Let's just say...
4, I'm glad I read it and got the next volume to read next, stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media LLC for an eARC of this book to read and review.
Ichi isn't TRYING to be anything special, he is just being himself, but that is enough to make an entire society realize, albeit very slowly, that change doesn't necessarily mean "bad". I love how innocent Ichi is, in his own way. Innocent of "civilized" society. He is anything but innocent when dealing with nature and in the wild.
This is a bit brutal and violent, as nature is when we pay attention to it, but it works well within the storyline of the book. It isn't violent for violence's sake.
Ok, my review really isn't doing this book justice. I blame a LOOOONG week at work killing my brain cells. Let's just say...
4, I'm glad I read it and got the next volume to read next, stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media LLC for an eARC of this book to read and review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2026
ichi, desscaras, and kumugi i would do *anything* for you
June 3, 2026
Absolutely OBSESSED with Desscaras-as anyone with a brain would be.
Come on!
You cannot make an absolutely flawless character and expect me NOT to fall in love. Impossible. Her hair (though the bangs with the cornrows are… questionable, but we’re not going to do too much, because she’s a queen), her outfit, her being the most powerful witch in all of existence. Yeah, strut. Your. Stuff.
The story, I’ve followed before. The grossly misogynistic and (thankfully) short lived anime, ‘Kingdom of Witch,’ I believe it was called? Never read the manga and hopefully there was no manga and it was just incel’s fever dream. Landing the plane, I promise. That anime had a similar concept. A world where only women could be witches, but the world’s strongest witch trained this boy and he became a witch or able to use magic. However, Ichi the Witch is a much better (and 1000% less misogynistic) execution of that storyline.
It’s the first volume so we’re being introduced to the world and the characters. Learning their personalities and the tone of the story and I must say, I enjoyed it immensely. I liked the jokes, that the MCs are not afraid to kill, but not murder (the two are different). The characters we’ve met thus far are all unique with personalities I imagine will be fleshed out as we go further.
Can’t wait to learn more about this world as I continue to immerse myself in it.
Side note - Though I haven’t read, I’ve been watching the anime and love, love, love, ‘Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun.’ To learn that this story is by the same mangaka *chef kiss* It’s no wonder I’m just as enamoured with this story as I am with WTDSIK.
Come on!
You cannot make an absolutely flawless character and expect me NOT to fall in love. Impossible. Her hair (though the bangs with the cornrows are… questionable, but we’re not going to do too much, because she’s a queen), her outfit, her being the most powerful witch in all of existence. Yeah, strut. Your. Stuff.
The story, I’ve followed before. The grossly misogynistic and (thankfully) short lived anime, ‘Kingdom of Witch,’ I believe it was called? Never read the manga and hopefully there was no manga and it was just incel’s fever dream. Landing the plane, I promise. That anime had a similar concept. A world where only women could be witches, but the world’s strongest witch trained this boy and he became a witch or able to use magic. However, Ichi the Witch is a much better (and 1000% less misogynistic) execution of that storyline.
It’s the first volume so we’re being introduced to the world and the characters. Learning their personalities and the tone of the story and I must say, I enjoyed it immensely. I liked the jokes, that the MCs are not afraid to kill, but not murder (the two are different). The characters we’ve met thus far are all unique with personalities I imagine will be fleshed out as we go further.
Can’t wait to learn more about this world as I continue to immerse myself in it.
Side note - Though I haven’t read, I’ve been watching the anime and love, love, love, ‘Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun.’ To learn that this story is by the same mangaka *chef kiss* It’s no wonder I’m just as enamoured with this story as I am with WTDSIK.
July 3, 2025
3.5✨
In a world where only women have the ability to possess magic, Ichi becomes the first male witch after taking down a legendary magik that cannot be killed by women, reverse Eowyn style.
This was a fun little introduction to this manga, setting up some key characters and premise. Fun art style that I enjoyed as well.
Kumugi is just so precious and needs to be protected at all costs.
In a world where only women have the ability to possess magic, Ichi becomes the first male witch after taking down a legendary magik that cannot be killed by women, reverse Eowyn style.
This was a fun little introduction to this manga, setting up some key characters and premise. Fun art style that I enjoyed as well.
Kumugi is just so precious and needs to be protected at all costs.
May 18, 2025
i mean i dislike the concept but the character design and artstyle isn't bad so far. i really wonder what the fascination is about men involving themselves in women's spaces. i mean i know it's so you can have a bunch of marketable women (if not some sort of harem) but. weird. just weird.
October 5, 2025
It's a nice start, and obviously, the English volumes are not out yet, so I will review these and will switch to them once they are released. The art was nice, and I have the hunch that the story will get better as the story progresses. So let's go and Keep on Reading.
I have always loved comics, and I can and I have. I love comics to bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more. You should also read what you love, and I hope you will always love it. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics, Diamond Comics, or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on international and classic comics, Mangas, Mahwas, and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I just want to Keep on Reading.
I have always loved comics, and I can and I have. I love comics to bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more. You should also read what you love, and I hope you will always love it. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics, Diamond Comics, or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on international and classic comics, Mangas, Mahwas, and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I just want to Keep on Reading.
April 7, 2026
This was fine, but felt like nothing special. It felt like a manga where the mangaka had a list of things to include in the manga, but the individual things didn't come together enough to create something unique or different.
February 16, 2026
Cool ideas and art, but borderline too silly for my taste? Idk. I’ll try the next volume at some point.
June 21, 2026
This is SO FUN. Intriguing worldbuilding, zany comedy, and lovely art! Excited to see where the story goes. 👀 Thanks to my dear Hannah for the rec!
February 11, 2026
Alright, I have a bit of a confession. I might have read “only women can be witches, but suddenly a boy gets to be a witch,” and thought it was going to be a story about gender and things. I was a little disappointed on that front, but this is the first volume, so maybe it will get into that later. (Also that is on me because I didn’t see the shonen tag.) That being said, this was a really fun start to a series.
I really loved the designs of the different magiks that we’ve seen so far, and I love the concept of magic being living things that you have to battle to gain power from. It’s kind of like a Pokémon! Ichi is, so far, a pretty typical shonen protag.: has a code of honor, is very kind, and good at giving pep talks to people who need it. (This is a random aside, but there is one part -not really a spoiler- where he sees these really fancy frilly shoes and just goes crazy over them, and it was really cute.)
My absolute favorite part of this whole thing is Desscaras and her “Story So Far” segments. They are hilarious. I love that she continues to call Ichi things like “Feral Idiot” rather than his name, and I like to see her doodles. She is by far the best part of this main group of characters.
The art is beautiful, the story is fun, and I can’t wait to read more! Thanks so much to Netgalley and VIZ Media for the DRC!
I really loved the designs of the different magiks that we’ve seen so far, and I love the concept of magic being living things that you have to battle to gain power from. It’s kind of like a Pokémon! Ichi is, so far, a pretty typical shonen protag.: has a code of honor, is very kind, and good at giving pep talks to people who need it. (This is a random aside, but there is one part -not really a spoiler- where he sees these really fancy frilly shoes and just goes crazy over them, and it was really cute.)
My absolute favorite part of this whole thing is Desscaras and her “Story So Far” segments. They are hilarious. I love that she continues to call Ichi things like “Feral Idiot” rather than his name, and I like to see her doodles. She is by far the best part of this main group of characters.
The art is beautiful, the story is fun, and I can’t wait to read more! Thanks so much to Netgalley and VIZ Media for the DRC!
September 17, 2026
Les mystères qui font qu'une série va ou non marcher restent bien opaques à mes yeux parce que je ne vois pas ce que ce titre a de plus ou de moins qu'un autre. J'ai l'impression d'y voir un shonen que j'ai déjà vu à peu près une bonne cinquantaine de fois, le dessin ne sort pas de l'ordinaire et les personnages sont très classiques pour le genre.
Même le récit me semble (pour l'instant en tout cas) très prévisible, avec le recrutement du héros, le mentor insupportable et une quête à la Pokémon sans grand relief.
Oui, ça se laisse lire sans peine, mais je ne pense pas y revenir.
Même le récit me semble (pour l'instant en tout cas) très prévisible, avec le recrutement du héros, le mentor insupportable et une quête à la Pokémon sans grand relief.
Oui, ça se laisse lire sans peine, mais je ne pense pas y revenir.
January 7, 2026
I’m convinced that the second this manga gets an anime adaptation it’s going to dominate the shonen genre. The official English volumes haven’t even released yet and it’s ALREADY got a lot of buzz around it—and trust me it’s deserved. The art is gorgeous and I love these characters, the setting, and the entire story concept SO much. I definitely don’t think the first volume is bad, but will acknowledge the introduction is mostly just cute. I need you to trust me rn. This goes crazy. I am dying on this hill with my beautiful son Ichi.
January 9, 2025
YES!!! welcome back shonen written by women 😫😫 saw that this was getting popular, decided to check it out and had a GREAT time. The magic hierarchy did make me giggle with all the men at the bottom (barring Ichi). Gorgeous art, engaging character dynamics, and Desscaras (I love her). More female mentor characters in action mangas PLEASE😝
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2026
Excellente introduction + énorme potentiel que ça devienne ma nouvelle obsession carrément je suis très triste qu’il y n’ait pas plus de tomes au Japon
May 19, 2026
Veryyyy basic right now. At least Desscarres is a unique character. I feel like it could have had a better hook. Half of the panels are just useless long paragraphs
July 9, 2026
I don't really get why there's even a gendered element to it... It was wholly irrelevant, except to make Ichi ✨️special✨️. I feel like it being a class thing would've made more sense
May 31, 2026
Ichi The Witch!!! I've been meaning to get into this as a series about a boy being a witch is everything I dreamed of.
The comedy in this is absolutely relentless and I love it. I find it quite refreshing and bold to have a shounen Manga have a power system that completely kicks out men. Accept our Mc Ichi. How well they execute and or what depth they'll go into with such a matriarchal story should be interesting. The story also features a black woman in an important role in the story which is rare in Shounen.
My only issue is this doesn't catch my interest enough strongly. The art is amazing but it doesn't feel distinct enough. In Manga I feel your art reflects you as the writer. In this Manga the writer having an illustrator shows. Paneling at times also seems to be too much but not too discouraging.
I'll see where my journey with Ichi the witch goes as I've never started a Manga without watching it's anime adaptation first.
The comedy in this is absolutely relentless and I love it. I find it quite refreshing and bold to have a shounen Manga have a power system that completely kicks out men. Accept our Mc Ichi. How well they execute and or what depth they'll go into with such a matriarchal story should be interesting. The story also features a black woman in an important role in the story which is rare in Shounen.
My only issue is this doesn't catch my interest enough strongly. The art is amazing but it doesn't feel distinct enough. In Manga I feel your art reflects you as the writer. In this Manga the writer having an illustrator shows. Paneling at times also seems to be too much but not too discouraging.
I'll see where my journey with Ichi the witch goes as I've never started a Manga without watching it's anime adaptation first.
August 20, 2026
I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.
Tarot cards on the table, I'm not always the biggest fan of manga, though there are some I have adored, and I am all the in love with a witch.
I have to be honest that for me this was somewhere in the region of fine to meh...
In a corrupt matriarchal society with an authoritarian and combative relationship to Majik only women can be witches, but then our eponymous boy comes along and is a mega powerful witch...
Look, the art and some of the moments are cute and all, but I don't understand who this for, especially with Ichi randomly determining the height, weight, and fat ratio of one of the women, and some of the witches being mangatastically horny/ fascinated by him.
This just wasn't my cup of tea.
Tarot cards on the table, I'm not always the biggest fan of manga, though there are some I have adored, and I am all the in love with a witch.
I have to be honest that for me this was somewhere in the region of fine to meh...
In a corrupt matriarchal society with an authoritarian and combative relationship to Majik only women can be witches, but then our eponymous boy comes along and is a mega powerful witch...
Look, the art and some of the moments are cute and all, but I don't understand who this for, especially with Ichi randomly determining the height, weight, and fat ratio of one of the women, and some of the witches being mangatastically horny/ fascinated by him.
This just wasn't my cup of tea.
April 22, 2025
Oh como extrañaba el dibujo de Shiro Usazaki
August 25, 2025
A pretty fun read, if Kagurabachi is peak edgyness then ichi the witch is peak wholesomeness of shonen jump. The premise and plot are lowkey simple but it's still have some charm to hook you in.
Read
February 23, 2026DNF
April 24, 2026
Ça faisait très longtemps que j’avais pas lu un shonen… intéressant! Et les dessins sont sympa aussi!
July 12, 2026
Ichi me recuerda un poco a Coco😭😍 y las brujas de esta historia son chulísimas 💅🏻🫶🏻
July 31, 2026
Hyper cool je vais conseiller ça à toute la ville
August 30, 2026
it’s fine? I’m not feeling it, probably won’t continue.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 221 reviews