Love Witch

Mangaka: Naoko Takeuchi
Pub. Date: 2002
# of Vols.: 3 chapters + Sister Witch

Anju Ai learns a big family secret on her 13th birthday. Ai has a twin brother and two older sisters. One explains to her that she carries the "witch sequence" in her DNA. A very rare and special sequence that only shows up in certain girls and is passed from the mother's DNA to the daughter. But they will have to perform the rite to determine if she's only a carrier and thus a "sleeping witch" or if she has the ability to performt the craft in which case she can be an official witch. Around her neck Ai wears a small perfume bottle given to her by her great-grandmother. For the rite she must concentrate on her wish to be a witch (her desire is her for ailing brother whom she promised to show magic to for his birthday present). When she opens the bottle and inhales the scent, it should work as a "staff" (the perfume bottle and "scent" is probably a substitute for candles and incense used in magic rites. Note too it's significant that the girl must be at puberty, 13, before they are told of their heritage or allowed to perform the rite). But there's an additional catch, Ai must also recite "I sacrifice my beloved," ie she gives to the Goddess that which is most dear or treasured to her, thus proving her conviction to enter this path for her life. Ai realizes it means she must sacrifice her brother, and she can't do it. She wakes from a dream and goes to Yuu's room, he's lying on the floor from going into cardiac arrest. Ai realizes she must perform the rite if she hopes to save him. A black shadow is beginning to engulf her brother (Death) and in desperation she calls out the incantation. The outline of a witch's costume appears on her body and it feels like she's on fire, but that fire seems to drive the shadow away. Once it's gone she realizes she has blood on her hand. She panics, thinking it's Yuu's, but her older sister says it's because of the rite and it's normal (an obvious menstruation symbol here). That Love aka Ai can transform, her sisters say this makes her a "metamorphic witch."

When Yuu becomes conscious at the hospital he has no memory of Ai (she thinks it must be because of the rite). And Ai is sure she still sees a shadow or small cloaked figure near her brother. Meanwhile, Yuki, Ai's aunt shows up to give a rundown on some things she needs to be aware of. She narrates the following:

"Will, thought, passion. You use witchcraft controlling these three things. If any of them is insufficient, if you have indecision and your balance is off, you can't use the craft. This is the foundation! Then, if your braids come untied, you can't use the craft. I'm sure you know this, but always have them tied! This is the super-foundation! Next, you can divide witches into four general types. Sleeping witches, cold witches, hot witches, and love witches.

Sleeping witches only carry the sequence. They aren't awakened. That is, they're witches but they don't use the craft. Cold witches, hot witches, and love witches are witches who can use the craft. You can divide the craft into eight basic kinds. Foreknowledge, control, mutation, summoning, healing, protection, attack, and cleansing fire. Furthermore, you can do a countless number of smaller classifications for each of the crafts. Basically, cold witches are witches who can use either foreknowledge, control, or both. Hot witches are witches who, in addition to foreknowledge and control, can use more than one of the six of mutation, summoning, healing, protection, attack, and cleansing fire. That is, they can use more than three crafts. And love witches are able to use all eight kinds of crafts. They are the witches of witches. The holy coven audition is an audition to choose the top love witch. The Love Witch Festa is a festival during that audition period, in which love witches are awakened and can freely perform exercises and trials of strength. Anyone who is a witch can participate in the festa. But only hot witches can participate in the audition! And only hot witches are sent the message!"*

This story combines elements of the magical girl genre with a little of modern Western Wicca. There are other elements introduced by the prologue, such as that the family owns a cat named Kuro (black). Cats, especially black ones being a common companion to witches and a favorite familiar. They of course made an appearance in Takeuchi's earlier magical girl series, Sailor V and Sailor Moon. That Love Witch's color seems to be red could be for red as the color of fire and love, but also if one looks at the first magical girls, their outfits were frequently red (sometimes their hair as well) and this may or may not be intentioned in Ai's case. An endnote on the need of keeping the hair braided, this probably goes back to notions of hair holding magical elements and power. In the tales of Samson and Delilah or Rapunzel, hair held such properties.

* From Alex Glover's translation of Love Witch: http://www.kurozuki.com/takeuchi/index.html