The premise of Dekoboko Majo no Oyako Jijou (でこぼこ魔女の親子事情, The Family Circumstances of the Irregular Witch) sounds familiar. The lead character finds a baby in a basket in the middle of the forest and raises the child into a capable, adopted child. That’s what happens in the delightful adventure tale of S-Rank Musume. But Dekoboko Majo is about a tiny witch and a voluptuous, olive-skinned teenager towering over her mother. And jokes. Many magical jokes! Its witchy setting mines all the conventions of different races and clichés about fairy tales for comedy and spicy fanservice. What makes Dekoboko Majo work so well for laughs and chilling out? Read on!
Not Your Typical Teenage Witch
The first draw of Dekoboko Majo is Viola. In this fairy tale world, witches are different from humans, like how orcs, elves, and lizard people are their own species. Alyssa, the height-challenged witch, readily noticed how much magic poured from the human baby she found in the forest. So, Alyssa decided to raise the baby herself. Viola grew up (and out) in several attractive places in a short sixteen years (a small timespan for a 200-year-old witch). The switch in expectations between who looks older and more mature is a constant source of comedy during Dekoboko Majo.
Viola’s character design (tan, busty, and having beauty marks) matches a mysterious maid we’ve met before. Like Lilith from The Maid I Hired Recently is Mysterious, Viola’s presence on the screen is always welcome. But the content of Viola’s character becomes another source of outlandish gags in Dekoboko Majo. Viola is overly and jealously protective of her mother, Alyssa. Any man who sniffs around Alyssa, like Fennel, the elf, will face Viola’s magical wrath. Viola’s specialty is summoning creatures, so her fantastical beasts also contribute to the humor.
Side Characters Sell Dekoboko Majo
The Dekoboko Majo episodes have a two-vignette format. Short, self-contained comedic adventures make the humor writing tight and rapid-fire. This also means we need fun characters to bounce off dialogue and punchlines. My favorites are Alyssa’s childhood witch friends, Giriko and Luna. They’re as tall and busty as Viola, so watching all three on the screen is a treat. They’re also younger than Alyssa, so watching a human match their proportions in the blink of an eye is another source of irritation played for laughs. The sexy witches have adult hobbies, so Alyssa needs to carefully monitor their interactions with Viola. The young human should avoid taking lessons from Luna about how to care for mascots and familiars.
One of Viola’s summons, the Phoenix, steals every scene of Dekoboko Majo he’s in. The oddly shaped bird has odd notions of etiquette and quickly becomes another adopted family member in Alyssa’s house. Voice actor Takaya Hashi’s (Donovan Desmond from Spy x Family) strangely lilting delivery makes Phoenix a constant font of jokes and gags. Other characters include Lira, whom fans of muscular ladies will appreciate, Fennel the elf, and Glind the orc. Glind is the village’s furniture maker and desperately seeks a mate. He also has an overly romanticized view of elf women, which Fennel hilariously disabuses him of.
Mother-Daughter Warmth
The relaxing atmosphere of Dekoboko Majo flows from the relationship between Alyssa and Viola. Much of the slice-of-life elements come from Alyssa reminiscing about Viola growing up, so the flashbacks bring up heart-warming scenes of Viola’s childhood. Remember when you were a teenager, and your mom would tell embarrassing stories about your toddler self? Mix in magic versions of bed-wetting and catching colds, and we have Alyssa’s type of motherly affection. Viola is still a child, so her witchy rebellious streak leads to life lessons. Dekoboko Majo’s nostalgic air gives the anime a conventional slice-of-life feeling instead of the disconnected gags it could have had.
One More Thing: Boobs
As you’ve already seen, Viola, Luna, and Giriko wear tight-fitting witch gowns that show off their cleavage and figures. Often in anime, characters wear the same outfit, no matter what they do. But in Dekoboko Majo’s rural fairy tale setting, the witches have gardens and grow crops. That means they need to put on outdoorsy gear to work their fields! I liked watching Slime Taoshite 300-nen, a show based on a witch gathering an odd family of monster girls, but its characters rarely wore different outfits. I like how we see Giriko’s trim, taut belly when she has to spread a potion to cure potatoes that came to life. I’m curious about Luna’s “work” attire when she “trains” her pets.
Dekoboko Majo no Oyako Jijou (でこぼこ魔女の親子事情, The Family Circumstances of the Irregular Witch) streams on Crunchyroll in Japanese audio and multiple language subtitles.
Are you watching Dekoboko Majo? Do you enjoy Viola’s overprotective mother complex? Do you wish Giriko and Luna had more screen time? Let us know in the comments below or online on Facebook, Twitter, or Discord.
Halloween is the time for witches, and the J-List store has a figure you can order right now. Check out this fun version of Elaina from Majo no Tabitabi. She has much in common with Alyssa for the Flat Justice connoisseurs.
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