Journal with Witch Anime: Where to Watch, Episodes, English Dub, Manga & Season 2

The Journal with Witch anime aired 13 episodes from January 4 to March 29, 2026, and it streams worldwide on Crunchyroll. Ignore the title for a moment, because there is no witch in it. It is the story of Makio, a 35-year-old novelist who would rather be alone, taking in her 15-year-old niece Asa on the day of Asa's parents' funeral, and several critics called it the best anime of the season. Two people who barely know each other now share an apartment, and neither of them knows how to grieve.

Journal with Witch Release Date and Global Streaming Schedule

Journal with Witch premiered on Sunday, January 4, 2026, on ABC TV, TOKYO MX and BS Asahi, and its 13th and final episode aired on March 29. Studio Shuka animated it, with Miyuki Oshiro directing and Kohei Kiyasu writing the scripts. Kensuke Ushio, the composer behind A Silent Voice and Chainsaw Man, wrote the music, and you can hear it in how quiet the show lets itself be.

Crunchyroll vs. Aniplus Asia: Where to Watch

Crunchyroll streams Journal with Witch worldwide, and Aniplus Asia carries it in Southeast Asia. Searches for "journal with witch where to watch" spiked during the season because the title is easy to confuse with Witch Hat Atelier and Witch Watch, which are different shows. So, does Journal with Witch have an English dub? Not yet. Crunchyroll has not announced one, so it is subtitled only.

Broadcast Time & Episode Rollout

Episodes aired weekly on Sunday nights in Japan and reached Crunchyroll the same day. Thirteen episodes was a full cour, and the show used every minute of it. Some episodes are almost nothing but two people eating dinner, and they are among the best.

That ending title is a quiet hint at what this show is about: things people never got to say to each other, and what you do with them after someone is gone.

Journal with Witch Plot: Grief, Solitude and Learning to Live Together

Makio Koudai is a shy novelist who has lived alone for years and likes it that way. At her sister's funeral, she watches relatives argue over who will take her orphaned niece Asa, and before she can think it through, she says she will. It is the most impulsive thing she has ever done.

Asa is open, friendly and suddenly lost. She grew up with a mother who had firm ideas about how adults should behave, and Makio breaks every one of them. She forgets meals, works through the night and says what she thinks, even when it is not what a teenager wants to hear. The Japanese title, Ikoku Nikki, means something like "diary of a foreign country," and that is how these two feel to each other: neighbors from different worlds, sharing one apartment.

The central conflict is not a villain. It is the question neither of them can answer: what do you owe someone you never chose, and who never chose you?

Makio and Her Sister: The Wound at the Center of the Story

Makio did not get along with her sister Minori, Asa's mother, and she does not pretend otherwise. That honesty is what makes the show so unusual. Makio refuses to tell Asa a comforting lie about her mother, and Asa has to decide what to do with a version of her mother she never knew. The show handles this without melodrama, which is exactly why it hurts.

So who are the people around them? That is where the cast comes in.

Makio, Asa and the "Witch": Characters Explained

The "witch" in the English title is Makio herself. To 15-year-old Asa, her strange, solitary aunt seems like a witch living alone in her tower, and the show leans into that idea without ever turning it into fantasy. Here are the main characters and their Japanese voice actors (CV):

• Makio Koudai (CV: Miyuki Sawashiro): a 35-year-old novelist who struggles with people and lives for her work.
• Asa Takumi (CV: Fuko Mori): Makio's 15-year-old niece, who loses both parents in an accident.
• Shingo Kasamachi (CV: Junichi Suwabe): Makio's ex-boyfriend, still a calm and kind presence in her life.
• Emiri Nara (CV: Sumire Morohoshi): Asa's classmate and best friend.
• Nana Daigo (CV: Eriko Matsui): one of Makio's close friends.
• Kazunari Tono (CV: Takashi Kondo): a lawyer who helps with Asa's guardianship.
• Minori (CV: Sayaka Ohara): Makio's sister and Asa's late mother.

Two questions come up again and again in search: is Journal with Witch a BL, and is it a yuri? It is neither. It is a josei drama about family, friendship and loneliness. Makio's past relationship with Kasamachi is part of the story, and the series treats identity and relationships with real care, but romance is never the point. The point is two people learning to live side by side.

And if 13 episodes was not enough of them, the manga has a lot more.

Manga Guide: Where the Anime Leaves Off

Journal with Witch is based on Tomoko Yamashita's manga Ikoku Nikki, which ran in Shodensha's Feel Young from June 2017 to June 2023. It is complete in 11 volumes. The story follows Makio and Asa over several years as Asa grows from a grieving 15-year-old into a young adult.

• The anime covers the early part of their life together: the funeral, the first months in Makio's apartment and Asa starting high school.
• The rest of the manga follows Asa through high school and beyond, and it is where the relationship between aunt and niece really changes.

The catch for English readers is timing. Inklore, a Penguin Random House imprint, has licensed the manga for North America, but the first volume is not due until the third quarter of 2027. There is also a live-action film, Worlds Apart (2024), starring Yui Aragaki as Makio, if you want another take on the same story.

That leaves a lot of story for a second season, and no announcement yet.

Frequently Asked Questions About Journal with Witch

Where can I watch Journal with Witch?

Crunchyroll streams Journal with Witch worldwide with English subtitles. Aniplus Asia carries it in Southeast Asia.

Does Journal with Witch have an English dub?

No. Crunchyroll has not announced an English dub, so Journal with Witch is available with subtitles only.

How many episodes does Journal with Witch have?

Journal with Witch has 13 episodes. It aired from January 4 to March 29, 2026.

Is Journal with Witch a BL anime?

No. Journal with Witch is not a BL or a yuri. It is a josei drama about a novelist and her orphaned niece learning to live together.

Will Journal with Witch get a Season 2?

No Season 2 has been announced. The manga is complete in 11 volumes, and the anime only covers the beginning, so there is plenty of story left.

Is the Journal with Witch manga available in English?

Not yet. Inklore has licensed the manga for North America, with the first volume planned for the third quarter of 2027.

Related Videos

Crunchyroll's official trailer gives you the show's tone in under two minutes: the funeral, the apartment, and Makio's voice.

More Winter 2026 Anime Guides

Each of these aired in the same Winter 2026 season, and each guide covers where to watch, the cast and what comes next.

• Blue Miburo: Serizawa Assassination Arc: episodes, Crunchyroll and the Shinsengumi arc
• You and I Are Polar Opposites: both seasons, English dub and the ending
• Tamon's B-Side: English dub, F/ACE and Season 2
• Link Click: Bridon Arc: timeline, Japanese dub and Season 3
• Kunon the Sorcerer Can See: episodes, light novel and Season 2
• Hell Mode: HIDIVE, English dub and Seasons 2 and 3
• ’Tis Time for “Torture,” Princess Season 2: episodes, ending and Season 3
• MF Ghost Season 3: episodes, English dub and the final season
• Frieren Season 2: dub schedule, episodes and Season 3
• Medalist Season 2: episodes, Disney+ and the 2027 movie

Makio and Asa still have years of story ahead in the manga. Until a second season is announced, explore the rest of the season in our Winter 2026 anime lineup, find something airing now in the Fall 2026 anime schedule, and follow Upcoming Anime for any sequel news.