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The Witch and the Beast is approaching its conclusion with only 3 episodes remaining, and if this episode serves as any indication of what’s to come, I have a feeling that the series will end quite strongly. First off, we have the return of my favorite storyboarder in this show, Shinji Itadaki. I’m going to be talking about his great work on this episode and also some things about his previous episodes.

However before we begin, I wanted to note something I found rather interesting: ever since the break after episode 6, the latter half of the show has had much more consistent character models. You can clearly tell their attempt to achieve this by just looking at this episode’s staff roles. This is the first episode that contains Assistant Chief Animation Directors. The entire show’s CAD work has been done only by Iijima. (And not trying to spoil, since I’m writing this so late; the next episode is already out, and it also has Assistant Chief Animation Directors.) This again shows that they’re trying to fix the model issues, and I do expect this to transfer to the earlier episodes in terms of the Blu-ray corrections as well.

While Episode 8 was somewhat disappointing, (as I’ve already mentioned) another episode he worked on, episode 4, stood out. You might recall the visual style of that episode, featuring notably strong close-ups and defining shading. Typically, you wouldn’t credit the shading of characters to the storyboarder. But, if you’ve ever seen an Itadaki storyboard, you’ll notice his meticulous attention to detail, particularly in shading. His clear vision allows animators to replicate his boards directly, resulting in episodes with a consistently strong shading style, regardless of production quality.

Episode 10 embodies all the pros I’ve highlighted in Itadaki’s typical episodes. The shading is exceptional, and the fidelity of the shots, particularly close-ups, remains one of the best in the series, showcasing the greatness of the character designs under skilled hands. Just take a look at the screenshots I’ll provide below; the camera angles are far more dynamic and intriguing compared to non-Itadaki episodes. From fish-eye lens shots that build tension to cool transitions using cloaks, it’s clear to see. All I’m trying to say is that Itadaki is undoubtedly one of the best storyboarders in the series, and this episode serves as a testament to that.

Overall, I feel this episode does showcase why, even with questionable production, I can’t wholeheartedly label it as a bad adaptation. Itadaki is my favorite, but he’s certainly not the only talented storyboard artist on the show. In fact, I would say most of the storyboard artists are doing a solid job. Moreover, this isn’t the sole aspect the show excels in; take, for instance, the impeccable art direction by Kakoi Hirotsugu or how the voice cast of this show is exceptional. Just listen to Kana Hanazawa’s mesmerizing performance as Angela in this episode for example.