I’m incredibly happy to be able to read Daily Report About My Witch Senpai volume 3. Of course the series is a lot of fun, and very wholesome and positive, but it’s more about the circumstances regarding its publication. Originally, Maka Mochida wrote the series to conclude with 2 volumes. Through fan response and popularity though, they found their series being greenlit for a continuation. And to be honest, I don’t know what I’d do if we missed out on this wonderfully lovey-dovey slice of life volume. A noticeable departure from the prior two volumes, this third entry for Daily Report About My Witch Senpai spins the story from the perspective of our senpai and kouhai as a couple.
And mannnnnnn is it ever good. Mochida’s art has always paired well with the cuter and more innocent moments in the series, but Daily Report About My Witch Senpai volume 3 gets to expand on it in a whole new light. Stars and sparkles seem to adorn every page as an expression of Shizuka’s happiness permeating her life, and Mochida’s panelling gets to make full use of our couple. It’s surprising how a change in narrative allows for such a visual shift, but it’s really quite the (good) difference.
Though, before I get too excited and go off the deep end with it, I just wanted to gush about the relationship dynamics of this third volume. Mochida does a very good job of depicting a positive and supportive relationship, in spite of the personal shortcomings and hangups that either character might have. Jealousy is featured, but quickly withers away beneath love. Independence and responsibility can weigh on the characters and create different conversations. It tackles a lot of important dialogue for how uppity and fresh the work feels.
And it also just loves sharing things in regards to love. My absolute favorite example of that in Daily Report About My Witch Senpai volume 3 is when Misono is taking care of a lost boy. Shizuka goes off to find their parent, and comes back seeing the boy in Misono’s arms. Yes, absolutely, I am seeing what you are seeing as well Shizuka- the man is a born father, even though he might be a little awkward and stiff. And there’s plenty of little moments that see the pair interact like this, their love deepening by the panel. It’s a wonderful volume that’s just moment after moment- both in terms of cuteness, and in terms of progression. The two meet Shizuka’s father, they get an apartment together, they go to a comedy show and a few different events and outings. There’s all sorts of fun and romantic work in Daily Report About My Witch Senpai volume 3 that I’d have a hard time believing it might bore anyone.
With that out of the way, it’s time to get back to the art. I think the clearest difference offered by the series is what the cover of Daily Report About My Witch Senpai volume 3 looks like compared to the other 2. The switch to daytime proves a very noticeable flip, one that allows Mochida to explore really far outside the reaches of work (finally). Of course, it’s not like the art style has made some sudden shift… oh wait, there has. Yeah, the covers don’t really sell it all too much, but Mochida’s art has become a lot more full.
Probably the most noticeable aspect is how much more comfortable Mochida has become with screentones and character details. There’s a lot more texture to the panels, and the added details help flesh that out even further. It’s gone from a cute and fluffy work you might pick up whenever, to a genuinely pretty and stylistically unique manga. Mochida explores with perspective and character blocking, and you’d really think a more unique panel structure, but it’s not really the case. They’ve moved towards larger panels as a rule of thumb, but their interest in layering them and breaking their boundaries has remained consistent throughout the work. A really great example that shows how much of manga is a collective experience rather than something that can subsist off of a single trait.
Taking the step back to really compare Daily Report About My Witch Senpai volume 3 to its previous “arc”, you can really feel the love and passion that Mochida has for their series. The suspense that held with that second and final volume has been replaced with explosive excitement, resulting in the completely packed and oh-so-fuzzy third volume here. It just feels like a work that’s tapped into a wellspring of ideas in Mochida’s mind that they desperately want to put to paper- and that makes the volume a really wonderful read.
If you liked the early volumes, you’ll love this third one. If you’re a fan of warm and bubbly slice of life series, this is for you. If you want a (semi) talking iguana that can school a grown man at videos games, this is for you. If you-. I think you get the point. Anyone that’s a fan of content that’s remotely fun and light will melt in the hands of Daily Report About My Witch Senpai volume 3. It’s cuteness overload, it’s got a nice side of humor, it’s packing a lot of style. For all the weaker points that existed in the prior 2 volume run, Mochida’s gone and patched them up to make this outstanding third volume. So yes, go ahead and read it, and get all excited about this new continuation that will take Misono and Shizuka right up to that wedding ceremony.
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