Romance Roundtable #50: Daily Report About my Witch Senpai

Welcome back to Romance Roundtable: a feature where the editorial POME Crones gather together to discuss Romance Manga. Today we’re swooning over Daily Report About My Witch Senpai by Maka Mochida — a sweet love story about an office witch, her hot coworker, and the greatest and most supportive wing-iguana BFF anyone could ever ask for.


CC: I can’t wait to talk about this magical book!!! ✨✨

Jenny: it was so cuuuuuuuute!!!

Rachel: extremely cute!!

Jenny: i’ve got the back cover for summary:

“Misono is an office drone with his own ups and downs at work, but thankfully he has an ally — his senpai Shizuka, who happens to be a witch. Shizuka is always ready to lend a hand to those in need, but Misono thinks she should take better care of herself, since zipping around on a broomstick to run errands can be quite stressful. Is Misono’s overprotective concern for Shizuka driven by mere respect for this flustered witch, or could it be more? Let this magical romantic comedy cast its spell on you!”

Rachel: this iguana is living my dream

Rachel: this iguana is living my dream

Jenny: THAT’S MY STAR THAT’S MY BOY

CC: my favorite character

Komachi the iguana is watching shoujo anime, and three is a handsome boy and it just says "Handsome" on the screen.

Rachel: LOL i also have this screenshot
can i just say, the background gags in this book are great

The witch protagonist looks at the time on her phone, and yells "I only have three minutes!"

Rachel: what is this phone background?? is it the iguana???

CC: LOL I was also wondering!!!

Jenny: i genuinely cannot tell! looks like maybe a frog? but baby iguana would make more sense
but yes, the basic summary is: good witch tries hard, nice boy notices and falls in love
there’s a little bit of drama with the good witch’s ex-bf, but mostly the book is set up v episodic, short chapters that capture little moments between the good witch and the nice boy as they grow closer

CC: i was gonna say
i really loved this book and it is so gentle and sweet and full of small moments
but the ex drama got me hooked LOL

Rachel: oh man can we talk about this mother fucker

Shizuka's ex reminisces about when they dated, thinking, "Shizuka never argued with me, so... it was nice being with her."

Jenny: yeah he sucked

CC: [cracking all of my knuckles]

Rachel: this is a RED FUCKING FLAG
“she never argued with me, so it was NICE BEING WITH HER”
AHHHHHH
[screaming into the void]

Shizuka's ex, thinking after he sent her a bunch of demanding texts: "Even after I sent her all those texts... her reply was just like always. She's so

CC: ALSO

Komachi, remembering the time when Shizuka's ex said: "Your iguana looks funny!"
Komachi: "I can't forgive him for saying that, you know! He's taking advantage of you, Shizuka. Like calling you up with no warning and using you like a taxi!"

CC: what a message to take away from being left on read

Jenny: these fucking messages
“i’m still waiting for your reply”
“please, i just want to see you one time so we can talk”
bitch
shut the fuck up
stay away from her.meme

CC: absolutely agree w iguana friend on this one:

CC: would that we all had a talking iguana to warn us away from bad-for-us exes

Rachel: god all the iguana faces are so good

Jenny: KOMACHI!!!
i love her
talk about what got us hooked–this book really came alive for me when komachi showed up

Komachi, laying on Shizuka as she sleeps, before yelling, "HOW LONG DO YOU PLAN ON SLEEPING FOR!?"

Jenny: what an entrance

CC: half of my screenshots are of komachi

Rachel: real Luna vibes

CC: absolutely L O L

Jenny: lol yes!!
and same cc

CC: queen baby

Komachi watches romance dramas.

Rachel: just, the dream!!
also, this was the real clencher for me
when i knew Komachi was all of us

Komachi, seeing the male protagonist for the first time: "There IS a hot guy! And they're close, too! I NEED MORE INTEL!"

Jenny: LOL YESSSSS

CC: amazing, yes, agreed
be my friend komachi

Jenny: i have this same shot but incredible that komachi is actually making her invite him back to their place

Rachel: the SCREM
for intel!!!
god i love it

Jenny: WAA WAA WAA
that’s me

CC: the most relatable character
ok but can we talk a little bit more about the ex bf
i think the way this story handles him is so interesting
I like that we’re holding a lot of truths here!
1. his behavior was unacceptable
2. he sucks
3. he didn’t mean to suck but alas
4. hoshino still needs to stand up for herself and it is good that she did
5. maybe he’ll be better in the future but that’s not her problem lol

Rachel: YEAH
this moment

Shizuka's ex smashes the candy jar out of her hand, saying, "You know you're MY girlfriend, right? What are you doing accepting something like that?"

CC: yeah no redeeming that

Rachel: like did she actually ever even agree to date you again????
NO

Jenny: “you know you’re my girlfriend, right?” no???? i don’t know????

CC: just escalating the situation
IDK if I buy that he didn’t know she’d be uncomfortable contradicting him

Jenny: yeah i feel like he specifically said he likes her bc she never contradicts him
he knows

CC: yeah for real
I really appreciate the contrast between these 2 pages

Three panels ending with an open panel at the end, as Shizuka reminisces on her relationship with her ex.
The same pattern or 3 panels, but the gutters are a gradient to black as Shizuka realizes, "It became suffocating being with him."

Jenny: oh my godddd cc your brain is so big
i didn’t even notice but yeah!!!
comics are so good y’all

Rachel: WOWWWW
this comic does a lot of really good Comic Things i like

CC: aw shucks
but also, yes!! love the contrast in the panels and the layouts and the writing

Rachel: i think also, showing magic in b&w is hard, but this comic does it so easily!!

Shizuka slices her finger in front of an apple, and it splits into perfectly sized slices.

Rachel: this little moment!!

Jenny: lol yess!!!!

Rachel: IMAGES, JUXTAPOSED

Jenny: also

The same apple slicing panel, but Komachi says "Apples, again, huh?" in a judge-y way.

Jenny: apples again, huh?
i love her

CC: this whole dang page

A magical montage of Shizuka getting ready ini the morning!

Jenny: there are so many screenshots i took that are like full pages, or like whole spreads
everything is just laid out so beautifully

CC: the screentones are so gorg that somehow the page feels colorful even in b/w
the sparkle of magic, like what you were saying rachel

Jenny: yes!! at the end — the author’s note where they’re like “y’all i just love drawing starts and this book gave me so many excuses to put stars everywhere” — incredibly effective!!

CC: the stars!!!!

Shizuka, with stars around her, thanks the main boy. His heart goes "ba-dmp" and he thinks, "Why'd my heart just do that?!"

CC: lovelyyyyyy

Jenny: this was such a cute moment too!

Rachel: also i love the classic dummy who is too stupid to realize he’s falling for the girl
gotta be one of the greatest tropes of all time

The main boy realizes the guy he was jealous of was Shizuka's little brother, and thinks, "Wait, why am I so relieved?"

CC: LOL YES

Jenny: also loved that they were BOTH the dummy in this relationship

CC: even after they’re hanging out a lot and pretty much dating

Jenny: like, he figures it out, and then she deals w all this ex-bf drama, and then she has to figure out that she likes him too!

CC: they’re both kinda like, could this be a date??? nahhh, i’m gonna ignore the vibes and stick with this thirdhand information

Jenny: lol yes!

CC: ok that’s fair but the hardheadedness on both sides is v cute imo

Shizuka and the boy go on a non-date date, and he thinks, "Senpai said... she didn't want to date for a while, so... today doesn't mean anything."

Jenny: it is!! it’s cute!

Rachel: even the little brother can recognize what is happening!!

Shizuka's little brother thinks, "What are these vibes?!"

Jenny: LOL YES i have this same shot

CC: i love the little bro

Rachel: classic little brother energy
classic single tiny sharp tooth energy

Jenny: yes yes yes
also loved this moment towards the end

Shizuka freaks out when her hand brushes her crush's, and later, is reading shoujo at home.
Shizuka reads manga, her heart thumping, "I... see...."

Rachel: LOL YES

Jenny: why did a simple brush of our fingers make me react like this?? surely romance manga holds the answers

CC: i love this trope
“oh no what is this feeling in my chest, better consult some romance manga”
i am a simple woman i eat it up every time

Jenny: works every time!!
lol yes!!

CC: clapping my hands like a seal at the zoo

Jenny: LOL

CC: ok i have another good one of these

Shizuka's crush, looking at Shizuka, "But still, doesn't she look even cuter today? I wonder why..."

CC: top 10 favorite tropes here

Rachel: I WONDER WHY

Jenny: who could possibly say???

CC: lol i did this
maybe that’s why i like it
i’ve done that

Rachel: oh yes extremely relatable

Jenny: lololol

CC: “why is this person i have a crush on cuter???? did they just become cute yesterday or????”

Rachel: we are all this dummy at some point

CC: what a mystery

Rachel: also, i want to talk about how good Misono is

Shizuka's crush looks at her and says, "You're not a robot, senpai. You need rest, too."

Jenny: he is a nice boy!!

CC: this is my emotional support work bf

Shizuka's crush holds her broom for her, and says "I want to do this for you."

Jenny: “i want to do this for you”

Rachel: i love how many panels there are of him looking directly into the readers’ eyes and saying something swoony worthy

Shizuka's crush says to her, "How you feel and... what you do... should be left... for you... to decide."

Rachel: that’s good shit

Jenny: this artist knows what they’re doing!!!

CC: love missiles calibrated

Rachel: both the protag and us, the readers, deserve to be spoken to kindly and loved!!!

CC: another thing i really liked was the chapter at the end
I like that we see that he realizes what hoshino is going through because he too had to learn how to ask for help

The male protagonist in a flashback, realizing he doesn't have to do everything himself and it's ok to ask for help.

Jenny: yeah! getting a little more insight into his history was so good!

CC: love a serious & thoughtful lad

Jenny: not naturally outgoing but had to learn how to fake it for work
tries his best at everything he does
but tbh the part that really made me love him:

CC: oh I have this screenshot too!

The two lovebirds are at a toy store, and playing with iguana puppets.

Rachel: the little iguana puppet 😭

Jenny: so cute!!

CC: cute ❤️ iguana corner
i also really appreciate that he realizes he likes her and makes a decision to hang out with her more
makes plans with her
showing some follow-through: we love to see it
and even after the jerk ex bf destroys the cookies he gave her

Shizuka's crush says, "It's okay. I don't get hurt so easily."

CC: swoon

Jenny: with his and komachi’s powers combined, this good witch will fall in love!

CC: love spell ;__;

Jenny: love spell to entertain me, a bored iguana

Komachi lays bored on a pillow, saying "I feel like lately... there's been nothin' fun happenin', don't ya think?"

CC: LOL

Jenny: i mean, it’s komachi’s expert matchmaking that leads to this little moment:

Shizuka's crush says, "We're alone here. Does that make you nervous?" as he leans in closely.

Jenny: “invite him over for hot pot” she said. “i need intel” she said

CC: the genious

Rachel: also, i love it when characters have little beauty marks

Jenny: really feels so personal!
but nice boy aside, i did really feel like the heart of this comic was the friendship between our good witch and her familiar

Shizuka, making a decision and telling Komachi: "The next time we meet... I'll tell him I don't want to go out with him!"
Komachi: "That's the spirit! Let's ignore your phone! What do you want to do? Want to watch a comedy?"

Jenny: personally
i just love friendship

CC: what a supportive buddy
i love that they both love comedies too
love a callback

Jenny: they have good taste!

Rachel: it’s so nice!!
also, i will admit, i was very meh about this art when we first picked it
but it really grew on me!!
the art is so gorgeous!!

Jenny: agreed!!

Rachel: i think i was turned off by what i thought would be the typical same face syndrome of a lot of manga
and maybe it was all Komachi, but the comic really won me over

Jenny: there’s so much personality in this iguana’s face! no other face could ever!

CC: lol truly

Shizuka hold Komachi, and says "I have you Komachi, so I'm not lonely."

Jenny: look at this side eye!
honestly komachi was drawn so lovingly — i loved it

CC: also helps to have such a small cast – but that made the story feel much more focused and personal imo

Jenny: oooh! yes!

CC: it makes me curious about how this book can branch out and stay interesting, bc even tho i love a small story, that can be tricky to do!
reminds me a bit of sweat and soap, which i think navigates that line really well
of being INCREDIBLY low stakes but stays incredibly compelling throughout its run

Rachel: ohh yes a great comparison!

CC: without a lot of gimmicks or tension. got through all those volumes and kept thinking “how can this keep being so fun when technically nothing dramatic is happening???”
but as it turns out, a beautifully drawn, compelling panelled love story can keep you turning the page on its own!

Jenny: true! and in fairness there is a rich media history of what shenanigans can come up between a normie and his witch wife (i am talking about bewitched) (edited)
though this book doesn’t really rely on her being a witch for much plot-wise

CC: that is a great point though!
maybe that’s what volume 2 on will explore more
the ~ * ~ lore ~ * ~

Jenny: i would love to see it

Rachel: i’m definitely curious because the perception of witches in this world has not been super well established
like, it’s normal enough to not be a huge shock, but also enough to make you ostracized a bit

Jenny: yeah the only other one we see is a wizard who used to work at the ex-bf’s old branch?
or possibly–is the little brother a wizard?

Rachel: i’m very curious!!

CC: yeah you’d think they have to be common enough that folks are used to them / not freaked out about magic

Jenny: yeah! would love to learn more in vol 2 frankly!

CC: yeah I’m interested in where this series goes next!
but with that said….are yall ready for final thoughts?

Rachel: i’m ready!

CC: i have one already if yall don’t mind

Rachel: go for it!

CC: but I’m also wondering if we all have the same one
with that in mind:
this book’s thesis and also mine, in general

Shizuka: "I think boyfriends... should be kind to their girlfriends."

Jenny: lol a great point!

Rachel: CLAPPING, STANDING OVATION

CC: she’s right and she should say it
Romance Roundtable’s thesis
we did it
well, that and “where are the parents”
the ethos that drives us

Rachel: lollll
well, this is a great final thought
mine is much less wholesome
and world weary
me, after a 5 minute break to pet my dogs during the working day

Shizuka, flying back on her broom, exhausted: "I gotta head back to work, too..."

CC: lolsob
love the kid pointing
a shame that even witches cannot be free of capitalism

Jenny: !!!!!
everyone works too hard
imo
my final thought is also my beginning thought and my middle thought
i love komachi
everyone needs a komachi in their lives

Komachi, to Shizuka: "Oh. That's why you're always... hesitating. You haven't changed at all. You're always smiling and trying to please everyone, but... you end up neglecting yourself. What an idiot."

Jenny: be mean to me, lovingly

CC: truly
love a tough love friend who is equal parts tough and love
a beautiful balance
esp when friend is an animal familiar

Rachel: i like to think that if my dog could talk, he’d be like komachi

Jenny: really wish my dog could talk
lol

Rachel: the amount of sighing that Thomas does
definitely has “what an idiot (lovingly)” vibes
(i tell myself)

CC: LOL


Join us next time for even more love story shouting in our next Romance Roundtable! In the meantime, Monthly Ko-Fi members: head on over to Ko-Fi for just a few bonus goofs that didn’t make it into today’s roundtable, as a treat.

All images via Daily Report About My Witch Senpai by Maka Mochida, unless otherwise specified.

Rachel Weiss

Rachel Weiss

Rachel is a designer and artist from Texas. She is pro-feminism, pro-crones, and pro-dogs. She's also Boss Crone at POMEgranate Magazine, and one day hopes to be able to drink her tea without so much milk and sugar.
CC Calanthe

CC Calanthe

If you prick your finger and write “Cat Fancy” on your mirror during a harvest moon, CC will appear behind you and make you put human clothes on your pets. CC is Head Crone in Charge at POMEgranate Magazine, as well as the co-host of Moon Podcast Power MAKE UP!!
Jenny Mott

Jenny Mott

Jenny is just a Silly Nerd with a lot of Feelings about Comic Books and Friendship and also This Capitalist Yoke We All Share; she enjoys Dogs and Sleeping and Cartoons. Her three favorite words are: Breakfast All Day.
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