"A Great Hook," "Now This Is Intriguing": From the Protagonist's Descent into Despair to a Shocking Final 10 Seconds! New Anime "Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia"

The anime Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia premiered on July 4, with the opening installment airing as a one-hour special that broadcast Episodes 1 and 2 back-to-back (the series is now airing in sequence). As the invasion of the "Mongol Empire" sends the everyday life of protagonist Sitara (voiced by Akira Sekine) collapsing all at once, a figure on the enemy's side makes an unexpected remark in the closing moments — and viewers were instantly hooked, with comments like "I need to know what happens next" and "I'm definitely sticking with this" pouring in.

Episode 1, "That Which Is in Heaven, That Which Is on Earth," opens with the young girl Sitara—who has lost her mother and been taken far away from her homeland—being taken in by Fatima (voiced by Hoko Kuwashima), the kind-hearted mistress of a family of scholars. Taught the importance of study by Fatima's son Muhammad (voiced by Jun Saito), Sitara comes to understand the potential and value of knowledge, and deepens her learning.

As time passes, however, the Mongol Empire, which has been expanding its power day by day, advances all the way to Tus, the city where Sitara lives. In Episode 2, "The Rose That Blooms in Safar," the mansion where Sitara lives is also caught in a sudden raid, and "the Elements," a manuscript that Fatima treasured, is taken away. What is more, the story unfolds with the people around Sitara losing their lives one after another. As Sitara is driven into a corner by these brutal circumstances, a boy named Shira (voiced by Miyu Irino), who serves as an interpreter for the Mongol army, approaches her. To the defiant Sitara, Shira declares, "Hey, you. Don't you want to take that book back?"

Episode 2 ends with Sitara left bewildered—"Huh?"—by this unexpected proposal from Shira, a man on the side of the Mongol Empire, and viewers on social media buzzed with comments such as "I need to know what happens next," "What a great hook," "Now this is an ending that makes you curious," "I'm definitely going to keep watching," and "At the very, very end, a faint glimmer of hope appeared…?"