Review: Eden of Witches Volume 1

I recently had the opportunity to read Eden of Witches – a manga/comic book with a somewhat interesting origin story. Although the author Yumeji is Japanese, the story was translated into French and published by Ki-oon. Only later was it licensed in Japan. ABRAMS, Kana imprint, is in charge of the English version and has shared the volume with us for review.

Eden of Witches has a fairly simple, but interesting premise. Humankind’s selfishness caused plants and animals to retreat to Eden, a mythical land where only chosen ones live. Humanity struggles to survive without food and materials, and seeing plant life has become a luxury. However, those who can understand the language of plants are able to live in oases in which lush plants grow. They are known as witches. Pili is a young witch apprentice, who in an attempt to save her master brings doom to her home. But, she meets a new friend, a powerful Amurd (a wolf-plant hybrid of sorts), named Oak, who saves her and sets out on a journey with her. But, danger awaits, and just what kind of humans are left in the world?

I quite enjoyed the implication of a world without plants: usually, your mind goes straight to food, but in Eden of Witches we see cloth has also become a luxury. Medicine no longer exists, the land is a barren, dry wasteland, and humans are as cruel as ever. Somehow this type of setting is the complete opposite of Pili, who grew up fairly sheltered without wishing for much. Exploring this world through her eyes and watching her grow as well is truly rewarding. I personally love a good adventure and this is promising to be just that. The art is detailed and with a couple of color pages, you get a complete feel of the world. I quite like how detailed the plant drawings are, which of course makes sense in a work centered around them.

All in all, Eden of Witches is an enjoyable read. It may not be the most original concept out there, but it makes up for it with lovable characters and an interesting premise. Will definitely be keeping an eye out on the upcoming volumes.

Eden of Witches Vol. 1 is now on sale.
© 2021 Yumeji / Ki-oon

Anime Corner received a free copy of the manga in exchange for a review.