English Dub Review: Once Upon a Witch’s Death “The Apprentice Witch and the People of Lapis”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Meg’s friend, Fine, requests her help with fixing a watch.

Our Take:     

Meg’s quest to collect one thousand tears of joy has begun, but it isn’t without a few setbacks that make it more challenging than intended.  As stated in the previous episode by Faust, Meg has to collect the tears that only consist of joy, meaning that the tears from Anna and Hendy don’t count because they are a mixture of joy and sadness.  Additionally, the apprentice must collect three tears daily to complete the mission before her due date.  It’s these conditions given to a task that makes a show’s stakes worth investing in, and it was nice to see Once Upon a Witch’s Death as another example of this trend.  At least, that’s how I see it so far based on the first episode.

This week’s episode is where Meg’s tear-collecting journey really begins, as she faces the cold, hard truth about fate in the form of inevitable death.  The episode focuses on Meg helping Fine with her late grandfather’s wristwatch, which happened to be powered by a fairy until its demise.  However, that was only a minor obstacle that further emphasizes Meg and Fine’s friendship compared to last week’s episode.  Its primary focus was solely on Meg assisting Granny Flare, who is on the verge of death, resulting in her learning that some fates cannot be changed with a simple flick of a wand.  While Meg can prevent her death by collecting people’s joyful tears, Flare’s path is a different story, as she is enshrouded by a black mist symbolizing the “Reaper”, marking the end of her life.

The episode emphasizes the show’s declaration that some fates can’t be altered, especially death.  Instead of preventing the end of one’s life, it’s best to make the most of those final moments with loved ones before their destined demise.  Meg does this by bringing Granny Flare’s family over to visit her one last time.  “The Apprentice Witch and the People of Lapis” provides another fun, straightforward piece of world-building through the fairies as the driving force of objects and Meg’s friendship with Fine.  But it also continued to surprise me with its heartwarming yet straightforward portrayal of death while ensuring its light-hearted tone wasn’t too disruptive.  I thought this one handled this topic a bit better than the first episode regarding the direction of its plot and Granny Flare.  However, I also feel that the later episodes might take the cake if the show continues down this narrative path.