English Dub Review: Once Upon a Witch’s Death “An Evening Sky Without Magic”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Meg brags to Faust about how easy it has become to collect tears and is forbidden from using magic.

Our Take:
With the Otherworld Festival in the books, our eyes are once again set on collecting more tears to break Meg’s curse.  At the start of this week’s episode, Meg has already collected forty joyful tears compared to the six she collected in the previous one.  Even though she has an additional ten tears that are filled with mixed emotions, Meg can now easily identify which people are most likely to cry happy tears, notably women, children, and salary men.  But, of course, knowing Meg, she couldn’t help but rub her accomplishments in people’s faces, which brings us to the episode’s plot.  Faust, having had enough of Meg’s selfishness, forbids her from using magic, leaving the apprentice having to fix problems without it, including hers.
This episode would’ve easily had a slice-of-life filler plot involving Meg solving multiple problems without resorting to magic as part of her punishment.  Instead, the episode continues the show’s attempt to utilize its slice-of-life storylines to further progress its plot and character development, especially Meg.  This brings me back to Meg’s personality, which can be either irritating or amusing, depending on the scenario.  She can be quite egotistical and sometimes creepy with her own needs, especially when her life is on the line.  As a result, she resorts to manipulating people into giving her tears of joy instead of treasuring every single one of them, joyful or otherwise.  However, when push comes to shove, Meg strives to put other people’s needs ahead of her own, including Rachel, a mother whom Meg helped repair her watch, and an older woman who needed assistance climbing the stairs.
“An Evening Sky Without Magic” emphasizes the importance of being a good person through recognition, trust, and respect, without expecting anything in return.  As a result, Meg has officially earned the nickname “The Witch of Lapis” after learning a crucial lesson.  The episode successfully conveys its heart regarding the messages about kindness than it does with its comedy, with the only comedic moment stemming from Meg’s improvisation during her conversation with Rachel. Additionally, the show continues to make Meg’s reckless determination to collect tears more understandable, allowing her character to develop despite her impulsive decision-making and selfish attitude.  It may sound like I’m sugarcoating it a bit, but I couldn’t help but be impressed at how the show approaches its themes appropriately amid its comical appearance.