Burn The Witch Ova

[Midas Souza]

The story of Burn the Witch takes place in the Bleach universe and follows two witches, Noel Niihashi and Ninny Spangcole, working for the Western Branch of Soul Society, located in Reverse London.[4]

Written and illustrated by Tite Kubo, Burn the Witch started as a 62-page one-shot published in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump on July 14, 2018.[13] In March 2020, it was announced that a miniseries would be published in Weekly Shōnen Jump as a companion to the also announced film.[14][15] Burn the Witch's "first season" is a continuation of the one-shot chapter and ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump for four weeks, from August 24 to September 14, 2020.[16][17][18] A "second season" was announced with the release of the first season's final chapter.[18][19][20] Shueisha published the series' first season in a 260-page tankōbon volume that included the one-shot chapter on October 2, 2020.[21][18]

Viz Media published the one-chapter in Weekly Shonen Jump on July 16, 2018.[22] Viz Media simultaneously released the English-language version of the series.[23] In February 2021, Viz Media announced that they would release the first volume of Burn the Witch in English.[24] It was published on October 19, 2021.[25]

In March 2020, it was announced that the series would receive an anime film adaptation by Studio Colorido, directed by Tatsuro Kawano.[27] The film is distributed by Shochiku and premiered on October 2, 2020, in Japan.[28][29] The theme song for the film is "Blowing", performed by Nil.[30][31] The film also streamed in other territories outside Asia, with a different version from the Japanese theatrical release.[8] Crunchyroll streamed the film in a three-episode format on October 1, 2020.[32][33] Viz Media released the series on home video on October 18, 2022.[34][35] In Southeast Asia and South Asia, Muse Communication has licensed the film and released it on YouTube.[36]

In September 2023, it was announced that the prologue chapter, "Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover", would receive an anime adaptation.[37] It premiered on TV Tokyo and worldwide on December 30, 2023.[12][38][a] It was streamed by Crunchyroll.[40]

In October 2020, the series collaborated with the mobile game Bleach: Brave Souls, featuring Ninny and Noel as playable characters. Brave Souls x Burn the Witch collaboration merchandise was also given out to 150 random people who interacted with the game's Twitter account.[41] A year later, a second round of the collaboration debuted, introducing Bruno Bangnyfe as a new character, with the previous two returning; it was followed by a third round.[42] The series had a crossover event with Oasis' mobile game Bleach: Immortal Soul in May 2022, featuring Ninny and Noel as characters.[43][44]

Skyler Allen of The Fandom Post wrote that despite lacking the same "spark" as Bleach's beginning, the Burn the Witch one-shot is still enjoyable and has plenty of potential for growth in a full serialization, but too much time is spent on its setup to work as a standalone story. He had strong praise for Kubo's art and memorable character designs, but criticized the one-shot as "unfocused" for ideas that did not get properly fleshed out.[47]

Merritt is most famous for his stories of cosmic fantasy and horror, like the aforementioned The Metal Monster, his first breakthrough novel The Moon Pool (1919), and his most famous work, The Ship of Ishtar (1924). Burn, Witch, Burn! (exclamation point is part of the title) is a much more conventional horror novel in which the protagonists square off against an extremely powerful and murderous witch.

The novel is told as the written recollection of one Dr. Lowell, who shares his experiences facing off against the forces of darkness. The story begins as a patient is brought to his hospital late at night, in a catatonic state but with an expression of pure horror on his face. Nothing can be found medically wrong the man, and he dies not long afterward, with a diabolical laugh escaping his mouth after his dying breath.

One of the distracting parts of the novel is that Lowell spends most of it steadfastly refusing to accept a supernatural explanation for anything happening, which ends up being quite frustrating as it become less and less plausible to find an explanation for things like animated murderous dolls.

Prologue Narrator: [First lines] Ladies and gentlemen, the motion picture you are about to see contains an evil spell, as used by practitioners of witchcraft for centuries. Even today, in many parts of the world, people practiced black magic and witchcraft. Charms, amulets, voodoo candles, grave dirt, and locks of hair are believed to ward off evil spirits and spells. You may doubt the effectiveness of these spells, but through every civilization, people have believed in witches. Could they all be wrong? I don't think so. For I have see its power, proved too many times. I am now about to dispel all evil spirits that may radiate from the screen during this performance!

I say that I risk identification, because Lowell is not myname. It is a pseudonym, as are the names of all the othercharacters in this narrative. The reasons for this evasion willbecome increasingly apparent.

Yet I have the strongest feeling that the facts andobservations which in my casebooks are grouped under the headingof "The Dolls of Mme. Mandilip" should be clarified, set down inorderly sequence and be made known. Obviously, I could do this inthe form of a report to one of my medical societies, but I am toowell aware of the way my colleagues would receive such a paper,and with what suspicion, pity or even abhorrence, they wouldhenceforth regard me, so counter to accepted notions of cause andeffect do many of these facts and observations run.

But now, orthodox man of medicine that I am, I ask myselfwhether there may not be causes other than those we admit. Forcesand energies which we stubbornly disavow because we can find noexplanation for them within the narrow confines of our presentknowledge. Energies whose reality is recognized in folklore, theancient traditions, of all peoples, and which, to justify ourignorance, we label myth and superstition.

Dark flame of evil wisdom... deepening the shadows ofStonehenge's brooding menhirs; fed later by hands of Romanlegionaries; gathering strength, none knows why, in medievalEurope... and still burning, still alive, still strong.

As I stood, wondering what its arrival at that hour meant, aman slipped out of it. He looked sharply up and down the desertedstreet, then threw the door wide open. Another man emerged. Thetwo of them stooped and seemed to be fumbling around inside. Theystraightened and then I saw that they had locked their armsaround the shoulders of a third. They moved forward, notsupporting but carrying this other man. His head hung upon hisbreast and his body swung limply.

I recognized him. He was Julian Ricori, a notorious underworldchieftain, one of the finished products of the Prohibition Law.He had been pointed out to me several times. Even if he had notbeen, the newspapers would have made me familiar with hisfeatures and figure. Lean and long, with silvery white hair,always immaculately dressed, a leisured type from outwardseeming, rather than leader of such activities as those of whichhe was accused.

I had been standing in the shadow, unnoticed. I stepped out ofthe shadow. Instantly the burdened pair halted, swiftly ashunting hounds. Their free hands dropped into the pockets oftheir coats. Menace was in that movement.

They did not answer me. Nor did their gaze waver from me; nordid they move. Ricori stepped in front of them. His hands werealso in his pockets. He looked me over, then nodded to theothers; I felt the tension relax.

I opened the doors. The two men passed through with theirburden, and after them Ricori and I. Once within, I gave way tomy professional instincts and stepped up to the man the two werecarrying. They shot a quick glance at Ricori. He nodded. I raisedthe man's head.

"A moment, Mr. Ricori," I broke in. "I have patients whocannot be neglected. I will give all the time I can spare, and sowill my assistant, Dr. Braile. Your friend will be constantlyunder observation here by people who have my complete confidence.Do you wish me to take the case under those conditions?"

He acquiesced, though I could see he was not entirelysatisfied. I had the patient taken to an isolated private room,and went through the necessary hospital formalities. Ricori gavethe man's name as Thomas Peters, asserted that he knew of noclose relations, had himself recorded at Peters' nearest friend,assumed all responsibility, and taking out a roll of currency,skimmed a thousand dollar bill from it, passing it to the desk as"preliminary costs."

I closed Peters' lids. As soon as I had lifted my fingers theybegan to rise, slowly, until they were again wide open. Severaltimes I tried to shut them. Always they opened: the terror, thehorror in them, undiminished.

I began my examination. The entire body was limp, muscles andjoints. It was as flaccid, the simile came to me, as a doll. Itwas as though every motor nerve had gone out of business. Yetthere was none of the familiar symptoms of paralysis. Nor did thebody respond to any sensory stimulus, although I struck down intothe nerve trunks. The only reaction I could obtain was a slightcontraction of the dilated pupils under strongest light.

I gave him a minimum hypo of morphine. It might have beenwater for all the good it did. Then I gave him all I dared. Hiseyes remained open, terror and horror undiminished. And pulse andrespiration unchanged.

"Now," I said, "I must ask you some questions. Has this manbeen ill? If so, has he been under medical care? If he has notactually been ill, has he spoken of any discomfort? Or have younoticed anything unusual in his manner or behavior?"

"No, to all questions," he answered. "Peters has been inclosest touch with me for the past week. He has not been ailingin the least. Tonight we were talking in my apartments, eating alate and light dinner. He was in high spirits. In the middle of aword, he stopped, half-turned his head as though listening; thenslipped from his chair to the floor. When I bent over him he wasas you see him now. That was precisely half after midnight. Ibrought him here at once."

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