Ikoku Nikki • Journal with Witch - Episode 3 discussion

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[Introvert rep.](https://i.imgur.com/lSO9azL.jpeg)

High school's kind of seen as a 'social reset' so Asa was hoping to leave the incident in the past. Now it's like a stain on her permanent record. I don't remember ever hearing about anyone's parents back in high school, except directly from the child themself. Assuming the same here, Asa could have gotten away with it as intended.

Nice English in this episode. First time I see English grammar explained so well in anime

That's a lotta mail...

And that's a lotta stuff...

Yeah...

Oh god Engrish...

And so there goes everything from the old house.

Oh, she's finally going back to school.

Oh... Ok... Why?

Unsurprisingly she's not particularly thrilled about that.

She got lost?

Yeah... Something happened.

She should probably answer that.

A letter?

Damn...

And so she's talking to her friend again.

Glad to see Asa and Emiri making up. When Asa lashed out at Emiri, it's irrational but human so nothing wrong with that, especially when she realised she's in the wrong. It's ironic that a foot bath helped '*cool*' her head down. Hope Emiri could be to Asa what Nana was to Makio when they're adults.

Throwback to the previous episode in which Nana advised Makio and Asa to exchange phone numbers, even though Makio said she is at home all the time. If they didn't have each other's contact, Asa may not have found her way back to her new home. A great supporting character off screen and in flashbacks.

I am also glad Asa had an outburst towards her teachers, as well as crying when speaking to Emiru over the phone. Her emotions are gradually returning. We wouldn't want to see Asa remaining polite and putting on a front throughout the story.

wow that hit hard.

It's really revealing that Asa's emotional dam only broke when she went back to school. It took her going back to her normal everyday school world to realize that everything had changed forever.

"That was the only thing I had left"

It wasn't at the funeral, or at her home did she realize her world changed. School and her social life seems more important to her than she originally let on, and the frustration of never being that person before the incident again sunk in. People's sympathy can be suffocating, even if they mean well.

holy shit this show is a masterpiece

As someone who lost father at 16 i was expecting to relate a lot to this series but man, i think i spend crying for most of this episode, it really was like reliving some of the hardest memories of my life, catching yourself using past tens when talking about him, the looks from teacher, doing every thing in you power to not become someone who is defined by loosing parent. Between this and polar opposites Sunday is becoming best day this season.

Watching this over dinner was a bad choice. The food tasted too salty.

It was actually a bit surprising to see Asa lash out like that but I kinda get it. I don’t think everyone pitying her as the “girl with the dead parents” really helps her grieving process.

I’m glad Asa and Emiri were able to make up after that little talk with Makio. I really enjoy watching Makio and Asa’s relationship develop.

Ohhh, this one hurts. Can't believe it's only been 3 episodes and this show has already made me start tearing up twice.

Now I want to see more of Makio's backstory. Seems like she was going through a really rough time when she was Asa's age.

"It's like I'm wearing socks" - another Asa goofball moment!

This episode hit me harder than the chapters did. Probably because it’s animated.

I loved this episode a lot. I can relate to Asa in way with cleaning out my grandma’s house after she passed. My mom had a hard relationship with her, but she still said I could grieve how I wanted.

While Makio may have been NC with her sister for years and disliked her, there’s still that empty feeling knowing that like “hey, this person/sister who I spent my childhood with and hated is gone and now there will never be a chance of seeing them or talking to them again. What am I supposed to feel?” They had no reconciliation at all. I think this is the episode where Makio first realizes it. The presence of her sister will always kind of haunt her. At least for a while.

I’m jealous of Makio’s and Daigo’s long friendship. They feel like friends that can go long periods without talking and still are able to be comfortable with each other when meeting again. Asa’s and Emily’s relationship too.

My favorite bijin of the season 💃🏾

A grammar lesson? That’s pretty neat!

>As long as it doesn’t go against the laws of humanity

I’m glad we established a line in the sand.

What a fucking weird school (not Emiri, just the school). Yes. Let’s tell the *entire school* this student’s parents died without the now orphaned student’s consent on the matter but assure that student “We absolutely were thinking about what’s best for you without taking any of your feelings into account”. But I have seen schools do this IRL. 🫠

Asa’s face at that めんどくさい 😭

Makio trying to figure out if she attended her own ceremony is so relatable, I had to giggle. Incredible voice work on that.

>That was a full day’s worth of talking…

**Relatable**.

I’m glad Asa could speak to Emiri. It’s nice Asa has a good friend she can grieve with and talk to 🥹🤧 I hope Asa and Emiri can gain some more friends in high school if that’s what they want.

If any students try to bully Asa for having lost her parents, I’ma throw hands if Emiri doesn’t already.

***

If you told me 2011 HxH Kurapika’s seiyuu (Miyuki Sawashiro) would be voicing my bijin of winter 2026, I’d believe you, Sawashiro does not miss. But now I want her to do grammar lessons on YouTube or something.

Okay overlays 👍🏾 Some things were still left untranslated, but I guess the TL team found those things unimportant. Still overlays were nice and felt diegetic.

Makio is such a good auntie 🥹

Bialystocks’s ED song just had me want to put it on a cassette tape and listen to it that way while lying in a meadow. Just so, so relaxing.

I think so far I've been crying every episode. And I mean actually crying not just a few tears. I'm not even sure why as I cannot relate to her situation at all.

This show might fly under the radar in a season this stacked, but currently it is one of the front-runners for best show this season for me if it keeps this up

Oh man, this show might be the first 10/10 I get to catch as it airs...

Everything about it just hits the emotional beats they're going for perfectly and the conversations are immaculate.

[](#nanami-hug)

This season's anime is too stacked. Kinda sad that such a beautiful show has flown under the radar. I genuinely believe this show could become a contender for anime of the season. Hope more people will talk about it when more episodes dropped.

This was one very heavy episode, as expected. I’m actually glad that she lashed out, it means to me that she’s finally allowing herself to live through what happened. Clearing out her parents’ things only added up to her semi-ignored grief and then finally that invasion of her privacy just made it even more likely for said outburst. And in turn, makes me really glad that she and her friend made up, seems like a lifetime friendship in the making.

Also really enjoying Makio’s character. She is an incredibly real character to me, I love that she doesn’t mince her words in a way but also provides enough space for Asa to move on in her own pace. Their relationship is incredibly fun to watch for me. Though I’m looking forward to see how Makio herself deals with the loss of her sister. Yes, they weren’t on good terms, but it is still a loss she might also need to navigate somehow.

3 for 3, brilliant show.

Episode 1 dropped the day after my grandmother died. Asa and I are navigating this together. I had no idea I'd ever need an anime this much and I've been watching anime for 30 years.

That was the episode that really elevated the series greatly imo. Not that the first two were bad, quite the opposite, but it was precisely this contrast in emotions that made it hit so hard. I also want to give props to Emiri's VA. Probably just a side role, but that was done so well. I would like if she became a recurring character once high school starts. It will be interesting to see how exactly Asa is going to return to a more normal social life afterwards.

Also, I appreciate that Makio isn't just her guardian that always has the right thing to say (which she does) but that she has her own conflict to work with. And I hope that this small conflict will be developed in future episodes.

This show is a 10/10 man

I did not expect Daigo also being an introvert, her message to Makio blew my mind, also seeing Makio tear up for that. In that moment it was probably such a relief to know that you have such an amazing friend. Now after all these years Makio couldn't even remember if she was at her graduation or not. The soundtrack playing when Asa kicked the trash can was fantastic, Kensuke Ushio is a genius.

She’s carried herself well so far but seeing Asa slumped over her own bed really reminded me she’s still a kid who lost her parents. Think Makio might have thought the same too judging from her expression.

I’m like the last person who could handle other people’s emotions, but honestly even I feel I could’ve been more delicate than the teachers during that faculty room incident. Like a girl lost her parents, and you’re telling her to calm down cos “it’s the faculty office”. That really irritated me.

And honestly, Asa on her bed nearly got to me earlier, but unexpectedly, her calling Emiri back turned on the waterworks for me. I think the theme of the friends you make at school are ones you can’t find anywhere else resonated with me and seeing Asa taking back what she said and mending her friendship was so heartwarming

Honestly, while I do love some life drama shows, they rarely stand alongside the “hard hitters” of the season for me. But I honestly put this alongside the likes of Frieren, JJK, Polar Opposites, OnK, Torture Princess, Wash It All Away for this season. All top-tier shows for me and I feel I can put Ikoku Nikki there

Wonderful episode.

Asa's emotions are finally catching up as the reality sets in that she can [no longer return](https://imgur.com/p3cw71x) to where she used to be.

Again, I'm just struck by how well directed this is. The reflections in the objects during the house cleanout, the way they kept cutting back and forth to the maypole scene during the faculty office conversation. Each choice has really driven home the feelings of the characters.

I also totally cried when Asa finally called Emiri at the end. Having someone who has known you that long is a gift, and something that I've been treasuring more and more as I get closer to Makio's age - and dealt with similar losses to Asa. They're a person who helps connect you on that plane of past, present, and future. Great episode.

I started watching this show because the description sounded interesting, and I thought I might really like it, and I was right.

The plants at Asa’s family home had died, but that loaf of bread on the countertop didn’t have a single speck of molt on it. What did they put in that stuff!?

Jokes aside, this was an outstanding episode. They’ve been telling Asa’s grieving process with great care:

In her moment of distress, she headed back to her old apartment out of habit. But the door was locked. This wasn’t her “home” anymore. Her old life is gone. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she couldn’t find her way back to Makio’s place. She didn’t belong anywhere in that moment. Asa must’ve felt all alone in the world...

I’m therefore glad that Makio immediately understood the gravity of Asa’s situation and went to pick her up.

I couldn't wait anymore to put a rating on this show, this is already 10/10 material by episode 3.

Makio really wants to do good with Asa and for her well-being despite her clear hatred for her mom. What a stand-up guardian and most likely life-saving for Asa seeing how this episode unfolded.

The nudge she gave her about friends being important to have through her life was very valuable and Makio also showed her stuff about her past life with her friends to make her visualize a bit.

I felt terrible for Emiri but i get why Asa snapped, you're just gonna be looked at differently in a space where you felt some safety beforehand...

The ending scene broke me and made me cry, just seeing the messages of Emiri piling up, Emiri on the phone breaking down, like what is this source material?? It's INCREDIBLE!

It is so real that it hurts. That's all I can say.

The soundtrack in the scene that she crashed out at her graduation ceremony is so damn good.

I never would've thought that in a season as stacked as this one, this is the show that I'm looking forward to the most every week. It's such a gem.

Oof. What a great episode. And a heavy one.

The first part where they go through her parents' stuff gave me such anxiety for when I'll one day have to do the same for my parents. Hopefully that day is still very far in the future, but the older I get, the more acutely I become aware that it'll be reality one day.

As much of a brave face Asa is putting and as much as she is telling (to both herself and others) that she doesn't feel sad, there are obviously emotions she's keeping locked away, and I think this episode more than anything brought up those emotions.

And man, poor Emiri, how she must have felt.

[](#holdme)

Man I was good right till the end phone call and started tearing up.

Show is so good.

If Frieren wasn't airing this would've been the top show of the season for me. I love all the characters, even though you may have not went through the same experiences still you can relate to everything the characters do in this show; Asa's frustration in school, Makio's frustration dealing with a young person, the regret of saying hurtful things to your loved ones.

It's capturing the brain fog of grief so well it hurts. I basically didn't stop crying the whole episode and somehow it still doesn't feel too heavy to watch.

This has sort of been the looming question. When will the dam burst, what will trigger it, and what will it look like?

Thankfully the people who got hit with the tidal wave are shitty teachers she'll never see again and a friend close enough that the bond isn't easily broken.

I really appreciate that our aunt has seemed like an emotionally wise guide through the first two episodes while the kid is numb... but when face to face with a pissed off teenager she doesn't have the answers either. Ain't that how it goes.

I knew the teacher was insensitive when he first appeared and interrupted Emiri clearly in tears, but he kept on being a dumbass at each line, then the colleague too. Sheeesh...

I teared up, especially when Asa and Emiri made up.

holy shit those teachers suck ass

That little sequence where the camera pans from the due date sticky, to the hanging towel, to the unwatered plants, to the glasses.... it was so painful and real....you die and these things remain.

I remember when my dad died, suddenly that briefcase of his that I had never dared touch all my life, I was now rifling through it for documents.... felt so disrespectful towards my dad, but he was too dead to stop me now, and I needed to get the paperwork to transfer the pension to my mom...I dare not stop and think on what I was doing, I just did it and moved on.

Also her accidentally running back to her old flat instead of her new house with her aunt, oof, her entire life has been upended, indeed, where IS home?

[Watching Makio go through her sister’s stuff](https://i.imgur.com/UDIDeWd.jpeg), deciding what to throw away [and what to keep](https://i.imgur.com/MZbwHWG.jpeg), gave me anxiety. Is this what happens when I, or someone close to me, dies unexpectedly? I mean, I’ve experienced death in the family before, but it’s usually been a grandparent or someone distant enough that I never had to personally deal with the aftermath. It genuinely scares me to think that I might have to do this for someone I know in the future.

Mental crises aside, it's interesting [to see Makio react to Minori's stuff.](https://i.imgur.com/5qDpO3g.jpeg) It seems like she's starting to see [a side of her sister she never knew](https://i.imgur.com/F4Ijk9s.jpeg) after cutting off contact with her. Heck, she's just learning that [Minori makes pickled vegetables the same way their mom did.](https://i.imgur.com/gd9N6He.jpeg) And despite saying how much she says she hates Minori, [Makio still felt sad after they finished cleaning the place out.](https://i.imgur.com/38xd6i1.jpeg)

[There’s the scene I’ve been waiting for.](https://i.imgur.com/E0nPCks.jpeg) Asa has been able to hold everything in well so far, but the moment these teachers crossed the line and told everyone about her family’s death, this is where the dam finally bursts. [She just wants to graduate like a normal student](https://i.imgur.com/slld0mz.jpeg), get through the ceremony without any fuss, and go home to have pizza with Makio to celebrate. Instead, the mood has been brought down, and she’ll be remembered as the girl who got orphaned. :(

[I feel bad for Emiri.](https://i.imgur.com/157afGs.jpeg) She really didn't do anything wrong. It was her nosy mother's fault for telling the school about what happened, and now she's catching all of Asa's anger. I'm just glad that Asa and Emiri [made up by the end of the episode.](https://i.imgur.com/qlE0sDy.jpeg) Not gonna lie, I genuinely teared up during that final scene. T_T

>That was a full day's worth of talking


I've literally said the same thing at work. Many times internally and once out loud. I love this show so much.

["Get some rest if you need it. You wouldn't want to accidentally throw anything out you don't mean to."](https://i.imgur.com/gRAGQI7.jpeg)

There's so many overlapping themes with this episode. What do you choose to preserve, and what do you throw away?

The grammar lesson (aptly triggered by a jar of pickles) was one of those subtly poignant things. Makio tells Asa that she can use the present progressive for her parents, preserving their existence in some way. But Makio uses the past - no, the **past perfect** - for Asa's mom, the tense for things that have been completed. Makio's saying that she and Asa's mom were through.

Though interestingly, Makio is also discovering ways in which Asa's mom had changed since then, differing from the crystallized image Makio had of her. Like the [old school uniform](https://i.imgur.com/jQWq5YQ.jpeg) Asa's mom kept all these years. In the end, Makio is the one who has to [throw it out](https://i.imgur.com/LCiAodl.jpeg).

Asa ultimately chooses to preserve her friendship with Emiri, after a great scene with Makio. Despite some humorously conflicting advice, Makio doesn't contradict "How you feel is no one's business but yours" by saying that Asa reacted incorrectly. Instead she tells Asa how important preserving Daigo's friendship over the years was. (And then there's the revelation that Makio's still in a LINE group with all those friends.)

[](#excitedyui)

I also wanna gush over the voice acting/direction! Like Makio's natural pauses trying to remember if she attended her middle school graduation or not. Or this probably being the first time we hear Asa being emotional, or stubborn. Asa's rebellious pouty voice when she's talking to Makio was great.

asa's "i cant remember the way home" message really broke my heart for some reason :-(

"these six years i wouldn't have been able to breathe without you" from daigo, and makio's "my life is worth living" oh my god how dare this show make me feel things >:-(

The VAs are doing such a wonderful job bringing this small-scale character study to life. Miyuki Sawashiro was obviously going to be amazing, and it's hard to believe that this is the first major role for Fuuko Mori. The dam finally broke for Asa in this episode, and Mori really showed her talent in those moments.

The chemistry between the leads has always been really strong, and it continues to grow as their characters become more familiar with one another. The argument between Makio and Asa was played perfectly - you could really feel each character struggle to adjust to their new circumstances.

Woah the music during the faculty room scene…this might be the best drama I’ve seen in a while

I'm trying to think of a way this could become anything other than a 10/10, seems impossible.

Best episode so far, damn.

Sorting through the things at Asa's family home..slowly the presence of once existed family just disappears..

Asa's anger was justified as Makio said her feelings are her own and no one has the right to shame them. Emiri never thought about hurting her best friend but she accidentally did it. Emiri's mom, the teachers they were inconsiderate and insensitive.

Makio opened up to Asa about her own experience about graduation and about her best friend Daigo whom she had known for ages and that got Asa to give her friend one more chance to patch up. Makio even called dealing with Asa's problem as a drag but still she was the right person that Asa needed at that time. Makio said that she is not one to hold on to memories neither her sister but she still found her sister's school uniform and Makio still holds on to those letters. Makio might not be completely right about her sister. She might not have known the another side of her sister. I believe Makio will also get through her resentment that she has for her sister.

I love this anime so much. It feels close right to my heart.

I teared up hearing Emiri crying apologetically on the phone and Asa's response crying too. It hit harder after Makio talked about Daigo and her thoughts on school friends you have as friends as adults, it made me think of my own friends, it was a particularly moving topic and scene to watch.

It's sad to see this is how Asa finally cries, the way she is perceived by others and how she didn't want anybody to treat her differently. I like how she acted out of character as surprising as it was, but not shocking.

The way they are interweaving scenes and Asa's imagination is done so well. Really elevates a lot of moments when this show could have been done in a much more visually boring way and still be pretty good.

So far this show is one of the best directed anime I have seen in a while.

Wow the teachers royally fucked this up. I can understand them being concerned, but they literally told the entire school before Asa found out. They also ambushed her not even 2 minutes into the school. She only had to attend the ceremony and it would have been over, but they fumbled everything. Not to mention the female teacher calling her situation with her dead parents "tough". Also the teachers clearly know that Emiri and Asa are friends if they can't reach her try going through the friend to find out her living situation. This whole scenario reeks of incompetence.

Emiri clearly cares about Asa and was definitely sorry how things played out, but I do feel a simple phone call would have helped. The messages implied she wanted to talk before the ceremony tomorrow so she knew things had gotten out of hand already and everyone knew. Even if she fucked up and at that point it couldn't be stopped a heads up saying "Hey I mentioned this to my mom and everyone knows know" would have at least prevented her from being caught off guard at school. The conversation with Makio about graduation still could have happened and by next year most people would have forgotten or moved on. That and maybe not shout out so everyone can hear you, but I will give an Emiri a pass on the second point because she was clearly not thinking and very emotional.

Glad to see them reconcile near the end.

Oooh, this one tugged at my heartstrings real bad. Emptying an apartment frozen in time, Asa's emotions finally coming to the surface... It was really hard to hold back tears at the end.

I had an honest jump-scare startle when Asa’s mom appeared behind Makio as they were beginning to clear out the old home. I laughed about it - but that was Rude, show.

Otherwise, we continue to get top-quality feels in this exploration of grief and loss. I love anime for curveball shows like this - wildly off the conventionally beaten paths of isekai, battle, or romance. This wonderful, weird, unique little show goes toe-to-toe with the best of them in its writing, characters, music, and visual _style_, even if it’s not as drop-dead lushly gorgeous as some other productions. It’s perfectly imperfect, and I fucking stan it.

When Asa talked again with her friend and made up and they were crying and apologising to each other I almost cried as well which has never happened this quickly before, this show is crazy good

I wish we could get more slow shows with talking, feeling etc like this and frieren, I don't know if it's changing tastes, getting older or both but these shows hit harder than some mindless action ones

I am seriously blown away by how realistically this show handles grief. It’s not just the big dramatic moments, but the small, suffocating details—like the awkwardness of returning to school and everyone treating you like you're made of glass. Asa's outburst felt so raw and earned because you could feel how desperate she was for just a moment of normalcy.

Also, Makio dropping the 'How you feel is no one's business but yours' line? Absolute gold. This series is quickly becoming a masterpiece.

Wow, I really liked that scene at the school. How her classmate was incredibly remorseful and realized that she had done her wrong (On the technicality of her being the reason why the teachers were able to do her wrong) while the teachers just have no understanding of what the fuck they're doing, how to handle a situation like this, or that they had done something wrong.

I absolutely fucking love this show. It's such a nice change from the typical happy shenanigans you usually see, even if it's about a serious theme. It feels just real, like it's not scripted.

This episode starts with Makio & Asa back at Asa's home. The sad part of thinking of looking at Minori's room and looking at the thing she was bound to do. The thought that Makio didn't realize that Minori would hold onto things like a school uniform surprised her. I wonder if Minori was unable to be honest with herself, and when she became Asa's mother, she was able to be true to her.

I feel bad for both Asa & Emiru. Many times adults think they are doing the right thing but are unaware of what people are feeling. Asa told Emiru because this was something that she didn't want people knowing. Of course when Emiru told her, she figured her mom would respect that too. Obviously the school needed to know why Asa was absent.

Now I will assume that Emiru's mom had good intentions. More than likely the teacher is awful because he failed to consider Asa's feelings. What if someone says something to Asa? That is just an excuse on his part, plain and simple.

I do like how Asa uses Maiko's advice and speaks up for herself. Though it is clear that Emiru is beyond sorry. And I love that the thing that Makio stresses is the value of friends that just understand you. Emiru absolutely understands the pain of what Asa is going through and wishes she could do anything to be there for her. Rather than push her away, cherish it because some friends will be friends for life.

I like that for Maiko we got a good showcase with the text group but also the letter from Daigo. There are the serious times and the silly times. I am delighted that Asa made the choice to call Emiru back.

She was just trying to hold it together to get past graduation and start a new chapter in herlife without being pitied and let the grief held off till after. In stead a not thinking misplaced good attention parent and teacher just shat all over it ruining everything for her.

Gosh I loved it so much. I am so mad I don't have anyone to share it with amongst my friends. This is exactly the kind of anime I need right now, slow paced, shows that feel real, and I don't know if anyone else thinks the same, but I find that the music they choose for this fits perfectly.


This gonna go right amongst my favorite feel-good anime right up there with Barakamon (yes I know it is sad, dealing with grief, but something about it just hit the "feel-good" vibe for me).


Can we have more of these, rather than these crappy isekai we've been getting consistently over the last few years ?

I really appreciate Makio for nudging Asa towards keeping more things from her former home, because they will become important memorabilia once she'll better process the situation.

Asa making up with Emiri was so sweet, poor girl didn't expect at all how fast would the adults spread gossip about Asa's situation, tainting the last day Asa would spend in middle school.

Makio struggled to convince Asa by words, even though I liked how shamelessly she admitted to contradicting herself xd. In the end she lead by example of showing how much she treasures her own life-long friends, which made Asa realize her own feelings. I hope they'll keep treasuring their friendship just as I hope to treasure the friendship with my closest friends into the future myself.