Hametsu no Koku, the fall anime series airing in fall 2023, is a gruesome dark fantasy about science and magic, witches, and humans. The story is set in a society where science and technology have advanced dramatically, and witches, who can use magic, are a key theme of the story. The story opens with a shocking turn of events, in which witches are persecuted and brutally murdered, a practice known as witch hunts. But why did this happen? Let's take a look at what witches really are!
Witches and humans once lived together in harmony as good neighbors.
This work features humans and witches, who possess special magical powers. God once created humans, and then witches. God shared his power with the witches, telling them, "You must guide the powerless humans on our behalf." The witches nodded in agreement and vowed to support humans with friendship and devotion. As these stories show, witches possessed special magical powers, but they did not flaunt or dominate humans. Instead, they lived in harmony as good neighbors.
And now... humans despise witches and encourage witch hunts.
However, in the present, humans are in conflict with witches and continue to hunt them. People harbored hatred for witches, capturing them and subjecting them to brutal executions. The protagonist, Adonis, is a human who was raised by the witch Chloe Morgan. The two of them spend their days on the run from the Empire's henchman. But how did this happen?
Why did humanity begin to hunt witches?
The reason humanity began to view witches as an enemy was due to the presence of Goethe, the 23rd Emperor of the Lydian Empire. In the past, humanity sought help from witches whenever they suffered natural disasters or epidemics, and feared their power. However, with the advancement of civilization, humanity can now survive without witches. In fact, they even established technology that surpassed that of witches. Humanity had always lived in constant fear of the powerful witches, but that was no longer necessary. Eradicate witches and replace human dignity. That was Goethe's argument, and the people of the Empire agreed, leading to the witch hunts.
The Empire's Super Industrial Revolution (Gear Expansion) was also a contributing factor.
The Lydian Empire experienced a breakthrough known as the Super Industrial Revolution (Gear Expansion), dramatically improving science and technology. This led to the invention of numerous superweapons capable of defeating even the most powerful witches, completely reversing the balance of power between them and witches. In particular, a weapon called the Magic Photon Suppressor was so powerful it could completely neutralize witch powers. It even managed to kill Chloe Morgan, the protagonist Adonis's master, one of the most powerful witches, without her being able to do anything.
Who is the real mastermind behind this?
Humanity's acquisition of futuristic technology surpassing even the power of witches led to the explosion of a long-standing complex about witches, resulting in the witch hunts. However, in reality, a mysterious woman named Andromeda was by the side of Goethe, the Lydian Emperor who carried out this plan. She was Goethe's wife, but in reality, she was a witch who wielded the Mandragora, a love spell that makes men fall in love with her and obey her. It was likely she who tempted Goethe to eradicate all witches except for herself.
About the Magic Witches Use
Each witch seems to have their own unique magic. There are various types of magic, such as ice magic, a spell that fakes death, and a spell that makes men fall in love with you. One wizard defines magic as the materialization of individual thoughts in the material world. Generally, each witch is only able to use one unique magic spell, with a clear distinction between those suited to combat and those not. This lack of diversity may be why witches have been defeated by modern human weaponry and are now at risk of extinction.
How are witches born?
Witches are monogamous, and all are female. Therefore, they are not born through sexual reproduction; rather, their source is the Tree of Life (Mito), which contains the power of God. Witches are born as fruit from the Tree of Life. Additionally, the Tree of Life, which governs creation and rebirth, appears to have the ability to virtually revive witches. However, to revive the dead, the individual's memories must somehow be implanted into the fruit before they are born.
Magic is a special soul for witches
Magic is special to witches, so precious that it can be described as their very soul. Therefore, passing on one's magic to someone else is considered unthinkable, given the witches' identity. A witch who taught magic to a human (the protagonist's teacher, Chloe) was banished from the Witch Kingdom. Chloe, however, developed a descriptive summoning spell for the human Adonis, establishing a means for humans to use magic.
The Witch's Country, where the witches lived, has now been destroyed.
The Witch's Country, where the witches lived, was destroyed by an attack by humans, and the Tree of Life that gave birth to witches was also burned. Some of the witches managed to escape the Witch's Country and successfully smuggled one Tree of Life outside. However, early in the story, the surviving witches and the only remaining Tree of Life were burned. While it's possible that the Tree of Life still remained or that a new one could emerge, the source of witches has now disappeared.
Humanity has lost its trump card against environmental conservation
Although humanity has succeeded in building a highly advanced civilized society, it seems that with the development of this civilization, problems such as environmental destruction and air pollution have also arisen. In fact, during the time when humans coexisted with witches, witches apparently managed to solve these problems, playing a major role in environmental conservation for humanity. However, with the witch hunts, it seems that humanity has thrown away its own countermeasure against environmental destruction.
[Kingdom of the Dead] Summary of Witches
Here's a summary of the witches that appear in the sci-fi dark fantasy series, Hametsu no Koku, airing in the fall of 2023! Although the story begins with a gruesome and bloody plot, it's incredibly entertaining, with a refreshing feeling of releasing all that frustration in one go, and a story that leaves you intrigued to see what happens next. It's a story we can't wait to see when it's adapted into an anime. It'll be hard to take our eyes off what happens to the witches!
