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Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 12 Review – Quick Summary
In Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 12, “The Everyday Tale of Every Ashen Witch,” Elaina arrived in a new country that advertised that within it, all of her dreams would come true. Intrigued, wishing fervently that she were rich, Elaina entered. She did not at all expect to see cloudy representations of all of the countries she’d visited before. Confused, she entered the castle she remembered as belonging to Mirarosé. There, she yet another surprise: she met herself. Specifically, she met a bespectacled, more intellectual version of herself. What was going on here? How many Elainas were in this country? And what did they want from her?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 12
I notice that she didn’t answer Protagonist Me’s question about the cost of the glasses. Capture from Funimation stream.
This episode had a lot of very interesting quotes, so I had plenty to choose from. I decided to go with one that was not only surprising in and of itself, but that pulled me further into the story.
Though to tell the truth, it didn’t have to work very hard this week. This kind of meta story is right up my alley!
Elaina had just entered the replica (if that’s what it was) of Mirarosé’s palace. She had barely gotten through the door when a very, very familiar voice told her to stop.
Looking up, Elaina was shocked to see a herself standing atop the stairs. The only difference was that the higher Elaina had red glasses on.
“Are you a safe me? Or an evil me?” she asked of herself (02:39).
I thought that was a great way to pull Elaina, and me as the viewer, further into the scene.
Best in Show Moment for Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 12
Protagonist Me considered Violent Me’s asking why she’d even come to this country. Capture from Funimation stream.
Setup: A Series of Elaina’s Character Arcs
Based on the aerial combat between Violent Me and Protagonist Me, it looks like Elaina hadn’t forgotten any of the combat skills she and Fran had practiced back in episode 1. It’s hard to tell for sure, but she looked like she was on the same level of Mirarosé. Despite how dynamic the fight looked, I thought it appropriate that it was relegated to the background — a mere prop to exhaust the two combatants. This series was never about spectacle. It was always about Elaina’s character.
That’s why it’s fitting that the series’ climax featured two Elainas lying exhausted on a wrecked rooftop. Violent Me was the version of Elaina who had given in to self-loathing anger back in episode 8. Unable to rebound, unable to reclaim her hair, she was left feeling impotent.
The battle got so intense that Protagonist Me converted building to shrapnel and hurled it at Violent Me. Capture from Funimation stream.
Now, utterly spent after their fight, Violent Me could be honest with herself. “Why in the world did I come to this country,” she asked in a choked voice (16:42).
This is the climax not only of the episode, but of the series as well. The fulfillment of Elina’s character would come in the next moment.
Did you see Other Posts to Crow About, Week 51 Edition? Then you probably saw the post “Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina: With all its Joy, and all its Horror” from Shallow Dives in Anime. It contains the key to understanding this climax. What is that key? Elaina is a complex, realistic character with all of foibles that go along with that. She’s selfish and vain. Avoiding work is high on her agenda. If asked, she’d say she just wanted to be a tourist.
Delivery: Elaina Wasn’t Honest with Us
She’d be lying. Because even if she told herself she wanted shallow things like riches (as she did at the beginning of this episode), what she really, really wanted deep in her heart was to know. She wanted to know the experiences of the other countries and she wanted to know the experience of meeting other people.
Most of all, though, as we saw suggested at the end of the previous episode, Elaina didn’t want to go home before she knew herself. Suspecting who her mother was (Niké), there was no way Elaina’s pride would let her appear before her mother without being someone she and her mother could be proud of.
In a shot that showed an intimacy usually reserved for lovers, Protagonist Me told Violent Me that (16:55) “I probably came here to meet the other me’s. I was probably dying to see the other possibilities.”
Elaina was finally able to be honest with herself. Capture from Funimation stream.
In the end, riches or ease or tourism weren’t her goals. It was to know herself and become someone she could be proud of. Seeing all the other directions her life could have taken gave Protagonist Me tremendous insights. So in the end, Elaina journeyed in search of herself. It only took meeting 15 others of herself to get her to admit it!
The series didn’t go where I expected it to, and for that, I’m grateful. Why? Because it surprised me, not only with the beautiful art, but with a beautiful character whose adventures captured my imagination. I’d call that a success!
What did you think of the banter between the various Elainas? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!
Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 12: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Majo no Tabitabi – Episode 12 discussion – FINAL
- RABUJOI: Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina – 12 (Fin) – The Multitudes of Me
- Random Curiosity: Majo no Tabitabi – 12 (END)
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 1: Elaina, The Apprentice Witch
- Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 2: The Land of Mages
- Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 3: The Girl as Pretty as a Flower / Bottled Happiness
- Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 4: The Princess without Subjects
- Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 5: Royal Celesteria
- Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 6: The Land of Truth Tellers
- Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 7: The Wall Etched by Travelers / The Grape-Stomping Girl
- Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 8: The Ripper
- Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 9: A Deep Sorrow from the Past
- Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 10: The Two Teachers
- Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 11: The Two Apprentices
- Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Episode 12: The Everyday Tale of Every Ashen Witch
Megane Elaina is uber hot! 🙂
Meeting up with her other possible selves made me think of the “many histories over time” theory. Everything that can happen does happen and creates two branches of reality that perpetuate from there. These are all different tracks that actually did happen and somehow this place was able to bring them together. If she waited long enough, there could be a huge number of Elainas to deal with. We just happen to be following the one who had the best luck.
I wanna know how the ghoul Elaina came to be. Also the Jello Elaina. Since every Elaina there represents a different path she might have taken, our heroine obviously had some close scrapes than we’ve never seen. Maybe they are all repressed facets of Protagonist Elaina? With the possible exception of Megane Elaina, the others have not had good results in their travels. There looked like a LOT of damaged and fearful Elainas. That might be fodder for future episodes? I’d like more seasons.
Given her nature, it was really appropriate to have her sleep with herself. She is quite the narcissist but narcissism isn’t an inherently bad thing – unless it has an invalid basis or you think that beauty is the most important thing in life or you happen to be short on empathy.
But in the end, she wakes up, indicating she’d just had a dream. The preview of the next episode kind of implied that there is actually another version of Elaina in her world named Amnesia, who looks a lot like violent Elaina.
I still think Elaina’s wanderings have a lot in common with Kino’s.
“Megane Elaina is uber hot! ”
Sure was. In fact, a good number of them were eye-catching!
“We just happen to be following the one who had the best luck.”
Lots of potential for drama there. I really liked the plant-like Elaina we caught a glimpse of. It gave us an idea of what might have happened had Elaina tried to intervene in the field of flowers.
Never take on an opponent if you don’t know their strength!
“I wanna know how the ghoul Elaina came to be. Also the Jello Elaina. Since every Elaina there represents a different path she might have taken, ”
Me, too.
“Given her nature, it was really appropriate to have her sleep with herself. She is quite the narcissist but narcissism isn’t an inherently bad thing ”
I thought how the show approached that idea was intriguing.
“I still think Elaina’s wanderings have a lot in common with Kino’s.”
I have _got_ to make time to watch that show!