【An Apprentice Witch with One Year to Live】 A bright, funny, and slightly bittersweet tale of a witch and her apprentice’s one-year journey. Aru Majo ga Shinu Made!

Aru Majo ga Shinu Made is a unique fantasy story about an apprentice witch, condemned to die, who must collect “tears of emotion” in order to survive. The story’s protagonist, Meg Raspberry, receives a shock on her 17th birthday: her master Faust, the most powerful “Everlasting Witch,” bluntly tells her, “You will die in one year.” From that very moment, readers are hooked, unable to look away from her fate and her choices. She then learns that the only way to break the curse is to “collect a thousand tears of joy.” Thus, Meg’s journey becomes one that, while fantastical, portrays a very real exploration of “human connections.”

What sets this story apart from other fantasy works is its concept of collecting “tears of joy”—a profoundly emotional and delicate material. Instead of battling foes or seeking treasure, Meg faces people’s joy and emotions, receiving them as crystals. It’s almost therapeutic, a narrative that questions the very essence of what it means to be a witch. The troubles, sorrows, and small joys of the people Meg meets in towns and villages become the keys to fulfilling her mission. As you read, you’ll be wrapped in a nostalgic warmth—that is the unique charm of this story.

The relationship between Faust and Meg is another central pillar of this work. A master who appears cold and distant but truly harbors deep love and expectations, and an apprentice who sometimes rebels but steadily grows— This “passionate master-apprentice bond” is exactly why the story won the Grand Prize in the Hot Master-Apprentice Relationship category of the Dengeki New Literature Contest. Every word from Faust influences Meg’s choices and actions, reminding us of the weight of a mentor as a true guide in life. Through Meg’s struggles and growth, readers themselves are prompted to reflect on the meaning of “living,” another profound charm of this story.

Each episode of Meg meeting people to collect tears is self-contained, yet together they enrich the overall flow of the story. Sometimes it’s family reconciliation, sometimes unfulfilled love, other times a heartfelt connection with a lonely old man— Behind each tear lies the weight of a life, warming or tugging at the reader’s heart with each page. Meanwhile, Meg’s witch powers gradually grow, and the once-clumsy apprentice begins to show herself as a dignified witch by the latter half of the story. Her growth is portrayed with such care that readers will feel like parents, watching over Meg with pride.

Aru Majo ga Shinu Made wears the guise of fantasy while confronting universal themes head-on: life and death, emotions and bonds, hope and despair. The girl, given only a year to live, gains not just tears but people’s very “proof of life.” Each one becomes a seed of life, weaving her future together. Though the story should be sad, it leaves a warmth, a quiet surge of emotion—like being touched by a “gentle magic.”