880https://i.ur.com/I53oSXz.png All of my reviews contain spoilers for the reviewed material. This is your only warning. A small note: This review was originally written in January of 2022. Over the past decade an artistic movement has emerged in anime that values perseverance and centers the stories of young women. If this movement has a nameor is even a cogent scene as opposed to a simple undercurrentI am unaware of it. But one would have to be fairly oblivious to not at least feel it in the air. Artiswitch was not the most prominent example of this lineage to come out in 2022 but with the benefit of hindsight it might be one of the best from that year. And its certainly among the most inventive. My only regret with this series is that I didnt cover it when it was new. I actually didnt plan to cover it at all assuming Id have nothing of note to say about it. Arguably I still dont but hey these things have a way of sneaking up on you. In terms of literal plot there isnt much to Artiswitch. Our protagonist Nina Utano Aoi in what appears to be her firstever anime role is a witch who maintains a mysterious shop somewhere in Harajuku Tokyo. Customers find their way to the shop and when they leave they take with them an item that changes their lives. 880https://i.ur.com/mLbHBKy.jpeg This premise is not a unique one and in particular fans of foreverunderrated CLAMP classic xxxHOLIC will find the general idea familiar but Artiswitchs format a series of shorts only totaling to about 45 minutes in all prevents it from preoccupying itself with the sort of sprawling story that that series eventually develops. Instead we get a lot of symbolism compelling imagery and sharp direction. Artiswitch is all mood and atmosphere. Which isnt to say there are no points being made here but anyone who requires their anime to have an easily decipherable linear Point APoint B plot should check out now. The first two episodes establish the format. A customer a tomboyish athlete in the first episode and a shy followtheleader sort of girl in episode 1 and 2 respectively makes their way to Ninas shop. They pick up an item prompting the witch to deliver her catchphrase would you like to peer deeper? and from there things dissolve into fullon music video territory. 880https://i.ur.com/7NH2KjQ.jpeg 880https://i.ur.com/Xx8gjIT.jpeg Quite literally since these segments which take up the middle third of each episode are set to songs and feature little to no dialogue. Going into detail about each of these would be tantamount to spoiling the series but the first episodes already gorgeous conceit of the tomboy Haruka rediscovering her repressed feminine side by donning firered lipstick and dress is where things start. They ramp up exponentially from there with the remaining episodes serving to twist the formula in various ways. 880https://i.ur.com/MukUVjE.jpeg Artiswitch clearly has a lot on its mind and were I forced to come up with a single flaw I thought were present in the series it might be a lack of clarity. But at the same time that feels fundamentally misguided. And it would require ignoring the final episode where Ninas wishgranting capabilities are turned back on themselves and it is she who must dive into her own mind. We see why she entered this magical line of work to begin with and the sight of her past self comforting her present with the affirmation that she is moving forward and is doing her best despite her own doubts is why I decided to write this short review in the first place. Fundamentally art resonates with its audience based on shared thoughts experiences and feelings. Those things change from person to person but taking special note of when a series has successfully struck a chord with me is the entire reason I write at all. Leaving Artiswitch without comment just didnt feel right. I have to confess I am in fact worried about doing this series justice while simultaneously trying to avoid pinning it to a corkboard like a dead butterfly. But I probably shouldnt be so concerned. It flits and flies free. On a practical level I am excited to see what director Kazuma Ikeda who seems to have an extensive background in design something that really shines through here does next. But beyond that this is the sort of thing people will keep discovering as the years roll by and even now the comments sections below each episode are crowded with testimonials in a plethora of languages from those to whom the series already clearly means quite a lot. The shop stands waiting all one needs to do is step inside. https://www..com/watch?v=Nc1h8nVrvnk Notes Disclaimers Usage of Anilists review feature does not constitute endorsement for Anilist as a platform the Anilist community or any individual member thereof or any of Anilists policies or rules. All views expressed are solely my own opinions and conclusions and should not be taken to reflect the opinions of any other persons groups or organizations. All text is owned by me. Do not duplicate without permission. All images are owned by their original copyright holders. This review has been reformatted and reedited to comply with Anilists site guidelines.