Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
zozozee
10/10 Animation, 10/10 story and 10/10 representation of Islamic and Mongolian cultures and histories that doesn't tip into the favour one or the other, but stays faithful to historical resources without revealing author biases and cultural insensitivity (so far).
Sitara is such a brave and intelligent character and her struggles and motivations are explored nicely (even if not in depth as of now), and other characters (especially female) are well-layered too-- shrewd and intelligent and willing to do all to achieve their goals.
My only issue with the animation style was that it was kind of difficult to discern the ages of characters.
Hoping this gets another season because I am looking forward to it.
Read at the sourcealgoPotaku
Honestly, I thought this was going to be Islamic propaganda, and—more or less—it is. I know that mathematics and medicine have roots in the Muslim world and were preserved by them, but for Westerners to heap so much praise on such a backward religion strikes me as ridiculous.
Aside from that, the animation isn't bad, but the character design is terrible; the problem is that you can't tell the difference between the children and the adult women. It feels like the protagonist never grows up, which is very confusing. Also, the plot is incredibly slow and goes nowhere. The protagonist isn't very bright—she’s kind of an idiot, really—and she just falls short for me. Look, do yourself a favor and don't waste your time on this piece of crap; it’s not *terrible*, exactly, but it was a letdown.
En…
Read at the sourceRenan_
Tenmaku no Jaduugar is a work whose visual identity suggests a contemplative narrative, while its narrative construction is much closer to that of a historical account. Its stylized, childlike, and delicate visual design establishes an interesting relationship with the historical dimension of the work, especially by placing it alongside wars, territorial conquests, struggles for power, and political transformations. However, this contrast between the appearance of the characters and the violence of the context is rarely explored through staging in a way that turns it into a consistent aesthetic experience. The stylization remains primarily a visual characteristic, while the narrative takes on an almost documentary function by presenting the expansion of the Mongol Empire, its territories,…
Read at the sourceYoshit92
Almajd la Science Saru (sorry)
This studio is so strong for create any productions who get out of actual standarts. The painting style is really pretty for the eye and give charme at the environment. The challenge picked up on the charadesign with the limitation downloaded by the veil must CLEARLY be clapped because every character arrives to have a unique design and facial expressions so charmy. Congratulation. There also have many MANY idea of realisation like for his last productions (dandadan and sanda) like symethry, camera movements on character's moves. Bref Absolute cinema.
But another big quality of this anime is the story. I like the immersion in the mongolian culture and the politique battle inside the camp. Characters are very interesting like Fatima who wants to satisfy her…
Read at the sourceCyberXane
Now this anime was definitely interesting, to say the least.
The story takes place in Asia during the 13th century, around the time the Mongol Empire was taking over much of the continent. The story follows a woman named Sitara (though she's called Fatima most of the time) and her journey to avenge the deaths of her people by slowly working her way up the chain of command within the Mongol Empire as a slave.
While it's only mentioned a few times, it also seems like this could eventually become a journey about discovering the truth in later seasons. The anime constantly talks about science, the nature of the world, and how certain things work. It's kinda like The Apothecary Diaries mixed with Orb: On the Movements of the Earth, and then you add a dash of revenge and put it all in a Mongo…
Read at the sourceAnkur_desu
In one sentence, it's one of the best show in 2026 summer. It was a sound creation with a good plot. "The Apothecary diary"'s recent popularity drew me to this show. So I expected historical settings and so on. The show didn't disappoint me in that case.
First, let's talk about making and technical stuffs. Science Saaru really did amazing job in the animation. They kept the colour vibrant and grainy to create the Persian,central Asian/silk road aesthetic. But I think the video quality could be improved. It feels very smudgy and grainy when the video runs on 360p or 480p. Voice acting and sound designing was top notch. Specially during episode 10 and 11 where major event unfolds, the narration and sound designing was great. The opening theme song was one of the greatest opening song in thi…
Read at the sourceTutejshy
Jaadugar: The Witch in Mongolia
Review
To be honest, I hardly know where to begin. Should I start with the art style—strange yet undeniably beautiful? It is distinctive, clearly drawing on anime aesthetics. Or perhaps the animation, which also looks fantastic? The use of color is impressive; whether depicting different times of day or changing seasons, the attention to detail is evident.
No, I think I’ll start with the characters, as they made the biggest impression on me.
Characters
I believe the characters here are brilliantly written. Virtually every character who appears on screen for any significant amount of time contributes something meaningful. Several of them also have compelling backstories, allowing us to better understand their motivations and interpret their actions for o…
Read at the sourceAlisherK
Jaduugar "A Witch in Mongolia" - Finale
This anime might be my Anime of the Year. Even tho I watched Ikoku Nikki, Nippon Sangoku & Tongari Boushi no Atelier, this is the only one which stood out the most to me.
This anime got a lot of controversy in the beginning, and a lot of people even dropped it due to those controversies, but those who stayed discovered an uncut, naturally polished gem. Naoko Yamada didn't promise, but she delivered, and she has my utmost respect for that.
Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia follows Sitara, a young Persian slave who uses her deep intellect and knowledge to infiltrate the 13th-century Mongol imperial court and seek vengeance.
I went into this with a clear mind, having no expectations of it and knowing nothing about it, yet I was captivated by this piece…
Read at the sourceGunsl1ng3rGIRL
The ending of a show makes or breaks it. This one is a break. Jaadugar is the only series I can remember watching in spite of its protagonists. They were so bitter and rude all the time. I get their tragic backstories, but this is based (kind of) on history, and I can't imagine they would've been allowed to talk like that. Fatima (Sitara) puts on a total villain smile every time she's lying through her teeth. It's a wonder none of the amazing supporting characters see right through her the way the viewer blatantly can, internal monologues aside. My favorite character died, which I forgave because he was supposed to (this is not a spoiler, it's history), but the way he died was like something out of a TikTok writer's "court intrigue" plot. The last episode was completely melodramatic and po…
Read at the sourceFirechick12012
Man, the summer of 2026 has been a banger year for anime, probably one of the best seasons of it in years. Between a slew of original anime, stellar adaptations of existing manga and novels, and just the sheer variety of different genres and demographics being explored, I honestly can't think of any anime season that's been this stacked since...I think sometime in 2011. I know one of the most anticipated was a little unassuming josei adaptation called Jaadugar: A Witch In Mongolia, directed by Naoko Yamada and animated by Science Saru. I have only vague knowledge of the manga it's based on, A Witch's Life In Mongol by Tomato Soup, but even without that, I have a question for you: What anime, or even any storytelling medium at all, can you think of that's set in the Mongol Empire as ruled b…
Read at the sourceWallnutWasTaken
I feel like for what we got from the show so far, not much has happened but it was genuinely solid enough for what happens in the show. The post credits do mention a lot about stuff that's gonna happen in the manga (I haven't read) so I might consider picking it up just to see what happens. Overall 6/10 for the stuff shown throughout the show, didn't think anything was absolutely fantastic other than the really unique artstyle. I think people who can empathise with the mc will probably like the show, though she can be quite a prick at times.
Read at the sourceKokoRose
Jaadugar is absolutely brimming with enthusiasm and fascination towards its world and characters. More importantly (and more impressively), that enthusiasm and that fascination are endlessly infectious, expertly pulling the viewer in again and again. Even the more slow-paced episodes fly by in a near-instant.
It's almost witchcraft.
Of special note is the portrayal of the various Mongol leaders. Jaadugar does not shy away from depicting the brutality of conquest, but nor does it fall into the lazy way of depicting its perpetrators as cartoon villains. The show's fascination with its key players extends to its antagonists. They are multifaceted people, with depth, personality, and dreams of what comes after the conquest. But they are still people with grand imperial ambition, and the road…
Read at the sourceS_Yellow
Female lead and lacks fan service, so it's the best anime of this century so far. Sarcasm aside, the art style and character designs are great as it's unique and not cliche. I like that the mc is a witch because she's learned. I also liked the historical setting, it's fun learning about a history I wasn't taught in-depth in school. The flaw is it's a historical political drama. Which means a lot of nothing happens. People talk and that's pretty much it. It's a very niche genre with a limited audience. It's diverse and inclusive and even intriguing but not much more than that. In a nutshell, if you already like this sort of thing, it is good and you'll like it. But I don't see this as the gateway to new genres.
Read at the sourceRoyLec123
Although this series flew somewhat under the radar—airing during a season packed with genuine anime heavyweights—it stands out as one of the best of the season and, likely, the year.
Visuals (10): Simply impeccable; it brims with creativity and a passion for portraying the cultures, landscapes, and mysticism of the era.
Plot (9.5): Narratively, it is a solid series. It adopts a measured pace, yet the story is so captivating that the episodes fly by (yes, I know that sounds contradictory to what I just said, but that was my impression).
Music (8.5): While the soundtrack doesn't overshadow the other elements, the music and sound effects are of high quality and fit perfectly with the cultures and historical setting.
Characters (9.2): Fatima (Sitara), the protagonist, is excellent. However…
Read at the sourceSupersonic_Pain
A few days ago, I reviewed Science Saru's Ghost in the Shell series and said while I didn't enjoy that, at least they had Jaadugar to save them, right?
This is what we call the art of foreshadowing.
Sorry, this is even worse
I think this show kinda lives and dies on if you liked Sitara and if you felt sorry for her because in E1 (really, the entire show), I thought she was a shitty little brat who disrespected Allah (which is ironic when she tries to act like Allah's strongest shooter in a later episode) and who was just an intolerable little girl like yeah, being a slave probably is not very fun but you know, it's 1200s Iran, I don't want to watch a little girl pout about being a slave for 12 episodes as technically right as she was
Like, they basically go "oh, Sitara's worthless and…
Read at the sourceRoevhaal
While I do partially agree with the positive sentiment surrounding this show I also think this sentiment stems more from what the series as a whole has the potential to be rather than what this season actually is.
This is a single cour anime of 12 episodes and it is really not enough. Half the episodes are composed of various backstories and the other half sets the stage for the story to come. While proper development of the characters and the setting is appreciated we do run into the problem of the anime ending without acomplishing anything substantial.
Thus I think this anime has rather limited value on it's own, you'd watch it for the sake of a potential sequel or for the sake of continuing with the manga. It is basically just an appetizer.
Read at the sourceElosopy
Finally reaching the end of this season I must say that Science Saru just keeps spoiling us with amazing shows, this year has been phenomenal, Tenmaku no Jaadugar is proof. A beautiful and very emotional drama.
At first the art style and character design may seem to not be enough to express the cruel reality of some scenes, but trust me you will feel every emotion and tension that the characters go through all the way til the very end. The highly emotional and expressive voice acting together with the beautiful sound design make you feel as if you are part of the story, seated in the plains of the vast Mongolian landscapes and settlements as you traverse through this wonderfully animated story.
The OP and ED are among the best of the Summer 2026 season, as I am catching up to the manga I…
Read at the sourceYamoon
When I heard that there would be an anime about a Muslim woman’s life in the Mongol Empire, I was instantly hooked. It is such a rare thing to see in anime —or in media in general— and I hoped Science SARU would do the work justice. They exceeded my expectations. This is my first review after using this site for 14 years, this anime deserves a review.
Minor spoilers ahead
Tenmaku no Jaadugar is the story of a slave girl named Sitara in Persia. She is bought by a family of scholars in the city of Tus, and through them, she learns the importance of knowledge. Years later, the Mongols reach her city. Sitara meets Tolui, who takes her mistress’s book and brings an end to her peaceful days. After experiencing the harsh reality of war and losing her family, she almost gives up hope. However, a…
Read at the sourcedazedcowcow62
Tenmaku no Jaadugar — Come on, do otaku really need another 'halal anime' in the 2020s?
When the anime adaptation was announced last December, I thought tv asahi was joking when it announced that Science SARU would be making an "anime" involving Muslim characters in Mongolian era. Like, why? Why would they do that? Is this even worthy of being called an anime, even though Tomato Soup-sensei is Japanese? Even though the production committees are Japanese, as are the chief director and the animation studio? Who greenlit this?
Tenmaku no Jaadugar, or Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, is the latest Science SARU production under the direction of Dandadan Season 2 director Abel Góngora, and the highly-acclaimed director Naoko Yamada. It adapts the manga of the same title by Tomato Soup, which is…
Read at the sourceMarinate1016
Every so often, an anime comes around that completely changes your outlook on life and the world. Last year, it was Orb for me and this year it’s been Jaadugar. This was artistry of the highest order and one of the most passionately made projects I’ve ever seen. An absolute love letter both to animation and central Asian culture and history. No expense was spared to ensure the most historically accurate depiction of Mongolian and Asian steppe life and culture as well as medieval Persian culture and Islamic scholarship. There’s been stories like this, Vinland and Orb to name a couple, but never covering this subject matter or part of the world. The Mongolian empire is the largest in history and Genghis Khan is claimed to be the ancestor of most of the Asian continent, it’s insane it just to…
Read at the source