Warning: Contains spoilers for Witch Watch episode #6.Shonen Jump brand, and it’s been a delight to watch. The series strikes an excellent balance between goofy, absurdist comedy and heartwarming character actions, especially when the focus is on romance, and when coupled with the great animation and direction, every episode has been great from start to finish.

Witch Watch is one of 2025’s best anime, and its most recent episodes have served as the biggest proof of why. Going along with the story’s rom-com elements, recent episodes made it appear that Witch Watch was developing one of the most tired clichés in rom-coms, anime or not, and it would have been just as annoying to watch here as everywhere else. Fortunately, Witch Watch avoided a major rom-com cliche in a surprisingly clever way, and that’s a big part of why the anime is so good.

How Witch Watch Avoids The Worst Anime Rom-Com Cliché

What Witch Watch Is Doing Right With Its Romance

The most recent episodes of Witch Watch saw the formal introduction of Kan, Nico’s other childhood friend who saw himself as a better familiar for Nico than Morihito, much of which was based around the longstanding rivalry between Morihito’s ogre clan and Kan’s tengu clan. The two were quick to butt heads as Kan tried to assert his superiority over Morihito, so for all intents and purposes, Witch Watch appeared to be setting up a love triangle between Morihito, Nico, and Kan.

A love triangle is one of the worst rom-com cliches for how often it fills a story with needless drama, but Witch Watch never went that route. While Kan’s introduction made him out to be a romantic rival to Morihito, episode #6 not only made it clear that he was aware of Nico’s feelings for Morihito, but that he was willing to act as a wingman for Nico and help get them together, as well. Witch Watch completely avoided a love triangle by using its newest character to push the main couple further along, and overall, that’s great to see.

Witch Watch's Romance Perfectly Fits With The Author's Style

Witch Watch's Style Is Nothing New For Kenta Shinohara

It’s great that Witch Watch never seriously entertained a love triangle, and that makes sense when looking at series creator Kenta Shinohara’s past work. Shinohara is best known for making the underrated Shonen Jump manga Sket Dance and the short series Astra Lost in Space, and while both stories incorporated romance, they typically avoided love triangles and other cliches in favor of allowing their main couples to develop naturally. Witch Watch’s creator has always been someone with a tendency to avoid the worst sort of romance cliches in his writing, so it makes perfect sense to see that continued here.

Why Witch Watch's Romance Makes It One Of Shonen Jump's Best Anime

Why Witch Watch Is One Of Shonen Jump's Best Rom-Coms

A story employing a love triangle doesn’t necessarily make its romance story bad, with Shonen Jump’s other recent romance anime, TMS Entertainment’s Blue Box, being a good story, despite its use of the trope, but it’s nonetheless a detriment to a story more often than not, especially when the winner is almost always telegraphed from day one. That being said, Witch Watch’s willingness to completely avoid the idea of a love triangle puts it a step above other Shonen Jump romances, and that’s a big part of why it’s been so fun to watch.

While the manga was never the biggest hit, the anime has been one of the biggest hits of the season thanks to the endearing charm of its writing, especially with how it handles romance, and if things keep going like this, then Witch Watch’s handling of its romance will finally make it one of Shonen Jump’s best-received stories, something it’s deserved to be for years now. The way Witch Watch is so willing to be so mature with its romance truly makes it a standout Shonen Jump anime, and hopefully, it won’t let up on that in the slightest.

Witch Watch releases new episodes Sundays on Netflix.