''Witches should not be used as consumables, but as the engine to stimulate the development of civilization.''
I don't consider anything I mention in this review a spoiler apart from the direction of the story. That aside, this is the longest manga/manhua I have read up to and it was indisputably worth the binge.
'Release That Witch' or 'Fangkai Nage Nuwu' (translating to 'Let go of that witch' from Chinese) is an ongoing manhua adaptation of the Web Novel version of the same name. The WN is completed with 1498 chapters and still remains a submarine Chinese fable. It was announced to get an anime project, for which I am hyped for.
The story begins with a well-educated engineer waking up in the body of the third prince of the royal family. He obtains the memories of the prince Roland Wimbledon but considers himself to be the former.
World building;
A typical medieval setting without magic with the monarchs in control. Existence of the Church is an immense element. More importantly, witches prevail in this world as you can make out from the title. Their presence is the core motive behind the progress of this story. The witches are the sole users of magic and are hunted down by the Church and the monarchs. Under the influence of the Church, the public is set to believe that witches are truly evil and have to be eliminated. The king of the Greycastle has launched a rivalry between his five children and divided the territories among them in order to decide the next Crown. Roland being the youngest son with a doubtful reputation gets an isolated territory along the border. This is where the politics kicks in. The ultimate human challenge is the goal of defeating the 'demons' in near future.
Main character;
One of the best built characters I have come across. His strength is limited to knowledge, in which he is unrivalled in the other world. Unlike the Realist Hero where the mc resolves to boring dialogues, Roland is an interesting man. One aspect which I adore is his boldness and an unshakeable mindset. It's thanks to him the manhua is quite interesting throughout each arc. He is an expert in almost all fields of science.
Direction of the story;
If you have made up your mind to consider this manhua then I feel you needn't read any more. Going ahead, the main character (the new Roland Wimbledon) will aim to protect and cooperate with the witches to kick off the Industrial Revolution in this world. Each witch has a unique skill or power which he makes use of admirably. Sooner or later he is to get involved with politics of his siblings and the war with the church. He aims to refine the crude and conservative thinking of the citizens and upgrade their lifestyle. There are a lot of unique elements present in the story.
Miscellaneous;
You might consider this a progressive harem as the mc surrounds himself with witches.
Well written war arcs.
Links and sources;
Read the web novel-
I guarantee you a fun and long read. If you think this contains spoilers then please let me know directly.
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