Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia concludes the first season with a new hope for vengeance in Ep. 12 “The Steppe, Ever Unchanging”. With Sitara / Fatima and Töregene reaffirming their bond for the sake of summoning a storm to break apart the Mongol Empire. Will they succeed? Alas, that will be a story for the next season to tell, but at least we get a beautiful ending to satisfy us until then.
Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Ep. 12 “The Steppe, Ever Unchanging”: Details in Brief
Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Ep. 12 “The Steppe, Ever Unchanging” is the twelth and final episode (you can read my reviews of Ep. 1-2, Ep. 3, Ep. 4, Ep. 5, Ep. 6, Ep. 7, Ep. 8, Ep. 9, Ep. 10, and Ep. 11 here) of the first season of this historical drama anime series. Said anime series is the anime adaptation of the manga A Witch’s Life in Mongol by Tomato Soup.
Science SARU (Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, Star Wars: Visions “Akakiri” and “T0-B1“, Dandadan) is the animation studio behind this anime. Naoko Yamada is the chief director for this anime, with Abel Góngora as the co-director, Kanichi Katou as the writer, and Kōshirō Hino as the composer for the music we hear in this anime.
Speaking of the music: the opening theme song of Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia is “Stella” by Sekai no Owari. Meanwhile, “Hoshi” by QUEEN BEE is the ending theme song.
You can watch Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia exclusively on Crunchyroll.
Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Ep. 12 “The Steppe, Ever Unchanging”: The Good
Alas, Ep. 12 “The Steppe, Ever Unchanging” is the final episode of this season of Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia. Fortunately, the anime ends the story for now on a high note. All starring Sitara / Fatima (voiced by Akira Sekine (JP) and Cristina Vee (EN)) and Töregene (voiced by Ami Koshimizu (JP) and Michelle Rojas (EN)). In fact, this entire episode is basically a climax to their shared story, reaffirming their bond with each other as they repeat their promise to destroy the Mongol empire together. It’s a very touching scene between them, and one that holds numerous layers of subtext.
Indeed, one of those subtexts feels like romance. I really hope that I’m not wrong about this, but that scene of Sitara and Töregene gently holding hands while they both held that wildflower looked quite romantic. It feels like a yuri scene despite the fairly massive age gap between them, since Sitara is at most around 20 and Töregene in her 30’s to 40’s. I’m not certain if this will ever pan out, but it’s nice to imagine it.
A Good Leader for the Mongol Empire?
Alas, their shared plot for revenge against the Mongol Empire faces a most serious threat: Ögedei (voiced by Hiro Shimono (JP) and Ethan Marshall (EN)). Yes, him. Not Boraqchin (voiced by Kujira (JP) and Anastasia Muñoz (EN)). Yes, Boraqchin is a serious threat due to her high intelligence and political acumen. However, Ögedei is ultimately the greatest threat to their plans…because he’s a genuinely good guy.
Seriously, Ögedei genuinely wants to remake the Mongol Empire into a decent place for everyone to live in. In fact, he outright declares as much by making that wager to Sitara. He genuinely wants to make his people happy, including Sitara and Töregene. Especially them, in fact, because he can see their misery and hate. It makes Ögedei a genuinely complex antagonists to our protagonists’ plans. We can’t even tell who to root for in this story, which only makes it more delicious in the end. Alas, we will have to wait for the next season of Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia to find out how this wager between Sitara and Ögedei concludes.
Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Ep. 12 “The Steppe, Ever Unchanging”: The Bad
Alas, the ending of Ep. 12 “The Steppe, Ever Unchanging” is a bit of a cliffhanger in some ways. It basically gives a teaser for the next season, and then leaves us waiting for that next season. Unfortunately, as of this writing, we have no information about when that next season will arrive. Fortunately, the cliffhanger gives just enough of a teaser without giving away so much that we are left slavering for more. We just have to wait for Science SARU to give us that information at a later date.
And of course, there is not a peep of action in this episode for action fans to enjoy. Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia is just not that kind of an anime. If you want that, then you will need to look elsewhere to get your action and thrills.
Anime Recommendations
Fortunately, action junkies have many alternatives if you all want bloody action. You can watch Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Kaiju No. 8, DDDD, DAN DA DAN, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II, Zenshu, Blue Box, Solo Leveling, Black Butler, Nyaight of the Living Cat, May I Ask for One Final Thing?, TRIGUN STARGAZE, Daemons of the Shadow Realm, and / or Kagurabachi for some of that. However, if you want more story-focused anime while waiting for the next season of Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, then you might want to check out Spy x Family, Senpai is an Otokonoko, Apocalypse Hotel, Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf, The Ancient Magus’ Bride, My Dress-Up Darling, This Monster Wants to Eat Me, Hana-Kimi, Journal with Witch, and/or Witch Hat Atelier.
What do you all think of this season finale for Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia? What did you think of the Mongol Empire political drama unfolding throughout these 12 episodes? Are you excited for any news of the next season of this anime? Tell us your political thoughts in the comments section below.
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