Jaadugar: A Witch In Mongolia Ep. 9 “Tengri”: War And Poison [Review]

Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia both kicks up the action and ramps up the stakes with a very poisonous plotline in Ep. 9 “Tengri”. In fact, this is the most amount of bloody action we’ve seen in this anime in a while. However, in terms of story, it still takes second fiddle to the very sudden political drama taking place in both the foreground and unseen in the background. It feels like Sitara / Fatima has stepped into the plot of a murder mystery, even if it’s just attempted murder for now.

Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Ep. 9 “Tengri”: Details in Brief

Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Ep. 9 “Tengri” is the ninth episode (you can read my reviews of Ep. 1-2, Ep. 3, Ep. 4, Ep. 5, Ep. 6, Ep. 7, and Ep. 8 here) 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.

Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Ep. 9 “Tengri”: The Good

In Mongolian mythology (as well as the mythologies of the Turkic and Yeniseian peoples), Tengri is the God of Heaven: the eternal and supreme judge and the source of all life. Thus, this deity is most appropriate for Ep. 9 “Tengri”. Not just in the episode’s title, but also in the fact that a lot of important character invoke Tengri in this episode. They all do it for various reasons. Whether it’s Tolui (voiced by Ryōta Suzuki (JP) and Alex Mai (EN)) praying to Tengri for favorable weather in battle or shamans praying to Tengri to cure the sudden “illness” that Ögedei falls ill to, religion is a central theme in this episode. As a savior from the unknown, in this case.

However, we mustn’t also forget that this episode is also one of the bloodiest episodes in a while. This episode graphically depicts the slaughter of an entire Jin dynasty army by Tolui’s army, and the subsequent razing of Kaifeng: the capital of the Jin dynasty at the time. There’s no stylish moves like you would expect from a shonen anime. It’s all very realistically depicted medieval warfare in all of its brutal glory, making it a treat for fans of medieval warfare.

An Almost-Murder in the Mongol Empire

The medieval warfare is only a setup for the latter half of Ep. 9 “Tengri”. We mustn’t also forget that Tolui’s success in the campaign is critical to the plot to bring down the Mongol Empire. After all, it’s the very plot that Sitara / Fatima (voiced by Akira Sekine (JP) and Cristina Vee (EN)) and Töregene (voiced by Ami Koshimizu (JP) and Michelle Rojas (EN)) came up with together. Tolui’s success is what they need to get the gears of that plot spinning.

However, there’s a monkey wrench in those gears: Boraqchin (voiced by Kujira (JP)). Somehow, she seems to have unwittingly involved herself in this plot and thrown it into complete chaos. To the point where Sitara and Töregene both seem to have lost control of their own plan for now. We don’t know how yet, but there’s definitely no way Ögedei’s poisoning is as simple as it looks.

There is a remarkably complex story here, akin to a murder mystery without a murder…yet. Sitara seems to have found herself in a position similar to Maomao in The Apothecary Diaries. They are both women who have found themselves in very pivotal positions of power despite lacking much power in of themselves. We will be quite eager to see where this plot takes us. Especially since this episode still doesn’t answer the question of why Boraqchin called in Töregene for that meeting. I suppose we’ll find out in the next episode of Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia…hopefully.

Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Ep. 9 “Tengri”: The Bad

If you’re looking for a high-intensity, shonen-style action story, then Ep. 9 “Tengri” probably isn’t quite for you. The action comprises roughly half the episode, but it’s all very down-to-earth action right out of a medieval history book. Plus, it’s all a setup for the political thriller and mystery story in the latter half of the episode, so this might not be enough action for you. You might have to look elsewhere for that.

Anime Recommendations

Fortunately, you have alternative options if you want bloody shonen action. You can check out 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 to see if they interest you. If you want more story-focused anime like this one though, then you might also like 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 week’s episode of Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia? Tell us your murder mystery thoughts in the comments section below.

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