A Witch's Life in Mongol
Japanese manga series
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A Witch's Life in Mongol (Japanese: 天幕のジャードゥーガル, Hepburn: Tenmaku no Jādūgaru; lit. 'Jaadugar of the Tent') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tomato Soup. It began serialization on Akita Shoten's Souffle website run by the Josei magazine Elegance Eve's (Eleganceイブ) editorial staff in September 2021.[2] It began simultaneously serializing in Mystery Bonita in 2025.[3] An anime television series adaptation produced by Science Saru premiered in July 2026.
| A Witch's Life in Mongol | |
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Sitara | |
| 天幕のジャードゥーガル (Tenmaku no Jādūgaru) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Historical[1] |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Tomato Soup |
| Published by | Akita Shoten |
| English publisher | |
| Imprint | Princess Comics Bonita |
| Magazine |
|
| Original run | September 25, 2021 – present |
| Volumes | 6 |
| Anime television series | |
| Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia | |
| Directed by |
|
| Written by | Kanichi Katou |
| Music by | Kōshirō Hino |
| Studio | Science Saru |
| Licensed by | Crunchyroll |
| Original network | ANN (TV Asahi), BS Asahi, AT-X, CS TV Asahi Channel 1, Animax |
| Original run | July 4, 2026 – present |
| Episodes | 3 |
Plot
In the early 13th century, in the city of Tus, Persia, Sitara is sold as a slave to a family of scholars. Although she initially tries to run away, the family teaches her the importance of knowledge and she ends up working and studying in their home.
After the heir to the family leaves for Nishapur to further his studies, the Mongols invade Tus. Sitara is captured by Tolui's army and her master is killed while protecting her. After being taken to Mongolia, she takes on the name Fatima and begins to plot her revenge on the Mongols.
Characters
- Sitara (シタラ, Shitara) / Fatima (ファーティマ, Fātima)
- Voiced by: Akira Sekine[4]
- Fatima (ファーティマ, Fātima)
- Voiced by: Houko Kuwashima[4]
- Muhammad (ムハンマド, Muhanmado)
- Voiced by: Jun Saitō[4]
- Tolui (トルイ, Torui)
- Voiced by: Ryōta Suzuki[4]
- Shira (シラ)
- Voiced by: Miyu Irino[4]
- Töregene (ドレゲネ, Doregene)
- Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu[5]
- Ögedei (オゴタイ, Ogotai)
- Voiced by: Hiro Shimono[5]
- Chagatai (チャガタイ)
- Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa[5]
- Jochi (ジュチ, Juchi)
- Voiced by: Kenji Nojima[5]
- Sorghaghtani (ソルコクタニ, Sorukokutani)
- Voiced by: Misaki Kuno[6]
- Möge (モゲ, Moge)
- Voiced by: Ayaka Asai[6]
- Kirgistani (キルギスタニ, Kirugisutani)
- Voiced by: Mayumi Shintani[6]
- Boraqchin (ボラクチン, Borakuchin)
Production
Tomato Soup originally had Töregene Khatun as the protagonist, though she felt that Fatima would be better to represent the size of the Mongol Empire. She also felt Fatima would be more interesting to write.[7] Regarding the illustrations, Tomato Soup felt that medieval manuscripts tend to have "unrealistic" styles, so she tried to imitate that style.[7]
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Tomato Soup, A Witch's Life in Mongol began serialization on Akita Shoten's Souffle website on September 25, 2021.[8] The series began parallel serialization in the Mystery Bonita magazine on March 6, 2025.[9] As of July 2026, the series' individual chapters have been collected in six tankōbon volumes.[10] On March 24, 2025, the manga series moved to a bimonthly status until the summer of 2025 and entered into a hiatus due to Soup's maternity leave.[11]
At New York Comic Con 2024, Yen Press announced that they licensed the series for English publication.[12]
Volumes
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 16, 2022[13] | 978-4-253-26446-4 | May 27, 2025[14] | 979-8-8554-1421-9 |
| 2 | February 16, 2023[15] | 978-4-253-26447-1 | November 25, 2025[16] | 979-8-8554-1423-3 |
| 3 | September 14, 2023[17] | 978-4-253-26448-8 | July 28, 2026[18] | 979-8-8554-1425-7 |
| 4 | August 16, 2024[19] | 978-4-253-26449-5 | October 27, 2026[20] | 979-8-8554-2583-3 |
| 5 | April 16, 2025[21] | 978-4-253-26450-1 | — | — |
| 6 | July 15, 2026[10] | 978-4-253-01818-0 | — | — |
Anime
An anime television series adaptation, titled Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, was announced on April 14, 2025.[22] It is produced by Science Saru and directed by Abel Góngora, with Naoko Yamada serving as chief director, Kanichi Katou handling series composition, Kenichi Yoshida designing the characters and serving as chief animator, and Kōshirō Hino composing the music. The series premiered on July 4, 2026, on the IMAnimation programming block on TV Asahi and its affiliates, as well as other networks.[23] The opening theme song is "Stella", performed by Sekai no Owari,[5] while the ending theme song is "Hoshi" (星; Star), performed by Queen Bee.[24] Crunchyroll is streaming the series.[25] Plus Media Networks Asia licensed the series in Southeast Asia for broadcast on Aniplus Asia.[26]
Episodes
| No. | Title [27][28] | Directed by [27] | Written by [27] | Storyboarded by [27] | Original release date [29] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "All That Is in the Heavens and All That Is in the Earth" Transliteration: "Ten ni Aru Mono, Chi ni Aru Mono" (Japanese: 天にあるもの 地にあるもの) | Abel Gongora | Kanichi Katō | Abel Gongora | July 4, 2026[a] | |
|
In Tus, a Muslim city in the east of Persia, little Sitara is a slave in a scholarly household where she is encouraged to study and learn. Menial labor isn't her forte. Muhammad, the young man of the house, demonstrates how ignorance causes fear, and knowledge banishes it. At the end of the episode, the Mongols capture the city. | ||||||
| 2 | "The Roses That Bloom in Safar" Transliteration: "Safaru ni Saku Bara" (Japanese: サファルに咲く薔薇) | Naoko Yamada & Takuya Fujikura | Kanichi Katō | Naoko Yamada | July 4, 2026[a] | |
|
The Mongols steal the family's copy of Euclid's Elements, kill Sitara's mistress, sack the city, and take Sitara and the other survivors as slaves. More of Sitara's people are killed as their captors march them overland. Sitara despairs, but the boy who interpreted Persian for the invaders motivates her to live and focus on recovering the stolen book. | ||||||
| 3 | "An Undying Flame" Transliteration: "Keshienu Honō" (Japanese: 消しえぬ炎) | Yujiro Abe | Toshiaki Satō | Yujiro Abe | July 11, 2026 | |
|
Sitara hates the Mongols, but she elects to work within her current constraints. With the aid of the interpreter boy, Shira, she takes the classier sounding name Fatima and gains an audience with Tolui, the general who sacked her city. She will teach the Elements to Tolui's wife, Princess Sorghaghtani. Enroute to Mongolia, she observes Töregene, a noblewoman who considers her Mongol husband an enemy. Fatima impresses the men with her observations of a solar eclipse and her wisdom regarding the futility of seeking immortality. | ||||||
Reception
Yuka Furukawa of Da Vinci praised the setting and characters, particularly the villains, which Furukawa felt were realistic.[1] Kazushi Shimada of Real Sound praised the story, particularly recommending it to fans of Hitoshi Iwaaki's Historié and Uoto's Orb: On the Movements of the Earth.[30]
The series was nominated for the 16th Manga Taishō in 2023.[31] It was also nominated for the 17th Manga Taishō in 2024.[32] In the 2023 edition of the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook's list of the top manga for female readers, the series ranked first.[33] In the 2024 edition's list, the series ranked 11th.[34] It was nominated at the Japan Society and Anime NYC's second American Manga Awards for Best New Manga in 2025.[35] It won the grand prize in the Comic Division at the 55th Japan Cartoonists Association Awards in 2026.[36]
Notes
- Episodes 1 and 2 premiered back-to-back.