𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐔𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐀 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞

(A burn the witch thread) ~

credit to: @ken1ro_u

Earlier this year we received news that Tite Kubo’s one shot manga “Burn the Witch” will be serialised in WSJ and receive a movie that covers the same story.

Fast forward to today and we have reached the end of its first season. To say the very least, it’s been a brilliant year

In light of this, I’ve decided to point out my favorite moments from this short story as well as some hints that could prove useful in the future, and well, a lot of theorising that I hope will spark discussions amongst the fans in the community.

Lets get to it.

In today’s final chapter for season 1, Kubo revealed to us that the main plot for the story will revolve around the seven Märchens, dark dragons who existed long before Reverse London was founded, that were regarded as such legendary beings, they were named after fairy tales.

As if teasing us about this, the very first chapter opens with a line about fairy tales. Nini is monologuing here about how she finds them so absurd, but never specifies why. After today’s chapter we find out the reason. Brilliant play on nuance here with Kubo.

Believing that the role of the “princess” as one that needs to be saved and coddled is absurd. Why be the princess when you can be the witch that grants wishes ?

Getting into the worldbuilding, like the East Branch of Soul Society, the West Branch also has their top dogs.

The Corps in Reverse London all seem to operate independently, with each Witch and Wizard aiming to make a name for themselves, or trying to make a living.

We see Bruno and Nini talking about recognition several times, as well as Banx Jr and Noelle’s obsession with money.

It’s pretty interesting looking at the contrast between the west and the east. The east operates based on a strict military regime where each person dedicates their lives to the cause, while the west allows more freedom and individuality. This page pretty much sums it all up.

As for the Corps themselves, based on what we’ve seen, I believe their powers come from which group they’re assigned to. We see Bruno using graffiti as his source of magic, as he’s a member of the Inks. The girls use miniature horns for theirs as they’re part of the Pipers.

Presumably the other Corps members should use abilities that follow this trend. For example the Sabres would use swords, and the Anthems would use something music related for their powers.

Another interesting thing to note is the Corps differentiate themselves with zodiac signs

The overall story is the standard Kubo formula. There’s a light hearted tone presented that is contrasted with mature themes. Mix that with a lot of snarky one liners and high paced action, but if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find something much more below the surface.

As mentioned earlier the story seems to be revolving around the seven Märchens. True to its name, Märchen translates to fairy tale in German, and these dragons all represent seven prominent stories.

Snow White, Cinderella, Red riding hood, the honest wood cutter, lorelei..

Hansel & Gretel, and the Musicians of Bremen.

Interesting thing to note here is that all these tales come from German origins. Could this be Kubo’s way of implying the west is not limited to England alone ? Or maybe the Märchens can be traced back to Yhwach ?

Well, this leads me to the part of the thread where I’m going to throw a lot of my own personal theories together here. First off, let’s start with good ol Billy.

Billy Banx Jr.

To be honest this character has been quite suspicious since the start of this serialisation.

At the end of the one shot we discover he has been promoted to the Sabres but by the time we see him again he’s been demoted.

Oddly enough we see Nini mention how the Sabres are the most elite Corps in RL, and even more so, the leader seems to respect Billy a lot..

Well let’s take a short detour.

In the medieval era there was a knight who rose from dirt poor upbringings to being one of the richest individuals of his era, as well as the defacto ruler of England in place of the young king at the time. He was known as William Marshal.

He had a keen obsession with money and possessed a crafty attitude and fighting style.

Sounds a bit familiar no?

Well, while this is of course just a theory, I believe Banx Jr is a reference to this legendary knight.
Also, the name Billy is the shortened version of William.

With Sullivan referring to him as the “son of a hero” as well as her personally doing him favours despite her higher position, there’s a lot of misdirection being applied to this character. Why is he lurking around the Crown Council ? How could he one shot a Märchen ? Well..

I guess we’ll have to find out in the future.

As for our last contender, his role is already a prominent one, but might be even more than what we think.

Balgo Ywain Parks.

He’s known as a notorious dragon clad that presumably attracts Märchens to himself. Well oddly enough-

The name “Ywain” carries quite a bit of weight in Arthurian legend.
Ywain was a knight of the round table, as well as the son of a king and Morgan Le Fay, the most powerful enchantress in the times of King Arthur.
One of his most notable feats was killing a dragon with his pet

This along with Balgo spontaneously creating a sword, as well as attracting the Cinderella Märchen could mean his lineage is much more than it seems ..

One thing that’s for sure, this story has a lot more in store for us and I’m very glad to have Kubo back once more.

Hoping to see more discussions centered around this series, and I hope the community is able to think outside the box. Kubo has always been a writer that layers his work, so it’d be a shame for something to go unnoticed.

As always, thanks for reading