Science SARU’s Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Premieres on Crunchyroll

Readers often discover rich historical fiction within the pages of manga. While works such as Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond and Fuyumi Soryo’s Cesare still await animated adaptations, several other historical series have made the transition to the screen. Projects like Vinland Saga (Viking-era Europe), The Rose of Versailles (Revolutionary France), and The Elusive Samurai (feudal Japan) show how effectively animation can capture the complexity of past eras.

Science Saru expands this field with Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia. Adapted from Tomato Soup’s manga A Witch’s Life in Mongol, the anime began broadcasting on July 4. Set in 13th-century Persia, the narrative follows a young woman navigating survival and grief during wartime. Science Saru combines expressive visual design with grounded, everyday details, pairing bright, cartoon-like art with serious historical themes.

The story opens in AD 1213 in the Persian city of Tus, amid the Islamic Golden Age. An orphaned girl named Sitara is sold into slavery to a widow named Fatima. When Fatima tries to teach her to read, Sitara resists, wanting only to return to her mother. She receives a blunt reminder that her old home is gone and that her survival as an enslaved person depends on developing useful skills.

Fatima treats Sitara with gentle affection despite these harsh circumstances. Her 11-year-old son, Muhammad, helps persuade Sitara that knowledge can open new paths and provide solace. Muhammad’s encouragement inspires Sitara to study mathematics and astronomy. Her education continues peacefully for eight years until Genghis Khan’s Mongol forces invade Tus.

The original manga relies on extensive historical research, and Science Saru carries that precision into the anime. The production portrays pre-invasion Tus as an active trading city with lush courtyards, detailed home interiors, and vibrant market stalls filled with regional produce and imported goods. Daily routines include the Adhan call to prayer, the observance of Iddah, and a broad cultural focus on learning. When the invasion strikes, the language barrier between the Persian townspeople and the Mongol warriors reinforces the terror of the attack. Genghis Khan’s son, Tolui, loots Sitara’s family library, portraying how conquest dismantles cultural heritage.

After watching her home reduced to ash and seeing the surviving citizens rounded up, Sitara turns her focus toward vengeance. Tolui takes her captive to the Mongol court, where she relies on her education to endure a hostile political environment. Members of the court brand Sitara a witch because of her knowledge and outspoken personality, forcing her to conceal her anger behind careful calculation.

Sitara’s survival requires an intimate understanding of the people holding her captive. To pinpoint weaknesses within the empire, she builds strategic relationships, studies Mongol customs, and distinguishes personal motivations from the broader military campaign. Science Saru highlights these dynamics through distinct artistic choices, shifting color tones between the guarded calm of the royal court and the brutality of war.

Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia presents a detailed historical narrative centered on a protagonist who turns learning into a covert weapon against an empire. Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

Source: Polygon