Kinoko Nasu and his cohorts at Type-Moon really struck gold with stories likeTsukihimeandFate/Stay Night, the latter of which spawned a multi-billion-dollar franchise. TheFate Serieshas received so many animated adaptations that people are constantly wondering where to start, but the optimal might not be “Fate” at all, but rather a simple story calledWitch on the Holy Night.
Witch on the Holy Night, orMahoyofor short, is a visual novel that first came out in 2012 on Windows in Japan, serving as a prequel toTsukihimefrom 2000. It was released worldwide in December 2022, becoming the first major Type-Moon visual novel to release in the West,and is even receiving an animated film from Ufotable.
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Mahoyo’s Place in the Nasuverse
As stated previously,Mahoyois a prequel toTsukihimeset in the 1980s, following Aoko Aozaki, a young witch who inherits her grandfather’s responsibility as overseer of the land of Misaki Town. She has no interest in being a mage nor wielding magic, but takes on the responsibility for one reason: she hates to run away from anything.
The story follows her daily life with fellow witch and rival Alice Kuonji up on the mansion on the hill overlooking the town, when a chance encounter complicates everything. Soujyurou Sizuki, a transfer student, stumbles upon something he isn’t meant to see, and now his life isentangled with that of these two witches. Meanwhile, Aoko and Alice have to be on guard, as a mysterious interloper is making a play for their territory.
From the outset, nothing about the premise might strike a newcomer as being essential to understandingFate. There is no Holy Grail War, no Masters, and no Servants. It would almost seem more natural to view it as essential reading beforeTsukihime, especially as the remake is set to come to North America in 2024, but make no mistake,Mahoyois extremely helpful.
The World Beyond Fate
Truth be told, for as grand asFate/Stay Nightcan be -and Ufotable’s adaptations have only made it seem biggerover the years - the Holy Grail War is just one small part of a huge universe. In fact, the biggest reason why I recommend readingMahoyois because it explains the core concepts at the center ofFate’s lore better than its anime adaptations tend to do.
Exposition inFate/ZeroandUnlimited Blade Worksonly goes so far and most times it will only explain the concepts more integral to the Holy Grail War. But what about the mechanics of Magecraft or the politics involved with magical society?How about the significance of the Root, the objective of all magi? Most importantly, what about the difference between Magecraft and “True Magic”?
It’s one thing to write articles explaining these concepts to fans who might understandably be a bit lost, but it’s another to have these concepts explained within the core text. Obviously, not every concept is fundamental to the story, but the complexities of Magecraft often appear regardless, and as such, a story centered around these building blocks would go a long way.
To their credit, the entries in theFate Seriesdo a pretty solid job ofmaking a case for themselves thanks to clever directingto make up for the necessary exposition. Some elements that lack explanation can actively add to the mystique, but it could be argued they would be even more rewarding when you have prior knowledge.
The Strengths of Mahoyo’s Worldbuilding
Mahoyoaccomplishes succinctly what fans like me previously needed to read through articles and wiki pages to understand and appreciate. Thanks to characters like Soujyurou, who has no understanding of Magecraft, Aoko is able to educate him - and by extension, the audience - on everything they need to know about the world (even if Soujyurou might not absorb most of it).
As a story focused entirely on magi and Magecraft,it puts these components on full displaywhereas it would typically be a background element in other associated media. The story is also fairly straightforward, though not without some depth to its entertaining cast of characters. Something about the set-up feels very classic by modern fantasy standards.
A young man, unaware of a fantastical world hiding within his own, ends up entrenched in a larger-than-life adventure with two witches, and he even turns out to be more than meets the eye himself. Phrased that way it might sound like a tacky description for the back of a box set, but the point stands.Mahoyotells a good story that explores its lore rather effortlessly.
Not onlydoes it work as a precursor toTsukihime, but it also serves the same purpose for just about every part of the Nasuverse that you can think of. Aoko Aozaki becomes a major character inTsukihime. Her sister, Touko, is one of the main characters inGarden of Sinners. Finally, every facet of worldbuilding is at play in some fashion inFate/Stay Night.
So why does it work so well, and why did it take until 2012 for a story like this to be written? Because it’s technically the first thing that Kinoko Nasu ever wrote, back in 1996, before he evenpublished the early chapters ofGarden of Sinnersonline in 1998. It is truly the ultimate starting point for one of the coolest modern fantasy universes out there.
Witch on the Holy Nightis more of a “kinetic novel” than a visual novel, meaning there aren’t choices made by the player, save for the bonus chapter that was added later. It’s about 25 hours long, so understandably not everyone is going to want to give it a read, but if you’re looking for a good place to start, there are few better than this. Otherwise, here’s hoping the film adaptation does as good a job of introducing new viewers to this wonderful franchise.
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