Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Behind-the-Scenes Making-of Video Gives a Look Into Science SARU’s Production Process

Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia anime has dropped a fresh behind‑the‑scenes feature, offering a glimpse into the creation of the Science SARU production.

Titled “The Making of Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia,” the film examines the team’s effort to turn Tomato Soup’s manga A Witch’s Life in Mongol into a 13th‑century Mongol Empire court story. Exec producer Naoko Yamada talked about the difficulty of turning the manga’s time jumps into animated scenes.

Yamada said the crew spent considerable time figuring out how to handle that part of the adaptation. The behind‑the‑scenes clip also shows talks among Yamada, director Abel Góngora, and character designer/sakuga chief Kenichi Yoshida, covering tricks like erasing lines that lie outside a character’s main outline.

The team also scouted locations in Mongolia. The directors immersed themselves in the land’s scenery and nomadic way of life, and those on‑site notes later shaped how the anime portrays its environment.

The feature also presents interviews with Akira Sekine (voice of Sitara), Ami Koshimizu (voice of Töregene) and Jun Saito (voice of Muhammad). Check out the complete video down below.

Based on Tomato Soup’s award-winning manga A Witch’s Life in Mongol, the series unfolds in the 13th‑century Mongol Empire, centering on Sitara, a girl who endures a harsh destiny by leaning on wisdom instead of might. After the empire’s conquest strips her of everything, she slips into the royal court seeking vengeance, where her path collides with Töregene, a woman nursing her own grudge against the empire.

Even before it aired, the show attracted global notice, being chosen for the Official Competition TV Films section at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Meanwhile, the source manga just took the Grand Prize in the Comic Division of the 55th Japan Cartoonists Association Awards.

The project’s top tier is headed by Naoko Yamada, celebrated for titles such as K‑On!, A Silent Voice, Liz and the Blue Bird and The Heike Story in an executive role. Her latest effort, the film The Colors Within, was the subject of an interview we conducted. Partnering with her on Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia is Abel Góngora, who shared directing duties for season two of DAN DA DAN. Science SARU studio, now owned by TOHO, also boasts a pedigree of acclaimed series like Devilman: Crybaby, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken, DAN DA DAN and the newer SANDA.

The full main staff includes:

• Executive Director: Naoko Yamada (The Heike Story, The Colors Within, A Silent Voice)
• Director: Abel Gongora (DAN DA DAN Season 2, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Star Wars: Visions – T0-B1)
• Character Design And Sakuga Chief: Kenichi Yoshida (Eureka Seven, Overman King Gainer, The Orbital Children)
• Series Composition: Kanichi Kato (The Eminence in Shadow, Teasing Master Takagi-san, Black Clover)
• Music: Koshiro Hino, acclaimed for his unique musical sense and deep knowledge of traditional instruments, making his debut as an anime composer
• Animation Production: Science SARU

Tomato Soup both writes and illustrates the historical manga A Witch’s Life in Mongol (Tenmaku no Jadugaru), which started on Akita Shoten’s Souffle site in September 2021. As of April 2025, five volumes have appeared. The series took top honors in Takarajimasha’s “This Manga is Amazing! 2023” (Women’s Edition) and was nominated for the Manga Taisho Award two years straight, in 2023 and 2024. English rights were secured by Yen Press.

The official synopsis:

There was once a young girl in the 13th‑century slave markets of Iran.
This is the tale of a witch who toyed with a vast continent.
After losing her mother and being torn far from her homeland, Sitara found herself utterly alone.
Still young, with no ability to survive on her own and no hope for the future, she is taken in by Fatima, a kind‑hearted lady from a family of scholars.
“If you study and become wise, no matter what trouble befalls you, you’ll know the best way forward.”
Deeply moved by the words of Fatima’s son, Muhammad, Sitara came to understand the possibilities and importance of knowledge and begins to deepen her education.
She dreams that one day, she might catch up with Muhammad, who has set off on a journey in pursuit of wisdom…
Meanwhile, under the reign of Emperor Genghis Khan, the mighty Mongol Empire continues its unstoppable march, conquering nation after nation and expanding its influence across the world.
That boundless ambition finally reaches Sitara’s city. At the hands of the empire’s fourth prince, Tolui, her peaceful everyday life comes to an end.
Having lost everything, Sitara vows revenge against the all‑consuming empire.

Source: Press Release, Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia Official Website
©Tomato Soup(AKITASHOTEN)/Jaadugar Committee

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terimakasih sudah mengunjungi thecuy. 🙂