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When the premise of a series flat out says it involves a character collecting 1,000 tears, you know it’s going to be an emotional read. Even though Once Upon a Witch’s Death is a series that involves its heroine collecting “happy tears,” it’s still the kind of manga series that will get you all choked up. That’s because even from Meg Raspberry’s very first attempts in the first volume, we’re seeing a window into heartfelt moments that showcase sympathetic situations.
Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for the first volume of the Once Upon a Witch’s Death manga below.
Once Upon a Witch’s Death kicks off with its premise the moment the manga begins. On Meg Raspberry’s 17th birthday, her mentor Faust the Eternal Witch tells her she’s cursed to die. In one year, when she turns 18, it will take effect. After confirming it isn’t a bad joke, Faust explains that if Meg can nurture a Seed of Life, she can save herself and gain immortality. However, in order to do so, she must fill a glass bottle with 1,000 tears of happiness earned via helping people.
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Of course, Meg is so impetuous that she actually dashes out to try and fill the jar with joy before giving Faust a chance to completely explain. But things work out in the end and, by the time the apprentice gets back home to her mentor, she’s already gotten two.
Once Upon a Witch’s Death is packed with emotion. Meg is incredibly expressive. This is mainly played up for comedic effect. Her anguish at finding out about her fate, then learning there’s a way to overcome it, to the despair at nobody finding her jokes super funny, is fantastic. Likewise, it’s an element that keeps coming up. Enthusiasm and reckless abandon constantly carries her through. So do occasionally dubious attempts to save time and complete her quest. Her second major happy tears attempt sort of starts with her exclaiming, “Why am I trying to make people people feel things the ethical way?” And when getting to the animal testing phase of her hormone-manipulating potion, she goes to an array of sweet animals and says, “Please… die in my place.” The extremes it goes to are hilarious. Especially in this manga adaptation.
But it is even more lovely when we do get to the heartwrenching, emotional, happy-cry kinds of moments. Because the Once Upon a Witch’s Death manga is filled with those too! It goes all-in right away, with a grieving family in town dealing with the death of the mother and a desire to do something in her memory. Then we move onto watching Meg try and help her best friend Fine fix a watch that belonged to someone she loved. It’s all so touching. Meg genuinely does have a talent for connecting with people and helping them, and it’s easy to get choked up when she succeeds.
Once Upon a Witch’s Death is a manga that relies heavily on emotion both to drive Meg’s journey and get the reader engrossed, and its first volume succeeds at it. The lead’s personality is so huge and entertaining that she inspires joy and can get you crying as a result of her outreach efforts. The scenarios at the outset all do a wonderful job of making you feel for everyone involved.
Volume 1 of Once Upon a Witch’s Death manga is available now, and Yen Press will release the second volume on July 28, 2026. It also handles the light novel. The anime adaptation is streaming on Crunchyroll.
