Critic’s Rating: 5 / 5.0
5
When Witch Hat Atelier, the anime adaptation of the manga of the same name, premiered on Crunchyroll in April, it immediately blew past fan expectations, with gorgeous art, authentic characters, and plotlines unfolding at a breakneck pace.
With the Season 1 Finale on the horizon, the most recent episodes have laid the groundwork for something truly spectacular: a climactic battle between the lawful Pointed Cap witches and the chaos-leaning Brimmed Hats.
Coco and Master Qifrey will both play major roles in who proves victorious, although neither is fully aware of the extent of their importance.
So far, the first season has quickly introduced Coco, Qifrey, and the apprentices, establishing relationships and motivations, and immersing the audience in a world of magic, danger, and secrets.
Tongari Bōshi no Atorie – Witch Hat Atelier
For the uninitiated, the Witch Hat Atelier manga series began as a Japanese magazine serialization titled Tongari Bōshi no Atorie in 2016. From its first publication, its fanbase grew exponentially, fueled by its 16 collected volumes and spinoff series, Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen, which premiered in 2019.
The official synopsis of the manga series is, “In a world where only witches can cast magic, they must avoid being seen by ordinary people while casting.
“While Coco does her chores, she daydreams of becoming a witch. When a young witch named Qifrey visits her village, Coco uncovers the “absolute secret,” becomes Qifrey’s apprentice, and begins her studies. This is the story of children who encounter despair, yet reach out toward hope.“
Consistently praised for its fantastical world-building, engaging characters, and thrilling narratives, the award-winning Witch Hat Atelier series has sold over seven million copies worldwide. Adapting such a beloved IP into an animated series was an ambitious endeavor.
Coco and Qifrey
At the center of Witch Hat Atelier are Coco, a young girl who has been obsessed with magic since childhood, and Qifrey, a witch master who teaches apprentices at his school, or atelier.
They meet when Qifrey visits Coco’s mother’s cloth shop, presenting as a run-of-the-mill customer. That encounter sparks the flame of perilous knowledge, which explodes in a tragedy that leaves Coco in Qifrey’s care.
The audience’s entry point into the world and its magic, Coco’s youthful fervor and enthusiasm, carry her into catastrophe and lay a heavy burden on her shoulders.
Qifrey, on the other hand, seems to live in a gray zone of dilemmas. His personal motivations are not yet clear by the midpoint of the season, but he’s definitely gunning for a spot on our Good Guys Who Cross the Line list.
Magic is a Miracle That Makes the World Vibrant
The brilliance of Witch Hat Atelier’s narrative lies in how the villainous Brimmed Hat witches are never in the spotlight but are always pulling the strings.
Years before Qifrey would meet Coco, the girl had already been targeted for an unusual life. She’s an unwitting part of a secret battle between powerful magic users.
It all began when a masked Brimmed Hat lured her with a glowing butterfly illusion as a small child and gave her the tools of magic in the guise of a picture book and a wand.
After spying on Qifrey working magic, the not-much-older Coco realizes her “wand” is actually a pen and special ink, and her “picture book” contains spells which activate when drawn with the ink.
This results in her casting a spell that petrifies her entire home and mother. Qifrey barely manages to save her, but when he prepares to erase her memory as per the rules of wizarding, she begs him not to, so she can try to save her mother.
Now, that, folks, is how you write a series premiere. All of the above occurs on Witch Hat Atelier Season 1 Episode 1, “The Magic That Started Everything.”
Crossing the Threshold
When Qifrey realizes that the book Coco copied her spells from could hold the key to his personal quest, he chooses to take her on as an apprentice rather than wipe her memory. So not exactly a selfless act.
This sets Coco on a strange and potentially deadly path. As an outsider, she is ignorant of all the risks inherent in various magical activities. (Also, she’s overly optimistic about how her fellow apprentices will welcome her.)
At the same time, it puts Qifrey in a treacherous position. Something, it turns out, he’s not unfamiliar with.
The truth that anyone can work magic with the special ink is one held sacrosanct and policed by some scary-looking folks called the Knights Moralis.
Life at the atelier drops Coco and viewers deep into the magical environment, complete with communal meals, miraculous-seeming devices, and tedious exercises.
It’s also a world fraught with perilous tasks and tests, any of which could trap or kill an unprepared apprentice.
Relationships are everything in Witch Hat Atelier. The character animation perfectly captures the nuanced interplay between the cheerful Tetia, enigmatic Richeh, driven Agott, and eager Coco.
Orbiting the apprentices are Qifrey and Olruggio, long-time colleagues with the candid honesty only an era of shared lived experience can foster.
Everyone carries their own baggage. The truth of each character’s backstory unfolds organically as Coco settles into life at the atelier.
How she handles roommate and inadvertent rival Agott’s animosity is nearly Pollyanna in its unwavering positivity, but although she wasn’t born into the knowledge of witchcraft, Coco’s superpower is her innovative solutions and optimism.
Here, There Be Dragons
Monsters aren’t subtle, but they can be sneaky. Does rule-breaking make you monstrous, or is it the strict adherence to them? Or does evil lurk in the ambiguous nature of any rule deemed absolute?
Witch Hat Atelier Season 1 delves into the very human emotions of value, inadequacy, and resilience. Fear grips everyone at some point. Every character faces their worst nightmare.
And the hardest lesson to learn is that magic can’t fix everything and often makes things worse.
For fans of the manga series, Witch Hat Atelier Season 1 has been totally worth the three-plus years’ wait, as it breathes life into the characters, magic, and environs they’ve loved for so long.
For newcomers, the anime impresses with its comprehensive introduction that doesn’t overwhelm. Rather, it sweeps viewers up with its grand art style, enchants us with its world-building, and intrigues us with its deeper plot.
It’s a near-impossible task to adapt a literary source to serial animated form perfectly, but Witch Hat Atelier works its own kind of spell and manages this feat with style and grace.
Will the Pact Hold?
With only four episodes left in the series, we can expect the apprentices will need to draw on their training, ingenuity, and inner strength to overcome obstacles they never thought they’d have to face.
Qifrey’s secrets will come to light. Olruggio will have to choose between duty and loyalty. And the Knights Moralis will have their hands full.
The real question is whether the order established on the Day of the Pact is truly sustainable.
Can the lawful witches remain good people if they are forced to do harmful things in the name of the Pact? Are the Brimmed Hats truly evil if what they seek is free access to knowledge?
Over to you, Fanatics!
Where will Witch Hat Atelier Season 1 leave us with the finale?
What will be revealed? Who will lose the most?
Hit our comments with your thoughts and theories!
New episodes of Witch Hat Atelier stream on Crunchyroll every Monday, with the Season 1 Finale premiering on June 22.
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