A girl on a quest to save her mother tries to unlock the secret power hidden deep inside her, but to do so she must be instructed by an unassuming magic teacher with an agenda of his own. The set up seems familiar, the story feels traditional. But, in Witch Hat Atelier the characters are intriguing and the animation is gorgeous. The tone of the show is a gentle complement to Frieren; Beyond Journey’s End. Even the English voice acting offers a nice change of pace with a range of accents and a subtly in the delivery that draws viewers in. This, along with the stylish character design and gorgeous background art make the soft vibes and periodic peril worth watching. The idea of cozy fantasy evokes storytelling that is focused more on quiet human interactions rather than the (also present) big magic battles. Witch Hat Atelier is that kind of friendship-focused story.
Young Coco is a little girl who lives an ordinary life with her seamstress mother in a rural medieval-like village. In Coco’s world, witches are special magic experts who are able to help the rest of humanity with their supernatural skills. In most versions of witches, wizards, and mages magic is an innate skill that must be trained in the few who possess it. But in Witch Hat Atelier, there is a very big secret about magic, it’s based on drawing specific sigils and runes and, therefore theoretically anyone can do it. To keep magic from being abused, this truth is a closely guarded secret and any untrained people who stumble upon it get their memories erased. When the charming quirky witch Qifrey comes to visit Coco’s town an unknown spirit gives her a forbidden magic book that lets her in on the secret. Since she’s always desperately dreamed of being a witch she can’t help but test out the strange drawings in the book. But disaster strikes when her spell turns her mother into stone. Although protocol demands that Coco’s memories be erased, Qifrey has pity on her and decides to take in the now orphaned girl to teach her how to become a proper witch. Coco hopes that she can learn enough magic to break the spell on her mother and Qifrey hopes he can use Coco to find the evil “brimmed cap” witch who lured the child with forbidden magic. Qifrey takes Coco to his cozy but isolated atelier where Coco meets his other young students, the aloof Agott, friendly Tetia, and uptight Richeh. They are later joined by Qifrey’s magic instructor friend Olruggio. Coco struggles to keep up with the more experienced students and the group is periodically targeted by the evil witch league known at the Brimmed Caps who have an attachment to old, forbidden magic. The repeated presence of the Brimmed Caps or elements of forbidden magic lead the local magic law enforcement to suspect that Coco may be in league with the Brimmed Caps. But as the story progresses, viewers discover that Qifrey has a secret agenda of his own.
Witch Hat Atelier is distinctive for both its art style and its focus on children. Many anime adventures involve children who are somewhere in adolescence, at least in middle school or all the way to older teens. In Witch Hat Atelier the four girls are distinctly young, grade school age, although the medieval style setting makes the usual societal reference points less clear. The children are physically small, emotionally immature, and quite vulnerable despite their fledgling magical abilities. Having four little girls without a mother figure is an interesting choice that inherently creates its own baseline tension even as the larger adventures appear. There are male adults in the primary and supporting cast but there are almost no adult women characters other than the friendly mentor Alaira (who appears very briefly early and returns in the final episode) and there is a brief interaction with a nurse when Coco gets sick. The intrigue escalates as we learn more about the girls’ teacher, the charming and kind young man Qifrey. At first glance Qifrey seems older or age-ambiguous due to his white hair and spectacles, however it is quickly clear that he is a relatively young adult. The truth about Qifrey is also an intriguing mystery. He repeatedly demonstrates genuine concern for the well-being of his four little students, especially the new and naïve Coco. However, he intentionally keeps his children separate from the main, central atelier institution, and he engages in enough questionable behavior to make viewers wonder what exactly is going on with him.
Despite the intrigue with him, the focus of the story is on the children, and on Coco in particular. If you don’t like little kids, especially sheltered naïve kids making poor choices, this may not be the right show for you. But the pacing is thoughtful and the vibe is reminiscent of a less murder-y Frieren or like a G-rated version of The Apothecary Diaries. Coco, as the main character, is sweet, gentle, good-hearted, and brave. But she is also naïve and careless in a way that may be age appropriate but is still frustrating to watch. Each of the children fit a particular personality extreme. Agott is the grouchy, aloof, loner. Richeh is kind, but uptight and oppositionally defiant. Tetia is the friendly, sensible, diplomatic, pleaser. Coco is the wide-eyed, brave, but naive optimist. Fortunately, her naïve sweetness is balanced by her significant cleverness and her insight into the feelings of others. A major part of her appeal is her effect on the other characters. Like Tohru in Fruits Basket, Coco is a child who, despite losing everything, is able to care deeply for others and help them make meaningful improvements in their world view. Coco and the grouchy Agott have a major character arc in the first season. However, my favorite interaction is Coco’s friendship with the young apothecary boy Tartah. The two of them are adorable in their childhood vulnerability and their mutual kindness to and inspiration of each other. Tartah is a particularly great side character who manages to be calm, practical, and insightful. He quietly observes much of what is going on when things are about to fall apart. And he is also the only character who catches on to Qifrey’s suspicious behavior but, nevertheless, is measured in his approach to investigating it.
Despite the presence of adults in the story, the adventure is primarily from the point of view of the children and the tone is that of a coming of age adventure. Unfortunately, the first season Witch Hat Atelier ends on quite a bit of a cliff-hanger that will have the anime-only viewers hurrying to grab a copy of the manga to see how things turn out. I did and it was quite worth it.
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Highlights:
Nerd Coefficient: 8/10
POSTED BY: Ann Michelle Harris – Multitasking, fiction writing Trekkie currently dreaming of her next beach vacation.
Highlights:
- Cozy, kid focused content
- Gorgeous animation and character design
- Balance of cuteness and tension
Nerd Coefficient: 8/10
POSTED BY: Ann Michelle Harris – Multitasking, fiction writing Trekkie currently dreaming of her next beach vacation.
