Witch Hat Atelier Sweeps Readers Off Their Feet
Explore with Coco and unlock the secret to magic, however some things may be better left unsaid.
By Sharon Kim
Explore with Coco and unlock the secret to magic, however some things may be better left unsaid.
By Sharon Kim
If you’re an avid fan of Studio Ghibli works, you shouldn’t pass up this gem of a manga.
“Tongari Boushi no Atelier,” or “The Witch Hat Atelier,” is a fantasy manga series illustrated and written by Kamome Shirahama. This manga series has won the Harvey Award for best manga and the Eisner Award for its international success in the U.S. as well. With 4.5 million copies in circulation, this series is definitely the real deal.
We are introduced to a fantastical world full of magic and wonder, where witches are praised and revered by the general public as only they can wield magic, yet one must be born a witch to have powers. Coco, a village girl, is our bright but young protagonist. She possesses the bittersweet dream of one day being a magician herself, yet everything changes one day when Qifrey, a magician passing by, helps some carriage riders with their faulty wheel, and borrows their fabric shop to mend it. However, as Coco takes a peek when Qifrey casts magic to fix the wheel, she is struck with the odd realization that magic is casted through pen and paper. As Coco attempts to perform magic herself in a book she was gifted by a masked stranger, she accidentally casts her own mother into stone. Qifrey saves Coco just in time and instead of wiping Coco’s memories, decides to take her under his wing as an apprentice and promises that she may be able to lift the curse on her mother one day. This, however, earns her a questionable reputation among witches as an outsider and her troubles only seem to multiply.
A big component of this series that really makes it shine is its thorough yet comprehensive world building and magic system. The world the author builds feels so rich and lived in, as if I stopped reading a chapter right then, the world would still run and function. The characters and their designs?! Oh man, what eye candy. Each character has their own distinct silhouette and eye shape. Detail wasn’t spared on the background characters either, with a wide variety of facial features, body shapes and expressions. Each panel leaves no white space, as detailed landscapes or flowing capes fill it all. Even the composition of the panels work in tandem with each other which allows cool visual effects that make the images pop off the page. This manga is just a gold mine for artistic creativity and blows me away everytime.
In this whimsical and vibrant world however are dark forces working underground. Don’t let the cute style fool you that this story isn't without its drama, villains and tragedy. Yet even the sinister forces have complexity to them on that line of good and bad. The story will sometimes have you really questioning who's on the right side of justice, which I love.
Coco walks that fine line after accidentally performing forbidden magic herself, as she unfortunately gets wrapped up in the disturbing plans of the Brim Hats, witches that practice forbidden magic. So as Coco does her best to learn all that magic has to offer through trials and hard truths, will it be enough to set her mother free or would she have to resort to unsavory methods to get her way?
So to sum it up, the world building in “The Witch Hat Atelier” is phenomenal, the art is impeccable and the storytelling captivating. You really should pick up this masterpiece if you are looking for an A+ manga to read.
“Tongari Boushi no Atelier,” or “The Witch Hat Atelier,” is a fantasy manga series illustrated and written by Kamome Shirahama. This manga series has won the Harvey Award for best manga and the Eisner Award for its international success in the U.S. as well. With 4.5 million copies in circulation, this series is definitely the real deal.
We are introduced to a fantastical world full of magic and wonder, where witches are praised and revered by the general public as only they can wield magic, yet one must be born a witch to have powers. Coco, a village girl, is our bright but young protagonist. She possesses the bittersweet dream of one day being a magician herself, yet everything changes one day when Qifrey, a magician passing by, helps some carriage riders with their faulty wheel, and borrows their fabric shop to mend it. However, as Coco takes a peek when Qifrey casts magic to fix the wheel, she is struck with the odd realization that magic is casted through pen and paper. As Coco attempts to perform magic herself in a book she was gifted by a masked stranger, she accidentally casts her own mother into stone. Qifrey saves Coco just in time and instead of wiping Coco’s memories, decides to take her under his wing as an apprentice and promises that she may be able to lift the curse on her mother one day. This, however, earns her a questionable reputation among witches as an outsider and her troubles only seem to multiply.
A big component of this series that really makes it shine is its thorough yet comprehensive world building and magic system. The world the author builds feels so rich and lived in, as if I stopped reading a chapter right then, the world would still run and function. The characters and their designs?! Oh man, what eye candy. Each character has their own distinct silhouette and eye shape. Detail wasn’t spared on the background characters either, with a wide variety of facial features, body shapes and expressions. Each panel leaves no white space, as detailed landscapes or flowing capes fill it all. Even the composition of the panels work in tandem with each other which allows cool visual effects that make the images pop off the page. This manga is just a gold mine for artistic creativity and blows me away everytime.
In this whimsical and vibrant world however are dark forces working underground. Don’t let the cute style fool you that this story isn't without its drama, villains and tragedy. Yet even the sinister forces have complexity to them on that line of good and bad. The story will sometimes have you really questioning who's on the right side of justice, which I love.
Coco walks that fine line after accidentally performing forbidden magic herself, as she unfortunately gets wrapped up in the disturbing plans of the Brim Hats, witches that practice forbidden magic. So as Coco does her best to learn all that magic has to offer through trials and hard truths, will it be enough to set her mother free or would she have to resort to unsavory methods to get her way?
So to sum it up, the world building in “The Witch Hat Atelier” is phenomenal, the art is impeccable and the storytelling captivating. You really should pick up this masterpiece if you are looking for an A+ manga to read.