Mar 31, 2023
I’m not a seasoned critic at all, but there’s so much to love about Witch Hat Atelier that I felt compelled to write a little bit on it, and then this review happened, so.
Witch Hat Atelier’s best and most salient quality is, of course, its artwork. Every page and panel is a marvel to behold, both in its expression of Shirahama’s technical skill and creativity in presentation. There is no effort spared, and even the mundane trappings of baking a potato are made so attractive and satisfying to look at, all in a style that so perfectly conveys a world of magic and wonder. The
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paneling and page layouts are the most creative and engaging I’ve seen in any manga, period. I strongly believe the artwork alone is a strong enough selling point, and I’m happy to report that Witch Hat’s dramatic visuals don’t betray the story’s substance.
There is much more to Witch Hat than its art, which exists in its characters and worldbuilding. Keeping this review as spoiler-free as possible, the story introduces our bright and cheery young protagonist, Coco, who is characterized by her love of magic and wonder, the secrets of which are concealed by witches. Through a somewhat cliché set of hijinks and shenanigans, she is introduced to Qifrey, who takes her on as an apprentice due to her extenuating circumstances. Where Witch Hat Atelier makes itself unique amongst other works in this genre, is strong and charismatic characterization. Everyone introduced throughout the plot of the story has a well-defined persona established through both character design and dialogue. There is a sense of realism to their lives; they’ve existed before the events of the plot being told, and will continue to exist long after this series has concluded. This holds true for over 60 chapters I’ve read thus far.
Being a magical fantasy story, I’m delighted to report that the setting and world building is phenomenal. Conversely, strong and substantial worldbuilding is a prerequisite to the success of any fantasy story of this nature, and I believe that Witch Hat Atelier’s worldbuilding is much stronger when it's expressed through backgrounds and character designs rather than dialogue. Being a story presented from the perspective of a child with no knowledge of the magic world, long-winded exposition and large dialogue bubbles are an inevitability. Fortunately, Shirahama’s visual presentation of key moments of exposition certainly make these far less than unbearable. From the tools and contraptions to the animals and foliage, and even the traditions that witches practice; it’s so refreshing to see mangaka spend time on the intricate details that make a fantasy world come to life on the pages.
The most delightful and surprising quality of Witch Hat Atelier is how deftly it presents and tackles its greater themes: injustice, childhood vs. adulthood, loss of innocence, and most notably, the morality of controlling and limiting access to knowledge, in this case, knowledge of magic. Presented from the perspective of a 12 year old child, it’s almost incomprehensible how Shirahama is able to weave these greater questions and conflicts into the story without compromising its magical charm and wonder, even going so far as to tackle sexual assault and victim blaming in one section. Witch Hat Atelier has a surprising amount of meat on its bones for a story that is primarily marketed towards young girls. While there are certainly numerous physical threats presented throughout the plot of Witch Hat, the psychological conflicts in Coco's alienation in the world of witches, and the greater war between the Pointed Cap and Brimmed Caps are certainly the highlights of the plot. Placed alongside compelling characterization, intricate artwork, and strong worldbuilding, even a few lines of dialogue and can make a story beat hit like a ton of fucking bricks.
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This was originally written in ~20 minutes in the MAL Review textbox, but Witch Hat Atelier is just so compelling to me that I wanted to do it justice, and express just how much it means to me. Having sat on this review for 4 days in a Google doc, I can certainly proclaim that this story is definitely worth your time.
Thanks for reading, much love. ✧∘*
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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