Beauty and Atmosphere
In a world where only the chosen few wield magic, ordinary people can only dream of sorcery. And so, Coco – a small resident of an ordinary village – has dreamed of becoming a witch since childhood. But, as is known, magicians are not made, they are born. Therefore, this path is closed to the girl.
However, everything changes when she meets a wizard named Qifrey. Coco manages to uncover the most important secret of magic, which sorcerers guard with all their might from ordinary people – the "uninitiated." The girl immediately rushes to try her hand, but a tragedy occurs, because one of the spells turns out to be forbidden. It consumes Coco's mother and almost becomes fatal for Coco herself.
The heroine is saved by Qifrey, who finds in her a thread that can lead him to the trail of evil wizards – a group calling themselves the Brimmed Caps. Therefore, he decides not to erase Coco's memory, as he should, but takes her as an apprentice.
The story turned out to be cute, but standard. There is a protagonist who enters a world hidden from the eyes of ordinary people; there is a group of antagonists plotting somewhere in the background; there is a teacher, friends, magic, and so on. So why did "Witch Hat Atelier" receive such flattering reviews?
One of the reasons I believe is the very warm and pleasant atmosphere. It is achieved through a well-thought-out setting, excellent characters, beautiful music, and magnificent artwork. Especially in the first episode, where we are just immersed in this amazing world. Bright colors, correct camera accents, and Coco's super expressive emotions the moment she sees magic – all this creates a magical mood, immersing us completely. Just like Hayao Miyazaki's works, but in a serial format.
Over time, the degree of fairy tale magic subsides, and the anime becomes a more typical work for the genre. But the overall style still makes itself felt. And it does so precisely when the viewer might start to get tired. Therefore, watching "Witch Hat Atelier" is not boring even during everyday scenes, which in other projects can be listened to in the background.
Magic as Art
But the main feature of this universe is magic, because here it is not at all like in most other works. Sorcery does not require internal magical power, the presence of mana, or anything that has long become a cliché. Anyone can cast spells in this world – all that is needed are special inks and knowledge of magical formulas that can be combined as desired.
Magic emphasizes intellect in a direct sense, as the abilities of the heroes depend on their knowledge and ingenuity. And in the long run, this can change the entire approach to the further development of the story.
Thus, instead of the usual protagonist training, Coco will develop in other ways that reflect her talent. After all, the little heroine can never compare in strength with adult wizards in the usual sense. But she is capable of coming up with something unusual – her own unique magic.
This is the secret of the wizards. They separated from ordinary people because magic accessible to everyone threatened order: the more people who can cast spells, the higher the risk of evil wizards and spells appearing that can greatly harm people.
In addition, such magic can easily be called art in a more direct sense, because learning here comes down to the heroes simply learning to draw, practicing how to correctly draw the necessary symbols on paper (or any other surface).
For example, in one of the episodes, another character – also a child – in a difficult moment reworked an existing spell. The new version began to reflect the inner world of the hero, which is what creativity should do.
Therefore, magic in this anime is mesmerizing. Looking at how wizards act, it's easy to imagine yourself in this world. Because from the outside, there is nothing in it that we haven't encountered in our lives: at school, at work, in hobbies, and so on. This connects the work with the viewer.
Heroes and Destiny
Thanks to the main magical secret, the question of talents and destiny arises, which Coco voices from the first frames of the first episode: can we become anyone, or is our fate predetermined? And many characters directly or indirectly reflect this idea.
Coco turned out to be very enthusiastic. She radiates energy, sharing her love for magic through the screen, which makes you believe in her and rejoice in her successes. Despite the fact that the heroine had never practiced magic before, she applies skills from ordinary life, cleverly passing tests. With this, she proves that we can become anyone.
Agatha initially annoys with her contemptuous attitude towards Coco. All because of her origin, which results in a not very pleasant scene. But this act also has its reasons, which are well revealed in the plot a little later, and Agatha can be understood.
Qifrey is outwardly kind and pleasant; he treats everyone with respect, regardless of origin. But at the right moment, he can become serious and even frightening. Although the hero violated the prohibition by not erasing Coco's memory, he supports the general idea of secrecy.
Also, Qifrey is a very powerful wizard, and in combination with his specific design, he is associated with the character Satoru Gojo from the anime "Jujutsu Kaisen." Especially when in one scene he instantly dealt with a huge monster – only the familiar phrase "domain expansion" was missing for complete similarity. This has already spawned many memes online.
The Brimmed Caps are still intriguing tangentially. The actions of the rogue mages, who do not shy away from forbidden spells, are not always clear, although their goals are. The ideology that the antagonists propagate is important here: these guys are against prohibitions and secrets. They want magic to become public domain, as it once was, and for all prohibitions on its use to be lifted. Coco will certainly play an important role in this conflict and, perhaps, change the world in the future – all because of her origin.
And this influence is already noticeable in Tarta. He has suffered from a developmental disorder since birth. But inspired by Coco, he finds a way to overcome his limitations and find his own path.
Verdict
The anime "Witch Hat Atelier" can safely be called a unique work in the fantasy genre. It stands out with its world, presentation, and philosophy.
The magic system presented here is especially cool and unusual, easily comparable to art. It brings us closer to what is shown on screen, because the characters often do familiar things, which makes it easy to imagine yourself as Qifrey's apprentice, for example. Magic changes the usual narrative rules for the genre. It is more realistic and elegant – not at all what we are used to.
The themes raised by the plot only deepen the connection with the viewer, as the question of self-determination is close to each of us. It is quite possible that this anime will inspire someone to change their life path or at least take up a new hobby.
The paradox is that "Witch Hat Atelier" seems both familiar and, at the same time, unusual and very magical. It maintains a good balance between these components and, I hope, will continue to do so in subsequent seasons.