Anime has experienced a boom in fantasy series with shows like Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and the newly christened Harvey Award for Best Manga, It’s fun in the Dungeon. While these shows drew a generation into the anime scene as refreshing series that aren’t just isekai shows, there’s another legendary anime figure hustling to release a trio of legendary anime worth watching: Witch Hat Atelier.
Witch Hat Ateliercreated by Kamome Shirahama, follows Coco, a young girl who dreams of becoming a witch. However, the wizarding world is shrouded in secrecy and forbidden by ordinary people like him. Coco’s life takes a dramatic turn when she discovers the secret that spelling words requires nothing more than drawing symbols on paper, reminiscent of a storybook from her youth. Unfortunately, his foolish foray into magic brings disaster, angering his mother and home with a forbidden spell. Another series follows Coco’s journey under the tutelage of Qifrey, a kind and skilled sorceress, as she delves deeper into the arcane arts, hoping to reverse the spell and save her mother.
Shirahama first entered the manga scene with his first series, Eniale & Dewielapublished by Beam Comics. Besides his role as a manga artist, he has contributed his drawing skills to Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and star Warsamong other American comic franchises. His serialization of Witch Hat Atelier started in 2016 in Monthly Morning Two magazine. The series attracted audiences in Japan and gained worldwide acclaim, receiving numerous manga awards throughout France, Spain, and other countries. It has been honored with prestigious awards such as the Eisner Award and the Harvey Award in the United States.
Earlier this year at Anime Expo, Crunchyroll revealed that a trailer for its upcoming anime will be hosted Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead studio Bug Films. The anime also has the honor of being the first fantasy project Dark Souls again Elden Ring composer Yuka Kitamura will be involved since he left Software last year.
With Witch Hat Atelier will premiere next year, we sat down (almost) with Shirahama (via Kodansha US Publishing translator Misaki Kido) during New York Comic Con to learn more about how he came up with the series and what he hopes fans will get. of the anime.
Isaiah Colbert, io9: How it feels to finally be Witch Hat Atelier do you get the anime adaptation by Bug Films?
Kamome Shirahama: I am very happy and looking forward to it. I think I can be the most excited person about anime coming out.
io9: What inspired you to start writing Witch Hat Atelier after working on another series of similar dreams Eniale & Dewiela? Were there other stories, whether from Marvel or other mangaka, that inspired your first series, story, and characters?
Kamome Shirahama: I had this idea to write a story about a world where everyone can use magic for a long time. Even since I was working on my previous series. Although my previous series was very short because that was what was expected of the job, I took it as an assignment. However, while I was working on those, I had this idea of a worldview that I wanted to write about, which ended up being Witch Hat Atelier.
io9: Witch Hat Atelier it’s unique because it’s not just a fantasy series about witches, but it’s also a universal story about learning a new skill and the value and danger of one’s persistence in the pursuit of kingship. In what ways does Coco’s journey to learn how to become a witch reflect your own as an artist and magician?
Kamome Shirahama: I feel that, as an artist, I am making the same effort as Coco to fulfill my dream of becoming an artist. In that sense, I feel that my effort was successful, so I tried to express a good impression to Coco in that sense. The reason why I used magic as a metaphor [for] intelligence [is] that there are many ways in which you can express your creativity. Whether you use TikTok or YouTube or whatever you post on social media is a saying. However, there is a dangerous side to putting these talks out into the world on the Internet. I think that speaking up always comes with responsibility, and this is the point I wanted to make in the series.
io9: Witch Hat Atelier it sets itself apart from other fantasy series with its magic system guided by the magician’s skill in drawing symbols instead of the traditional wand. How did you come up? Witch Hat Atelier’s magic system?
Kamome Shirahama: I wanted students to feel the difficulty of trying to learn art or magic. Sometimes there is an easier way to do something. Those are the kinds of features I wanted to bring out in this worldview.
io9: Witch Hat Atelier has the distinction of being beaten by veteran FromSoftware developer Yuka Kitamura, who worked Elden Ring, Dark Soulsand other high fantasy video game projects. What was it like to learn that he was going to be part of the anime adaptation?
Kamome Shirahama: [Kitamura-san] produces very cool songs. He is a great composer. Most of his themes tend to lean towards the genre of dark theme songs. But when I was given a demo tape of the music of Witch Hat Atelier that we use in promotional videos, I thought this really fit the world view Witch Hat Atelier. I felt that this creator was very talented and I was looking forward to listening to more of his music.
io9: Buzz of Witch Hat AtelierAnime adaptation has reached fever pitch in the United States. Some fans even consider it one of the “Big Three” like A brush, Narutoagain One piece but with fantasy anime series aside It’s fun in the Dungeon again Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. How does it feel to know that fans are holding your series to such acclaim alongside this mangaka woman’s dream series?
Kamome Shirahama: (laughs) Actually, this is the first time I heard that we were called “The Big Three.” I actually enjoy reading the book It’s fun in the Dungeon again Frierenpersonally. I read manga and watch anime so it’s quite an honor to be on a list with great titles together.
When I was growing up, there were a lot of fairy tale series that came out of movies and TV shows like that The Lord of the Rings again [The Chronicles of] Narnia. Now I’m older than that and that generation of artists has grown up and created their own series of dreams. Which means that those people who will be watching this new “Big Three” series may be making their own dream series five to 10 years down the line. So, I will really look forward to that.
the holy trinity of fantasy manga adaptations is finally alive <33 pic.twitter.com/I63GQFWTXz
— 🍉🌿 (@shinkanes) July 5, 2024
io9: What do you hope anime fans will take away from watching Witch Hat AtelierAnime that you think is often overlooked for your manga? It could be how your panels look like embroidered picture frames or how you show a lot of touch Witch Hat Ateliertelling a story while incorporating lighter moments to provide a little relief. How will the anime adapt to the unique tone of your manga?
Kamome Shirahama: Now that you mention it, it is possible [that the] manga and anime are very different. There may be differences in the way you can enjoy something like an illustration in a manga. [It] it may be slightly different if there is movement when it becomes an anime. But the underlying message of manga and anime is exactly the same. So, whatever the audience has seen by watching the new anime I just want them to feel what they can feel naturally.
Witch Hat Atelier will release on Crunchyroll sometime in 2025.
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