Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 1: A Touch of Magic

⬦ Exquisite & Beautiful Illustrations
⬦ Intriguing Magic System
⬦ Cast of Likeable Characters
⬦ Engaging Plot & Mysteries
⬦ Fantastical Worldbuilding

In a world where only witches can do magic, MC wasn't born a witch, yet dreams of doing magic. But magic is not actually only limited to witches and her experiments with the magical book from a mysterious stranger results in her mother being petrified into stone. Now she must become an apprentice to a witch to learn how to undo the magic and save her mother, while her new mentor has motives of his own as he tries to hunt down the mysterious stranger who gave her that magical book. As for that mysterious stranger, why did he give her that book and why does he call her their "one and show more only hope" 👀?

When I read the author's foreword about this story being inspired by a friends comment that "the process of bringing an illustration into the world seemed just like magic", I knew I was in for a treat 😳 As an artist myself, I really love and resonate with how the magic system is based on and parallels art practice. I also adored how MC overcame the trial in her test by applying the tailoring skills she learnt from her mother and creating a different type of magic using a medium she was more familiar with.

MC is so cute and loveable, and has me 1000% rooting for her! The other apprentices are also soooo adorable and I especially love MC's dynamic with her grumpy roommate and would love to see how it develops! The mentor is very intriguing and seems to have mysterious motives of his own, and I'm SO curious about what the mysterious stranger wants with MC.

The translation was clear and easy to read, so I think they did a fantastic job bringing this story to an English audience! I'm also obsessed with the beautiful art style with its intricate inking and delightful compositions! Every panel is a work of art and worth staring at for all the details. This is truly a love poem to illustration and uses it to its full effect for storytelling! show less

Coco has been fascinated by magic since she was a little girl and bought a picture book about magic - but witches are born, not made, and unfortunately, Coco was not born with the gift for magic. She just promised her mom she would give up on her dream to become a witch when she meets Qifrey, a mysterious, traveling magician. After finding out the real truth behind magic, Coco discovers her dream of being a witch is now within her reach. But a misfortunate event happens when she tries and now she's become an apprentice of Qifrey to hopefully learn how to undo what's been done.

I saw this as a recommendation for those who love the Disney Channel show "The Owl House" and I've got to say, I absolutely love this. It's adorable and I fell in show more love with Coco; such a strong will young girl. Even when she has her doubts, she gives herself a little pep talk and she's back at it again.

Very similar to Owl House, where the main character, a human named Luz, draws in order to use magic, the witches in Witch Hat Atelier do the same - though a bit more complicated. My understanding though is that the two medias (Owl House and Witch Hat Atelier) stand completely on their own.

The artwork is amazingly and beautifully presented in this manga. Nothing was ever too muddy to look at. Even in black and white I could tell just how amazing the world looked.

Though the whole 'roommate doesn't like the new arrival' thing is a bit overused, I like that Agott isn't completely against Coco. Even if she tries to send Coco out to do something she's not quite ready for just to try and prove a point... I'm curious to see how their relationship turns out further down the line. show less

The art in Witch Hat Atelier is absolutely beautiful, I am very impressed. Manga influenced by Art Deco (I think)? What a wonderful idea! I can't bring myself to say the same thing about the story. Please remind me, how many times have we seen the "underdog goes to a magic school" plot? Exactly!

However, looking at all this artwork is good for the soul and I am a little curious to see what happens next, hence the four stars. So I'll take a look at volume 2 at some point ;)

Witch Hat Atelier is a charming, unique take on the common premise of a magicless girl (named Coco) wanting to be a witch. One day Coco meets a male witch named Qifrey and after she witnesses how he uses magic (by drawing magical runes and using magical ink), Coco accidentally casts a spell that turns her mother to stone. As Coco does not know which magic spell she cast and Qifrey is tracking the sinister coven that could be behind the incident, he takes Coco as his apprentice in order to undo the spell and allow her to fulfill her dream. But sinister forces have other plans for Coco...

What makes it unique is not only the worldbuilding (which rivals major works of fantasy), and the magic system, but also the art. It is simply beautiful show more and lush and very reminiscent of Studio Ghibli with elements of neo-classical illustration (think Maxfield Parrish). No wonder this series has had over 4.5 million copies in circulation. In 2020, the series even won the Harvey Award for the Best Manga category as well as the Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia. It's that good.

I look forward to reading more of Coco's adventures. show less

I started this volume ages ago and loved it, but it was online—and I'm extremely bad at reading manga online, so I waited until my library got these books into their system to continue. Even though (thus far) this first volume doesn't have anything extremely original, the art style is breathtakingly intricate and gorgeous and the characters utterly charming.

With a great love and wonder for magic, the young girl Coco longs to be a witch. But witches must be born with the talent for magic, and Coco was not. She's managed an okay job of living an unmagical life—until she sees a powerful witch named Qifrey perform magic in her small village. Inspired to try a spell herself, she realizes the truth behind magic and witches, and she might show more even see her dream come true, but it comes at a great cost.

I have a hard time reviewing manga, I think mostly because I don't have a whole ton of experience with it and because many of the clichés and stereotypes, etc., are then unfamiliar to me. But what I can say is that this art style (along with Sana Takeda's) is fantastically detailed and probably one of the best I've ever seen. I could look at some of those panels for hours and still find something new to be awed by.

The story is still in its infancy, and I don't have much to say about that yet, but the characters are another highlight: each one has their own set of quirks and each one is instantly lovable. (The best one, of course, is the little brushbug, who reminds me of a ferret.)

I look forward to seeing how these characters develop and where the story goes from here! show less

Nice art and an intriguing mythology with drawing and calligraphy as the basis of witchcraft is pulled down a little by low-key pacing and pretty cliched set-up, as an unlikely candidate stumbles into becoming a clumsy magician's apprentice (Mickey Mouse) but has the potential to be the savior of the world (Neo) if only she can cope with the hazing from her grumpy roommate/fellow apprentice/nemesis (Dr. Strange/Baron Mordo).

I'll definitely pick up the next volume when it comes into the library.

A refreshing coming of age story of a young witch that is decidedly unlike Harry Potter. The characters are expressive and likeable. The world is unique and imaginative. The artwork is carefully crafted and framed with art nouveau flourish. The charactersr and architecture are an uncanny tribute to Studio Ghibli's early works. Truly a leg above most shojo manga. Recommended.