The art is phenomenal, and the magic is simultaneously magical and somewhat rule-based. But some of the side characters are unbelievable annoying. By chapter 8, multiple characters seem to exist only to victim-blame Coco.

For instance:


That said, this becomes less of a problem later on, which gives some of the more interesting characters a chance to shine.

... Last updated on October 19th, 2018, 1:26am

It started out fine but the longer I read the more bored I became of the story. It takes a lot to ruin magic so this is unique exp. The characters feel stock and 1D along with less than engaging plot means I dropped the series after a few ch. The art is lovely though.

This is clearly one of my all-time favorites. I just love the beautifully told story of Coco who wants to become a real witch at whatever the cost. There's emotional depth, mystery, humor, adventure and everything in between. The unique universe the mangaka came up with really has tons of potential. And the artwork is of extremely outstanding quality and quite magical in itself. Whenever I turn one of the pages, I'm blown away by how much detail there is in every single panel - you can easily tell that the mangaka loves their craft. Definitely read it or you're going to miss out on one of the most precious experiences in your manga life.

... Last updated on July 12th, 2018, 2:39am

I don't even remember how i stumbled across this series, but I'm so glad i did, the art is breathtaking, the characters are really likable specially the protagonist that quickly became someone i wanted to see succeed. But by far the best of the manga is the magic system, in mangas where magic is the main focus the magic is either too simplistic and with no clear rules or it's super complicated but it's boring to learn every single little detail, this manga is on the complicated site but because everything is done by drawings, it's not that hard to understand once you get familiarized with the principal symbols and it makes you want to learn along the way with the protagonist how every type of drawings works.

Now this series is not perfect, it's just starting so it could always get boring along the way, but as of now there's no evidence that's going to happen and the main problem is that as of the moment I am writing this review there's no one translating it, the manga is going to get an official release and I'm going to get it once it comes out, but waiting for the volumes to release is always a pain in the ass.

But anyway, i can see this manga rising to my favorite list on the near future. Anyone who loves manga where magic is the main focus should read it.

... Last updated on September 7th, 2018, 2:19pm

Witch Hat Atelier joins the wave of amazing seinen manga done by female mangaka. Created by one of the finest Japanese artists of the moment, every page feels like it comes out from a black and white artbook. And while the technique and detail in display is amazing, what is truly breath-taking is the paneling: in every chapter Shirahama Kamome manages to find novel ways to use the panels, giving it a look like nothing else on the market right now.

And, thankfully, the story and characters are up to the task, too. The world is intricate and detailed, with magic with clearly explained rules and mechanics that make it look like an actual craft or science of this world; magic is cast by drawing glyphs, and drawing them incorrectly can mess it up, or certain modifications in the glyph may augment or alter its functioning.

There's a sort of bureaucracy that regulates the usage of magic and decides who can and cannot cast spells, and going against it can end up with the culprit having his/her memories erased. This is said to be in place to prevent magic from being used as weapons, which caused wars before, but something else seems to be going on.

If you are eager to read a great and fresh fantasy manga that tries to attempt new angles, look no further. Witch Hat Atelier is one of the best you can find.

This manga is about a world of magic where magic is able to be used by anyone, but that fact is kept secret. Magic only needs special ink to be performed; draw a glyph with that ink, and voila, magic. Our main character learns this fact by a strange hand of fate, and is shakily propelled into the world of magical apprenticeship. It's GREAT. Has very strong, very memorable characters and a very intriguing story. And that ART. Good GOD. Wrote a long review on the series you can read below. Damn, great manga.

Full review:
https://terrenceswiff.wordpress.com/2017/10/15/witch-hat-atelier/

This one I find really intriguing so far. It has good world building and the magic system is fairly well thought out. The beautiful designs of the creatures, land, and buildings makes it easy for me to accept it's fantasy world. The front story follows a young wannabe-witch girl who accidentally dabbles in unknown dangerous magic. As a results, she turns her mother and home to crystal, along with the magic book she used. In order to find a way to free her mother, the girl must become a witch and gain access to a Witches-only library to find the spell she used and hopefully it's counter-spell. She is taken in as an apprentice by the Warlock (calling a guy a witch seems wrong to me) who saved her from being crystallized with her home. The story will seem to mainly follow the girl and the Warlock's three other apprentice girls as they learn to become Witches.

Then there is the background story that's going on, which still remains unclear. I think the Warlock has some dislike towards the Witches' hierarchy and so lives away from them. Then there's some stuff on an opposing fracture of Witches that the Warlock is hunting, who seem to be trying to mess things up with the practice of magic, and for some reason the main girl is mixed up in all of it.

As for the characters, they are alright so far. There's nothing about them that makes them stand and makes me root for them. They are just there for the story. This is probably this manga's weakest point. However, none of them annoy me, so that's always a plus in my book. This is only based on 4 chapters so there is plenty of room for character development.

Overall, beautiful drawings, interesting story, good magic system, and it leaves me wanting to read more.

Beautiful art, great pacing, and inventive items and spells. I'm hooked! This series is a real joy to translate, and I hope a lot of people can enjoy it. Fingers crossed that it'll be officially licensed for the English-language market!

... Last updated on April 22nd, 2017, 6:25pm