- Recommended By: Michael
- Recommended Reading Age: 13+
- Genres: Action, Fantasy, Manga
- Length: 14+ Volumes (Ongoing)
When the anime for My Hero Academia ended this year, and with a long gap between seasons expected after Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End season 2, I was looking for a new fantasy adventure to scratch that academic-minded, magical itch. While a series called Witch Hat Atelier had been recommended to me for a while by a manga-loving friend of mine, I had brushed it off as just “My Hero Academia, but witches,” which was something that I didn’t feel I needed, what with MHA and Frieren around!
Big. Mistake.
Witch Hat Atelier, by Kamome Shirahama, has quickly become an obsession of mine since I started reading it. While it has lovely, cozy and pastoral aspects of stories like Frieren, and great mentors to the young main characters like MHA provides, the story is far more compelling and emotional than even those top-rated manga and anime reached for me. At its core, the world of WHA is one where magic is rare, powerful, and wonderful; but really, it’s a metaphor for art.
The themes that run through it are poignant to those with a creative spirit: What it is to make art; to be an artist; maintain your own personal style while still learning from others? What is the purpose of avoiding shortcuts? Should art be accessible to all? As a tabletop game designer who makes games about art, this really struck me, and I read the first 10 volumes in under two weeks. The character growth is impressive, the art astoundingly detailed, and the world lovingly expressed in ways that let you really see the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly, and lets you make your own decisions about who really is right and whether their methods and magics are justified. No spoilers, but that answer is complicated!
Come check this great story out at Omar’s, and be sure to check out the upcoming anime series, releasing April 6th on Crunchyroll!
