As of April 2022, Witch Hat Atelier was officially announced to be receiving an anime adaptation. Though there hasn’t been many updates since, there is no better time than the present to get caught up with this enchanting magic academia series.
Established fans of the manga series are very excited to see how the anime will adapt their favorite characters, including the charming protagonist Coco.
Coco’s Curiosity Rubs Creates A New Trend
Coco has a natural curiosity, and is enamored with magic from the get-go. At the beginning of Witch Hat Atelier, Coco is a regular human without any magical abilities. She knows nothing about magic, but wishes she was born a witch. However, when she catches a witch named Qifrey performing a magical spell, she learns the secret to performing magic — drawing. Witches use pen and magical ink to perfect their craft. But, Coco draws a forbidden spell and quickly learns the cost of using forbidden magic, accidentally turning her mother to stone.
This is how Coco learns magic can be devastating when used by someone who doesn’t understand the consequences of spells. Even at this point, she still loves magic and wants to learn everything she can about it. Coco’s natural curiosity is infectious, and often rubs off on the reader, making them question the intricate magic system. Coco has an inquisitive personality, so she asks a lot of questions, voicing the reader’s curiosity aloud as well. Coco’s undying curiosity toward magic is a great benefit to the reader because her questioning allows things to be explained naturally. The information comes from the characters themselves without it feeling like details are being shoved down the reader’s throat.
Coco Is Always learning And Developing.
As mentioned before, Coco is a regular human without any magical ability in the story. Although Coco is naturally curious, she is still new to the ways of magic, and has a lot to learn. This makes her much more interesting to read about than a character who is the “Chosen One” or has a natural-born ability. It also makes a lot more sense given the general story and Coco’s background — she wasn’t born into a magical family, and she unknowingly uses a forbidden spell and suffers dire consequences. Despite accidentally using forbidden magic, Coco still doesn’t entirely understand why some magic that may be helpful to humans is deemed forbidden.
Later in the story, Coco and her fellow witches have to save a group of people who got into a carriage accident; dumping most of their belongings into a nearby river. One of these travelers is a little boy named Custas, who ended up falling into the river with his legs are trapped under a rock. Once they rescue Custas, he loses the ability to walk and is left permanently disabled. Coco reunites with Custas, who tries to convince her to use forbidden magic to fix his legs. When Coco refuses and leaves, Custas meets a witch who uses forbidden magic. This witch is one of the members of the Brimmed Cap group, the antagonists of the series. She “fixes” Custas’ legs by fusing them with his wooden walking chair, allowing him to walk again. After this encounter, Coco begins to understand why some magic is forbidden, even if it can do good things.
Giving Up Isn’t In Coco’s Dictionary Even Though It’s Huge Danger
Coco is very perseverant — even when she’s presented with a difficult task or is in great danger. Coco’s bravery could be mistaken for naivety or stupidity, however, this is not the case, and it is disingenuous to think so. Coco is young and inexperienced, so she is going to make mistakes — and, given the fantasy setting of the story, some of her mistakes may have larger consequences than others. Even if she does make many mistakes as she tries to perfect her craft and learn new things about magic, she still manages to show her bravery in many scenarios.
For example, one of Coco’s fellow apprentices, Agott, comes from a long line of powerful witches. So, it’s no surprise Agott shows great promise and skill when she draws. When she first meets Coco, Agott doesn’t like her, likely because she finds her annoying. In an attempt to get rid of her, Agott tells Coco to take a challenging test that she won’t be ready to pass anytime soon. The goal of the test is to retrieve a specific flower from a treacherous domain. As many readers would imagine, Coco has many difficulties at first, she doesn’t know how to use very many spells yet. But, she perseveres and doesn’t return to the atelier until she has the flower in her possession.
This entire experience is likely the first time the reader sees Coco make up her own magic. She attaches a large piece of cloth to a wooden pole and draws specific runes on it, so she can use it to fly. Many other people, especially children, would likely become frustrated and give up right away, but Coco makes up her mind not to and doesn’t give up until she has what she came for.
There are many elements that make Witch Hat Atelier an enjoyable fantasy story. One of those elements is the characters, especially the main character, Coco. Despite her age, Coco is very brave, and she’s incredibly inquisitive, but she’s also refreshing and amusing. Coco’s growing interest in magic and her willingness to learn makes her a great protagonist for the series.
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