English Dub Review: Witch Hat Atelier “The Magic That Started Everything”
Overview:
Witch Hat Atelier revolves around Coco, a kindhearted dressmaker who dreams of becoming a witch. One day, she meets a witch named Qifrey and becomes his apprentice to undo a terrible spell. Crunchyroll is set to debut the first season’s English dub, complete with a double-episode premiere.
Our Take:
The story starts out simple enough, with Coco musing to herself that many people aren’t born to their career path, but choose to become what they want through practice and study. As she surmises, this could likely be the same for witches. Seeing her in the lush, green world, she revealed that she is already enchanted by the concept of magic in the world. As an ordinary human, however, all she can do is sit back and enjoy the results.
Of course, viewers soon get to know Coco’s real feelings when a customer compares her skills to magic. While intended as a compliment, she becomes an enraged chibi while explaining that the word “magic” shouldn’t be used so lightly. She even shares the start of this obsession, getting a book, plus a free pen, from a mysterious masked witch at a festival. Keep in mind, she says this to a complete stranger.
However, the customer, Qifrey, soon shows he knows quite a bit about the subject himself when he needs to help Coco and her mother with another customer’s pegasus carriage. He reveals himself to be a witch, complete with a pointed hat. While spying on Qifrey, however, she learns a secret about magic: it’s performed by literally drawing it out.
Unfortunately, when Coco attempts to draw magic herself, her mother ends up paying the price. With the revelation that magic actually can be learned, she must join those trusted with secrets. Her wish to become a witch seems to be coming true, but this might be a wish she will soon regret.
Interestingly, the English dub tends to use the word “witch” interchangeably for male and female characters. This makes a bit more sense in the original Japanese, where they seemed to be using the more neutral expression, “mahou tsukai,” meaning “magic user.”
The animation is gorgeous and brings to mind many Studio Ghibli films, though the brief comedic moments somewhat upend this. The animation also finds clever ways to combine futuristic tech with fantasy elements. In addition to the aforementioned pegasus carriage, Qifrey even has a magic spin on rocket boots, being able to fly in the air thanks to a charm imprinted on his soles.
Western animation fans might appreciate the similarities with The Owl House. In particular, the theme of a human girl wanting to become a witch, complete with being able to “draw” spells. Of course, at the start of this series, one wonders if Coco will learn to be careful what she wishes for.
As this is the start, fans will likely have a lot of questions as to what will happen next. In particular, just who the witch behind the mask truly is. Considering Coco’s little speech at the start of the episode, one also has to wonder about the implications of pop stars in this universe.
