The first trailer for the upcoming series, Witch Hat Atelier, was unveiled at Anime Expo on Thursday by the crew behind the anime adaptation. The anime, which was first announced in 2023 and is based on the fantasy manga by Kamome Shirahama, will be directed by Ayumu Watanabe (Children of the Sea, Space Brothers) and produced by Bug Films (Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead). Not only that, but Yuka Kitamura, who has composed scores for games like Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Elden Ring, and Dark Souls, has been signed on to write the series’ music.
Witch Hat Atelier tells the tale of Coco, a dressmaker’s daughter who, despite her seeming incapacity to wield magic, hopes to become a witch one day. Coco unintentionally turns her mother into stone after receiving a spellbook from an enigmatic masked wizard. She is saved from a fire by Qifrey, a strong magic user who accepts Coco as a new pupil. While Qifrey is investigating the incident’s perpetrators, Coco starts her witchcraft apprenticeship in his atelier.
There are currently 13 volumes in the ongoing series, which as of July 2024 had sold over 5.5 million copies and had received both an Eisner and a Harvey Award in 2020. Fans of Shirahama’s manga have been eagerly awaiting the anime adaptation because of the series’ renowned richly conceived universe, imaginative visuals, and finely detailed linework. Fortunately, Witch Hat Atelier’s first trailer exceeds all expectations with its breathtaking watercolor artwork that seems like it belongs in a storybook and its exciting sequence that shows Qifrey jumping from the flaming debris of Coco’s home while holding her in his arms. All we can do is hope that the show will live up to this preview when it comes to
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