Manga Thoughts: Witch Hat Atelier 8

As I worked my way through a shipment of manga (but not the latest shipment I’ve received), I wound up saving the eighth volume of Witch Hat Atelier for last, hoping to enjoy Kamome Shirahama’s artwork again and find interest in the unfolding story. The last volume had left off with the promise of a great magical festival. Tartah, the boy witch introduced back in the third volume (and promoted from the back cover there to the front cover here), first mentioned the festival but wound up having to spend the night at the atelier. When he offers to get a feel for just how Coco holds a spell-casting pen before carving one for her, there’s one of those moments where one character comes to an embarrassed realization but the other remains oblivious. I have to admit to having had a few “this sort of thing can be a bit more obvious than when the two characters are the same sex, isn’t it?” thoughts, and then thinking again of how wearying relentless insistences towards both mixed-sex “shipping” and same-sex “slashing” can get for me.
( Another return )