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Manga Thoughts: Witch Hat Atelier 9
Not carving a lot of time out of recent days to read manga, it took me a while to get around to the ninth volume of Witch Hat Atelier. It might have been a little more prominent than usual in my mind as I worked my way through some other recent titles. Beyond my familiar interest in Kamome Shirahama’s artwork and story, the ninth volume’s cover could have done something to get my attention. The blue-grey of the hats and cloaks of Coco and her fellow apprentices had predominated before among the equally subdued shades of other characters’ clothing, but here it had been replaced by the red and black of a “Knights Moralis,” the enforcers of the rules upright witches place on themselves and impose in secret on others.
Things might not have been quite so ominous to begin within inside, with Coco’s master Qifrey taking all of his apprentices overland to the Silver Eve festival. There’s a good bit of worldbuilding before and after they get there, and one part of just how overwhelming the festival can get is a two-page spread of a board game pushing through it.
Beyond and above the festival there’s a castle with the complication that no spell can be cast within it, and a further bit of worldbuilding as high-placed witches have to deal with rulers. When the story gets back to the festival, one chapter did happen to be introduced with a word of warning about the content. I have to admit to some peculiarity of feeling at that, but I’m also very conscious of how fast things said about the whole topic can become disingenuous and then squish straight into “performative offensiveness.” The chapter did at least let the character who’d been through the warned-about content once upon a time gain the strength to do something about similar issues as a Knights Moralis, but there I’m conscious the problem might become “they have the chance in fiction, but...”
I’d been a little conscious this volume contained the fiftieth chapter of the manga. As it turned out, the chapter really did feel a bit “especially significant” when it managed to wrap back to the very beginning of the story, back when Coco had been on the outside of magic. Having to face a younger girl’s hope of becoming a witch and the explanation “everyone” knows against that is hard for her, and it just so happens Tartah’s the one who tries to provide comfort. At that point, though, the ominous conclusion of the previous volume pushes its way into the story and the worries about who knows and can do what and why get restarted that much stronger than before. Along with a new cliffhanger, this volume does throw in a secondary surprise for Coco’s cheerful fellow apprentice Tetia following up on a previous moment. Just when I’ll see the story continued I don’t know, but I did like what I’d seen here, and even took a bit of time to skim through it and the very first volume of the series again as I got my thoughts in order.
Things might not have been quite so ominous to begin within inside, with Coco’s master Qifrey taking all of his apprentices overland to the Silver Eve festival. There’s a good bit of worldbuilding before and after they get there, and one part of just how overwhelming the festival can get is a two-page spread of a board game pushing through it.
Beyond and above the festival there’s a castle with the complication that no spell can be cast within it, and a further bit of worldbuilding as high-placed witches have to deal with rulers. When the story gets back to the festival, one chapter did happen to be introduced with a word of warning about the content. I have to admit to some peculiarity of feeling at that, but I’m also very conscious of how fast things said about the whole topic can become disingenuous and then squish straight into “performative offensiveness.” The chapter did at least let the character who’d been through the warned-about content once upon a time gain the strength to do something about similar issues as a Knights Moralis, but there I’m conscious the problem might become “they have the chance in fiction, but...”
I’d been a little conscious this volume contained the fiftieth chapter of the manga. As it turned out, the chapter really did feel a bit “especially significant” when it managed to wrap back to the very beginning of the story, back when Coco had been on the outside of magic. Having to face a younger girl’s hope of becoming a witch and the explanation “everyone” knows against that is hard for her, and it just so happens Tartah’s the one who tries to provide comfort. At that point, though, the ominous conclusion of the previous volume pushes its way into the story and the worries about who knows and can do what and why get restarted that much stronger than before. Along with a new cliffhanger, this volume does throw in a secondary surprise for Coco’s cheerful fellow apprentice Tetia following up on a previous moment. Just when I’ll see the story continued I don’t know, but I did like what I’d seen here, and even took a bit of time to skim through it and the very first volume of the series again as I got my thoughts in order.