![]() In this frame, Qifrey is discussing the removal of magic use from the general populace, but I read a lot more into this part: Yes, hi, hello, I wasn’t expected this level of casual poignancy or multiple meaning in this manga but sure, that’s pretty much what my heart looks like now. This one panel echoed an entire debate we’d had: ![]() I just had a conversation with my son about learning styles (we are now homeschooling for the time being, and are all adjusting to online learning along with our entire school district) and how his learning methods are different from mine. Charmed, I was, indeed.īut amid the familiarity were so many scenes that made me grin or laugh (remember to read right to left here).įor example, one of Coco’s new schoolmates is SO EXTRA: Qifrey isn’t what he seems and he wears really interesting eyeglasses – even when I can identify how the story is working on me, it was still working. Her roommate is distrustful and resentful the other students are odd in unique ways. Coco is an enthusiastic, starry-eyed newbie in a magical world, overwhelmed and excited about everything. I recognized so many of these characters and motifs. The charm of this story for me is partially in the familiarity of its structure and character, but mostly in the gorgeousness of the art, amid which moments of unexpected gravity landed on me with a thudding poignancy. Qifrey offers her a chance to learn more magic and try to fix what went wrong, and off she goes to his atelier, where three other students are learning magic, all of whom welcome Coco in different ways. Coco wishes she could be a witch, but has been told it’s impossible.Ī witch named Qifrey comes to her shop, then later intervenes and saves Coco’s life when she attempts magic on her own by copying from a mysterious book she’d been given years earlier. The set up is pretty easy to grasp, and rather familiar (ba dum-bum): Coco is a seamstress who works with her mother in a world where witches have magic, but one has to be born with magic to be a witch. Then I saw that not only was volume 1 on sale, but it was also part of Kindle Unlimited so off I went. I didn’t know that I needed the words Witch Hat Atelier in my eyeballs, but apparently I did, because my whole brain was At. When discussing the current sale, Susan said, “My rec is going to be Witch Hat Atelier, btw, because if you liked Diana Wynne Jones books it is PERFECT.” And at times when my brain is tired (like now, hello and whoa damn) I find myself gravitating toward video games or manga or anime, because the visual is constructed for me while I’m still getting the enjoyment of being immersed in a story. If you listen to the podcast, you might have heard me talk about how, when my brain is tired, it doesn’t have the energy to do all the imaginary construction of the world and environment that usually happens when I read a book. However, this changes drastically after the events of the first chapter (I don’t want to spoil anything).The SBTB crew were discussing a current manga sale going on at Comixology wherein the first volumes of many, many wonderful series are marked down to. There’s a palpable tension between her achingly strong passion for magic/witchery and the harsh reality that being a witch is impossible for her. How would you describe Coco as she lives in a world that houses powerful witches and dragons, but she can’t cast any magic? ![]() In the context of this being “manga”, her artistic choices give the world and its characters an otherworldliness that actually work to make things more believable and “alive”. Her line quality reminds me of Moebius and she has a very art nouveau look to it-some of her single illustrations are reminiscent of Mucha and Klimt in composition and their use of geometry as design motifs. Her style is also clearly influenced by European styles. Compared to what most people may understand as manga style, the author uses significantly less screen tones, and mostly relies on lines/hatching to express shading and volume. Her art gives the story a unique vitality and supplements its fantasy and fairy-tail-like atmosphere. There’s a ton of areas to focus on, but I think the one thing that has caught my attention is the art - how does Shirahama’s drawings impact the storytelling of this manga? But what about this manga has gotten people interested in it? Well, it may start with the art…but as Kodansha Comics editor Ajani Oloye explains, that’s just one of the things that makes this work something to look forward to: TheOASG: In one sentence, how would you describe what Kamome Shirahama’s Witch Hat Atelier is all about?Ījani Oloye: Following your dreams, overcoming obstacles, and the magic and accessibility of art, all in an exquisitely rendered world of witches. Kamome Shirahama’s Witch Hat Atelier will be available to purchase physically and digitally tomorrow.
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