TONGARI BOUSHI NO ATELIER

DESCRIPTION

CAST

CHAPTERS

MANGA FantasyTongari Boushi no Kitchen
ANIME AdventureTongari Boushi no Atelier

REVIEWS

• 

  nicobonito

  95/100
  A spellbinding journey through a magical world.

  
  
  __Story: 8/10__
  _Witch Hat Atelier_ begins with a relatively basic, common concept: a character suddenly thrust into a new, magical world. Coco, who previously thought she was unable to cast spells, unwittingly uses forbidden magic and turns her mother into stone. Qifrey, a mysterious man who owns an atelier near her village, takes her under his wing as a magic apprentice to protect her from the consequences of using said forbidden magic. The story follows Coco's journey learning enthusiastically about the world of witches, studying under Qifrey with her friends Agathe, Riche, and Tetia, and trying to find a way to save her mother. Through the gentle, encouraging guidance of Qifrey and the companionship of Coco's friends, the tone of the story becomes incredibly uplifting even with the challenges the characters face. This is achieved without feeling forced in either direction. The lower rating I give the story is due to its relative simplicity at the moment, but it certainly has room to improve- the manga just hasn't had a lot of time to get more detailed yet.
  
  <img width='220' src='https://uploads.mangadex.org/data/1e423befbdcf07d1179070ab152648c8/25-54613a278d8e1cdd82aede42d4e32a84dfd606efd9f3650662d60c7705beb826.png'>
  _Page 92 of Volume 1, which nicely showcases some of the optimism of the series._
  
  __Art: 10/10
  __
  The amount of care and attention put into every panel of the series makes it a joy to read. The technical skill of the creator, Kamome Shirahama, is on display throughout. Each page's layout is thoughtfully planned to accentuate its contents, often including intricate detailing along the sides or creative blending of panels. Within said panels, landscapes and characters alike receive a detailed rendering which makes masterful use of lines. The result of Shirahama's efforts in paneling, layouts, and illustrations is a unique and beautiful storybook-like style. Anyone who enjoys manga art would find this series well worth their time.
  
  <img width='220' src='https://thevaultpublication.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/witchat.png'>
  _Page 21 of Volume 1, an excellent example of the standard the manga lives up to._
  
  __Worldbuilding: 9.5/10__
  
  Another strong point of _Witch Hat Atelier_ is, of course, its worldbuilding. Using Coco's utter lack of knowledge about magic as a stepping stone, the manga shows the reader its world.  Aspects of the setting begin to be revealed one by one. From magical libraries guarded by monsters to underwater cities to a labyrinth featuring a dragon, there are plenty of exciting destinations for the characters. The magic system, which is central to the plot, is interesting and makes sense without being too over- or under-powered. To some, it might feel a bit slow, but I personally enjoyed the pacing of it. _Witch Hat_ benefits from a slow, careful read to take in all the things it does so well anyway. 
  
  <img width='220' src='https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/565912842444734464/862884501755265044/21-e1a72029b4196a0aa082d77afce591b9a7a10afa089aa6c615e655e57fbd4748.jpg'>
  _The aforementioned library, the Tower of Books._
  
  __Characters: 8/10__
  
  The characters of _Witch Hat Atelier_ may seem one-dimensional on the surface, but for most, much more is eventually revealed about them. With only 45 chapters out so far, it's worth keeping in mind that some just haven't had a chance to get much development yet. It could be argued that those who have had development receive it too quickly, which is part of why the score for this category is on the low side. (Relative to my super high scores for other categories, at least.) A focus of the story is how characters overcome their personal problems with the help of those around them, subsequently growing as people. This recurring element contributes quite a bit to the happy tone of the manga.
  
  <span class='markdown_spoiler'><span>No image here because I don't want spoilers in my review!</span></span>
  
  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this manga to anyone. The beautiful art, skilled worldbuilding, and optimistic tone earn it a 95/100 from me. <span class='markdown_spoiler'><span>(yes i know that doesn't quite match my category scores but this is my first review lol im not a mathematician)</span></span> ~~~

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• 

  duduraphael

  95/100
  An exciting, refreshing and very solid manga about growing up in a magical world. (EN/PT-BR)

  __English__

  This review does not contain spoilers.

  Many years ago, I bought the first volume of this manga because I found its cover charming, I read that entire volume and didn't continue. Only now, in the fullness of my temporary unemployment, have I had time to invest in this work that has impressed me in many ways and left me satisfied in (almost) everything.

  The premise of the work is not at all avant-garde, in fact, it is something very commonly used in manga for this target audience: a young person who lives an ordinary life is introduced into a new, exciting and very different world. Readers will discover with the protagonist the mysteries and nuances of this new fantastic reality. Drama intertwines in the journey, full of discoveries, disappointments and personal growth.

  As the central structure is not necessarily innovative, the work needs to excel in execution and introduce such innovation in the details, and that is exactly what Witch Hat Atelier does masterfully. Here are some of the details that caught my attention the most:

  • I can't even describe how refreshing it is to have young female characters as the central protagonists of a story that involves drama, action, adventure and coming of age. Male protagonists tend to be more reserved in expressing feelings and engaging in more emotionally charged conversations with other characters, with the exception of peak climactic moments, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but for me it's a little oversaturated. The girls in this work are constantly communicating about their afflictions, ambitions and pain, allowing for a much more structured reader-character connection.

  • The action scenes exist, but they are very reserved. They only happen in moments of great tension and are usually short and succinct. It makes me look forward to them a lot and take them way more seriously than an action scene in a manga that has action all the time. Also, action takes a lot of space to draw in a manga, so being short with it leaves a lot more room to develop other aspects. Perhaps this is a negative point if you like manga with a lot of fighting.

  • This is a work with great representivity. There is a completely natural insertion of minorities, which for me is a very nice point.

  When it comes to the world building, you can see the amount of effort put into it. The scientific nature of magic and the historical and political problems resulting from the existence of magic introduces a very significant realistic layer to the reading. This makes you take the journey of the characters much more seriously and pay more attention to the symbolism and analogies to the real world. However, at times, a stronger suspension of disbelief is needed, especially when the girls, who are amateur witches, design gadgets that are literally revolutionary and would change people's lifestyles significantly (it gets a little difficult to believe that nobody thought of a vase that filters water, since the magic is used in the sewers, for example), but that's ok, it's nothing that disturbs immersion so much.

  Now, as a last topic, I want to talk about the art, for me, this is the aspect that most impressed me. To start with the character designs, they are all extremely memorable, unique, with appearances that reflect their personalities and that change as the characters change. You can feel the care, affection and hard work that went into each panel, everything is so expressive, the composition of the manga is wonderful and creative, the extra chapters with arts left me enchanted. I saw that there is a coloring book for this manga, I'm saving coins to buy it. Simply spectacular.

  To conclude, I found an extremely captivating manga, pleasant to read, which innovates in several aspects in an already established structure of Japanese comics. It may not be your cup of tea, but giving it a chance is a must!

  __Português __

  Esse review não contém spoilers.

  A muitos anos atrás, eu comprei o primeiro volume desse mangá por achar a capa dele encantadora, li inteiro e não dei continuidade. Apenas agora, na plenitude do meu temporário desemprego, que tive tempo para investir nessa obra que me impressionou em muitos aspectos, e não me impressionou em outros, apesar de ter me deixado satisfeito em (quase) tudo.

  A premissa da obra não é nada vanguardista, aliás, é algo muito comumente utilizado em mangás para esse público alvo: uma pessoa jovem que vive uma vida ordinária é introduzida em um mundo novo, empolgante e muito diferente. Os leitores vão descobrindo junto ao protagonista os mistérios e as nuances dessa nova realidade fantástica. O drama se entrelaça na jornada, cheia de descobertas, desilusões e crescimento pessoal.

  Como a estrutura central não é necessariamente inovadora, a obra precisa se sobressair na execução e introduzir tal inovação nos detalhes, e é exatamente nisso que Witch Hat Atelier faz de forma magistral. Vou citar alguns desses detalhes que mais me chamaram a atenção:

  • Não consigo nem descrever como é revigorante ter personagens jovens femininas como protagonistas centrais de uma história que envolva drama, ação, aventura e coming of age. Protagonistas masculinos tem a tendência de serem mais reservados em expressar sentimentos e engajar em conversas mais emocionalmente carregadas com outros personagens, com exceção de momentos de clímax máximo, o que não é necessariamente ruim, mas para mim está um pouco saturado. As meninas nessa obra estão o tempo todo se comunicando sobre suas aflições, ambições e dores, permitindo uma conexão leitor-personagem muito mais estruturada.

  • As cenas de ação existem, mas são bem reservadas. Elas só acontecem em momentos de grande tensão e normalmente são curtas e sucintas. Isso faz com que eu anseie muito por elas e as leve bem mais a sério do que uma cena de ação em um mangá que tem ação o tempo inteiro. Além disso, ação leva muito espaço para ser desenhada em um mangá, logo, ser curto com ela deixa muito mais espaço para desenvolver outros aspectos. Talvez isso seja um ponto negativo se você gosta de mangá com pancadaria o tempo todo.

  • Essa é uma obra com grande representatividade. Existe uma inserção de minorias de forma completamente natural, o que para mim é um ponto bem legal.

  A despeito da construção de mundo, da para ver o tamanho esforço colocado. A cientificidade da magia e os problemas históricos e políticos consequentes da existência da magia introduz uma camada realista muito significativa na leitura. Isso faz com que você leve bem mais a sério a jornada dos personagens e dê mais atenção para os simbolismos e analogias ao mundo real. Porém, em alguns momentos, é necessária uma suspensão de descrença mais forte, principalmente quando as meninas, que são bruxas amadoras, fazem o design de aparatos que são literalmente revolucionários e que mudariam o estilo de vida das pessoas significantemente (fica um pouco difícil de acreditar que ninguém pensou em um vaso que filtra água, sendo que o grifo é usado nos esgotos, por exemplo), mas tudo bem, não é nada que atrapalhe tanto a imersão.

  Agora, como ultimo tópico, quero falar sobre a arte, para mim, esse é o aspecto que mais me impressionou. Para começar com o design de personagens, todos eles são extremamente memoráveis, únicos, com aparências que refletem suas personalidades e que vão mudando conforme os personagens mudam. Da para sentir o cuidado, carinho e trabalho duro que foi posto em cada painel, tudo é tão expressivo, a composição do mangá é maravilhosa e criativa, os capítulos extras com artes me deixaram encantado. Vi que tem um livro de colorir desse mangá, estou juntando moedinhas para poder comprar. Simplesmente espetacular.

  Para concluir, achei um mangá extremamente cativante, gostoso de ler, que inova em vários aspectos em uma estrutura já estabelecida de quadrinhos japoneses. Pode ser que não seja muito a sua praia, mas dar uma chance é obrigatório!

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• 

  iAmApiano

  95/100
  I've found my new favourite manga!

  As of this review, there are 12 volumes out.

  This one has been on my radar for a long time; I first read Chapter 1 in an issue I got on Free Comic Book Day years and years ago, but I didn't get around to reading it until seeing, of all things, a Tumblr post about how well Witch Hat Atelier handles the topic of disability in worldbuilding. That piqued my interest once again, and here I am 60+ chapters later, wishing I didn't have to wait for more.

  The chapters vary in length based on what they cover, obviously. Some chapters in between major story beats are about as short as you'd except, but those important chapters are sometimes long enough to cover an entire episode of anime. However, the pacing is immaculate; the story is constructed in a way that you can hardly tell where the chapter breaks are. There aren't really any perceivable arcs, minus the one location we're in now, but even so, it feels like a natural progression of the story instead of finishing off one mostly self-contained story and moving onto the next one. It's very organic, and feels more like a novel than a manga.

  The world and its rules are both expertly laid out and tantalizing. The world is so interesting because of its multi-faceted nature; the witch side, and the ever-present commoner side. Each side has major influence on how the other operates, and the author does an excellent job of portraying this symbiotic relationship in many ways throughout the story. The rules are fed to us in the most engaging way possible; Coco, the main character is an audience surrogate, so none of the exposition feels out of place. We learn the very basics of what magic is, then we learn more as it becomes relevant. The rules never feel contrived or made up on the spot; they've always been that way, and they make sense based on what we've learned before. I've scarcely seen worldbuilding done this well before.

  Much like the world in which they live, the characters are also multi-faceted and realistic. A lot of them have more going on underneath the face they show to others, and some secrets still haven't been brought to light yet. When characters make decisions, their actions make sense, and they have consequences, good or bad, that affect the way the story moves forward. It's so easy to see how the world of Witch Hat Atelier has changed as a result of Coco entering it, but when you think about how it would be had she not, you realize this was always going to happen because of those pulling the strings behind the scenes. This is why the plot moves along in such a natural way; instead of story chunks that center around a specific location or villain or struggle, Witch Hat's story is almost entirely derived from the results of the actions of the characters, and it's a refreshing change of pace from what you typically see in anime and manga.

  And this is all without even mentioning the artwork. Yes, the style is so lovely and warm, but what stands out to me is the way the artist plays with the panels. There are a handful of moments that stand out, from the characters drawing the panels and resting on them as if they were in the scene, to the artist drawing as if the pages were flipping themselves and making a board game into a two-page spread. It's so charming, and the little things the artist and writer do elevate the experience of reading that much more.

  I've definitely found my new favourite manga, a story I can't wait to keep reading and rereading because it's so engaging, cute, dark, and so much more.

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