The bit about rationing the reading is too relatable. Every time I cave in and binge a manga I'm immediately filled with regret after realizing that it's gonna be months till a new volume. 😭
One of the things I really like about WHA is the way it proposes a "new" approach to the teaching-learning process. It shows a kind of pedagogics based on mutual respect and on the nourishment of each student's "talents" and interests without failing to address their weaknesses or neglect helping them to open up to possibilities they haven't explored or considered yet. I feel this comes accross especially clearly in the chapters that explore the character of Richie. I won't go into too much detail for the sake of those still reading, but I feel like every person who wants to be a teacher should read this manga as a foundational text.
Good point. PoodlePa would ofc say that this "new" approach is really the "old" approach 😊 - the one he practised for many years in the education sector. But we're talking 50 years ago .. and people forget that advances were ever made. It makes me a bit sad that nowadays you have to fight for an approach that we took for granted, and in some respects is still being practised and developed at least here in our NZ schools.
@@Food4Dogs Yes, it's quite sad that education has become such a reduced and one-sided thing in so many places, insted of being the virtuous spiral where teacher and pupil feedback of each other in a participatory model of learning. By the way, I love your channel. I hope in time I manage to stay so open, curious and fun as you have.
Yes! The pedagogy aspect of Witch Hat is one that I find so fascinating, especially as I had the opportunity to go to Montessori schools when I was young. And so it's fascinating to see that tailored approach to teaching in how Qifrey teaches the girls, versus what we see of other teachers and ateliers. It's also a refreshing (in an old fashioned sort of way) contrast to other modern magic school stories - most of which seem to take place in a large school with classes and years and a set curriculum; instead opting for a much more traditional master & apprentice type of teaching environment. (I do like that Shirahama is very balanced in her portrayal, that this style also has its pitfalls and negative aspects.)
My experience with this manga hits scarily close to home, the author Shirahama, graduated from a highly regarded Art university (Tokyo University of the Arts) and she mentions (I think from her twitter) that a lot of the themes and storytelling she does for this manga is based upon her experiences. I'm actually close to graduating from an Art based University as well and the things you've mentioned in the storytelling section of video are things I've witnessed from my peers and have felt myself too many times. The commentary on talent and ability, self worth and confidence hit so hard because she truly knows how it is especially since her artistry is beyond amazing and must've taken blood, sweat, tears and years of dedication to hone. It's fitting that the magic comes from 'drawing' and when that beautifully illustrated magic orchestrated from all those themes come jumping from the pages, that is how I truly feel when creating art, it's pure blissful magic.
I love Witch Hat Atelier, it blends its beautiful art style, wonder narrative and world building with extremely human characters, all masquerading a truly dark and stifling dystopia world, and a narrative about good intentions and free expression
Witch hat is one of my all time favorite things 😊 its entirely adult w/o needing anybof the tropes that "adult" fiction/fantasy usually uses. Though seriousnitnis aware that its characters are children and is very keen on protecting them. So lovely
COMMUNITY GUIDELINES I take the RU-vid Community Guidelines very seriously and I assess any dubious comments against them. Those that clearly infringe those guidelines are removed. I *will not tolerate* any type of intolerance on my channel. I have had to remove yet again a blatantly anti-gay rant (talking about "perversion" etc.). There is simply no place for this harmful and bullying behaviour. This is a friendly, welcoming and tolerant place - for all to enjoy while respecting each other. I repeat: INFRINGEMENT OF RU-vid COMMUNITY GUIDELINES is not acceptable here.
I envy you for being able to ration your reading I started reading Witch hat atelier a couple days ago and i'm reading whenever i have free time And once ran late on something because of it It's one of the most catchy and addicting stories i have read
Rationing requires iron discipline! It's not an innate ability. 😄 It took many years of strenuous practice. IOW, it's something you learn over the years.
witch hat atelier is such a beautifully crafted story, both in art and writing. it's one of my favorite manga of all time and it made my day seeing you made a video about it (and mentioning dungeon meshi as well!) thank you for sharing your love for this incredible author and her work. i'm not sure if you've read eniale & dewiela by shirahama, but i would recommend it as well!
That's a timely tip! I just bought Eniale & Dewiela a few weeks ago, it was finally available here; but haven't had time yet to read it (just a peek at the first chapter, hehe).
So happy I discovered your channel. Love the fact that in your age the love of whimsy and magic is still alive. It gives me hope that my love for it too will still burn alive!
This manga is so fantastic, I started buying manga a couple of years ago and it kept catching my eye until I took the chance and got it without even checking a preview and it was the best decision I have taken when it comes to manga, so happy to see that you love it too! Since you mentioned coloring books I wanted to share something I'm sure you and other may find useful: Since I'm from Chile I buy it in spanish, and there is currently 2 editorials publishing it, one of these is Milky Way Ediciones (from Spain), and they released an actual coloring book with artwork from the manga, its really good quality so if any of you reading this comment have wanted something like that, go and try to get it! its totally worth it! (Just in case, the title of the manga is Atelier of Witch Hat in the official spanish translation, just like in japanese, I do wonder why they changed it in english)
I remember commenting on one of your community posts (from last year) about how I would go to bookstores to read the witch hat volumes! And you replied about how you have to preorder and plan and wait for each volume to arrive at your house. This made me realize how, as you said, “fortunate” I am to have access to them. I also said in the post that vol 3 was a game changer. My past self had no idea, given that I’ve just start vol 10 currently. I also loaned my copies of vol 1-5 to my cousin and got them hooked on it. I’ve been volunteering at several cons this year and saw WHA cosplayers for the first time at one in July, as well as merch from small vendors. My favorites are a wristlet with a design of brushbuddy and linked keychain of qifrey and the girls. But the majority of the little merch I’ve seen is qifrey so I’m still hoping for a bigger WHA following in florida.
Hi, I remember you mentioning reading WHA in bookstores! I was so amazed at the time. 😀 The cons and that merch sound delightful. I consider myself very privileged to have a brush buddy in my house now! 😉
Witch Hat Atelier's art style is what got me interested in reading it, it looks so beautiful and unique. If you like manga with storybook vibes I'd recommend The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún. It's story is sad though, but it's well written, the art is very good, and father/daughter dynamic between the two main characters is sweet. It felt kinda fairytale-like.
I'm sold. I'm always looking for new high fantasy manga with unique, intricate magic systems, and this seems like just the thing I could really sink my teeth into. Thank you!
Witch Hat Atelier is truly a absolutely amazing manga. I read manga for 20 years but rarely come across a story like this. And the artstyle is in my top 3 of all stories I have read so far. I don’t read mangas that often anymore but I am very glad that I picked up this one. I actually got to know about it through cosplayers I have met on a convention. Now I made two costumes of WHA on my own and every time I wear them I realize how unknown the story still is (at least in my country). But it is a great possibility to introduce the manga to others. I adore how dark the story gets and that the one we get to know as a good guy (Qifrey) actually is rather suspicious and doesn’t have such a white vest as we think. At the same time he portrays the typical picture we have of a good teacher, being kind, encouraging and knowledgeable. A great manga about morality and societies opression and finding your own way.
I’ve just discovered you and your channel, and I have to say it’s wonderful to see someone of my senior talking about things I’ve loved like WHA and Ys. For many years I’ve enjoyed these stories and games and wanted to talk about them with well read people. Whenever I introduce manga to book readers there is a sense that this medium is inferior or a cheap and generic way to tell a story. I’ve heard people criticize manga and JRPG’s for looking homogenous and using too many tropes. I’m so happy to have found you here, and I look forward to what you’ll be talking about about next. ❤️
Hi Eric, thank you for your comment. The "Japanese games and manga are all tropes" is such an old chestnut, it really is deplorable that people still think like that. As I understand it, Japanese writers approach characters from a different perspective, starting out usually with what most westerners would call a "stereotype" (what I like to refer to as an "archetype"), but then slowly building and refining that character. I find a lot of Japanese creators are heavily into Jungian theory, and archetypes are of course a corner stone: library.fiu.edu/arh2000/archetypes I have to say that approach makes a lot of sense to me. In the end, whether it's Western or Eastern stories - shallow 'steretype' based pulp fiction exists in both cultures. Real artistic endeavour can be arrived at in a variety of ways - whether starting out from an archetype, or building an 'individual' personality from scratch.
I just wanted to say how much I admire your approach to spreading out your reading instead of binging. Personally, I find it quite challenging to resist the temptation of finishing a great manga or book all at once. It's refreshing to see someone advocating for a more measured and thoughtful reading experience. Also, kudos for shedding light on this underrated gem of a manga! It's truly amazing how some fantastic works can go under the radar for so long. Your recommendation has definitely piqued my interest, and I'm looking forward to diving into it. Keep up the great content, and thanks for sharing your reading insights!
I was so happy to see people of all ages enjoying this series. I picked it up at my local comic book store and volume one looked absolutely beautiful. As a Beginner artist and animator this made my motivation go and I wanted to draw stunning things like that and they eyes had me hooked. The storyline is one ive been looking for and I'm glad that my dad took me that day.
I actually wanted to have that slow reading experience like you mentioned by having breaks in between volumes and really digesting the text and art, but i just didn't have the restraint! it really is that good
I loved watching this video! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the series thus far, it is a wonderful story. Later this fall volume one of Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen is coming out ( In the US at least) which is a collection of stories that all have to do with cooking, and it also includes real recipes for the food they make. If they’re also releasing it where you live, it might help to fill the long waits in between volumes.
I followed this manga since around the time it first released. The arts was wonderful, especially the framing of certain panels. The story also went deep and questioning of the status quo and society norms.
I'm very mechanical & the magic is just that. I fell in love with it and every moment is seeing the young ones dabble in the power & beauty of it, responsibility of it, and growing with it with their own identity. My top favorite Manga.
I never heard about this lady before, but I love her already!! Going through her channel I can tell we have the same interests. I've been reading the manga for a few months now and the art is absolutely breathtaking. Already earned a new subscriber!❤🙂🙂
The struggle is real when rationing the reading lol. Happened to me when I read the whole Otoyomegatari (a Bride's Story) in just 3 days, now its a miracle if you read a short chapter in under 8 months lol.
You've convinced me. I will be ordering the first volume as I have been looking for a Manga that I might enjoy. I myself am an artist and though I mainly draw and paint realism, I really love fantasy and whimsy 😊 I hope to be inspired 🎨🖌️✏️ Greetings from South Africa 🇿🇦
Oh boy! I actually JUST started reading this series after years of having people recommend it to me. The art is hands down some of the best I’ve ever experienced and the characters are so loveable. Looking forward to catching up!
This was such a lovey and gentle video. I have fallen off the anime and manga bandwagon but was recommended this video based on some wonderful video essays that I've been watching about Delicious in Dungeon. I was fascinated by Witch Hat Atelier's gorgeous artwork and also heard the story has a wide range of characters including those with disabilities. I also wanted to say that I'm so happy to see an adult review manga and anime- it is so incredibly refreshing. Manga and anime often get dismissed as young adult dribble, but I have read some absolutely moving manga and watched some incredibly well-crafted anime. I will certainly have to pick up the Witch Hat Atelier manga.
I wish you a wonderful read. 😃 For me, as someone who has studied literature over many decades, manga is simply another form/branch of literature - you can get the ones intended for quick consumption, and then there are ones that rival any classic story in the literary canon.
I'm so glad you enjoy the series! I remember recommending it in your community post about The Promised Neverland! I wasn't sure if you'd like it or not, but I'm glad you do! My RU-vid subscription box seems to have stopped showing your videos for some reason, so I only just saw this video. I'm just glad to see the love of one of my favorite Manga being spread about!
Ah yes, this is sadly a common RU-vid problem. YT stops showing notifs for a variety of reasons, but a channel like mine (classified by YT as "underperforming") gets chucked down the ladder and they just stop sending out notifs or recs. Maybe check that the actual "bell" notifications is switched on (it sometimes gets reset whenever YT does some updates).
I love this series so much. The art and composition are stunning and I got caught up in the story straight away. I really enjoyed seeing the relationships between the girls develop and them problem solving together using the magic system. I also got the fudemushi plush cos the little guy is so cute
Thanks a lot for the recommendation! I read in Japanese for studying and not only it has been interesting but the vocabulary is complex enough for my current level, best unintentional recommendation for students lol
You have an amazing taste as always! I have to show my friends now that I have a great review from you. They can't tell me that fantasy and witches are outdated now
I was about to start this one, went for Sousou no Frieren instead (which is also fantastic, definitely recommend). Now you reminded me of hat atelier again so I might as well try it again.
I remember i was in a book store and saw the cover of Witch Hat Atelier in the shelve and i was drawn to it. It's an incredibly magical story with wonderful art and it feels so fantastic to read. It's a favorite of mine now and i love seeing the passion for the manga. I can't wait for the anime adaptation, i hope it's just as magical as the manga❤
It's a pleasant surprise to see you in my recommendations again--reviewing Witch Hat Atelier! I watched your video on how you got into gaming. I'd love to see more manga reviews! edit: There's an anime adaptation coming out btw! the trailer is already out, and it's looking really good so far.
Yes, I know about the anime - we've been talking about it ofc on the Community page, where we often talk manga and anime. Btw, if you use the Notifications "bell", you don't have to wait for random RU-vid "recommendations" for my channel 😄. It's very rare for RU-vid to ever put me into their recommendations; you could be waiting another year or two ...
@@Food4Dogs I don’t think so, I believe she’s on volume 3. Funny thing, she wanted to display some manga on her bookshelf, so I let her have the keeping of Spy X Family, Made in Abyss, Witch Hat and Hanako Kun. But you know, it really pained me to not have them in my own collection, being the man-child hoarder that I am. So the first time she threw a tantrum (the kind where she trashes the entire room), I took the opportunity to return the books to my office. I’m not proud of it. Have you been keeping up with Oshimi”s Blood on the Tracks? Really something.
@@billcrabtree8700 Oh boy .. parent and child fighting over WHA set! 😆 No, I haven't kept up with Blood on Tracks. I know that when I go back I need plenty of uninterrupted time, which is in short supply atm. I'm also keeping notes, which slows me down, bc I know I will want to talk about it. And Flowers of Evil too.
Finally watched this and I agree with all the points you made! (I had this saved in my Watch Later to watch after I just got my copies of the series and told myself I'd check your video out once I've caught up!)
I watched the trailer for the anime adaptation for this that recently came out and it immediately drew me in with it's beautiful world and art. I really hope it lives up to the trailer and what I've heard of the manga. Either way - even though I'm not one to really read manga, I've definitely been convinced to give this story a try in one form or another depending on how the anime turns out.
Dear Britta, I've just discovered your channel and watched this video because I love Witch Hat atelier, and I wanted to thank you for making such comforting videos! I don't know why but your presence is really soothing and relaxing, I'm going to watch your videos often! I also love what you have to say, it's very interesting! Thank you for existing ❤️
I’m glad to see you talk about this manga. Both this and Delicious in Dungeon are great. Delicious in Dungeon in particular very much took me by surprise as the story unfolded.
I really loved knowing that you really like the story that will now become an anime in 2025. I liked the page, and I wanted to recommend another read if you can see it, but a journey to the afterlife is also very good. From Brazil. 🤗
I have this series in my collection including the limited edition vol. 11 (notebook and illustrated cards) and vol. 12, but I didn't dare to unpack my fudemushi yet. It's really great, but not recommended to beginners in Japanese, if you want read original. It's top tier in art, settings are great, characters and story is pretty good as well. I can recommend other great series and in my opinion visually the best series 「乙嫁語り」/ "The Bride's Stories". It's set in the 19th century central Asia. It's published in Japan in regular and wide edition - hard cover and very large pages.
Thanks for your review. I could listen to you for hours. Your voice is so calming and I like the way you explained the story and characters. I'll give this manga a try 😊 The plushie is so cute!!! 🥰
I've been rationing Berserk mainly due to the fact I can't afford all the deluxe edition volumes at the moment. I'm thinking of collecting this next, I'm so excited and glad to find a video like this about the series.
@@jutzo8869 the problem for us in Aus/NZ now is the terrible exchange rate for the US dollar - that plus shipping charges and import tax inflate prices an awful lot. ☹
I have the first volume on Bookwalker, but I haven't read it yet! I want to start getting much more physical content and restrict spending on digital content to what is only available digitally or available in subscription services, but I may give at least some of the first volume a read tonight!
Good plan. It will also help protect your eyesight (take it from me, backlit screens are terrible for eye health), reading physical books. Plus the tactile pleasure. 😊
I still have to catch up with Witch Hat Atelier, but I adore it so far. And I have also read and even reviewed Delicious in Dungeon too. I Agree that it's really slow, but starting from volume 3 the story and art improve so so much
@@Food4Dogs I'm eager for the anime too, I'm sure it will be wonderfully animated, but I don't know if it will pay justice to some of the manga's most beautifully illustrated panels
@@tio_kitsune Some of the detail inevitably suffers in anime .. yea. But I have 2 volumes, so I'm pretty familiar with the style and detail of the manga.
Just bought the first chapter. Honestly I bought it mainly for the artwork, I wanna be a mangaka myself so I need good mangas to study from, but I think I'm gonna love the story as well :3
