There were many years where I was the reader who wanted to keep books a secret: wanting to feel like they were written just for me to cherish when I fell in love with them. That changed when I became a high school librarian where I spend my days hawking books, in particular the ones I love because I know my students will fall in love with them too. Yet the feeling haunts me every now and then. I had a brief moment today when I finished the fifth volume of Witch Hat Atelier by mangaka Kamome Shirahama; I wanted to secret them away. But the cat’s out of the bag anyway, since a 2020 Eisner Award was bestowed for the series as the Best U.S. Edition of International Material-Asia. Plus, they’re just too good not to be talking about daily. I did today to a librarian colleague while we munched mochi waffles and had tea. Tomorrow I’ll probably convince my son’s to read them. 

I’ve got my pre-order for volumes six and seven, out in September and December respectively, I did that the day I ordered the first five volumes from my indie bookstore. I need them livening up my bookshelves, ready to re-read when I need an escape or pick-me-up or just to run my fingertips over the spines. What’s so special you ask? 

This magical series is about witches and spells. Coco wants to be a witch but she’s been told you’re born a witch, you can’t become one, that is until she meets Wizard Qifrey who brings her to his atelier after he sees her powers when she terrifyingly turns her mother to stone. She’s got powers she just didn’t know she had and were unleashed when she used a book from a man on the street given to her years before. Her apprenticeship with Qifrey thus begins where she will be studying alongside three other girls: Agott, Richeh, and Tetia. Their powers will be tested as they work hard to build their skills and keep free from danger while attaining mastery over the five tests. 

I was taken aback by the beauty of the artwork, the adorableness of Coco, the unique worldbuilding, and the strength of the individual characters for which each volume seems to highlight their individual struggles while still being an ensemble cast. It’s action and adventure but a battle of intelligence. There’s no need to find romance because it’s about teamwork. 

I didn’t need more than one volume to convince me that it would be a runaway hit. I literally put down the book and went about creating a construction paper hat for myself. But it might need to go a few steps further. I think I need a cape and adorable booties with glyphs on the bottom and my own atelier. 

The series is a must-read for beginning manga readers and seasoned ones because of the overwhelming strengths of individual elements and the delivery as a whole.