The Short Version
Today I’m walking you through the whole story of Witch Hat Atelier, volume one, by Kamome Shirahama. There are full spoilers for this first volume.
The short version: a girl who loves magic accidentally casts a forbidden spell, and chooses to become a witch’s apprentice to try to undo it.
A Girl Who Loves Magic
Coco lives in a small village with her mother, a dressmaker. Her father died of an illness. She loves magic, from the springs that clean themselves to the traveling witches who sometimes pass through.
But magic belongs to witches. Everyone else only gets to enjoy it, and Coco believes she’ll never be a witch.
Qifrey
One day, a witch named Qifrey comes to the village, because his carriage is broken. He needs help repairing it, and he’ll need a workshop to cast the spell.
Coco is thrilled. He asks her to guard the door, and to let no one inside. She obeys, but she’s desperate to see the spell.
What Coco Sees
Qifrey notices that she’s been watching. He talks with her, and she admits she once bought a slim handmade book from a masked witch at a festival. It’s full of patterns.
Qifrey seems uneasy about the book, but he leaves, and Coco’s mother is relieved she hasn’t asked to go with him.
The Secret
That night, Coco tries something. The pen that came with the book is a magic wand. She traces a pattern, using the tip of the pen, and she thinks, I wonder what kind of spell this one is.
The spell goes off. Qifrey bursts in, and carries her out of the house just in time.
The Mistake
Coco’s mother is outside, with a lantern, and the spell reaches her. In front of Coco, she turns to crystal.
Qifrey explains the truth. Magic isn’t a gift. Anyone can use it, with the right ink and a drawn seal. Hiding this is the one great rule of witches, and anyone who finds out must have their memories erased.
The Choice
Coco begs him not to take her memories. If she forgets, what happens to her mother? Qifrey says there may be hope: if she can find the book again and show him which pattern she drew, he might be able to reverse it.
He gives her a choice. If she wants to keep the truth, she must stand beside the witches. She chooses to study, and Qifrey tells her: from now on, you will be a witch.
The Atelier
Qifrey takes her to his atelier, where he has seeded guard briar around her village’s old home. Two apprentices live there: Tetia, who’s friendly, and Agott, who’s cold.
Agott tells Coco she knows nothing, and that an outsider like her doesn’t have what it takes. Qifrey explains the forbidden spells too: magic that directly affects the human body or mind, with one exception, the spell to make people forget.
Learning To Draw
Coco begins to study. She learns about contraptions, which are enchanted tools, and about components and wands. She tries a first spell, and it’s wobbly.
But there’s a catch. To become Qifrey’s apprentice, she has to pass a test: reach the highest peak of the Dadah range, alone, and pick the diadem herb.
The Dadah Range
The test is called the Consent of the Crown. She can take three contraptions, and Agott lends her a pair of sylph shoes, magic shoes that let her float.
She takes off into the floating mountains, but a small creature called a brushbuddy gets into her ink, and her shoes are ruined. Coco is stranded, and in despair.
Coco’s Own Magic
Then she remembers how she used to help her mom. She wraps a stone in cloth to make a pigment pen, the way a tailor marks fabric, and turns her stiff, muddy cloak into a sail. She draws one long sign on it.
It works. She flies up the range with her own magic, reaches the peak, and picks the diadem herb.
The Mark Of A Witch
Back at the atelier, Qifrey and the others were terrified she’d be hurt. He scolds her for being reckless, then tells her she’s already his apprentice.
He gives her the pointed hat, the mark of a witch. It’s a symbol of pride, and also a vow never to use magic for vile purposes.
Kalhn
In chapter five, they go to Kalhn, a town built for witches, to buy a new wand. Coco meets the shopkeeper, Mister Nolnoa, whose shop is built around a silverwood tree.
She learns that a wand comes from the tree’s branches, and the ink, called woodcruor, comes from its blood.
The Ending
Then Coco spots the masked witch who sold her the book. She chases her, and Tetia and Agott follow. But the alley leads somewhere that isn’t Kalhn anymore.
Another apprentice, Richeh, is with them. A strange creature appears, and the four run. In the end, a witch in an eyeball mask welcomes Coco to the world of magic. The volume ends there.
Your Turn
Which part hit you hardest? Tell me in the comments. My review and the manga versus anime guide are linked below.
