Lucas Blogs About Witch Hat Atelier Volume 2
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| You're a witch, Agott! |
So, what's this book's de—oh, you're onto the second volume of this manga already?
Yep! That's right, this is Volume 2 of Kamome Shirahama's fantasy manga, Witch Hat Atelier. There will of course be some SPOILERS for Volume 1, so consider yourself warned.
Proceed.
So, at the end of the last volume, Coco and her fellow witch apprentices, Agott, Richeh, and Tetia, found themselves transported into a labyrinth stalked by a fearsome dragon. Fortunately, they're able to use their wits and personality quirks to come up with a spell to tame the beast. Meanwhile, their master, Quifrey, is trying to figure out what caused them to disappear in the first place. Could it have anything to do with that the witch in the fringed cap who shows up from time to time ominously talking to himself? Your guess is as good as mine (J/K it totally has something to do with that guy). Anyway, once everyone's safely back to the atelier, they find that Olruggio has returned. "Who's Olruggio?" you might ask.
I did not ask.
He's the atelier's watchful eye who was conveniently not at home during the first volume. A watchful eye is an adult witch sent to monitor the atelier and make sure that Quifrey's training methods are orthodox. Anyway, Olruggio thinks that Coco should be turned over to the Knights Moralis, who are like witch cops (you know, for the whole petrifying her mom thing). Don't worry, Quifrey persuades him to let Coco stay on as a student, and it's a good thing, too, since in the next chapter they all have to go help a village near a flooding river. And, oh, we're pretty much at the end, which features a cliffhanger, so, let's transition to the part where I write about how I felt about what I read.
wow very segue much natural
You don't have to be a jerk about it.
Well, wha'd'ya think?
I liked it. It's a fun manga.
Would you care to elaborate?
Okay. Shirahama maintains the high level of artistic excellence and creative use of the medium from the previous volume and uses exciting scenarios like river rescues and fighting dragons to explore her characters. With the rules of magic in her world pretty clearly set up in the first volume, here she lets the four witch apprentices get creative with their application. For example, by using a pulverizing seal on a wall to create a cushion-y bed of sand to lull the dragon to sleep. I appreciate it when fantasy authors put some thought into their magic systems and keep them consistent. But I appreciate it even more when the way a character thinks to use magic reveals aspects of their character.
I mean who doesn't?
I suppose I could make a mean joke at the expense of some fantasy writer or another, but I sense that the question was rhetorical. Anyway, as in the first volume, the story and characters are still fairly standard issue as far as the magic school genre goes. However, Shirahama handles both deftly while incorporating beautiful artistic flourishes that make the manga a joy to read. Well, I guess I've kinda run out of things to say on this one so I'll keep it brief. Have a good week.
That's it?
Yeah, that's it.
Witch Hat Atelier Volume 2 by Kamome Shirahama (trans. Stephen Kohler), Kodansha Comics trade paperback edition, 2019 (originally published in Japan as とんがり帽子のアトリエ(Tongari Bōshi no Atorie) in 2017, 190 pages, pairs well with cocoa and marshmallows
Links:
Once more, here are Shirahama's twitter and instagram feeds if you're into that kinda thing.
Proceed.
So, at the end of the last volume, Coco and her fellow witch apprentices, Agott, Richeh, and Tetia, found themselves transported into a labyrinth stalked by a fearsome dragon. Fortunately, they're able to use their wits and personality quirks to come up with a spell to tame the beast. Meanwhile, their master, Quifrey, is trying to figure out what caused them to disappear in the first place. Could it have anything to do with that the witch in the fringed cap who shows up from time to time ominously talking to himself? Your guess is as good as mine (J/K it totally has something to do with that guy). Anyway, once everyone's safely back to the atelier, they find that Olruggio has returned. "Who's Olruggio?" you might ask.
I did not ask.
He's the atelier's watchful eye who was conveniently not at home during the first volume. A watchful eye is an adult witch sent to monitor the atelier and make sure that Quifrey's training methods are orthodox. Anyway, Olruggio thinks that Coco should be turned over to the Knights Moralis, who are like witch cops (you know, for the whole petrifying her mom thing). Don't worry, Quifrey persuades him to let Coco stay on as a student, and it's a good thing, too, since in the next chapter they all have to go help a village near a flooding river. And, oh, we're pretty much at the end, which features a cliffhanger, so, let's transition to the part where I write about how I felt about what I read.
wow very segue much natural
You don't have to be a jerk about it.
Well, wha'd'ya think?
I liked it. It's a fun manga.
Would you care to elaborate?
Okay. Shirahama maintains the high level of artistic excellence and creative use of the medium from the previous volume and uses exciting scenarios like river rescues and fighting dragons to explore her characters. With the rules of magic in her world pretty clearly set up in the first volume, here she lets the four witch apprentices get creative with their application. For example, by using a pulverizing seal on a wall to create a cushion-y bed of sand to lull the dragon to sleep. I appreciate it when fantasy authors put some thought into their magic systems and keep them consistent. But I appreciate it even more when the way a character thinks to use magic reveals aspects of their character.
I mean who doesn't?
I suppose I could make a mean joke at the expense of some fantasy writer or another, but I sense that the question was rhetorical. Anyway, as in the first volume, the story and characters are still fairly standard issue as far as the magic school genre goes. However, Shirahama handles both deftly while incorporating beautiful artistic flourishes that make the manga a joy to read. Well, I guess I've kinda run out of things to say on this one so I'll keep it brief. Have a good week.
That's it?
Yeah, that's it.
Witch Hat Atelier Volume 2 by Kamome Shirahama (trans. Stephen Kohler), Kodansha Comics trade paperback edition, 2019 (originally published in Japan as とんがり帽子のアトリエ(Tongari Bōshi no Atorie) in 2017, 190 pages, pairs well with cocoa and marshmallows
Links:
Once more, here are Shirahama's twitter and instagram feeds if you're into that kinda thing.
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