This is objectively really cool, but Alaira is right, he's an idiot for chasing after the Brimcap while heavily injured and leaving his kids behind. AND I LOVE IT. It fleshes out his character so well. We know he genuinely cares for the girls, but we also know about his obsession with the Brimcaps and how reckless he can be about it and now we finally see his two sides directly clash and him loosing the teacher's persona to be just Qifrey, the water witch incredibly pissed of at the Brimcaps.
I love this panel.
I know it's been pointed out before but damn, Qifrey is really styling on Sasaran for no reason here. He has no reason to chant an invocation, there is no outsider to fool here he just really wanted to aurafarm a little lol. Oh Qifrey, you are a dramatic bitch and I love you for it. Beldaruit would be proud.
Look! the panel that single handedly birthed half of the 'Iguin and Qifrey are twins/clones' theories!
No but seriously, with the whole translation discourse regarding this line it's probably one of the most important clues we have about what is going on and also about what Qifrey actually knows because this implies that either a) he remembers a brimcap with his face/eye from before he lost his memories or b) he has seen one in the years he's been hunting them since. And I think it's really important to figure out which one it is in the context of his memories.
God this page is gorgeous. Incredibly fucked up, mind you, but gorgeous. The way Euini is in a very 'Jesus Christ on the cross' pose, to signify that he's the sacrificial lamb for forbidden magic here is insane. Shirahama you are too good at your job.
No wait actually why would it be impossible? Because it would be magic on the body and so forbidden? If we ignore that, creating a spell that absorbs or evaporates the ink would solve the problem right?
Why did I never questioned this before omg?
I love the way she's so smart and thinking outside the box. Of course she'd find a loop hole. That is Qifrey's kid alright.
The tactical Brushbuddy deployement will never not be funny I'm sorry lol. This is a great plan but this is hilarious.
I hate to admit it but this goes so hard.
I'm also really intrigued by their titles. Are they metaphoric? Are they literal? Is the eye in question Qifrey's? Why are eyes so fucking important?
I have so many questions Shirahama please!?
You know... despite being extremely fucked up, I think that Iguin genuinely loves magic. They seem really excited at the girls bright ideas, even if technically it wasn't forbidden magic. This is a response I would expect from Qifrey when they complete a task he gave them... even the hand pose is the same! (cue more fuel for the Iguin & Qifrey clones/twins theories) I don't think the value forbidden magic more than normal magic like Sasaran seems to do, I think they genuinely love ALL magic and just want to see it free... regardless of the danger it poses.
This surely, will not bite us in the ass in the future.
But again, Iguin wants to prove a point to Coco, that unbridled magic is what it should be, but they don't force her to draw or hurt them futher to force her, they just accept her explanation and leave. They want her to accept her point of view freely. In a way maybe they don't want to force their ideology onto her like the Pointed caps do. It's interesting.
God he's so hot. uh ? who said that?
And who is it that makes Qifrey snap out of his obsession and focus on what he's supposed to do? That's right... his guiding star.
Just kill me đ„Č
I know this is a very serious and intense moment but the way she back pedaled so hard at the thought of Easthies is actually really funny I'm sorry.
And this is why she's a queen. Alaira the woman you are.
I wonder why the Ceyam Woods? I don't remember them being mentioned elsewhere before or after this... Was it just an emergency exit to escape their previous abusive master? Or will this be relevant again later? Why do I feel like this will be important in the future?
đ
I'm fine... A scale just got into my eyes đ„Č
I would also like to point out that Olly hasn't let his hands off of QIfrey ONCE since he got here.
Peak husbands behaviour.
This got super long but it's also probably the best volume so far for me. I had forgotten how many juicy things there were in this one.
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We are now officially past the anime cut off point now so anime only beware, but also BIG MANGA SPOILERS FOR EVERYTHING because I've noticed things and I need to talk about them so beware in general, maybe?
God I LOVE this cover so much. That's my bubblegum daughter right there.
Anyway,
Why do I feel like this is foreshadowing... Like for when his condition is resolved. I don't think he'll regain his right eye and I'm 50/50 on his left also being completely blind or just with reduced visibility, either way he's going to have eye troubles even in the future for sure, Shirahama has been too good at handling disabilities for her to just wave it away for Qifrey, and with context this feels really intentional and not just him aurafarming.
I'm really glad this wasn't just glossed over. Coco has trauma from what happened to her mom, of course she'd have a terrible time dealing with basically the same thing but in gold instead of stone. It would be so easy to just don't bring this up because this is the action chapter and Qifrey is aurafarming but this is so so important. It gives real weight to her character and what she experienced and Tetia's reaction to it is also really important and a nice call back to the dragon maze where she was too scared so she was mean to Coco but here she protected her like a big sister would, and remembered what she should do as a witch. You can already see the character development she quietly went through in the background since the last crisis and I adore it! I also really love their relationship. Agott might be the foil (and potential love interest) for Coco but Tetia is her BFF no question asked.
This was already fucked up to begin with, because the only comfort they can find is in death, but the fact that it's OLRUGGIO'S SPELL that grants them release with context of later chapters is really something else.
For me, Olly is the personification of magic in the story, and this is probably one of the clearer examples. His spells are always kind and gentle and warm, perfectly designed to bring comfort and joy. He's always aware of every way his spells could harm and he's careful to limit it or avoid it completely if he can. And yet, even a simple snugstone, designed to bring comfort to a restless child, can be twisted into something that harms. But the really fucked up thing is that while the spell was twisted in a way Olly would be devastated by, it's purpose did not change. It still brought the Romonons comfort, even if it was the comfort of death, he has granted them the release they've been seeking for eons. Like magic itself, the results can be twisted, but Olly's purpose never changes, he is comfort and kindness and warmth, just like the purpose of magic is "to make the world vibrant".
Truly, the sky's kindest and most radiant star.
Speaking of Olly, I also like to think this is the first hint we have that him and Coco are more alike than we first think. This is a very Olly thought in my opinion, but we don't really connect the dots at this time yet. ON reread though? This hits like a fucking truck.
Actually I have a big question about this panel.
This kinda implies that a spell drawn on a body is always active, doesn't it?
BUT I thought that no matter how big or neatly a spell has been drawn it has an expiration date. Obviously smaller or badly drawn ones have shorter durations, but even neat and well penned spells deactivate after some time has passed, right? Isn't that why the witches have to do maintenance on beast wards and the like? Hell, even Qifrey's fuck ass dragon deactivated on its own.
Does this mean that magic drawn on flesh is permanent because it never deactivates?
Is that one of the reasons why it has been deemed too dangerous even as healing magic?
I mean we saw what human blood did to Coco's spell at the staircase river (and we know what happens during Silver Eve)...
So my question: is the blood of the tattooed person constantly activating the magic even past its normal expiration?
That... that is certainly interesting to think about.
Agott, baby... Your crush is showing with that 'beautiful dead wife' panel of Coco.
Uh... I had forgotten that Richeh's backstory is set four years earlier... exactly like the last time we know forbidden magic was used... I mean it's definitely not related but it's also worth noting since Shirahama is really good at foreshadowing stuff and that forbidden magic incident is still very much an unknown...
Also this is making me do math but follow me here.
If she's been taken in by Qifrey right after this, she has to have come to the atelier about 3 years before the start of the story (I give her a year at most at her previous master's atelier).
We know Agott is Qifrey's first apprentice, so she had to been there when Richeh was taken in and that means that Agott also came to the Atelier at least 3 years ago if not earlier. That would make her at the very least 13 right now, because we know she took the first test at 10. Richeh looks much younger than 10 in the flashback so I'm assuming she must have taken her first test around 7 or 8 rather than at 10 like Agott did. Assuming she did take it at 7 or 8 and she stayed 1 year with her terrible master and 3 with Qifrey she should be 11 or 12 right now. That would make her younger than Agott and honestly... that tracks. Richeh has always felt a bit younger that the other girls so I like that we have approssimate dates that confirm she's a bit younger.
We have no real timeline for Tetia yet, besides her asking Coco if she's the same age as her and Richeh, so I can see her be around 12 as well, so my current headcanon for the ages of the girls is: Agott 13/14, Coco and Tetia 12/13 and Richeh 11/12.
Also Rili looks about 12 in the flashback so that would make him about 16 right now, that would also mean that Rili and Riche have about a 4 year gap between them and I feel like that fits.
Speaking of the flashback... this really reeks of sexual abuse not just abuse in general. The way he touches Rili's hair is so slimy it make my skin crawl. It may not be actually said but it's implied so simply in this panel and I have to praise Shirahama for how good she is at subtly implying this kind of context with a simple gesture but also... yikes does not even begin to describe the kind of disgust this makes me feel. Great job.
Oh Richeh... This always make me cry it's so beautiful đ„Č
You know you are ass when you actually make me agree with the cop who terrorizes children for sport... Get him Easthies!
mmmm... I do wonder if this has anything to do with the current character arc Easthies is on... I mean he's almost obsessive about self-restraint here and we do see what chaos he can bring when he lets loose and snaps so I wonder if it's something about his past that has been done to him or something he did that makes him think this way.
I'm splitting the volume in 2 posts because this is getting too long.
Rereading it really gives you the time to catch more of the spells. I wonder what these do... Any ideas?
I'm kinda sad that the anime cut these interactions with Euini. They show that Qifrey and Alira won't simply stand by if they see a child in need and it important characterization for both of them but especially for Alaira for later.
Speaking of things I whish the anime didn't cut, this page is incredibly important for lore reasons in my opinion, and I feel like the other places mentioned will be the locations for the 3rd and 4th tests, while Thristas is important for... other reasons...
Don't the symbols on the columns remind you of the light sigils? I wonder if it was some kind of torch or if it's just decoration...
Also, that guy reminds me a lot of Easthies, I wonder if he's a descendant of ancient Romonon and that's why he's like that. Like maybe he feels it's his responsibility to ament to the sins of his ancestors?
God this is so fucking creepy... it really give child predator vibes besides all the other awful stuff we know this piece of garbage has done.
I love this interaction so much. The are my little meow meows đ„Č
I do wonder what she was going to ask about here... Like, did she noticed something was off with him when they meat earlier or is she investigating the rumors? She's clearly Qifrey's friend so I doubt she's snooping around on behalf of the knights but I wonder if she was able to clock him in 2 minutes flat that he's hiding something or if there is more to it...
Again, another great couple of panels that I whish they didn't cut from the anime... uh this is a theme this volume...
These show that he got up in his head about the brimcaps, but that he quickly snapped out of it when he remembered his duty to his students. This is great set up for later, it's a pity they cut it in the anime but I can understand that they have a lot to fit into 20-ish minutes of runtime...
đ„Č
This is incredibly fucked up but damn this panel is gorgeous.
I love that he clearly has a startle reaction when Coco goes for his glasses. That is the face of trauma and we can tell even if we don't know what he went through at this time. But then he puts on his teacher's face and it's so warm and serene despite it being covered in blood because he needs to protect his girls, not only physically but also from the trauma he knows this could become for them and we get all that from just two freaking panels of his face!
I'm kinda sad that the anime cut Qifrey being a beautiful disney princess. I mean with the birds perching on him as if he was a tr- *gets shot in the head*
He says, looking wistful with the damn ribbon so prominently in frame... Shirahama please I'm dying here. đ„Č
No but seriously, This is maybe the first time we see Qifrey openly (even if just to himself) question the purpose of magic. For all the love and joy he has shown for magic this is our first glimpse into his more complicated feelings about it and I love how subtly it's done. A blink and you miss it moment.
mmmmm eyes and branches in a circle when talking about what type of hat a true witch should wear... This is sending me. I NEED ANSWERS.
This volume was way more action packed that the previous ones so I didn't really have much to say but this is where the story really takes off so it was nice going back to it again.
Volume 3 (chapters 12-17) [VAGUE SPOILERS EVERYWHERE THIS WEEK]
please ignore that I'm an entire week late
Also these are getting longer with the more we get deeper into the story... I might split them in the future... Not sure if by chapter or just into two parts... We'll see.
I love this cover, not only it's beautiful but with hindsight it hits like a fucking truck.
I LOVE how all of the girls stand up for Coco. Even Agott, who at this point of the story is still on the fence about her and is probably the one among them who has the biggest reverence for witch society ingrained into her due to her past, can see that this is an injustice. And the way that Olly is (likely) the one to burn the pennants and that Qifrey doesn't hesitates a second to raise his sword at Easthies' throat.
We love a family that stands up to the cops togheter.
No, seriously. They are all so protective of the new baby, despite this being a high risk situation for everyone, because, let's be real, Easthies has every chance to call for 'resistance to public official' after this stunt, especially for Qifrey, and I doubt the knights would just send a strongly worded letter for such an offence. If he wanted, I'm sure Easthies would have the grounds to call for a suspension or at least investigation of Qifrey as Master and of Olruggio as Watchful Eye and disband the entire atelier, or likely worse if he had found the bloody ink. And the fact that he doesn't, that he actually stands down even if he's grumpy about it, clearly tells me that, despite all his attitude towards Qifrey, he must trust him to a minimum degree. At least enough to wait for actual evidence and not just go in, memory spells blazing, like he was ready to do before Qifrey entered the picture... There is certainly some history we don't know about yet between them and it's driving me crazy. I know these two went hunting brimcaps together (and maybe fucked) at some point, I just know it.
I will never be over Olruggio reminding everyone, even the knights, even Qifrey, what magic is meant for. I'm sure this is probably in part because of his trauma, but it also really shows just how kind Olly really is. Others are always his first thought.
Yeah... guess who was actually the one to almost reveal one of the secrets to outsiders? Not the child who's part of a terrorist plot to do so, but the guys whose sole purpose is to protect magic. Good job Easthies!
No, but this is important because Olly and Qifrey bring it back later that you have to be aware not just how you are casting but of the purpose and circumstances too. You can't cast a self-repairing spell in front of a scared parent who's child is badly hurt, even if you hid how you did it, of course the dude is going to question why you aren't doing the same to his son's legs... But what is worse for me is that they don't even try to come up with an excuse, they just pull rank, 'Don't question or we leave your kid to bleed out here' like damn ok... Luluci you are the best of the knights so far but you are not immune to the system it seems... I had kinda forgotten about that.
God, this entire page is fire I don't even know where to begin...
The parallel between magic being either a miracle or a falsehood but still being what colors the world, the poison on their hands being either blood or ink but either way being what brings spells to life, the ruse being either this little stunt they pulled with the ink or the lie that the pact and the entire world is based upon!!
Like come on! FIRE. Pure Fire. Give this woman all the awards.
Also. BIG SPOILERS (ch. 88 at least) next paragraph!
This is our first hint that human blood affects magic⊠I wonder if the magic ink is magic because it is blood, or if it becomes magic only once it's infected by the silverwood becoming cruor and non-infected blood added to the mix fucks up the ratio of blood:cruor and that's why it affects magic so erratically? The fact that magic ink can be made only from silverwoods and now that we know how silverwoods grow and the fact that blood affects magic are for sure related, I'm not just 100% sure how exactly. Both blood and silverwood seem important components for the magic to happen though.
Help. This is too funny... he has no braincells under all that fluffy hair lol
Qifrey sure is one minded and reckless when it comes to the brimcaps⊠which, understandable but still.
The manic look on his face is so scary but what sends me is the way the ribbon almost hugs him⊠It's hot and ominous at the same time because we know what that ribbon means now and seeing it drawn like that in this moment is doing things to my emotions that I can't describe. Shirahama, killing me would be less painful.
Also, the foreshadowing for his light sensibility is insane. Like, he clearly takes more time to recover here than Nolnoa does but it's subtle enough to just brush it aside with what comes later in the chapter and forget about it for another 3 volumes but it's already here and it makes perfect sense. Also, thank you for one of Qifrey's sluttiest panel... I love when she draws him like that.
Tartah is such a sweet kid... He noticed Coco was scraped and he immediately wanted to help her... Which makes me realise, Tartah was already dabbling in healing and first aid, at least enough to know how to treat Coco's scratches⊠I wonder were the line is, surely even witches must be allowed basic first aid knowledge right? Stuff like how to stop bleedings and treat minor injuries like scratches and the like?? Surely???
Also, Tartah is able to tell which components Coco is talking about because she's pointing them out by location and not just by color⊠I noticed it in the anime as well but this detail is sending me. Also, the scale of the blushing bride butterfly to make the ink transparent is introduced here... Why is it every time we go to their shop we are flooded with foreshadowing omg? I wonder if the other components mentioned will come to play into the story later...
Before we move on to next chapter though, I NEED to point out that Qifrey looks like a brimmed hat right before he erases Nolnoa's memories (which is the most fucked up thing we see him do for me btw) and this panel is just so fucking gorgeous... I can't.
I'm also just now noticing the face Qifrey pulls when Coco asks him about Tartah's silverwash... why does he seem so... surprised? Upset? Lost in thought? Idk... It's just such a somber face. Maybe he's just pitying Tartah or it's because he can relate to him but I also wonder if he knows something specific about silverwash that we haven't found out yet.
Anyway, I love how the Pentacle of Proving is explained.
Why do I have the feeling this is something that was said to him in the past...? A Bel quote maybe?
The entire nightmare sequence is incredible but I NEED to single out this page because wow this is gorgeous.
Speaking of gorgeous, the entire twin bottle investigation sequence is fantastic but these two panels in particular always stand out to me. You can just feel every emotion. I get the chills every time.
Speaking of the twin bottles... if they are lost magic how does Qifrey know how the spell works? This is fuel for the unhinged theory that Qifrey is actually from before the pact⊠(which I have an undercooked post about btw)
It's curious though that Iguin didn't do anything to him, they didn't even try to mock him? They just waterboarded him, took back the twin bottle and left?? I can smell the Iguin knows/cares about Qifrey but Qifrey doesn't remember/know them set up for their potential connection from a mile away. Shirahama I need answers!
Let's be traumatized and sleep deprived with papa! đ„°
Also, the arkco interaction in ch. 15 was really cute. Agott I see you caring, you cant fool me.
I know I shouldn't be laughing, but Quifrey trying to gaslit Tartah with his sparkles will never not be funny.
Put this one down for the counter for 'Thea's favorite Qifrey's panels ever'. It's so gorgeous.
That said, while I really love the chapters about Tartah's silverwash in the hospital, this is, much like the dragon fight, an instance where I must give praise where it's due and point out that these chapters hit so much harder in the anime. I mean, the story that's in the manga is what make this so good and Tartah such a compelling character for me, but the anime really outdid itself with episode 10. It's my favorite of the season and it really brings to life the gorgeous vision we already have in the manga.
But this is still the biggest plot hole in the entire manga. Working in the medical field, this gives me an aneurysm. No respectful hospital keeps unlabeled medicine around, this is incredibly dangerous since you can easily mix it up even if you are not visually impaired like Tartah is. If you want to keep people from misusing medication in the absence of a doctor, you keep it in a locked cabinet or room. I get the message she was sending, and she did it masterfully but this irks me to no end lol.
Wait... I forgot about the baby! Kinda sad that we didn't get to see Qifrey holding a little baby in motion... it suit him. uh? who said that?
Oh this is so cute I can't. Tarco is so precious in the early manga đ And the way Qifrey cares for them both melts my heart. He's such a mama duck with all children I can't. đ
Reversing the signs could be the solution but if it's on the body you'd still be technically casting forbidden magic, right? It's the same problem as healingcraft...
Anyway. Another great volume, things are starting picking up theme and story wise and the length of this clearly shows it.
something that i love about this series is that coco is not innately talented when it comes to magic. although she's technically the "chosen one," that doesn't come from the idea that she has some kind of special powerâin fact, she's not particularly good at casting because she's a beginner! her circles aren't perfect and the proportions are often wonky; she's starting later than her peers and has to play catch up. when magic in this world is an allegory to art and artists, i think it's a great idea to have the main character not be talented in that respect. it promotes the idea that anyone can do it and it's not too late to learn. in fact, you can still create art that moves someone even if you don't have a perfect grasp on fundamentals.
and even that aside: it's refreshing to see a main character who isn't given a special power and i see no inclination from the text that coco will get something like that (the story is rooted towards realism anyway, but i digress). i don't think this kind of trope is inherently bad, but when the message is "anybody can do it," it can certainly muddy that up when the reveal turns out to be, "this character was actually Special all along!" i saw this type of criticism levied at a certain hero anime (which i'm not invoking out of respect), where instead of working within the parameters of a powerless hero with their own strengths to compensate, they're given one of the greatest powers in the world. obviously there's a history with it and a story can be told regardless. it's not even the first of its kind! but isn't it a little disappointing to be told that that sort of greatness is impossible for your average person?
instead, what makes coco special are her values and unique experience. her strength in casting, straight lines, is due to her helping her mother, a seamstress. and just like with art, your experiences help shape the way you make art and the things you focus on. coco is incredibly kind and has a strong belief that magic should be used to make others happy, because magic has always filled her with joy. all of this culminates in how she uses magic and how she might bend the rules in favor of helping others. it's things like finding a way to accommodate tartah's silverwash; all of witch society had given up on him and told him he could never become a witch with his disability, but not coco. because magic is about turning things you can't into something you can.
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Genuinely can't get over 'The Giver' Qifrey, and the action just before this revelation. Providing a spell for Coco's Mother, saying that Olruggio is better at this than him. Heat magic. Providing warmth easily. Providing comfort, both in spell and action. And it's true, Qifrey's spent his life avoiding comfort, of course he's going to experience a learning curve. He feels awkward providing it in such an intentional way now. Of course he's going to compare himself to the Human Embodiment of Helping Others, who taught him comfort.
This 'Giver' revelation comes when he sees his actions did in fact help Coco, who outright tells him his spell gave her strength to go on having hope.
What sort of gets me about this, is that he's always been in this position. He's a Master to four bright, intelligent students. He's been providing comfort and hope to them since the beginning. And yet, it's only now he sees himself in this position.
I think that is, in part, because he no longer sees the girls as just a means to an end - a stress to keep him alive. It's not just his home anymore, it's their Atelier now. All 6 of them. He's accepted this is the life he wants, and thus is more readily accepting his role as Carer/Guardian, Giver, not just Teacher.
technically kinda spoilers for like a bunch of witch hat atelier but i kept it vague so read at ur own risk
so, i think we know the pact was made in fear. understandable fear of course, but still fear. and fear likes to stagnate things. but when growth is inevitable, it is up to us to choose what grows. and we cannot choose ânothing,â because time keeps on passing and the world keeps on turning. but, there are people who still choose ânothing.â and what happens when they do?
the rot grows instead. change still occurs, but it is the changes that pull apart, that drift away, that hurt. and when a system is based in fear, this hurt is systemic.
there is this mutual lack of understanding and lack of humanity offered between both outsiders and witches, because of how distinctly 'other' they are forced to be, to keep order. the witches view outsiders as maybe whiny pets at best, and the outsiders view witches as those touched by the gods. but the outsiders were never really important.
both sides of our main conflictâbetween both pointed and brimmed capsâencourage stagnancy and both sides encourage it with magicâone side encourages using magic to stagnate the self, and the other forbids magic that could affect growth in any capacity. neither side really wants growth, neither side really wants change, both sides simply want their âgolden eraâ. and these eras cannot coexist at the same time as one another.
the conflict isnât truly for what is âright,â the conflict is mainly about the kind of eternity you prefer. âwhat if we donât want eternity?â why ask that question? would you rather the world end if itâd mean an eternity of rot cannot come to pass? the rot is comfortable, the rot doesnât even hurt unless you touch it! just donât mind the walls. or the floors. or the ceiling. or the furniture. or the everything.
what is the point of eternity if this is how it goes? what is the point of eternity if it cannot absolve us of our wrongness? what is the point of eternity if we are unable to enjoy this eternal summer?
are we afraid? do we want to change? butâbut change would ruin our eternity! and our eternity is all we have left.
Using its âmagical schoolâ premise, Witch Hat Atelier explores diversity among students and argues for the importance of accessibility throughout society, but especially in education. With supportive mentors and a focus on individual accommodation, anyone really can wield their own kind of magic.
