James Nicoll Reviews

2022’s Witch Hat Atelier, Volume 12 is the twelfth tankōbon of Kamome Shirahama’s Witch Hat Atelier fantasy manga series. Witch Hat Atelier (Tongari Bōshi no Atelier in the original Japanese) has been serialized in Kodansha’s Monthly Morning Two magazine since July 2016. The English translation of Volume 12 first appeared in 2024.

Volume 11 was a comparatively quiet volume. Volume 12 is considerably more energetic.

The main ongoing conflict in the series is between the Witches’ Assembly, which claims the right to regulate all magic use, and the Brimmed Hats, who find the regulations onerous and counter-productive. While the regulations are narrow, and punishment for violating them often disproportionate, the Assembly has reasons for stringency.

Case in point: old Engendale, formerly a senior Assembly administrator. Engendale resents the rules barring the use of healing magic, believing that the ease with which body-modification magic can be abused should not bar him from extending his own life. When his deviation is discovered, Engendale is stripped of his rank and imprisoned.

The charming old man quickly befriends the other occupant of his cell, a pervert with a small knack for magic. Engendale offers the fellow a magical means to escape. Why did the old mage not use it himself? The actual reason is because a minor side-effect of using that specific magic in that specific place is a horrific, irreversible transformation. As previously established, Engendale prefers not to die.

Duping his cellmate has two benefits. First, the creation of a hole in the cell wall large enough for Engendale to step through. Second, the creation of a distraction. The cellmate becomes a kaiju-sized tentacled monster. Each tentacle is a blood-sucking lamprey intent on draining the blood of everyone it can reach.

Bad news! Engendale’s escape coincides with a magical festival. There are many innocent bystanders that could be yummy monster food. 

Also, good news! Engendale’s escape coincides with a magical festival. There are many witches on hand (including adorable protagonist Coco) to deal with the monster.

Too bad that one of the secrets the witches are most determined to keep is that that offensive magic of the sort most useful to destroy the monster is possible at all. Too bad many witches will absolutely let people die rather than reveal forbidden magic.

~oOo~

A word on the art. It’s still great.

Coco has in previous volumes encountered the Knights Moralis, who enforce magical law. The Knights Moralis tend to play the role of antagonists, thanks to their tendency to dole out draconian punishments for violations, even when the person being punished had the forbidden magic applied to them by someone else¹. Even the nicest Knights are people one should be cautious around and many of the Knights are not all that nice.

This volume provides an example of what happens when people break the magical rules. Engendale ​’s little jape puts thousands of people at risk. Had the witches not been present in numbers, it is possible the whole town might have died.

Volume 1 started the series with an episode that showed the consequences of illicit magic. In that case, there was only a single fatality, Coco’s mother. Volume 12 makes it clear that magic really is the WMD that the Knights assert it is. Their fanaticism is in no way arbitrary.

Alas! There isn’t much room for quiet introspection in this volume. There is however much thrilling action and bold improvisation as the witches² do their best to keep as few people as possible from being drained, without revealing secrets that would get even more people killed than the giant monster could.

No doubt there will be consequences of this event and those actions. Unfortunately, Anglophones will have to wait to find out what those consequences are. Volume 13 appeared late 2023 and it usually takes about a year for the English translation to appear.

Witch Hat Atelier Volume 12 is available here (Amazon US), here (Amazon Canada), here (Amazon UK), here (Apple Books), here (Barnes & Noble), here (Chapters-Indigo), and here (Words Worth Books).

1: One of the drawbacks of draconian legislation is that it gives the Brimmed Hats an easy means to blackmail people. Cast some forbidden but concealable transformation spell on someone. If the victim does not want the Knights to punish them, they have to do whatever the Brimmed Hats demand, such as violate magical law.

Is there a succinct term for onerous regulations that create the problem they are trying to prevent?

2: Former witches also help out. Knight Galga, whose mind was previously erased by lawbreaker Ininia, selflessly charges into the fray to save people, despite having lost his magic and most of his useful skills. Among the people he saves? Ininia.