とんがり帽子のアトリエ

I love how they made Tetia act here. It hurts that she's putting the blame on Coco for their current predicament, but it is a realistic response and they've only known each other for a week? Two weeks at most at this point? Also, Tetia is only 11/12 who's currently in a life or death situation. Even full grown adults would freak out and start blaming others in this kind of situation. I love this kind of realistic writing and makes Tetia a more rounded character instead of just being a bubbly happy ball of sunshine.

Reading the comments I feel like people have the wrong expectations of what an actual redemption is, it to be fair it's kinda fault of the inumerous cheap redemptions arcs that character have in general. But one that I seeing a lot is 'I hope she has a backstory to justify this', but like that not the point of redemption, her backstory it's not going to make Agott putting Coco in danger and being toxic to her a good thing, it just gives an option to give more context rather than might lighten the blow but not nulify it. The important factor for a redemption is a sense of guilty that never goes away really and working towards being a better person, being a likable character or justifiable should not be the criteria for a sucessful redemption.

I know Coco should probably not have run off after that evil witch. It was reckless. But you know what? Agott chewing her out like that really annoyed me. This brat wants to talk about putting people in danger? Really? After what she did to Coco last week? I don’t remember an apology for that stunt either. Coco has had like barely any time at all to learn about magic and the rules of how it all works. She’s new. Very new. Not everyone’s a damn prodigy like Agott. It’s ridiculous the amount of hate and resentment she gets from that brat. I really wish Qifrey would talk to her about her attitude and behavior. Kid needs to be reprimanded for her bullshit.

It's cool that something as simple as the fit of one's pen can have a significant impact on one's abilities. Really hammers in how tactile this magic system feels. And I also liked how Richeh, instead of using one big symbol, stacked the effects of multiple smaller ones to achieve the same effect. Seems like we're already getting a taste of how creative they can be. I love that Brushbuddy got brought back by Coco and immediately became their mascot going forward without much fuss. And then he proceeded to come in clutch at the very end. Brushbuddy best boi confirmed. Here I thought the moment where Coco saw the masked witch, it would be one of those scenes where the character suddenly disappears after something or someone passes by. It made me laugh when they literally just ran away. Definitely not a fan of Agott at all currently, though. Not only does she get away scott free for the potentially dangerous stunt she pulled on Coco, but *she* gets to tear her down in this episode? I'm gonna be very disappointed if her horrible attitude doesn't get called out properly at some point, and Coco just keeps getting treated like a doormat that can't even stand up for herself for being treated like that. Qifrey's also doing poorly in my eyes right now. I get he's a busy guy that must be dealing with a lot. But this is the second time in a row that he left his apprentices by themselves and they almost immediately got in trouble. Mind you, one of them is immensely important to getting info on the enemy witch faction (and while they don't know it yet, actually seems even more important than that, judging by the masked witch referring to her as their savior).

You know, I really cannot understate how absolutely delightful Rena Motomura's performance as Coco has been so far. It just feels like the role she was born to play: the ever-so-slight breathlessness with which she says all of Coco's lines perfectly conveys the awe that Coco is feeling, as if she's barely keeping up with all of the magic unfolding around her. And her voice is so *dynamic*! It's like she's bouncing around the recording booth when she goes "uuu^(uu)uu^(uu)uUAAAGH" like that (and who knows, maybe she actually is). But it's her delivery of lines like this episode's "M-Magic stationer's?! It's like a dream!" that really makes her stand out as a perfect fit for Coco. If I'd been introduced to her voice and been asked to picture a face that matched it, it probably would've been Coco's; from what I'm seeing in these threads, those who read the manga are experiencing the same phenomenon in reverse. Which is why it astounds me that Coco is her first big role. Yuusuke Kobayashi as Subaru or Yoshino Aoyama as Bocchi are the only other breakout performances I can think of that are on the same level as hers in this show, and they both saw their careers blow up afterwards, so I fully expect the same to happen for Rena Motomura after Witch Hat Atelier!

As with last week: BRUSHBUDDY YES. CARNIVAL WITCH NO. That window jumpscare. Sheesh. I had also been wondering what would be the catalyst for Coco's face of utter devastation in the preview... and was not expecting it to have been in response to an outburst from a frightened Tetia of all people. Oh, Coco. Another extremely strong episode, from character writing, worldbuilding, art direction, animation, soundtrack... just sublime. The deeper insight into both Agott and Tetia as characters was excellent, too. It turns out Agott is an excellent leader who can keep a cool head under pressure along with being very supportive with her peers, but... those traits don't apply to interactions with Coco. Tetia has also otherwise been a bundle of sunshine with Coco, but it was fascinating to see what happens when she's backed into a life or death corner, and blaming Coco in response. I was also delighted that while Richeh is extremely laid back most of the time, she's a very quick thinker under pressure. Again, just a lot of excellent character insight packed into a comparatively short amount of screentime in the labyrinth. With the greater worldbuilding with ink, if there were no more silverwood trees, would it no longer be possible to do magic? With WHA all-round, I really like how all actions continually make sense from a character perspective. Even though I was internally screaming for Coco to get Qifrey, of course she's going to go desperately tearing after the witch that gave her the picture book and was the catalyst for losing her mother. Even though my heart aches for Coco with both Agott and Tetia lashing out at her, it feels real in a painfully complicated and sincere way. While the trio are more experienced apprentice witches, they're also just terrified kids who know the gravity of the situation that they're in. I'm haunted by the image of Coco standing alone clutching the cap in her final scene. Again, another fantastic episode. And it's only Episode 4. When I watched the trailers and the opening, I thought the dragon was going to show up towards the climax of the season. Nope, Episode 4, the kids are trapped in a labyrinth with a dragon. I'm curious what the magic circle that Coco spotted means. As an aside, the city was extraordinary, especially the streets packed with beautifully animated witches with unique character designs. Just... wow. I'm so grateful Bug Films had the opportunity to go above and beyond with adapting the manga.

We got to see both sides of Agott in action – both good and bad. On one hand, she’s the most experienced and calm among the apprentices in a time of crisis while on the other hand she’s got attitude problems. That was utterly harsh on Coco. After the stunt she pulled last week. It’s got a similar vibe to hazing. Now, what were these brimmed caps? Qifrey made them sound like a dark faction of witches but the one who lured Coco said she was their hope.

I'm gonna temper my opinions regarding Agott but she's not one to talk about danger when she literally sent Coco to the Dadah Range without explicit approval from Qifrey. If Agott doesn't get reprimanded for her Dadah range stunt in gonna lose my shit.  Also, bringing up Coco accidentally petrifying her mother is just a low blow. It's not Coco's fault for being ignorant of magic when its knowledge and practice was forbidden or restricted.  Honestly, in this kinds of stories, I usually root for the evil organization because the status quo is usually stupid and hypocritical and fosters elitism/classism. Just look at how Agott treats Coco.

My take home thought of this episode is: man Qifrey is just really bad at his job He's in charge of a group of children. He needs to watch them. He didn't investigate why Coco went through the portal last time? He didn't scold Agott? He isn't even teaching Coco properly! He's just throwing her in head-first, without explanation, without teaching her the basics, without any safety protocols Everything that happened since she got there was because he's incompetent. Heck, I wouldn't even be surprised if it turned out that Coco getting the book was somehow his fault too or something

I like that they didn't just introduce the 4 main elements (which were expected) in the beginning of the episode as simple exposition, but later make use of nearly all of them. You have Agott use fire magic, Letia use wind magic and Riche use earth magic. All with different arrows as well that give you an idea what they do. Agott uses one to swirl things around, Riche to grind the earth into sand (and then push it forward with the standard arrow) and Letia connected the standard arrow with another one which I assume makes so that the paper isn't just pushing out air but creates this "air bubble" that rises which can then be put into the coat (otherwise the paper would probably just fly off by itself). Which brings me to the big circle Coco saw. It obviously does not contain any of the standard elements (which I think was assumed) and a lot of special arrows as well. Though what I did find interesting was that the outside arrows just go around the circle. Which I assume is the magic that makes the labyrinth inescapable. You will just be walking in circles. So they probably need to delete that circle in the first place to be able to escape the maze. But I also doubt it's that easy considering there are a lot more other arrows in it as well. With that magic analysis out of the way, I just want to add that I think the episode had a good mix of just "fun with all the magic stuff" and actually continuing the story. I would like to know what the magicians actually saw in Coco and what their plans are. It does not seem like they just want to make magic more "accessible" because then, they would just tell this more openly. Which implies to me that they use Coco as some form of test. But considering everyone can use magic, I am not sure what this test is supposed to be. For that, we would need a bit more information how magicians even choose their students in the first place.

This episode flew by and I'm sad that I'll have to wait another 7 days😭. As a manga reader who picked up the manga after it's first episode, im so happy with the adaptation. Voice acting and color enriches your experience so much it's basically magic. The whole scene of Tetia whooshing around her place was made so adorable through her VA. I adore the sound design so much, each drop of water, footsteps, little brushbuddy noises😍 everything!! This show has turned out to be my highlight of the week, I eagerly look forward to it every Monday.

I know there's gonna be a learning curve and it may take a while before Coco gets on the same page or level as her peers, but man I seriously can't wait for her to showcase some of that untapped potential the Brimmed Hat guy is so keen on unearthing/exposing. Not that Coco is (ever gonna be) that kind of girl to shove her abilities/talents to someone's face, but vindication absolutely would feel so good and satisfying once she proves herself not only capable, but better than everyone else--especially Agott. Ps. I knew I liked Richeh the best of the (senpai) trio the first I saw her. No judgement, no crashing out or any needless outburst and pointing fingers. Just cool, calm and collected.

Agott is the 3rd most popular character in this series on MAL, so I'm assuming at some point she's going to grow on us, but this is not that time. After seeing how people use the floating spell for different methods of travel, and the way Coco rode the sail last week I'm holding out hope that she makes usage of a broom like a stereotypical witch. I think doing it on your shoes is impractical because it's going to be ruined by walking, and you can't use it without the shoes on. A broom would be unique for this universe and I expect Coco to use spells in unique manners. Edit: There are FAR too many source readers in this thread pushing their feelings based on what they know about Agott on the rest of us like we're automatically supposed to be sympathetic to her while she's been a total bitch-a-rooney-dooney from the moment she stepped on screen. We get that she's going to have an arc of some point where we learn about whatever sob story there is that made her become cold and heartless as that is the trope with this type of character, but right now, she's been unnecessarily harsh to someone who yearns to learn about magic and wants to rescue her mom.

Agott is obviously a child just like Coco, but she's clearly been instilled with some deep rooted elitist and classist views of who "deserves" to be a witch when it is nothing more than luck that allowed her the opportunity to be one. She constantly belittles Coco for not knowing things that were pointedly kept secret from her her entire life, and on top of that brings up Coco's mother's death *while* explicitly framing it as her fault like every time she speaks to her. Considering she literally sent her to an **incredibly dangerous and potentially fatal test** that she was clearly not ready for *on purpose*, she has no right to criticise Coco here. Coco's only mistake in this episode was being a grieving child who literally just lost her mom, her only family, and had her entire world flipped upside down. Like yeah obviously she would run after the witch who caused all that?? Even most adults would do the same. Sure yeah the other girls are allowed to feel lost, upset, angry even, about ending up in a strange place with a huge ass dragon in front of them, directing that in such a hateful and insulting manner at Coco is not "understandable," let alone deserved (for those saying Coco somehow deserved everything Agott said). More than anyone though, I think people should be holding Qifrey accountable here, like what an astoundingly poor guardian. He's the one who left the atelier and told Coco to learn from Agott right after she got there, like brother YOU'RE the teacher??? In fact leaving the poor girl there unsupervised when she's so new to all this in the first place was just irresponsible. And this episode, how did he not even realize all four of the girls were gone for so long? He's the one who's supposed to be taking care of them like ugh

This show reminds me again of how annoying some manga readers can be about anime only people feeling irritated at a character that manga readers know will get a redemption arc but anime only just get what’s in front of them atm. While even as an anime only I’m expecting some sort of redemption for Agott, but currently what I’m seeing just a lot of disdain and you can’t blame people for being annoyed at her for that

So not only does Agott not get in trouble for the stunt she pulled risking Coco's only chance at a test, and potentially her life, the way she brought up Coco's mother being turned into the stone was so downright appalling.  I'm very much disliking her character and my enjoyment of the episode went down because of her, and I just leave another episode again feeling annoyed, it's unfortunate to me she's a prominent character in this.  I had no issue with Tetia blaming Coco, but Agott was excessive. While I do understand the urgency of the situation, Coco messed up there because she's not aware, but it just felt like Agott wanted an excuse to put Coco down in a horrible way.

I really have a hard time feeling bad for Agott at all. She knowingly put Coco in danger last episode, and before people say she expected her to give up, Cocos motivation is literally her mom’s life on the line. Coco either succeeds or she might as well die trying. And Agott knew this because she can’t seem to stop bringing up her trapped mom every chance she gets. She will need a hell of an arc to make me like her at all. Even Bakugo never really tried to kill Deku, sure he was abusive but he was always aiming to be a hero, so would never have crossed a line into potential murder. I feel like if Coco had died during the test she would’ve shrugged and said something like “Tuesday’s, amiright?” And then gone to bed.

Just going to say this. Yall can be mad if yall want but Coco was wrong. She is careless because she was not born with Magic. Even though she is a child, the witch children understand the responsibility they have at a early age for the most part. Coco, doesn't quite understand. Also, children shouldn't run off from the adult supervising them, unless they are dangerous, and she is at the age that she should know this. When they get out of this, she needs to apologize.

Valid crashout on Agott's part, they were in a life or death situation, but went too far with bringing up Coco's mother right there, and the "dead end" comment too. Jesus. I thought this was going to be a lighthearted episode about Coco choosing the wand (or the wand choosing her ala Harry Potter) but it went dark fast once the brimmed hat returned and everyone else ('cept Richeh) got a bit unreasonably fed up with Coco. Ended on a cliffhanger too, I need that next episode right now

I don't know if they needed the most attractive spirits of all time to showcase the Primary Tetrad of sigils representing the four elements, but it definitely made it look cooler. When playing with fire sigils, always have Tetia and some summonable water at the ready! And also if you want to see someone who REALLY loves to fly, watch Tetia zoomie-zoomie-zoom around everywhere! It's nice of Coco to want to fix the levitation shoes for Agott, even if it's more than Agott deserves, but the next step in her witch training is finding a "wand" she can properly write with. Which takes her, Qifrey, and her fellow apprentices to Kalhn, a genuine city of witches! Not only does Coco get to see the wonder of a city filled with magic and witches for whom magic is just second nature, but she finally feels like she's stepped into this world of magic. Even if Agott still wants nothing to do with her. Welcome to the Starry Sword! Where the elderly witch Nolnoa and the young boy Tartah show Coco how the magic is made! Literally, with the Silverwood tree and its branches that they draw conjuring ink, the lifeblood of witches, from! Oh snap! It's Coco's nemesis, the Brimmed Cap! I'm not surprised she'd chase them down, even if the rest of her apprentices are right behind her (including Agott who was planning to buy new shoes for levitation I guess and is now stuck babysitting Coco against her will). Of course none of them counted on being teleported by mist into a white labyrinth city...where a 2D animated dragon awaits them! Welcome to the wonders of magic, Coco, hope you survive your next "lesson!" Y'know, Qifrey, I respect how much you appreciate a magic stationer store, but like...can you keep a proper watch on your apprentices for more than FIVE minutes!? Agott's not my favorite witch, but her cool and mature head is probably good to have in a crisis situation. Tetia, on the other hand, is not handling things well and it seems like her life goal is to leave a single spell to her name which is why she can't die...and she can't help but look accusatory at Coco for getting them in to this mess. Even if a part of her feels bad for thinking that way. And to think she and Coco were the apprentices who got along best. I feel like Agott is going to regret not hearing what Coco had to say about the sigil she saw on a stairway...but Coco interrupting her sigil writing just finally makes her unload on Coco and how everything is her fault and how she has no business in this world. At least while the girls are fighting, Richech is being efficient and effective, but that's not going to make Coco feel any better. Is she really nothing more than a "dead end" to her fellow apprentices? Brushbuddy you are truly the MVP! That visual of the Bimmed Caps feels totally like an anime villain showcase.

A lot of people where understandably annoyed last time that Quifrey at all lectured coco on being too reckless, but with hindsight it maybe would have been better if the lecture would have been longer so that she doesn't immediately after the person responsible for everything. Maybe quifrey should have also reminded her at some point that the witch responsible for her mothers crystallization is proably not to be trusted, but I imagine he didn't expect her to run into them immediately

* Is Mister Nonoa giving Scottish? * Brushbuddy!!! * Nope. This is the Backrooms. Absolutely the fuck not. You don’t ever go into the Backrooms. * The way Agott pronounces things, she sometimes is giving Irish lass who puts on an English accent. I think that’d be a cool layer. >You are our one and only hope. “Help me, Obi Wan CocoNobi. You’re our only hope”. I blame Tarhalindur for this. * **I don’t wanna die.** * Avid (ft. mizuki) by Sawano plays intensely* *cries in 86I * Dragons not beating their big cat allegations. * Agott still needs to calm the fuck down. I get it. Coco *is* ignorant to conventions of magic society. And Agott is a child, who will act like a child. But good lord. It doesn’t help the other apprentices seem to silently agree. I see no one coming to Coco’s defense here. * Cons are gonna be so fun with WHA cosplayers. * ***If anything happens to Brushbuddy, I will kill everyone and then myself**. *** Some of the shots reminded me of Shaft. Not loving not *seeing* Agott not get any consequences for her actions. I admit though: Qifrey ain’t too hot as a teacher. Now—I recognize educators have a difficult task, and Qifrey’s educator position also kinda involves parental care *on top of* magical education. I’m sure having three apprentices who were already embedded in magic society makes it easier to be hands off. But it’s a bit unsettling how unfocused he is making sure Coco properly acclimates. We’re already on EP4, and maybe apprenticeships are largely independent—but I’ve yet to see him actually teach lessons and bond with the girls. I’m hoping that changes. I don’t know if things were removed from the manga, so I’m not seeing the full view or if this is *intentional*, so I’ll wait it out. I like Qifrey. But my guy, you ain’t high up in my top animanga teachers right now and the bar is so fucking low 😭 Brushbuddy makes the *cutest* noises ever. Whoever VAs them should meet Dee Bradley Baker and have an act-off on who can make the cutest animal noises. Agott and Qifrey are overcooking my grits here 🙃

Agott used some venomous words, but her crash-out felt justified to me. Coco is being reckless and careless. Following after that witch without a second thought, what did she expect would happen? Unaware of her surroundings and interrupting Agott who is just trying to save their lives. Even in the previous episode, even if Agott made Coco take the test, Coco actively put herself in danger by experimenting with a new spell, she could have easily gotten hurt if things didn't work out well for her. And now once again, Coco's thoughtless actions are causing trouble for everyone. Agott is mean and unlikable, but I totally understand why she lashed out at Coco here.

God do I fucking hate Agott and I hope the anime gets better or have Agott be slapped for being such a bitch. She has zero empathy at all. I cannot handle characters like her getting scott free from leaving someone almost to die.  God I am not looking forward to whatever sappy sad backstory she is going to have in order to justify the shit she does and says to Coco. I do not want to spend entire season having this dynamic between Agott and Coco.  At least they are all children and kids can be too blunt with how they feel.

This episode was great for world building but also for character development and story we got so much show dont tell I love it. The first half gave me a lot of Harry Potter vibes but also reminded me of the witches From Berserk. Agott is a character that for now I love to hate but I am curious where they are gonna go with her and if the pay off is going to be worth it. Especially after that snap at Coco which I get in a way she has a point but thats no way to talk to someone especially being a hypocrite after putting Coco through the trial in that situation because she did it intentionally meanwhile Coco just doesnt know and even here she tried to help. All the character moments we got in this episode were great Tetia and Richeh also. But what does it mean for Coco "You are our hope" from the shady witch ??? Building up the mistery. I have a video review if anyone is interested. Thank You.

I feel bad for Coco but she really was too impulsive here. Lets hope they all make it out of here. Already facing a dragon on what like day 3 of being a witch, goddamn. Also yeah of course you would have predrawn spells ready so you don't have to draw on the spot every time. I love that. Smart of Tetia to use her cloak as a distraction and then great of Richeh breaking through that dead end. Coco though can't seem to do anything and Agott's beefing with her. Even Tetia blamed Coco for a bit with her eyes there but I mean yeah it really kinda Coco's bad for them getting trapped here, though, obviously, the blame should be on that brimmed hat witch who sent them here in the first place. Richeh the goat, though. No hate, just being useful and locking in. You know whyshe finished first and got them through that dead end? Cuz she isn't wasting time fighting. I also really wonder though what's special about Coco besides her crystallizing her mom that the brimmed hats paying attention so much and even coming to her directly like this?

That is some neat world building, a city built on a river island, initially to protect and then turning into a trading hub for witches, and we even get a little insight into the way pens and ink is made, but obviously we wouldn't get a break after the last episode ending scene. Of course the villain organization has the style and they are targeting Coco for some reason, dragging the rest of the apprentices into this. It hurt so much, Tetia has been the most positive of them towards Coco, so she being the first to look at her with a gaze that undeniably meant what Coco got, added with the justified anger of Agott, our girl is just so alone right now. I wonder what is the brimmed hat plan. If it worked like intended, Coco would get stranded in a labyrinth with a dangerous animal, is he wanting to catch her alone and try to get her into the brimmed hats?

So, is Coco actually special? Why does the large hat care about her and call her hope? My only guess is that people able to use forbidden magic have to be special and not just anyone can do it, otherwise I don’t get why you would care about a random kid I’m aware the show makes multiple times the point that magic can actually be used by anyone, but I call bullshit, the whole Coco and Large Hat conundrum makes no sense if there is not something special about Coco