It has been announced that the TV anime "The Atelier of Witch Hat," based on the manga by Kamome Shirahama, will begin airing in April 2026. The main cast has also been announced, with Rena Motomura playing the protagonist Coco, a girl from a small village who dreams of becoming a witch, and Natsuki Hanae playing Keefree, the wizard who becomes Coco's mentor. A teaser trailer depicting the beautiful, painting-like scenes from the original work, as well as character visuals of Coco and Keefree, have been released.
Motomura, who plays Coco, commented, "Every time I turned a page, the trivial daily events of my childhood and the feelings of longing for dreams came back to me. I identified with Coco and became fascinated with the story. The moment I was cast for the role, I was so happy that tears welled up in my eyes before I could even cry. The magical world depicted by Shirahama Kamome has been turned into the best anime. I put my all into playing Coco. I hope it reaches as many people as possible."
Hanae, who plays Keyfree, said, "I am honored to be able to play such an important character as Keyfree, who has a gentle yet sad gaze and a somewhat mysterious air about him. Also, Motomura, a junior colleague at the agency, plays the role of Coco, so I think we were able to have a master-disciple-like relationship on set during the recording. The fantastical and beautiful world depicted by Shirahama-sensei has been turned into a wonderful animation by director Watanabe (Ayumu). Please look forward to it airing."
Hiroshi Seko, who is in charge of the series composition, commented, "This manga is like a high-quality dish made with fresh, flavorful ingredients and careful, precise techniques -- this is what I felt when I was writing the script for the TV anime 'The Atelier of Witch Hat.' Dishes made in this way don't just have a gentle taste; sometimes they have a spicy kick, sometimes a bitter, astringent, or sweet-and-sour flavor that spreads in the mouth, and sometimes they are a challenging dish. I think that is what creates the special 'quality' that only this manga can have."
"The Atelier of Witch Hat" is a story about Coco, a girl from a small village who dreams of becoming a witch but has given up on her dream. One day, she sees a visiting witch named Kifree perform magic and discovers a big secret. The series began serialization in Monthly Morning Two (Kodansha) in 2016. 14 volumes of the comic have been released, with a total circulation of over 7 million copies worldwide. It has been selected for manga awards in France, Spain, South Korea, and other countries, and in 2020 won the Eisner Award for Best Asian Work, drawing attention from around the world.
The anime will be directed by Watanabe Ayumu, who has worked on "Children of the Sea" and "Nikko-chan of the Fishing Port," and produced by BUG FILMS, who has worked on "Zombie 100: 100 Things to Do Before You Become a Zombie" and "Summertime Render."
*Staff (titles omitted)
Director: Ayumu Watanabe ▽ Assistant Director: Jun Shinohara ▽ Series Composition: Hiroshi Seko ▽ Character Design and Chief Animation Director: Kairi Unabara ▽ Art Director: Ryota Goto ▽ Color Design: Naomi Nakano ▽ Director of Photography: Tadashi Kitaoka ▽ Music: Yuka Kitamura ▽ Animation Production: BUG FILMS
