Witch Hat Atelier Creator Reveals the Inspiration Behind Coco

The creator of Witch Hat Atelier was very careful when crafting Coco.

By Megan Peters

It has been quite some time since Witch Hat Atelier went live, and soon, the series will draw in all-new fans. Next year, Bug Films will bring Kamome Shirahama's award-winning fantasy to life. With an anime on the way, all eyes are on Witch Hat Atelier as its leads prepare for the onslaught. And not long ago, Shirahama hyped the anime's arrival by unpacking the inspiration behind Coco.

During the creator's recent trip to Los Angeles, Shirahama spoke with fans about their work on Witch Hat Atelier, and Coco came up in conversation plenty of times. It was there the artist asked how Coco came to life, and rather than look to other stories for guidance, Shirahama crafted Coco around the desire dreams bring.

"I thought a lot about Coco initially. I wanted to make her a character who you would want to be her friend," the artist explained. "I also wanted to write her in a way where she's really, really trying hard to chase her dream, but there are moments where she may questions is she gonna really make it happen. I hoped the audience, the readers, would want to share Coco's dream with her."

Of course, Shirahama nailed her goal of creating a hero that readers would want to befriend. It is hard to think of a more wholesome heroine than Coco, after all. Despite the odds, Coco has never given up her dream of becoming a witch. Not even tragedy can sway Coco's ambition, and in the face of despair, she leans on hope to reach her goals. Witch Hat Atelier is led by one of the most enthusiastic protagonists in manga, and there is no doubt anime fans will fall for Coco once she hits the screen.

What Is Witch Hat Atelier?

If you are not familiar with Witch Hat Atelier, the hit series is available to read in English through Kodansha. So for more info on the story, you can read its official synopsis below for all the details:

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"In a world where everyone takes wonders like magic spells and dragons for granted, Coco is a girl with a simple dream: She wants to be a witch. But everybody knows magicians are born, not made, and Coco was not born with a gift for magic. Resigned to her un-magical life, Coco is about to give up on her dream to become a witch...until the day she meets Qifrey, a mysterious, traveling magician. After secretly seeing Qifrey perform magic in a way she's never seen before, Coco soon learns what everybody "knows" might not be the truth, and discovers that her magical dream may not be as far away as it may seem..."

What do you make of Coco's journey in Witch Hat Atelier? Do you love the protagonist? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.

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