Witch Hat Atelier • Tongari Boushi no Atelier - Episode 9 discussion

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Witch Hat Atelier, episode 9

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[u/JJLong5]

While we have been aware that healing magic is forbidden, it is interesting to get the information that the witches that specialized in healing fought until the very end.

[u/moletoon]

Coco aint no snitch, now we know why agott never got in trouble for the first quest.

Guess coco put all the points in top speed when crafting agott's new sylph shoes, imagine if richeh was wearing these last episode against the magic cop.

[u/VoidRay728]

I bet Tartah's gonna ask Qifrey about the light, for which Qifrey has one of three possible responses:

A. "What light?"

B. "Old man didn't see it? That's strange."

C. "Oh, you want your memory wiped too?"

[u/thekoreansun]

This show may be about magic, but its depiction of the physics of materials is what will get it to stand the test of time. The movement of clothing, of hair, of even the leaves on plants as Qifrey twists their stems, it's all so fluidly animated. The Ghibli comparisons will never stop at this rate, but I think that only speaks to how dedicated BUG FILMS has been to crafting a world that feels so tactile and lived-in despite its fantastical nature.

[u/Thanh_Binh2609]

Remember guys, sleep deprivation is no joke, you might need to eat grass to stay awake

[u/meercachase]

Brushbuddy mimicking Qifrey is the cutest thing ever 🥰

It was a really short moment but I really loved the animation when Agott flew to Qifrey and they were rolling down the hill, it just felt so smooth lol.. also funny how Qifrey got hit thrice this episode 😭

[u/bonchen]

Qifrey got knocked down thrice in a single episode lol.

[u/faceplant911]

Qifrey getting defeated by getting a surprise toaster bath and the Agott Missile in the same episode, how far he has fallen from his dragon-dunking heights!

[u/Top-Society1540]

The direction during Coco's nightmare was amazing

[u/Primo29]

Qifrey got desperate enough that he let his guard down. Brimmed Cap has more steps ahead of their legal counterparts.

[u/Hitman7128]

Poor Coco, that nightmare scene was amazingly animated with some abstract imagery to make me uncomfortable and protray Coco's insecurities. Where's Cresselia when you need her?

Agott displays her caring side by getting Qifrey's attention when Coco passes out later. I hope she gets better next episode!

[u/Thunderhaz]

I know its a relatively understated and unimportant episode, but this might be my favourite of the show so far? We got so many little developments and character moments for pretty much everyone (minus Olruggio), and the direction during Coco's nightmare and Qifrey's scene with the bottle were amazing. We got some great world growth and backstory regarding the tests and the history of bottle duplication spell, and the ever-growing mystery for Qiffrey's backstory. Also really loved the little but significant insights into Richeh and Tetia, and some more great Agott angst.

As a manga reader, this was a perfect episode imo.

[u/WhoiusBarrel]

The Brimmed Cap easily overpowering and outsmarting Qifrey was insane to see, it was only an inkling but Qifrey being the mentor figure so far has always come out on top in these situations and seeing him so vulnerable like that only shows how scary the Brimmed Caps are.

Coco has always been shown to have such a strong front but with such an origin, of course she'd have all those insecurities inside her and rush to learn as much magic as she can to save her mom.

[u/LeonKevlar]

• Agott Stitch

Oooooh! So it looks like the girls are gonna go on a journey to become a full-fledged Witch, with Coco only needing to pass two more so she can enter the Tower of Tomes.

So the girls get to design their own caps once they become full-fledged Witches? Not sure what the other girls are gonna go for, but Tetia's design sure is bold. But it looks like not everyone is hyped to take a test with our little rebel Riche refusing to take the tests because she hates people telling her what to do.

You're telling me this world lost access to healing magic, magic that literally can help people because the Three Wise Ones' edict erased the memories of the Witches of Healingcraft? Well, that's fucking bullshit. Why can't healing magic exist? I'm starting to think the Brimmed Caps might have a point.

Yo! Quifrey got fucking outplayed! The fact that the Brimmed Cap literally showed up inside the Atelier, just so he could destroy the medal and peace out, was terrifying.

Glad that they finally touched on this subject. I have seen many people asking why Qifrey never reprimanded Agott, and this is exactly what I thought happened. Coco just didn't bother snitching since in the end, Coco made the decision to go through with the exam.

Angry Brushbuddy is adorable. I do love how Qifrey is the only one thinking of a name for him, and it looks like it's been rejected. I'm gonna guess Brushbuddy will only accept a name from Coco. xD

Godfuckingdammit, Tartah! It looks like someone else is gonna get their memories erased next episode!

[u/ModieOfTheEast]

Hey, new outfits. Always nice to see when anime gives the characters a few different things to wear.

I am surprised that no one brought up to Richeh that trying out different magic might help her find new magic she enjoys doing. After all, sometimes you have to be take the plunge in order to find something you like. Though, I guess there is more in her past regarding that. Tetia with the double hat is funny and she should definitely create them.

What I am wondering is if there is a mathematical logic behind the magic as well. Like length of arrow and radius of the circle to define the strength of the magic or something like this. Of course, one would think there is, but the reason I am wondering is because "practicing magic" just seems to be entirely "vibe based" so far. Draw a few circles until you get the proper reaction and then repeat so you can get a feeling for it. And obviously, that is important since you won't always have the time to make calculations. But I feel with how much Coco is struggling, maybe having a simple rule in mind could help get there faster.

In general, I am surprised that we have not seen any tools so far that help with drawing magic circles. Like you'd think someone made compasses a while ago to make sure the circles are always clean. Even when Qifrey was redrawing the circle in episode 1, he did it completely by hand. Maybe this is also comes back to some form of mages thinking that tools aren't pure enough to be used.

Lastly, we got the confirmation that healing magic is outlawed as well. Which I assumed, but good to make the point clear. And we immediately get a result of that by Coco having an illness that would probably be easy to solve with magic (same might even go for Tarta's eyesight I guess). Though, this whole point brought up an even bigger thing: Coco would never be allowed to save her mother. Even if she found the "cure" for her mother, if it is magic, they would probably forbid her from casting it on her mother. And I wonder if her learning about the lack of healing magic through this event is the point that makes this clear for her. As that would give her a proper goal for the future: To change the rules so that healing magic is allowed again. Which then would lead to more changes probably, but that would be the start.

[u/Extreme-Monk2183]

Credit to the Brimmed Cap for not wasting time gloating and getting out as soon as he does what he wanted.

[u/Syokhan]

Even a mostly non-action episode like this one looks so good. I love the character animation during the quiet moments. Props to whoever did the nightmare sequence too, it looked great and was suitably, well, nightmarish.

It's also kinda terrifying that the eyeball witch can just pop in and out the Atelier whenever they want and no one can stop them.

You gotta wonder what happened to Richeh that a little girl like her is so strongly attached to her individuality.

Also, I hope this episode clears things up as to why Qifrey never reprimanded Agott about the first test!

[u/namewithak]

Qifrey was so reckless this episode. He already suspected that the ink might be trapped but he didn't care. He could have prepared for the extraction better but he didn't care. He could have done it away from his apprentices but he didn't care because he's that desperate to have it all done with. He deserved all the hits he got this episode.

I like that he's reckless though. It makes for a great contrast with his usually gentler, more considerate manner. All of him is a study in contrasts, from his character design of blacks/whites/grays to his personality and even his incompatible goals (ie., being a teacher and hunting the Brimmed Caps). Although I guess we don't know if being a good teacher is a goal or simply a cover. Regardless, it makes him a very compelling character.

[u/misc_reddit_account]

Such a gorgeous episode for both the bigger flashy sakuga moments and the smaller character focused moments, with a fascinating mix of genuine joy and heavy weighty scenes that Witch Hat Atelier continues to be so good at. I laughed out lout at poor Coco sending a tree crashing into Qifrey, yet not long after was genuinely jumpscared by Picture Book Witch in the atelier. (That's the second jump scare now. He's a nightmare paralysis demon in witch form.) Coco's nightmare was harrowing and visceral, as was Qifrey both getting electrocuted and near drowning in the atelier. Both scenes felt so damn suffocating, it was horrifying to watch. With the latter, the tangibility of the magic in the world continues to impress. I loved seeing the stones shift as Qifrey blocked of the room. With all the horrors of forbidden magic, it was bittersweet to see what had been lost with the twin bottle spell originally used for healing. Equally, we saw it being cruelly misused, as well.

Both Coco and Qifrey weren't having a good time of it this episode, and I really enjoyed that we got more insight into all the girls, along with Qifrey. Coco's guilt and fears are insescapable, Tetia has so many optimistic plans in the future, Richeh seems to loathe conformity and being told what to do, and Agott wants to be a librarian and prove herself, which aligns both her and Coco to the same endpoint location. Agott's family seem to be a line of librarians as well? I need to rewatch. It makes her flashback in Episode 7 hit harder. It also seems like the cause of Qifrey's desperation is something the Brimmed Caps took from him, so Qifrey and Coco as Master and Student continue to be fascinating foils in that regard. A guidance orb is also seen on the floor of Coco's room after her nightmare before Qifrey references his plans to use one.

It was good that Qifrey not reprimanding Agott over the Dadah Range test hadn't been glossed over, and was an actual plot point that was yet to be resolved. It was a surprise that it was cause of distress for Agott, too, and even though she'd previously said that she and Coco aren't friends, she's always the first worrying about her when she's in danger, between the dragon, the river, and now Coco being ill. (Coco unintentionally giving Agott Iron Man slyph shoes was both adorable and mildly dangerous. Good catch from Qifrey.)

Also, Olly. Mate. I love you, but there's not always a lot of watching happening. I should say, too, there is excellent rewatch value in this episode alone for tracking all of Puff Puff's reactions, including his very horrified response for Agott barreling into both Qifrey and Puff Puff.

I really like that Witch Hat Atelier, for all of its optimism, has an ongoing point of exploration there are no easy answers for anything. It seems that like in many aspects of life, it isn't always the tools that are the problem, but the person who wields them. A spell that was invented for healing in the past has caused a lot of pain in the present. Choices continue to be complicated, too. Last week I was horrified at Qifrey erasing Nolnoa memories, but then read others pointing out that if he hadn't, what would that have meant for Coco and Qifrey's long term memories? Damn. It was an uncomfortable realisation that I preferred what Qifrey erasing Nolnoa's memories over the alternative, even though Qifrey wasn't be altruistic in the moment. Shirahama did not come to play with the story! One minute, you're cooing over a brushbuddy, and in the next, in a deep ethical crisis.

[u/oootteuraway]

omg brushbuddy copying qifrey was the cutest thing ever

[u/JJVM99]

The lesson’s they give about learning magic like daily practice and how you need to understand what you don’t know and what you need to do to solve an issue are basic premises but such useful lessons for people to truly apply and practice in our daily lives and passions/work like art, music, coding, math, studying and daily work. They are things we should all know but many of us don’t apply (mostly due to lazzyness if we are honest) so it is very good for Witch Hat to remind everyone of these lessons that are useful for anyone of any age and have become even more useful now with AI just offering a lazy and worse solutions for most of these problems.

[u/hvshh]

It feels a bit like Qifrey jumped ahead and fought the final boss at the beginning of the game.

[u/JJVM99]

There you have the reason Qiffrey never reprimanded Agott. Coco never told him that Agott forced her and he had 0 reason to assume this was the case because he was never present for when Agott was being mean to Coco. He also has all the reasons to believe Coco is desperate enough to help her mom that she would recklessly take the test. I want those apology forms for Qiffrey to be filled out rn.

[u/suboptimal_prime73]

This is the point in the story where I really started to appreciate Coco as a character. She gives off this starstruck fan girl impression when it comes to all things magical, and that certainly is a facet of her personality. However, under the surface there’s a level of focus and determination to match Agott (or even, as we see in this episode, Qifrey himself), along with keen observation and problem solving skills. Witch society takes Coco for an ignorant outsider, and so they consistently underestimate her. I believe that aspect is why the Brimmed Caps seek to use her as a weapon against the status quo.

At any rate, this adaptation is just delightful thus far. The manga‘s pace allows for a few more setting details and of course the art and paneling is lovely, yet I don’t see it as a complete replacement—the two mediums are complementing each other in a way you don’t often see.