Those who watched Witch Hat Atelier earlier this year and hadn’t already read the manga probably clocked some similarities with Disney’s The Owl House. With similar magic systems and the starting point of an ordinary girl introduced to the world of magic, fans on both sides have eagerly paired both series together, further supported by creators Kamome Shirahama and Dana Terrace praising each other’s work.
Earlier in July, the two met in real life at a Kodansha House Q&A. There, they talked through their respective creative processes and what inspired their fan-favorite works. Shirahama pointed to fellow mangaka Moto Hagio (The Poe Clan) and Akira creator Katsuhiro Ōtomo, plus western artists Alphonse Mucha and Arthur Rackham as inspiration for her artwork. Notably, she draws her manga on pen and paper, allowing for a distinct inking style that comes through on the page and is core to Witch Hat’s magic system.
Thematically, Shirahama looked to Studio Ghibli movies, in particular Princess Mononoke. It’s a film both she and Terrace love, and many have found to be about possibilities, an idea which also runs through Witch Hat Atelier. The idea of humans gaining independence and finding themselves gave Shirahama “a lot of hope” and helped her characterize the manga’s main characters: when it comes to problem solving, Coco is “bound by a sense of responsibility,” whereas Agott “rushes to a point where she can feel confident.”
Problem solving and creative solutions are key to making anything in entertainment, and there’s no bigger problem than an ending. At the Q&A, a fan asked Terrace and Shirahama how they go about crafting endings. (The Owl House wrapped a few years ago, but Terrace is now working on Knights of Guinevere, and Witch Hat is still ongoing.) The latter said she “has an idea” of how her stories end, or at least two options to choose between when the time comes.
As for Terrace, she said her stories are “more about a single emotion that I’m trying to communicate.” To her, the ending can change “by necessity or by design,” but it’s more important for creators to have a North Star guiding them. “As long as I get through that, I would feel satisfied,” she concluded.
You can read more about the Shirahama and Terrace Q&A here. As for their work, you can watch Witch Hat Atelier on Crunchyroll before it returns with season two next year, and catch the Knights of Guinevere pilot YouTube, or The Owl House and Disney+ and other places.
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