Witch Hat Atelier

Episode 4

Agott is a difficult character to like. That may be putting it mildly; I admit that I have a visceral reaction to her. Even if you don't ascribe sociopathic tendencies to her after her actions in the previous episode, she's still a bully. And yes, many bullies are deeply unhappy people. Many need psychiatric help, but they're not getting it. But that doesn't mean that they can't be held responsible for their words and actions and taught that what they're doing is wrong. Qifrey didn't do that with Agott here. We never see him admonish her, much less punish her. Instead, he mildly asks Coco if the two of them are getting along. Perhaps he has his reasons for this gentle parenting (if that's the right term), but it's not helping either Coco or Agott. And the latter is very much up to her old tricks again in this episode with her barbed words and outright cruel statements. Lashing out at Coco because she's frustrated is not the way to go. And besides, it was Tetia who grabbed Agott and pulled her along. Coco wasn't even aware that the other girls were following her.

That's not to say that Coco's decision to chase after the mysterious Brimmed Cap was a good one, but at this point, her actions are far more sympathetic and understandable than Agott's. Coco's entry into the magic world was basically the monkey's paw curling – her wish came true, but at a terrible cost. She doesn't need Agott to pour salt into the wound of having caused her mother's petrification; she's very aware of her own sins. And that makes it impossible for her not to follow the Brimmed Cap. Qifrey said that finding them could be the key to saving her mother, and in a child's mind, that means not letting them escape, even if it means giving chase when you know you're not up to the task of subduing them. Besides, the mysterious witch was always kind to Coco, for a given value thereof. They did provide the means of her mother's injury, and they clearly want to use her for their own ends, but they also gave Coco what she wanted: magic. If she can't fully see them as evil, that's at least a little understandable.

The return of the Brimmed Cap and the demonstration of why teleportation magic is forbidden juxtapose well with Coco's joy and wonder at visiting the witches' town. There's so much that's fascinating all around her, from the casual conversations about magic (magic to make a skirt fuller sounds like a great way around layers of petticoats!) to the various styles of caps adorning people's heads. By the time they arrive at Nolnoa's shop, Coco seems to feel like she's at Disney World. Magic, to her, is still wondrous, which sets her apart from all of the other witches. Even Tetia's perkiness isn't quite the same as Coco's unvarnished awe, although she and Richeh seem equally interested in Nolnoa's demonstration of how ink is made, which is a nice way to show that they're both still learning themselves. But Coco's new understanding of magic sets her apart from her fellow apprentices in that her thinking is less rigid. Sure, she doesn't know how cruor is made or what a quire is, but that very ignorance allowed her to find a way to pass a test that should have been beyond her. Agott said that she doesn't like people who can't do what she does, but how will she feel if Coco turns out to be able to do things she herself can't?

As with the first three episodes, this one does a beautiful job of providing little details that you barely even notice. While some can feel like missed moments, like how the brushbuddy is just living at the atelier now, because why wouldn't you just take in a wild animal, others serve to drive home what we already know, like Agott looking at sylph shoes despite knowing that Coco is planning to get her new ones or repair the old ones. This once again shows her distrust of and antagonism towards Coco in a subtle way that doesn't hit you over the head with how awful she is. There are also details that manga readers will pick up on and that anime viewers will want to remember, like the flashback to Tartah looking out the window. It's an incredibly well put-together episode once again.

With Qifrey following the brushbuddy (it pays to adopt pets!) and the girls trapped in the Brimmed Cap's labyrinth, things are looking dire. There's no guarantee that Qifrey will be able to teleport to where they are, or that even if he could, he would, given that those spells are forbidden. He's determined to chase down the Brimmed Caps for reasons that aren't clear but feel personal nonetheless, and the question remains as to whether he's using Coco just as much as the witch with the eye mask is. Time will tell.

Rating:

Post-Script: Witch Hat Atelier's translation isn't making up words. Both “cruor” and “quire” are antiquated terms. “Cruor” dates to 1656 and means “blood when outside the body,” referring here to the lifeblood (sap) of the tree. A “quire” is a small pamphlet or book (circa 1570), although it can also refer to a specific number of folded leaves of paper. Also, “crunkle” is the sound a crane makes. I just found that when reading through my dictionary to get the date for cruor and thought you should know.