Witch Hat Atelier 6
by Kamome Shirahama
2020
In Witch Hat Atelier 6, the girls are whisked off to the Great Hall, the enormous castle that serves as the center of witch society, at the bottom of the ocean! And they all get a chance to take a magic test, but to pass, they have to surprise one of the masters of the Hall...
In the previous volume, the Brimmed Cap Witches, who practice forbidden magic, attacked the testing site where Agott and Richeh were trying to earn permission to use magic in front of civilians. Their teacher, Qifrey, was badly injured, and Euini, a student from another atelier, was tattooed with a curse that turned him into a wolf. Fearing that the puritanical Knights Moralis would erase Euini's memory, or worse, imprison or kill him, the witch proctoring the test took responsibility for hiding Euini and trying to cure him.
And the Knights did show up! Fortunately Olruggio is there too - another adult witch who lives at the atelier, a standard practice basically to ensure the teacher isn't mistreating the students. He makes sure that Qifrey is taken straight to the hospital, and that the girls are questioned rather than interrogated. Even in this secure bastion of magic, the doctors and nurses aren't witches. To prevent forbidden magic that's cast on the body, they can't learn any magic, and witches can't learn any medicine. Qifrey spends the rest of the book unconscious while he heals.
After telling what they know (except what happened to Euini), Coco, Agott, Richeh, and Tetia are introduced to Master Beldaruit, one the most knowledgeable witches in the world, who rides around the palace on a goat-legged walking throne. I wasn't sure if this was a necessary mobility aid, like a magical wheelchair, or if it's just an affectation because he's just that whimsical. Since Agott and Richeh's test was interrupted, and since Coco and Tetia helped when they were trapped in the magic cave, Master Bel gives them all a chance to retake the test. They can earn the right to use magic in public if they can surprise him.
This is, of course, harder than they first think. The solution involves thinking about who their audience is, and what might satisfy that person - good advice about rhetoric and communication for the real world manga readers as well as the fictional witches. While they're studying, we get a tour of the Great Hall, where most witch children grow up. Coco also hears a rumor that Agott was rejected by her famous family for plagiarism, essentially, claiming credit for a spell someone else invented. Coco doesn't believe it, although it's clear that something happened to estrange Agott from her family, so this is probably a clue of some sort.
The girls do pass the test, and Master Bel invites Coco to come live in the Hall, where she can get socialized, and be safe from both the Brimmed Cap Witches and from Qifrey. Why should she need protection from Qifrey? An excellent (and cliffhanging) question!
In the previous volume, the Brimmed Cap Witches, who practice forbidden magic, attacked the testing site where Agott and Richeh were trying to earn permission to use magic in front of civilians. Their teacher, Qifrey, was badly injured, and Euini, a student from another atelier, was tattooed with a curse that turned him into a wolf. Fearing that the puritanical Knights Moralis would erase Euini's memory, or worse, imprison or kill him, the witch proctoring the test took responsibility for hiding Euini and trying to cure him.
And the Knights did show up! Fortunately Olruggio is there too - another adult witch who lives at the atelier, a standard practice basically to ensure the teacher isn't mistreating the students. He makes sure that Qifrey is taken straight to the hospital, and that the girls are questioned rather than interrogated. Even in this secure bastion of magic, the doctors and nurses aren't witches. To prevent forbidden magic that's cast on the body, they can't learn any magic, and witches can't learn any medicine. Qifrey spends the rest of the book unconscious while he heals.
After telling what they know (except what happened to Euini), Coco, Agott, Richeh, and Tetia are introduced to Master Beldaruit, one the most knowledgeable witches in the world, who rides around the palace on a goat-legged walking throne. I wasn't sure if this was a necessary mobility aid, like a magical wheelchair, or if it's just an affectation because he's just that whimsical. Since Agott and Richeh's test was interrupted, and since Coco and Tetia helped when they were trapped in the magic cave, Master Bel gives them all a chance to retake the test. They can earn the right to use magic in public if they can surprise him.
This is, of course, harder than they first think. The solution involves thinking about who their audience is, and what might satisfy that person - good advice about rhetoric and communication for the real world manga readers as well as the fictional witches. While they're studying, we get a tour of the Great Hall, where most witch children grow up. Coco also hears a rumor that Agott was rejected by her famous family for plagiarism, essentially, claiming credit for a spell someone else invented. Coco doesn't believe it, although it's clear that something happened to estrange Agott from her family, so this is probably a clue of some sort.
The girls do pass the test, and Master Bel invites Coco to come live in the Hall, where she can get socialized, and be safe from both the Brimmed Cap Witches and from Qifrey. Why should she need protection from Qifrey? An excellent (and cliffhanging) question!
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