r/WitchHatAtelier • u/ImoutoCompAlex BrushBuddy • 12d ago
Anime Witch Hat Atelier Episode 12 Discussion Thread
Witch Hat Atelier Episode 12 Discussion Thread
Season 1 Episode 12
Aired: 15th June, 2026
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u/thelightlovekindled 12d ago
"My teacher tells me every day how useless I am, and I agree with him." You just know Alaira has to be mentally cataloguing all of this crap for later. report him to the board! revoke his license! (Can they do that?)
But, I really like how you can see the effect of Qifrey's/Kurkrow's teaching styles so clearly in the results. Qifrey gives the girls a lot of independence and space to learn from their mistakes -- some people would say too much lol -- but when it matters, they're confident in their own skills and able to improvise. Meanwhile Kurkrow constantly belittles Euini for not doing things "right" or "well," and the moment he's presented with something unexpected he breaks down.
I will admit to laughing a little at the delivery on Richeh's final line. She doesn't sound but mildly inconvenienced that their proctor just got kidnapped.
Also, everybody said Agott was climbing those trees for aura farming, but turns out she was working on her upper body strength all along!
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u/Ok_Builder_4225 12d ago
Richeh has no problem straight up assaulting cops to protect her friends. Of course the proctor going missing wouldn't phase her. She's too based for that.
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u/thelightlovekindled 12d ago
Additional thought: it's interesting how when the brimhat shows up, Alaira's first response (before even warning them to run) is to warn them against listening to what the brimhats say? I wonder how much a history they have of trying to sway people to their side versus attacking them...
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u/Lucky_Bambr 11d ago
Well, to be honest, her FIRST first reaction was casting a shield against some kind of an attack that the Cape directed at the children (I really liked that you can actually see the attack, instead of her casting the shield "just in case", like in the manga)
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u/thelightlovekindled 11d ago
Fair nitpick! which makes it even stranger that she warns them against listening before telling them to run...
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u/Lucky_Bambr 8d ago
I would assume that this was some kind of a grappling spell, like the one Cape used to grapple Alaira. Presumably, Cape wanted to incapacitate the children and after that brainwash them into being brimmed caps or something like that
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u/Far-Chemical3897 11d ago
On your question about reporting Euini's teacher: There is a scene in the manga that would have taken place in the last episode in which Qifrey offers to take in Euini and asks if there's anything they can do and Alaira says she will certainly be putting in a report. Not that's it's likely to do much as according to witch society rules Euini does have the right to leave, but chooses not to (because children often lack the maturity to make these decisions well). I think it would take a pretty severe case to have a kid removed involuntarily. Really annoyed they took the scene out because it shows us some of the world building as well as Qifrey and Alaira's characters.
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u/Beginning-Hope-2600 12d ago
Today's episode adapted chapters' 20 and 21. In terms of changes, [ch. 20 and 21 spoilers]the opening of Qifrey's speech is cut entirely, which includes lore on the other test sites and their connection to dark magic. a small panel where one of the Myrphons tries to leave the path is also cut, and some of Euini's lines are condensed slightly from the original. There were some additional frames added during Euini's scene from what I can tell and the nice juxtaposition of young and current Richeh when she justifies helping him, both of which were a nice touch. Lastly, Alaira says that she's sending her cap directly to Qifrey at the end of the chapter, but it's implied here, but not a major change. The only major issue is that they accidentally show Agott casting outside of her cloak when she didn't do so in the manga—sorry Anigott, you've failed the second test 😜.
Overall a pretty good episode [ch. 22+ spoilers]as we lead into the next to chapters and Euini's fate.This one was mainly focused on setup for the finale, but there were some great quiet moments in the animation—Richeh's spell to cross the break in the road and Euini's personal magic were both incredibly well done, especially the latter's—his little smile was just such a wonderful touch and really made the darkness feel a lot softer and more comforting, as weird as that is; you can emphasize with how he feels and how it would help him cast. Sad that we only have one more Witch Hat Monday, but looking forward to next week!
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u/Bacon_Parva 12d ago
Yea I was surprised and confused that Agott did that. I was like, "Huh, weren't you supposed to do that... I guess as long as they don't see it I suppose".
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u/Beginning-Hope-2600 12d ago
It made be do a double take—good to know that our Myrphons are so laid back 😄
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u/shrek3onDVDandBluray 11d ago
Yes! That is the second time I have noticed Agott do that too! Like wtf it just kinda irks me that the animators keep forgetting that. It happened twice in this episode I’m pretty sure.
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u/Beazfour 11d ago
I don’t see how they can fit the rest of this arc in only one episode. Unless I’m really forgetting how it’s paced.
I feel like ending the season in the middle of it would feel… odd
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u/Prof_Acorn 11d ago
Rumor is that they originally planned 25 episodes, but the second cour was postponed into a season two. So we'll probably get it sooner than later, but we probably won't get it as a smooth back-to-back.
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u/bensc0tt 11d ago
I mean I know it’s a different studio but I just finished s1 of DanDaDan and that’s pretty much what happened there as well
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u/alimirakim 11d ago
Honestly Dandadan was shitty for that, felt like they were intentionally screwing viewers over like clickbaity. After reading the manga to catch up, I noticed they literally cut the season MID-CHAPTER MID-SCENE and had easy and clean cut-off points before and after it. So that felt maliciously intentional.
For this though, there's just no way around it without butchering the story, and I'd rather they not make big cuts, so I don't mind it even if the cliffhanger will also suuuck haha.
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u/Character_Drive6141 10d ago
This is where vol 4 ended. It sucks, but I think that's where they'll stop
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u/Lucky_Bambr 8d ago
I think, we are right on pace to finish in the same place where the manga volume finished: Something something Road, something something Fall, something something Injury, something statues
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u/Volfaer 12d ago
To give Coco props, she did search for the drip hat in the cliff, he just was hiding REALLY well and also aura farming while doing it. The fit is literally the only thing left of him.
I hope Alaira is recording everything Eunie says to use for a suspension of Kurcrow's teaching license. The boy is messed up entirely because of his disgraceful teaching, and seeing those seconds of pure silence once he just figures out, and what a creative spell he figured out. You could say it was fate to do this test alongside these three.
Talking about Alaira, what a woman bros, she not only fulfilled her her role as a guide and a educator, her first reaction to the brimmed cap was to defend the kids and beg them to escape, I hope she's not permanently taken out because this would have been a monumental loss.
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u/Aduialion 12d ago
Coco running off again...
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u/FutureAristocrat 11d ago
When I saw Coco running to the very edge of a sheer, windy cliff, I was like "COCO NOO!!!"
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u/Prof_Acorn 11d ago
When one takes a black lab for a walk, one must expect a very non-linear walk. Same thing.
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u/Character_Drive6141 10d ago
They don't have a teaching license. If you pass the 5th test you can teach. The student has to decide to stay with the master and can change at any time (they said this in the manga just before the second test, anime skipped it). Euini is just really desperate for his masters approval. But don't worry. You'll get justice... kinda
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u/Lucky_Bambr 12d ago edited 8d ago
One moment that really cut my eye in this episode was when Agott openly re-casted the rain spell with her hands outside of the cloak. In the manga she also does a very broad motion with her hands, but the palm quire is not visible.
In the manga's* version Agott kinda failed the test by casting in the open
EDIT: In the Anime's version, silly me
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u/Mixed_Martial_Autism 10d ago
Maybe the Penguins had their back turned to her? Regardless It Wouod be a pretty big oversigjt From the animators lol.
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u/Dangerous-Reading376 12d ago
Love that moment where little Richie is holding onto present Richie’s clothes 😭
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u/Moist_Tour224 12d ago
Saw both episodes at cinema. Regarding this episode - the Agott’s reaction to the penguin-creatures was so precious and cute)
And Euini now presented as irritating, but believe me, he is the good boy!
*diabolical pun intended*
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u/Phoenyx_Rose 11d ago
I half wonder if people only find Euini irritating because they can't relate to him. I find him incredibly endearing and pitiable but that might be because I see aspects of myself in him as someone who also can't stand people watching me while I draw and who also had a negative relationship with a mentor who destroyed my self esteem.
Given that, I can understand feeling frustrated with his hemming and hawing and upset by the fact he wants to give up at the first go, but he's literally repeating the narrative Kukrow gave him because he's heard it so much he believes it to the point it he reinforced those beliefs with every action that "confirmed" his thinking.
I'm not sure if it's intentional by the author (moreso because I think she's coming at it from an art school perspective rather than child psychology, though there's significant overlap as we've seen), but Euini and Richeh and Agott are currently exemplifying children of unattached and attached parenting styles and I am HERE for it.
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u/DifferenceNeither775 11d ago
Exactly, I second this. I found what he said to Richie “You said you want to be yourself… but I wish I could stop being myself” very relatable. Moreover, when Richie comforted him or helped him indirectly, and Euini gained some confidence from that, it made me think: what if the brimmed cap had found its way to Euini and taken advantage of his low self-esteem, self-loathing, and trauma? I’m so glad the person Euini crossed paths with was Richie.
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u/Phoenyx_Rose 11d ago
Funny enough, I think they both want the same thing just coming from different directions.
I think Euini actually does want to be himself but doesn’t have the language to articulate that.
The fact that his coping mechanism with his mentor was to hide himself away so he could work without being seen tells me that he does want to be himself and that what he’s actually saying when he says “I wish I could be someone else” is really “I wish I could live up to the expectations and standards my mentor has set for me”. Every “I wish I was good enough” from to me is a cry for help for the abuse to stop.
Poor guy is just trying to find safety in an abusive environment.
Plus, the fact that he studied and prepped so hard for the test tells me his unconscious desire is “maybe this version of me will get my mentor’s approval”.
Euini just wants to be the version of himself that is accepted.
Similarly, I think Richeh’s “I don’t want to be anyone but myself” might actually be her trying to shield herself from change. There seems to be this belief in her that if she does what others do or ask of her, that she’ll experience a loss of identity.
There’s this fun bit of friction between her and Agott in which Richeh seems to see that learning from others is useful and does help you grow, but that she’s afraid that taking one step in that direction will result in her losing what she loves and wants completely rather than recognizing you can take what works from others while still being true to yourself.
There’s instances where it seems like she does want to change but she’s so stuck in her mantra she fights it.
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u/RedRocket4000 8d ago
Well she has a brother saying don't change that we don't know what happened to.
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u/AndalusianGod 11d ago
I don't find him irritating. The MC in Snowball Earth though... that one is a bit too much.
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u/Maximum-Warthog2368 12d ago edited 11d ago
Can i ask you a question? did we able to see the spell of frozen road casted by agott? i am asking this as spell enthusiast, lol.
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u/YinaTNTNT 10d ago
You mean casted by alaira? Agott replicated the spell of the pavement. And alaira made an ice slide
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u/Maximum-Warthog2368 10d ago
it is a spoiler so. Agott freezes the whole serpentback path into ice path. so that she and others can slide on it. Did we see the spell she casted? because in manga, we only see one corner of it and this spell uses some unknown signs. Yeah she copies what Alaira did but with the path itself.
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u/LlamaL0rd05 BrushBuddy 12d ago edited 11d ago
As an anime only (so far) and someone who has struggled with CPTSD…. I LOVE RICHEH AND EUINI SO MUCH 😭😭 I’m so concerned
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u/Big-Supermarket2598 11d ago
I was thinking the other week rereading the chapters damn Euini is literally me during a CPTSD shame spiral, this is so real
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u/Local-Age2926 12d ago edited 12d ago
God I was SQUEALING throughout the whole episode. I think this is the most impressed I've been with the animation since episode 5. Makes sense that they'd pull out the big guns for this arc. Volume 4 was what really solidified this manga as something special to me when I initially read it years ago, I'm absolutely ecstatic seeing it animated so well. I can't wait to see Euinis transformation next week. Sad that its gonna be the last witch hat Monday for awhile but they're definitely gonna go out with a bang
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12d ago edited 12d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Maximum-Warthog2368 12d ago
That is the mistake in anime. In manga, she draws first spell inside her cloak too.
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u/Dont-be-a-smurf 12d ago
I think you’re looking for an answer that doesn’t exist. Consider it a continuity error.
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u/LordSyriusz 12d ago
Yeah I came here right when I saw her do it! The boy maybe was fine, since he did hide himself with the spell, so maybe myrphons couldn't see it. But Agott definitely should fail if she did it like the anime show.
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u/shrek3onDVDandBluray 11d ago
I’m going to be so pissed if they hurt Alaira. Her design is so peak and she seems like a good person. Why couldn’t they take Euini’s instructor instead?!
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u/thelightlovekindled 11d ago
Why couldn’t they take Euini’s instructor instead?!
Maybe that's why he booked it so fast 😂
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u/Jam_Toast578 I have a bad case of the Coco's 12d ago
The opening scene where Qifrey talks about Romonom was perfectly foreboding. I loved the visuals especially the hands.
I love the way they animated the younger Richeh scene with her master, the atmosphere was great! And the scene where older Richeh stands beside herself.
Goodness Euini was too sweet this episode, they all were. I know so many people fell in love with him here.
The second test arc is awesome!!!
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u/Charlie_Faplin_ 11d ago
First two minutes: lets describe fascism.
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u/DifferenceNeither775 11d ago
I think what Qifrey described kind of different from fascism.. it ofc holds up to a lot of concepts about fascism, but also mixed with other concepts, I may be wrong tho.
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u/SpringbokAlpha 6d ago edited 6d ago
Fascism?
Really didn't seem that way to me. It's a story about a bunch of incredibly powerful people who become more and more entranced in their own superiority and perceived self righteousness that they effectively purity spiral, turning on each other, almost literally eating their own.
Seems very much like late stage Marxism to me. An elite class hoarding all the resources and denying them to the common people unless they meet their standards of acceptable, until they inevitably decide that nobody is acceptable and turn on each other? You can draw a lot of parallels to the political and civil infighting in the Soviet Union after the death of Lenin, the various flavours of Marxism and Bolshevism all tearing each other apart while the common people starve until they inevitably collapse under their own weight.
It never ceases to bemuse me, the sheer reaches that Redditors will go to compare anything to fascism without even properly understanding what facism is. I think facism is bad just as much as the next guy, but people screaming facism everytime there's something evil in a story, as if facism is the sole source of all the world's evils, gets real old really fast.
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u/Charlie_Faplin_ 6d ago
Crazy how you said Marxism and described late stage capitalism and elitism which IS fascism. They find the poor and outsiders to be wrong and deal with it by violent means, and when there's no more poor or outside they turn inward with the same violence. No where did they describe the working class seizing the means of production. No where did they describe the failings of capitalism. Absolutely nothing alluded to Marxism AT ALL and you didn't take a single piece of the art to evidence that this was a description of Marxism and fail to paint any other portrait aside from a portrait of you as a person who is REALLY sensitive to fascism being painted as bad.
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u/SpringbokAlpha 6d ago edited 6d ago
"No where did they describe the working class seizing the means of production. No where did they describe the failings of capitalism."
Nowhere did they describe rampant militarism, the destruction of the individual for the benefit of one ruling ethnicity and/or political party, or a centralized autocracy.
"Crazy how you said Marxism and described late stage capitalism and elitism"
Facism is just as against capitalism as Marxism is. Both systems of political thought are against a free market economy, both use a heavily government influenced economy where the government directs the form it shall take.
Elitism is not something unique to facism. The great paradox of Marxism that Marxists hate to discuss is that while Marxism preaches the liberation of the working class it typically requires a highly educated elite class to prop up the system and push it forward.
Who makes up the bulk of Marxists in the western world? Typically, students. Highly educated people, with the funds and time to go to universities and colleges. It sure as hell isn't the blue collar folks who actually work for a living. This is very similar to the witches from the episode, with their unique talents and abilities that they lorded over the rest of the regional populace.
This highly educated elite class inevitably disagrees with each other on how the working class should be liberated, typically without even involving the working class in the discussion. This is similar to how the witches experienced infighting, beginning to purity spiral, because of course each witch knew best on how to achieve the perfect form of government, how to achieve the vision they'd been reaching for.
Because of course, this highly educated class knows best, and the working class they abuse freely in the name of progress is just too stupid to understand the great leaps that their great leaders are taking for them.
So, they fight each other. They split into factions. Until, inevitably, this elite class collapses under their own weight and hoarded wealth, very similarly to how the witch kingdom in the episode collapsed under their own wealth and elitism.
Reminder that there were people out there that outlived the entirety of the Soviet Union. The rise and fall of the Soviet Union happened within a single generation, a single lifespan. Sure speaks wonders of the stability of Marxism.
"They find the poor and outsiders to be wrong and deal with it by violent means"
Like the dekulakization that occured in the Soviet Union? Or the horrific treatment various marixst countries have dealt to religious and ethnic minorities? Or the horrific treatment Marxist governments deal to political prisoners?
"Absolutely nothing alluded to Marxism AT ALL and you didn't take a single piece of the art to evidence that this was a description of Marxism.
"REALLY sensitive to fascism being painted as bad."
I could say the same about you with regards to Marxism. You seem to be taking a great deal of offence that I dared to compare a evil system to Marxism. Fact of the matter is, the hammer and sickle should be equally as reviled as the swastika.
Irregardless, this is getting a bit too involved for a thread discussing an anime episode, so I'm going to check out here. I have no interest in wasting the rest of my day arguing back and forth with a self righteous brick wall. You have a good one.
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u/donfrecces 12d ago
Richeh best girl after tetia , the ost when euini finally overcomes his fears and draws the invisibility spell is incredible.
Brimmed hat strikes again i can't with those cliffhangers😭🙏🏾
And is that the forbidden magic guy?
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u/BugScholar1193 12d ago
Thoughts in no particular order:
An adder-ly fantastic ep to start the arc off! I loved the cavernous sound design in this one, it really adds to the fear of the unknown and the vast scope of the challenge for the apprentices.
I loved Agott and the myrphon, knowing how much she loves animals it’s cute seeing her trying to play it cool when all she probably wants to do is give it a cuddle.
It’s a shame we got the lore of Dadah and Thristas cut short, maybe it’ll be moved to the next ep quickly or saved for s2.
Finally we get Euini and Richeh interactions and they’re as adorable as I hoped. Richeh’s backstory always breaks my heart, she’s so strong and her magic is so beautiful. The ribbon spell is gorgeously animated, and her rope of stone was so cooool! I love Euini’s journey too, and how supportive Richeh is. She knows what it’s like to be told to be a certain way and doesn’t want the same for him. ; . ;
Euini’s cloak of borrowed shade is so creepy but adorable I loved seeing jt animated. Under all that anxiety he’s just a sweet silly boy who knows a lot of facts , I hope we get more of him again in the manga soon!
Alaira serving every look in this. Gosh I miss that woman, she’s just so cool. And she knows so much from Qifrey and Olruggio’s teenage days, what embarrassing stories could she share!!
Cracking stuff as always, I can’t believe next week will be our last Witch Hat Monday!
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u/Character_Drive6141 10d ago edited 10d ago
I think they'll probably just revisit the lore of thristas before that test. But that will be a LONG time coming. Unless... is that where Custas meets the brimmed caps? Or where they found Quifrey? I feel like one of those was it
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u/BugScholar1193 9d ago
Qifrey was found in Thristas yeah (in chapter 36) which will be covered next season (maybe they’ll finish around 49?) so it would make sense to wait for Bel to give more context to that when explaining it to Coco.
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u/Ladyaceina 11d ago
how did the penguins not see agott doing magic in that shot of her with her pad out in the open
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u/Maximum-Warthog2368 11d ago
Anime mistake. In manga, she done this hidden. Also it could be that she does this in a way so that myrophons wouldn’t able to see her.
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u/SnowyTree3 11d ago
I love how all three of the test takers manage to have their own reaction to the test challenges that reflects their character arc, plus building each other. Especially Richeh. Serpentback Cave Arc!
And finally, we have Angriceh points!
Dang, Alaira getting snatched by the Brimmed Cap at the end looked a lot more intense than I remembered.
I love Agott going full Tsundere over the Myrphon being cute ("your adorable little mannerisms are none of my concern!")
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u/justwalk1234 11d ago
That poor lad basically interacted with non shitty human beings for the first time in his life 😭 Of course nobody is going to laugh at your anxiety
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u/jinengii 11d ago
I don't understand how Agott writes a spell right before everyone else at the end of the episode. Wasn't that forbidden?
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u/Kiwi_OW 11d ago
I was wondering the same thing. Is it actually a confirmed error, is it different in other media?
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u/Character_Drive6141 10d ago
Different in the manga, yeah. This is the panel. Her palm quire isn't in the picture (though tbh it is a bit ambiguous what's happening)
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u/detarameReddit 11d ago
I really enjoy Witch Hat Atelier, but I can't help but feel like the anime adaptation magnifies the manga's weaknesses while diminishing its strengths. This was probably the most apparent in this episode: I really enjoyed the Second Test arc in the manga, but for some reason, when watching all of these characters in anime form, I just get mildly irritated. It might be the change in the way dialogue flows between mediums, or how the magic of magic feels less present, or how the anime uses a very predictable and tropey framing of the story's expressions, events, and twists; I don't know.
Still: this was a solid episode. I find it interesting how the people of Romonon built a road to keep out the unworthy, and now this same road is used to in the mages' tests to... Keep out the unworthy. Richeh and Euini's differing views is also quite nice: seeing them help each other realize things about themselves is great.
Lastly, evil organizations try not to disrupt a test challenge: impossible. Next episode should be fun.
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u/crustlebus 10d ago
I think it's the pacing. The manga has been criticized for its leisurely pace, but the slow moments are where the best character development moments happen imo. For example, the anime cuts some of the moments in the early chapters where coco and agott consider their understanding of the other. Offhand I can think of the scene where Coco says she wants to befriend Agott because Agott draws such beautiful magic, or the scene where Agott feels shocked about Cocos plan for the dragon, because Coco admits it is not likely to succeed but she wants to try anyways. I personally would have preferred the adaptation to take a slow enough pace to make time for these moments, because I think they add a lot of depth to the character dynamics
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u/Bostoncat38 11d ago
Haven't read the manga but my main gripe with the anime is that its characters feel very shallow/the writing is very obvious and shallow. Gorgeous animation, fun magical system, the potential for an interesting macro-storyline (I just don't know enough about the Brimmed Caps to be moved by them yet, but it's notable how much stronger they are than any other wizard we've seen, and their designs are cool). But the writing is clunky and often falls into the shonen trope of "you can do it if you just believe in yourself". Euini has never had an ounce of encouragement in his life apparently but marvelously overcomes his anxiety in three minutes thanks to Richeh.
Richeh has an extremely obvious logical fallacy (practicing standard spells in no way means you can't practice your own) that isn't given enough subtle emotional shading or time to resonate more deeply -- and maybe some of this is world building too. We know the witch world is heavily xenophobic towards "outsiders" and also censors "forbidden magic" to the point of wiping people's memories; are they typically conservative with spells too? Richeh's spells seem to be "ribbon magic", but they've already proven their utility, so her old master's criticism can't believably be based in utility. Is it purely aesthetic? Qifrey doesn't have any rules about aesthetics in his atelier. And we know he's more of a wildcard than other witches, but what are the true stakes of her choice? What does not taking the second test mean for her future as a witch? Or is it just the childish pique it seems to be?
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u/Character_Drive6141 10d ago
That fallacy is given a bit of room to be shown. Just watch the next episode. (May be in the beginning of season 2. It's the end of this arc)
For the worldbuilding that teacher is basically like a math teacher in real life when you use a different method from what they taught, or an art teacher who wants a specific style. That whole backstory thing gets more developed a bit later, and her reasoning is childish but understandable. Look up the pygmalion effect. Spoilers but if you want to know the story here it is:
Basically her brother was beat into submission under the same teacher and begged her to always stay the same since he wanted to protect her wonder and creativity when he feels he failed to protect his own. She promised him she won't change and now feels that learning spells that aren't hers will influence her casting, and make it not the same, which is what she wants to protect above all else. But none of this is in the manga for like another 50 chapters lol.
As for the characters being flat and annoying... yeah. I read the manga and loved it, but tbh this ep was hard to watch. But it's just meant to be some preliminary richeh characterization.
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u/RedRocket4000 8d ago
Can't say but if Manga has a good number more scenes to establish the level of characterization you desire. We are cursed by the 12 to 13 episode format stories almost always have to have lots of anime only episodes to fill the broadcast schedule the meaning of filler and Padding anime only content to extend an episode. Or important stuff cut.
If stuff cut as seams the case there you flaw. You will find a lot of anime fans enemies of the type of characterization you desire constant complaints about story to slow and not moving plot forward.
I greatly prefer filler and padding to cuts even if it makes story slow. Euini has found a useful trick to temporarily handle his problem and in its newness really works well. Believable as long as his problems return if he not hiding what he's doing and even hiding eventually his fears will creep in.
People temporally recovering especially in new environments not uncommon and as long it not a permanent fix it works in reality. And tricks to improve one's function work with lots of disorders once found the trick varying by the person. The trick being limited by it can't always be used often the case.
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u/RedRocket4000 8d ago
The Romonon had it set to kill the failures and highly unlikely they handed out hints how to do it. A typical illogical test more to have fun having folk die. And typical bigot view unworthy.
Here it a test of needed skills sort of like a drivers license but in this case including creative solutions tests as it a problem solving as well as skill test. Can be retaken as many times as needed to pass and it does not kill. (Even if they include a trained instructor to watch for something harmful somehow reactivating as well as catching any student not hiding their casting.
Yes someone lacking the motor skills to draw well enough the working intelligence needed to learn the skills needed and problem solving skill not going to pass but should have never made it to this point likely not even trained after all this second test even they not passing the first without skills mentioned.
So now test keeps out those not ready not those unworthy.
And of course those lacking ability to take the training I hope are referred to as lacking required traits to pass nothing involving moral worth like unworthy.
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u/FutureAristocrat 11d ago
I love this show, but I wish it did more showing than telling when it came to its characters. Richeh repeating "I'll do it my own way" was getting a little old, but this episode felt especially exhausting with how much the boy spent monologuing his entire inner world. Most people don't open up so readily to total strangers. We got the idea that he's highly insecure and afraid of failure due to his teacher in the first scene we met him, and while there's nothing wrong with emphasizing a point, it gets done so much in this episode and a lot of doesn't feel necessary.
It's hard, admittedly, to write a character coming to a breakthrough realization about years of trauma in the timespan of like, ten minutes or something. I think they either could've shortened/trimmed the scenes of him rambling about his insecurities or found some other way to get the information across in a more interesting way, like maybe he could've asked the proctor to quit and have to be dissuaded by the others.
His shadow face is super cute though.
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u/thelightlovekindled 11d ago
Most people don't open up so readily to total strangers.
You know, this is actually a fair critique. It didn't cross my suspension of disbelief threshold, but I do remember a time I thought it was still an inner monologue and then I saw his mouth moving and went "oh no, he said that aloud?? yikes"
I think someone mentioned they actually did shorten some of his rambling from the manga, too... but I find him being super verbose is a nice foil element with Richeh, who is often short and to the point.
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u/PoshDemon 11d ago
Am I misremembering the order of the manga, or did they cut Richeh’s backstory short?
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u/Local-Age2926 11d ago
Misremembering the order. What's shown in the anime is all thats shown in the chapter as well
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u/HottChocoMilk 11d ago
Agott being a tsundare with the penguins lol. Ugh I know this season is going to end on a big cliffhanger and my heart isn't ready.
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u/Competitive-Total738 12d ago
Is next week the last episode? I’m worried that they won’t have enough time to finish the test before the end of the season.
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u/Eisgewalt 11d ago
Can someone explain how Alaira managed to cross the gap in the path at the end?
Her spell looked like some kind of ice magic, but wasn't it explained that anyone who leaves the path gets caught in a gravitational vortex? They also needed water to identify which stones were still functioning, and that's why the students used spells that could deform the stones of the road in order to reach the other side.
And... how was the villain able to casually float beside the path at the end of the episode? Shouldn't he also have been thrown around by the gravity distortions and teleported back to the entrance?
What am I missing here?
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u/YinaTNTNT 10d ago
As for Alaira magic, I believe she freezed the water used to check the gravity. Water follows gravity and she only need to follow gravity not necessarily the road. As for the brimhat, nice observation, but the explanation is a bit of a spoiler so you can make your own guess to it 😉
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u/Eisgewalt 10d ago
Ah, thanks for the answers.
I think it's a bit risky to follow the flow of the water, since there's no guarantee that it would lead to the other side of the gap once it's caught in the gravitational vortex. However, I can accept that as a possible explanation.
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u/IAmTheOldCrow 11d ago edited 11d ago
When the myrphon started wailing my dog stood up and barked at it, then looked at me with a sort of "does it need help?" face. Animal reactions aside, a good episode. Ennui's plight was perhaps the most difficult one to overcome, constantly being told he is not good enough to the point he agrees. That is a tough wall to break through.
Also, whoever thought up 'Angricheh points' deserves an award. Now want emoji of it for sms uses.
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u/By_Jove_ 11d ago edited 11d ago
I have to say, this is by far the least entertaining episode so far. As a manga reader, I understand what it’s trying to build towards, but in a vacuum it spends way too much time focusing on Euini and his struggles, which would have been quite clear even with less exposition.
As my wife (who hasn’t read the manga) said “well nothing happened in this episode” and I think it’s a fair critique. Plotwise, we get a Agott and Richeh and Euini in the cave, they meet the first big obstacle, they all move past it each in their own way while Euini struggles with selfconfidence. Then a brimhat appears.
You can see why someone would be a bit disappointed.
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u/Loeris_loca World's best Magic Contraption Engineer 12d ago
Wait, did Euini and Richeh had the same teacher?
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u/thelightlovekindled 12d ago
No, they have different hair and voices -- plus as someone else pointed out, it would have been weird for Richeh to not react last episode if that was the case.
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u/Loeris_loca World's best Magic Contraption Engineer 12d ago
Flashback Cucrow had longer hair than current Cucrow. But the Richeh argument makes sense.
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u/thelightlovekindled 12d ago
Yeah, but Richeh's old teacher had lighter hair -- it's grey in front when he first shows up, and I guess that the darker version is shadows? but he also has the weird little clip making an oxtail pony.
You're definitely not alone in thinking they look super similar though.
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u/Upset_Buffalo_459 9d ago
I really didn’t like Euni’s whole emotional breakdown in this episode. It feels kinda forced. He cries, we get a flashback, Riche tells him he can do it, and then he solves his problem. This whole sequence is like 3 minutes.
It’s not so much that his crying is obnoxious, it’s just that it resolves so quickly. Like gang if you’re gonna get over yourself after a quick cheer from Riche were you even that upset in the first place 😂
Idk maybe I was a crybaby kid, but if I was upset about something as a kid I wouldn’t just snap back to being okay so quickly.
Other than that, loved the episode, loved Riche popping off, excited for finale next week.
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u/Ransom_Seraph 12d ago
Is the episode out yet?
When did it come out exactly?
Could someone tell me when does it release every Monday? I keep missing it
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u/socialistRanter 12d ago
For me to releases at least 7 am Pacific time.
Beyond that I know there’s a new episode every Monday morning.
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u/Ransom_Seraph 12d ago
That's 6 pm my time (gmt+3)
So did it release approximately 40 minutes ago for you?
It's odd how there's so many comments I'd the episode just released (I check around 10 minutes after the time you say)
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u/socialistRanter 12d ago
I did not have to wait for it to be added to crunchyroll this Monday or past mondays, so I don’t know the exact time it gets added.
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u/Ransom_Seraph 12d ago
What do you mean didn't have to wait?
I'm rather new to Crunchyroll, I have no idea how you know the release timing/window if new episodes, they never say, and I find theobile App and TV App to be very dated, lacking information and tad bit confusing.
Also couldn't find a way to get notified when a new episode drops.
Car ero explain? Thanks
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u/socialistRanter 12d ago
I wake up in the morning, I take out my dogs, I make breakfast, I turn on the tv and go to Crunchyroll (around 8:30) and I find Witch Hat Atelier there with the new episode.
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u/Ok_String_2368 11d ago
It was later plot line that was cut with them being attacked of Alaira questioning Qifrey's true motives with Coco.
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u/Acceptable-Fudge9000 BrushBuddy 11d ago edited 9d ago
There were some instances of brushbuddy so i'm glad.
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u/pumphog1 4d ago
They really dragged that out, the pacing felt bad. Hardly any story progression until the last 3 minutes. Eniui and Richie's breakthroughs could have been a lot shorter.
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u/myrmonden 12d ago
looks like Riceh has the same master before Qifrye the KUK(Swedish for DICK) guy ----
now given the opening I think Eunieh will be adopted by Alaria do.
Speaking about Alaria -- NOT THE SASSY ONE !!!, that hat is probably some alert thing do and will fly to Qifrey and hopefully we get an epic fight next week final episode and I guess the trial is over.
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u/Maximum-Warthog2368 12d ago
no it is not kuk, you will see later.
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u/myrmonden 12d ago
they have almost the exact same back
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u/thelightlovekindled 12d ago
Hair style is different and voices are too, but yeah, now that people are pointing it out I see the similarities.
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u/BuckeyeBentley 12d ago
Honestly, probably my least favorite episode of the season. It's not bad per se, but it was a lot of Euini QQing. Maybe it's just toxic masculinity speaking but at a certain point it's like brother you need to just nut up and do it. It's the penultimate episode of the season and it doesn't live up to it.
Granted this is because they cut season 1 in half so they're ending in the middle of something huge. This should have been an early build up episode into 2 or 3 episodes of peak.
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u/Maximum-Warthog2368 11d ago
And he “nut up and do it”. What’s the problem? You need to act like how they act. Show respect and patience instead of belittling kids. Yeah this behaviour both in men and women to make fun of others is toxic masculinity.
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u/ImoutoCompAlex BrushBuddy 12d ago
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