Seinen Tongari Boushi no Atelier by Kamome Shirahama

[syx]

There is obviously a reason why the Brimhats didn't outright kill Qifrey. It begs the question if they anticipated that Beldarut or the Magic Council will take care of him. Maybe they used some kind of link-magic on Qifrey's right eye which makes them see through Qifrey's left eye without anyone noticing it? Or perhaps, Qifrey was/is a Brimhat all along and erasing his memories is part of the their master plan to infiltrate the Magic Council?

 

[Erinyes]

It begs the question if they anticipated that Beldarut or the Magic Council will take care of him.

Yes, if they sent him for infiltrating i think they knew he would be taken care of or they did things on this very purpose. To me they definitely knew.
As for his losing sight, i remember of this scene, seems like its foreshadowing his eye condition with the focus on his eye and the expression of his face (last panel) :

and do you remember this scene ?(i think its chap 14 or 15)

I dont konw, he seems to me to have something planned for so long, thats the reason why im wondering too if Coco was from the very start, part of brimhats plans and maybe also his plan or she's used bc of circunstances. Wondering too if hes manipulated without knowing it of if hes aware or partly aware of it(assuming hes manipulated).
Im really curious to know more, and somewhat i wouldnt be surprised if hes a brimhat infiltrating without being aware as you suggested, in this case Brimhats might have trapped Belda & Magic council, when they were after brimhats (one or more, cant tell, wording is indeed confusing).

 

[syx]

So, since I buy the volumes of this series, I decided to read them all - up to volume 5, chapter 29 - to refresh my memory, look at the official translation and take some notes, because I have a hard time to remember anything when it is a non-weekly series. Talk about getting old.

I think the official translation isn't really better than the scanlated ones. There were as much weirdly phrased sentences like in the unofficial translation. Who knows, maybe it is just me who doesn't understand anything. Talk about getting old.

I'll share some of the stuff which I found interesting. I beg for forgiveness in advance, since this post won't be well structured.

Differences in names

official name	unoffical name
Agott Arklaum	Agathe/Agete Arkome
Brimmed Caps	Brimmed Hats
Easthies	Estheath
Ekoh	Echo
Etlan	Etoran
Galga	Garuga
Kukrow	Couccoureaux
Luluci	Lulucy
Olruggio	Orugio
Richeh	Riché
The Knights Moralis	The Council of Magic Security / The Magic Security Council
The Three Wise Ones	The Three Sages

Chapter 10 - Agott wants to prove herself to whom?

The official translation refers to a single person, while the unofficial one uses the plural term which we were believed to be Agott's family.

Page	Panel	official translation	unoffical translation
Link	bottom left	And if I'm ever going to show a certain someone what I'm really capable of...	I will prove it to 'them'
Link	middle right	I might finally prove that certain someone wrong!	I might finally be able to look 'them' in the eye...

That certain someone - if we take the official translation for granted - could be the person who didn't accept Agott as an apprentice. (bottom panel: Link)

Chapter 10 - Agott's mother

According to the official translations, Agott's mother is quite talented. One can assume from the Edited Manga (and what we were told about her family), but the official version makes it 100% clear:

Page	Panel	official translation	unoffical translation
Link	top panel - 6th bubble	How strange. Her mother is so talented.	I can't believe she's her daughter.

Iguin's / Brimmed Caps' connection with Coco

We are all asking ourselves why Coco is considered the child of hope or savior (example: Chapter 26) by the Brimmed Caps. Why Iguin - the Brimmed Cap with the eyeball mask - "approached" Coco when she was very little (see: Chapter 1). Has anyone considered the possibility that Iguin might be Coco's father who passed away (but not really) due to an illness according to Coco's mother (see: Chapter 1)? This would at least form some kind of connection between Coco and the Brimmed Caps, and explain why Iguin is so fixated on her. Because as of now it seems to be totally random that Coco was chosen by them.

I also want to emphasize what Iguin said in Chapter 4 (Link) + 7 (Link):

The seed has sprouted.

I've been waiting a very long time for this seed I planted to sprout.

Moreover, Iguin does know more about Coco than Sasaran, which further implies that Iguin actively keeps track of Coco, much more than other Brimmed Caps it appears. Sasaran stated that he doesn't know Qifrey (see: Chapter 27).

I don't follow. I've never heard of you before.

On the other hand, we have Iguin who is well aware of Qifre (see: Chapter 7).

Let me teach you everything Qifrey won't.

Potential future arc?

Again, it's entirely possible that I just didn't understand the Edited Manga but there seems to be some kind of celebration coming up soon in the world of the witches (Chapter 26). The volume made it more clearer for me.

Page	Panel	official translation	unoffical translation
Link	bottom panel	The anniversary of the pact draws near. We'll see all manner of Witches coming and going once preparations for Silver Eve are underway.	As the Argent Night and the anniversary of the Day of Conspiracy draw closer, even more outsider witches will be going to and fro.

And we all know such an event means trouble...

Qifrey's eye/visage

In Chapter 27 Qifrey interrogates Sasaran, but one of his questions couldn't be more different between Edited Manga and official translation:

Page	Panel	official translation	unoffical translation
Link	bottom left panel	Then tell me, what do you know of a Brimmed Cap with visage like mine?!	What about the Brimhat with the same eye as me!?

Isn't that weird? I tend to believe the Edited Manga is more accurate here, because of what was revealed about Qifrey recently. But why does the official translation differ so much? The term "eye" should be crystal clear or am I underestimating Kanjis?

Miscellaneous

• Qifrey states that he hates getting wet in Chapter 8 (Link). With the recent revelations, this can be considered a nice little foreshadowing?
• We still don't know with whom Qifrey talked to in Chapter 2 (Link #1 | Link #2). It is someone high up the ladder to give permission to Coco's apprenticeship. At first I thought it is Beldarut, but the potrayal of Beldarut's character in the most recent chapters makes me doubt it.
• You remember that the Witches of Healingcraft were the last ones to resist the Wise Ones' edict that magic shouldn't be casted upon the body (Chapter 15)? Have a look at their symbol. The hospital in Kalhn has the same symbol (Chapter 16) and I think it is safe to assume that every hospital wears that one. Nice little detail, a remnant of the past, I guess. Comparison:
  
  
  -
  

 

[James Rye]

Yeah, it is pretty sweet little detail with how mages who once practices healing magic and had their own hospitals all around became hunted yet their hospitals and symbol still remains to this day.
I really love the art style in this series, it is so rich and expressive! And the characters are just so lovely you could die for them! <3
Ofc the whole plot with a secret Mage civil war and Coco being right in its middle is very intriguing too.^^

 

[syx]

Chapter 37 is out.

You can argue whether what Coco is doing is right or wrong, but she is at least thinking about the consequences about her potential actions, which I rate very high in my book. Furthermore, she also admits that drawing powerful magic could be too much for her. That is a rather uncommon view for main characters or characters in general. Props again to Coco!

Qifrey once again proves to be an excellent teacher. That was a sweet lecture he gave to Coco, who based her hope on the current state of the art/magic, thus she saw herself in front of an obstacle which is impossible to overcome. But there is no limit to magic, and that is what Coco seemed to have forgotten. Now she has to decide for herself what she is going to do. There is no true right call here in my opinion, we are talking about a child who wants to save her mother after all. Qifrey decision to give her this freedom is only fitting. If you ask me, I would prefer Coco to head out to Orugio.


Quote of the Chapter:

A child's ability to focus on the things that fascinate them is not to be made light of!

 

[Erinyes]

Im so so glad that coco realized magic is not a solution to everything, on contrary, im glad the author didnt make it "too easy for you as long as you have magic". Coco's was so heartbreaking.

Qifrey once again proves to be an excellent teacher. That was a sweet lecture he gave to Coco, who based her hope on the current state of the art/magic, thus she saw herself in front of an obstacle which is impossible to overcome. But there is no limit to magic, and that is what Coco seemed to have forgotten. Now she has to decide for herself what she is going to do. There is no true right call here in my opinion, we are talking about a child who wants to save her mother after all. Qifrey decision to give her this freedom is only fitting. If you ask me, I would prefer Coco to head out to Orugio.

Oh yeah Qifrey is amazing, and was so comforting, i like the way he teaches her to choose her own path, to take her responsibility, but still that he will keep supporting her whatever path she takes (sounds very fatherly too).
No agathe his chap but Orugio still amazing as usual.

Fave panels :
funny Oru-kun

Badass Qifrey

Touching moment :

Wisdom

Looking forward next chap

 

[James Rye]

Qifrey earned so many Chad points this chapter. Dude is on a roll! I love it when he gets all teacher/fatherly like for his students, it is insanely comfy and warm too look at. <3
If this gets an anime, Qifrey will have soooooooo many female fans. XD

 

[Erinyes]

Oh came across this amazing art !

credit :@sextant0yulij

also "Witch Hat Atelier" was nominated for the Eisner Award in Best U.S. Edition of International Material Asia. "

 

[James Rye]

Good news, I hope that when this gets an anime it gets a dedicated Studio with a good budget for all the details you see in the series.^^

 

[Erinyes]

Chap 38 out.

Coco was extremely wise and choose an unexpected answer. She showed how much she value her teacher and protected him. We got some news reveals and were introduced to Riche's bro. Oru and qifrey are about to have an important talk. Seems an overall cheerful chap with touching and comedic moments, that said, i find some words and panels regarding Qifrey being ominious.

Coco choice, she was impressively brave and revealed to be caring a lot for qifrey

Spoiler

some fun moments (really love Oru, this guy is so awesome !!)

Spoiler

Dat cuuuute panel !

this double page seems really ominious, its beautiful, but it seems like both qifrey and coco have some shadow cast on them, that keep following them.

and this too sounds ominious and sad, too somehow.

Spoiler

 

[James Rye]

Coco is such a sweetheart, I never wanna see her sad and in despair. <3

 

[Marmalade]

Okay so I read both chapter 37 and 38, am a bit behind on my series in general.

I must say in previous chapters I felt that Qifrey was a bit suspicious. What for? I don't know yet, I just felt like I can't really just can't really trust him. However, these chapters shows how much he cares for Coco (for whatever reason) and I do find this to be quite heartwarming. She deserves someone to care for her. He let's her draw in his giant magic book, and I think that's pretty nice. Feels like he trusts her (and gives her the chance to believe in her own magic)
And she picks him up

"Let's go back together, and let's learn together"

So cute


Also, seeing this art again just makes me very happy. The details are so lovely, and I think a lot of panels could be art pieces on their own.

 

[syx]

Ahhh, Tongari never ceases to amaze me. I hope - from the bottom of my heart - that it doesn't lose its touch in the future. I can't remember if I ever complained about this series. It's still very young though, but still.

I said that I would prefer Coco not aiming for the Tower of Books before, and I'm incredibly proud that she really didn't. Her reasonings fully align with her character portrayal, and that is what makes her such a great (female) main character. This panel is an absolute win:

Spoiler

It is the definition of a bond between teacher and apprentice. Seriously, you can't ask for more. And Olruggio shouldn't be forgotten. I know battles are not the main theme of this series (though they are bound to happen), but I would really like to point out that Olruggio is a witch you don't want to mess with. Nice to see him scold Qifrey and Coco for their mistakes during their escape, and Coco's reaction is just lovely. And yeah, hilarious to see Qifrey scolding his own master for trying to steal his pupils.

Erinyes already showed this panel:

Spoiler

I love it. It is very mysterious. I keep asking myself what the author is trying to tell us with the figure who looks like a matured Coco. We have seen this figure a couple of times already, and I always asked myself: does it foreshadow Coco? Is it nothing more than a stylish element the author uses? Or is it a indeed a new, unknown character?

But with that page, things got way more interesting. You want to know why? Because that 'matured Coco' is shown in the same 'panel' as Iguin, who is an actual character. Before that - and feel free to correct me - we have never seen that figure in a panel with someone else. So... is the author telling us that this figure is an unknown character yet to be revelead?

And once more props to Olruggio. He doesn't let go of Qifrey so easily just because things turned out well overall. I adore him, and this personality of his. A true witch, a true friend!

It seems Beldarut has some form of sickness, which is usually a deathflag. : /

Liked the fact that Riliphin feels bad about the things which happened with Richeh. There is probably more to come. I always appreciate when side characters get some love.

 

[Erinyes]

I love it. It is very mysterious. I keep asking myself what the author is trying to tell us with the figure who looks like a matured Coco. We have seen this figure a couple of times already, and I always asked myself: does it foreshadow Coco? Is it nothing more than a stylish element the author uses? Or is it a indeed a new, unknown character?

But with that page, things got way more interesting. You want to know why? Because that 'matured Coco' is shown in the same 'panel' as Iguin, who is an actual character. Before that - and feel free to correct me - we have never seen that figure in a panel with someone else. So... is the author telling us that this figure is an unknown character yet to be revelead?

oh i cant help thinking of it as foreshadowing something, too, as you mentioned once we flipped the pic, Coco appears, indeed, more mature, and she seems more serious/sad, also i cant help seeing some parrallism between the top & bottom of the pic, therefore i m wondering about a potential link between Qifrey & Iguin, since Iguin, is almost in the same spot as qifrey symetrically, in the reversed part of the pic, its as if Iguin was a kind of dark alter ego/counterpart of Qifrey ? could it be they are related, somehow ?

symbolically this pic is amazing ! even the fact that the bottom side is dark with a kind of smoke that seems to consume Coco. its brilliantly done, the more mature style/appearence can also means some lost of innocence, so far coco is embodying innocence, kindness. Iguin being a masked character in interesting (masked char in litterature have often some meaning and almost always serve some purpose, its often a char that has already been introduced or who has to stay hidden for some reason, its also often associated with two-faced or multiple personnality person, or to twins etc., it can have so much meanings)

this part is interesting too :

 

[syx]

Tongari Boushi no Atelier - tied with Cats of the Louvre - has won the Eisner Award for best U.S. Edition of International Material (Asia). Apparently it is a very special award. Not sure if it will affect the popularity of the series, but every praise towards TBnA is deserved and welcomed.

Source - Anime News Network

 

[Uriel]

Hello everyone.

I really, REALLY, love this manga. It has been a long since I see this level of detail of drawing and the story is not half bad. The magic system seemed overused at first, but soon we can see how deep of a thought it has.

 

[Hermit]

The latest chapter is out, and it's an anthology of several pictures.
Rather cute though, which is nice to see.

 

[Erinyes]

Just checked Ann before going to sleep, Tongari won Best Manga at Harvey awards !!

"Book of the Year: Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang (First Second)
Digital Book of the Year: The Nib edited by Matt Bors (thenib.com)
Best Children or Young Adult Book: Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru (DC Comics)
Best Manga: Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama (Kodansha Comics)
Best International Book: Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, translated by Janet Hong (Drawn and Quarterly)
Best Adaptation from a Comic Book/Graphic Novel: Watchmen by HBO, based on Watchmen (DC Comics) "
Source : https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/2020-harvey-award-winners-revealed

+ Ann

The Harvey Awards, which honors outstanding work in comics and sequential art, is awarding Kamome Shirahama's Witch Hat Atelier manga with the Best Manga award at its awards ceremony on Friday.

edit cant resist sharing this, such a gorgeous art

@credits jibanyani

--- Double Post Merged, Oct 10, 2020, Original Post Date: Oct 5, 2020 ---

Here s the manga that were nominated plus announcement of the winner :

Here's a video of the author words after winning the Harvey's price (told by a Kodansha official) :

--- Double Post Merged, Nov 1, 2020 ---

art from Halloween bonus chap :

 

[Marmalade]

So happy to see that Tongari is getting the love it deserves!! Too more awards

Finally was able to read chapter 41 - I really liked it. Such a cute chapter (Tartar and Coco aaaaaah my heart is melting). Curious what this Silver Night festival is going to be like.

 

[Hermit]