‘Witch Hat Atelier’ Episode 4 review: “Meetings in Kalhn”

Witch Hat Atelier Episode 4 shows no sign of losing steam. “Meetings in Kalhn” not only introduces more characters to the ensemble but also expands on the magic lore within the universe. Episode 4 turns the spotlight on the new world that Coco is a part of, showing both how dangerous and interesting magic can be.

The worldbuilding in the first half of Episode 4 fleshes out the story perfectly. The audience learns more about the magical world in the same way Coco (Rena Motomura) is — by Qifrey (Natsuki Hanae) teaching us on the spot. This brings us into the fold so the audience can learn about magic as if they were a new witch themselves. Or, like they’re reading a fairytale from the book in the opening sequence. This ties everything together in such a unique way that makes watching the anime an even better experience than it originally would have been.

Following the reveal that magical ink is the source of all magic, Coco finally gets to see how the magic actually happens. Nolnoa (Yoshito Yasuhara), the owner of The Starry Sword, teaches Coco exactly how to make the ink needed for all of the wands witches use. Being able to see how it’s made and where the ink comes from is an understated part of magical systems that aren’t often explored. Nolnoa welcomes Coco into the world of magic this way to make her feel like she is part of the process, not just a bystander. It shows that the care at the heart of the anime extends even to ensemble characters. Unfortunately, just as Coco is about to choose a wand for herself, the witch from her childhood shows up in the window to distract her.

Witch Hat Atelier Episode 4 reminds us of how new Coco is to the world of magic.

The Brimmed Capped Witches are, obviously, the antagonists at this point in the anime. There hasn’t been that much information revealed about them just yet, but it’s clear that they have a focus on Coco, forbidden magic, and getting her to use it. The why is still unclear, but the overt actions of the witch from Coco’s childhood show just how important she is to their plans. Why else risk being seen by Tartah (Mutsumi Tamura) if Coco wasn’t a key part of their machinations?

Witch Hat Atelier Episode 4 dives into Coco’s lack of magical knowledge, really showing how out of her depth she currently is. Her intentions with following the Brimmed Cap witch may have been good and even understandable, but because of her lack of magical knowledge, she doesn’t know how to get herself and the other apprentices out of the situation. It is, of course, her own fault for accidentally involving them in the situation without knowing much about magic at all.

This gap between her and the other girls is even more obvious once the dragon is introduced. The clear difference in skills makes her upset because not only can she not help, but she accidentally ruins Agott’s sigil when she notices something she thinks is important. All of these feelings build up in a short amount of time, causing her to feel isolated and useless.

If you’re a Tetia or Agott hater, turn back now.

While Episode 3 made Agott’s (Hibiku Yamamura) feelings toward Coco clear, Episode 4 reveals some of Tetia’s (Kurumi Haruki) true feelings that come out do the mounting stress. Let’s not forget that these are young girls who, up until this point, haven’t experienced a dangerous situation like this. For someone like Tetia – for anyone this age – this is a scary thing to go through. Combine that with how tense the situation is, and it makes sense that Tetia would want to blame someone even if they’re her friend. The situation these girls are in is a pressure cooker, and it’s only normal for her to react in this way.

It’s important to recognize that even with these feelings, Tetia still cares about Coco. Even with her anxiety coming to the surface, Tetia still walks up to Coco before crawling through the escape Richeh created for them. It’s a brief moment that hints at her instant regret over how she responded.

Be honest, who wouldn’t be terrified if they were being chased around by a dragon in a scary, new place?

“Meetings in Kalhn” continues to flesh out the world of Witch Hat Atelier in magical ways. It builds on the foundation laid by the first three episodes, while also focusing on how Coco must find her own way to survive in this new world. And don’t forget to give it up for Brushbuddy, the real star of the episode, for leading Qifrey to the girls to close out the episode.

Witch Hat Atelier Episode 4 is now streaming on Crunchyroll.

Images courtesy of Bug Films/Crunchyroll. 

Kayla Chu

Made up of feminism, sports, and cheap wine.
Questions, comments, inquries please be sent to kaylamchu@gmail.com