‘Witch Hat Atelier’ Episode 5 review: “The Dragon’s Labyrinth”

Once the hits in Witch Hat Atelier start coming, they really don’t stop coming. Witch Hat Atelier Episode 5 is one of the best episodes of an anime I’ve ever seen. What other anime has four young witches successfully come together to figure out a way around a dragon without harming it? And that’s before we touch on the animation and storytelling throughout, which continue to reach new heights.

Calling all Tetia (Kurumi Haruki) haters from last week, how does it feel now? The beauty of Witch Hat Atelier is that each character is multidimensional, including Tetia. When Coco (Rena Motomura) offers her apprentice cloak as an olive branch, Tetia creates a space for the two of them and apologizes to Coco. She explains where her reaction stemmed from while showing Coco a spell she’s working on.

It’s a cute moment that allows both girls to understand each other without the anxiety of the never-ending maze surrounding them. It’s a careful reminder that these are young girls in a terrifying situation. Tetia explains that she should be looking out for Coco because she knows more magic. However, her fear is natural.

Coco and Tetia’s shared moment is crucial to their growth as characters.

Witch Hat Atelier Episode 5 is all about showing off magic. Not only that, it demonstrates what’s possible when the girls listen to and work together. Coco coming up with the plan using Tetia’s spell gives Agott (Hibiku Yamamura) an opportunity to improve it and allows Richeh (Hika Tsukishiro) to show off her sigil drawing skills. It highlights each of their skill sets without making any of them the better witch.

Bringing their magical skills together to take down the dragon in a way that doesn’t harm it is so uniquely them. Qifrey’s (Natsuki Hanae) lesson that magic should bring joy is clearly something the girls take to heart, even if Qifrey himself doesn’t always behave in a manner that suggests he believes his own words

While the bulk of Episode 5 focused on Coco and the girls, Qifrey has his moment to shine as well. “The Dragon’s Labyrinth” isn’t the first time the audience gets to see his magic in action, but it is the first time offensive magic is seen. The magic animation is absolutely top-tier, and the entire scene flowed so seamlessly from the way Qifrey broke into the maze to the animation of his dragon spell, culminating in one of the smoothest animations in recent history.

Magic is the star player in Witch Hat Atelier Episode 5.

From the moment the sequence started, each beat leaves you on the edge of your seat. The entire second half of the episode was absolutely magical.

There is only one quick glimpse at the Brimmed Cap witch in this episode, but it’s enough to make an impression. Their plan for Coco is finally taking shape, and now there’s official confirmation that it has something to do with Qifrey. Whether or not the seed the Brimmed Cap planted all those years ago will actually sprout is yet to be seen. But it’s clear that they won’t stop using Coco as a pawn in their game to get her to use forbidden magic. Only time will tell if Brimmed Cap Coco becomes a reality.

One of the things Bug Films has done well with Witch Hat Atelier is balance large and small-scale moments. “The Dragon’s Labyrinth” is filled to the brim with these, and it’s easy for those quieter moments to be overlooked when so much is happening. Fortunately, the writers created the breathing room needed for each scene to get the screentime it deserved.

Bug Films delivers epic scale moments that work because of the smaller beats.

The focus on the girls circling their pens before drawing the sigils is a great example of this. It brings you into the fold through Coco’s eyes. This goes hand in hand with the episode’s pacing as well. These are two of the things that make Witch Hat Episode 5 such a success and such a powerful installment of the series.

As with most fantasy anime, the score by Yuka Kitamura (Elden Ring, Dark Souls, Bloodborne) is undoubtedly crucial in elevating the story. Both when the apprentices are bringing their plan to life and when Qifrey summons the dragon spell, the score creates such a beautiful, heart-pounding atmosphere. It’s such a key part of bringing the anime to life that it’s hard to imagine what the anime might be like without it.

Witch Hat Atelier Episode 5 is a definite contender for best episode of the spring season. The animation, the flow of the story, and the episode’s overall aesthetic come together in a way that so few anime are capable of. “The Dragon’s Labyrinth” does an amazing job at highlighting the best parts of the original manga by Kamome Shirahama and making it something entirely new. It sets a high standard for the rest of the season, but if the first half is anything to go by, we’re only just getting started.

Witch Hat Atelier Episode 5 is now streaming on Crunchyroll.

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Images courtesy of Bug Films and Crunchyroll.