Anime has seen a surge in fantasy series with shows like Freerinn: Beyond the End of the Journey and the new Harvey Award-winning manga, Delicious in the Dungeon. While these shows have made their mark across generations in the anime world as refreshing series that are not just isekai shows, there is another fantasy anime that anime lovers are eager to complete the fantasy anime trilogy that must be watched: The Sorcerer’s Hat Workshop.
The Sorcerer’s Hat Workshop, created by Kamomi Shirahama, follows Coco, a young girl dreaming of becoming a sorceress. However, the world of sorcerers is shrouded in secrecy and protected from ordinary people like her. Coco’s life takes a dramatic turn when she discovers a secret that spellcasting does not require anything more than drawing symbols on paper, reminiscent of her childhood storybooks. Unfortunately, her naive foray into magic brings disaster, frightening her mother and home with a forbidden spell. The rest of the series follows Coco’s journey guided by Kiefer, the kind and skilled sorceress, as she delves deeper into mysterious arts in hopes of reversing the spell and saving her mother.
Shirahama entered the manga scene for the first time with her debut series, Eniale & Dewiela, published by Beam Comics. In addition to her role as a manga artist, she has contributed her illustrative talents to Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and Star Wars, among other American comic franchises. Her series The Sorcerer’s Hat Workshop began in 2016 in the monthly magazine Morning Two. The series has captured audiences in Japan and gained international acclaim, winning numerous manga awards in France, Spain, and other countries. It has been honored with prestigious awards such as the Eisner Award and Harvey Award in the United States.
Earlier this year at Anime Expo, Crunchyroll revealed that the upcoming anime Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead will be handled by the studio Fault Films. The anime also boasts the privilege of being the first project by the legendary Dark Souls composer Yuka Kitamura since leaving FromSoftware last year.
Isaiah Colbert, io9: How does it feel to finally have The Sorcerer’s Hat Workshop anime adaptation by Bug Films?
Kamomi Shirahama: I’m extremely excited and looking forward to it. I believe I may be the most excited person for the anime to come out.
io9: What inspired you to start writing The Sorcerer’s Hat Workshop after working on other fantasy series like Eniale & Dewiela? Were there any other stories, whether from Marvel or other manga artists, that were a source of inspiration for your initial concept of the series and its story and characters?
Kamomi Shirahama: I had an idea for writing a story about a world where everyone could use magic for a limited time. Even while working on my previous series. Although my previous series was much shorter as that was expected of the project, I took it on as a mission. However, even as I worked on it, I had an idea about the worldview I wanted to write about, which eventually became The Sorcerer’s Hat Workshop.
io9: The Sorcerer’s Hat Workshop is unique in that it is not just a fantasy series about sorcerers, but also a universal story about learning a new skill and the importance and risks of individual determination in pursuing mastery. How does Coco’s journey in learning to become a sorceress mirror your journey in becoming an artist and manga artist?
Kamomi Shirahama: I feel that as an artist, I put in similar effort as Coco did to achieve my dream of becoming an artist. In that sense, I feel that my effort was successful, so I tried to present a positive perspective on Coco in this sense. The reason why I used magic as a metaphor for creativity is that there are many ways you can express your creativity. Whether it’s using TikTok, YouTube, or anything you post on social media, it’s an expression. However, there is a serious side to releasing these expressions to the world online. I believe that expression always comes with responsibility, and that’s a point I wanted to clarify in this series.
io9: The Sorcerer’s Hat Workshop stands out in that its magical system is guided through the sorceress’ artistic skill in drawing symbols rather than the traditional wand. How did you come up with the magical system of The Sorcerer’s Hat Workshop?
Kamomi Shirahama: I wanted readers to feel the challenges of trying to master art or magic. Sometimes there is a simpler way to do something. These are the aspects I wanted to highlight in this worldview.
io9: The Sorcerer’s Hat Workshop features its soundtrack composed by the veteran FromSoftware composer Yuka Kitamura, who has worked on Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, and other high fantasy video game projects. How was it when you learned that she would be involved in the anime adaptation?
Kamomi Shirahama: (Kitamura-san) produces a lot of truly great tunes. She is a great composer. Many of her themes tend to lean towards the darker type of songs. But when I was provided a sample tape of the music The Sorcerer’s Hat Workshop that we used in the promotional videos, I thought it was really fitting for the global perspective of The Sorcerer’s Hat Workshop. I felt that this creator was truly talented, and I was looking forward to hearing more of her music.
io9: The buzz for The Sorcerer’s Hat Workshop has reached fever pitch in the United States with its animated adaptation. Some fans even consider it one of the “big three” alongside Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece, but for fantasy anime series along with Delicious in the Dungeon and Freerinn: Beyond the End of the Journey. How do you feel knowing that fans hold your series in such high regard alongside other female fantasy manga series?
Kamomi Shirahama: (Laughs) This is the first time I’ve heard that we were called the “big three.” I actually enjoy reading Delicious in the Dungeon and Freerinn personally. I have read the manga and also watched the anime, so it’s a great honor to be part of a group with such big titles together.
When I was growing up, there were a lot of fantasy series that appeared in movies and TV shows like Lord of the Rings and Narnia Chronicles. Now, this generation of artists has grown up to create their own fantasy series. Meaning those people who will watch the new “big three” series might make their own fantasy series in five to ten years. So, I really look forward to that.
The holy trinity of fantasy manga adaptations has finally come to life pic.twitterp>— 🍉🌿 (@shinkanes) July 5, 2024
io9: What do you hope anime fans will take away from watching The Sorcerer’s Hat Workshopanime that you feel is often overlooked in your manga? Whether it’s how your illustrations resemble embroidered picture frames or how you capture intense risks in The Sorcerer’s Hat Workshopstorytelling while weaving in lighthearted moments to provide a little fun. How will the anime adapt to your unique manga style?
Kamomi Shirahama: Now that you mention it, manga and anime can be completely different. There may be some differences in how you can enjoy something like an illustration in manga. It may be a bit different when there is movement in anime. But the final message of both manga and anime is exactly the same. So, no matter what the audience realizes from watching the new anime, I just want them to feel what they naturally feel.
The Sorcerer’s Hat Workshop will be released on Crunchyroll at some point in 2025.
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