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INTERVIEW: Witch Hat Atelier's Creator on The Legend of Zelda, The Lord of the Rings' Influence

Kamome Shirahama's Witch Hat Atelier has spellbound readers ever since the series started in 2016. With exceptionally detailed art and storytelling, Shirahama has brought an incredible world to life to tell the story of Coco, a young girl who wants to be a witch. The series also earned enough acclaim to recently win the Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia in July. Crunchyroll Germany's Social Media and PR Manager had a chance to speak with Shirahama to talk about just how long it takes to write and draw a chapter, watching a lot of Game of Thrones, their dreams for an anime adaptation and more! 

 

Note: The following is translated from the original German.




Your drawings invite the reader to dream. You take them on a journey through fascinating landscapes and show them, beautiful creatures. Where does all your creativity come from? 

 

I love to travel and the places I visit and the people I meet inspire me. When drawing I like to combine elements of different places I saw with my own eyes. Each place has its own expression – like where plants grow, how the shadow falls, how the wind blows, how big the sky seems, and so on. It doesn’t matter where on earth I am; everything is interesting and a source of inspiration. 





You have mentioned before that the world of Harry Potter has influenced you. Are there any other fantasy works that have played a role in your creative process?



Of course, there are many works that influenced me. I practically devoured The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Never Ending Story, and watched the corresponding movies as well. During my studies, I also learned about the works of the French comic artist Moebius that knocked me off my feet. And recently I’m downright addicted to Game of Thrones and watch it all the time while working.




As a child, I read many works of Japanese fantasy, like Record of Lodoss War or The Knights of Alfheim. I’ve never been much of a gamer, but worlds like the ones in Tactics Ogre or The Legend of Zelda did put me under their spell.


 

Witch Hat Atelier Volume 1

Image via Kodansha Comics

 

We found that in Volumes 4 and 5 of Witch Hat Atelier your series gradually becomes a little darker. Can we expect more storylines with a darker tone in future chapters?



I’ve been writing Witch Hat Atelier as a serious story from the very beginning, but since Coco has to face more challenges it probably seems like it gets darker now. Even though Coco and her friends now have to go through many trials and serious things are developing — there is more to it. I also want to draw the entertaining cultural aspects of the world and the positive evolving relationships between the characters and hope that the readers enjoy them as much as I do. 




Can you tell us about your workflow? How much time do you spend on research, how much on drawing, how much on plotting?

 



I draw one chapter each month. After a briefing with my editor, I need about a week for the scribbles and for the complete manga chapter about ten days to two weeks.



Would you like Witch Hat to be adapted into an anime? Have there been any approaches by anime studios already?



 

I’ve been dreaming of having my own anime since I was a child, so of course, I would be overjoyed. I would love to see Coco and company in movement. 

 

 

 

For which parts of your work process do you prefer to work in a team? And which things do you prefer doing on your own?

 



After the briefing with my editor, I work on the plot and the scribbles alone. For the final artwork, I have assistants for backgrounds, speed lines, and screentone that support me. 


 

What qualifies an idea to be incorporated into your story? Does it need to excite you or make you think? How do you select the ideas that end up being Witch Hat Atilier?

 


It’s important to me not to support stereotypes. Coco may be a young girl, but I make sure not to dismiss something just because she is a girl or a child. It still happens far too often subconsciously, and I hope to learn from it every day so that I notice these things sooner. 

 

Witch Hat Atelier


Image via Kodansha Comics

 

All of your characters grow through their own effort but also because they discuss and share their challenges with others around them. Is this mode of development something you take from your own experience?



I studied at a design college where we had to do many group tasks. These experiences left an impact on me: To tackle difficult tasks with a group of people that all have different strengths. If you combine ideas, you can find solutions you never would have figured out on your own. From my own experience, I would say that you achieve better results when you work with others and share ideas than if you fight each other and the only thing that matters is who gets first to the top.  


You are very active on social media, notably Twitter and Instagram, where you post your sketches of both Atelier and Comics that you love and also travel photos. What does this way of communication mean to you?



I like it myself to see the work progress and posts of my favorite artists. Therefore, I post things myself and hope that my readers enjoy it as much as I do. Not to mention give me the messages and comments under my post much energy for work. I’m also always overjoyed to see when someone posts fan art or photos of my manga. 



 

 

Do you already have an ending for your story in mind? Or do you prefer to let your stories and characters grow like flowers in a garden instead of planning them out like an architect?



I have a rough outline in my head, but I cannot tell yet if the story will actually develop like that. Even if you worked out your setting with all its rules, your characters sometimes act in unexpected ways and you have to adjust your story accordingly. I hope my readers are looking forward to upcoming developments. 




Do you have a message you would like to send to our readers?



With the story of Witch Hat Atelier, I want to show that there is magic in everyone, the power to change the world. I hope that all my readers across the globe – even if they maybe haven’t noticed themselves yet that they are wizards – discover that they have this kind of energy inside them. Thank you very much for your support. I hope that you will continue to enjoy the story. 



We would like the German manga publisher Egmont for their cooperation in organizing this interview.

 

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René Kayser works as a Social Media and PR Manager for Crunchyroll Germany. He tweets under @kayserlein where he likes to annoy people to read the visual novel of Umineko When They Cry.



Source: Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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