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Among the standout highlights of the 2026 spring anime season, one production—and its haunting musical companion—has captured the collective imagination. The fantasy series Witch Hat Atelier, chronicling young Coco’s magical aspirations, has found its perfect thematic partner in singer-songwriter Nakamura Hak. Her contributions to the series’ ending themes—”Tada Utsukushii Noroi” (Simply Beautiful Curse), “Yoru ni Ukabu” (Floating in the Night), and “Hikari” (Light)—have transformed the anime into a sensory experience that resonates deeply with viewers.
“If a simply beautiful curse were to innocently tear apart even the light”
Adapted from Kamome Shirahama’s acclaimed manga, the series has already garnered global prestige, boasting a Kodansha Manga Award nomination and a coveted Eisner Award. Beyond its stunning visuals, the anime distinguishes itself through a poignant narrative that balances the whimsy of apprenticeship with the harsh reality of magic’s destructive potential. It is within this emotional gravity that Nakamura Hak’s music thrives, offering a vocal fragility that feels intrinsically linked to the characters’ struggles.
As a newcomer who emerged this spring, Nakamura Hak defines her artistry through uncompromising authenticity. Her recordings are strictly live, one-take affairs featuring nothing but her voice and an acoustic guitar. Her cryptic artist manifesto—”Her music exists just before the ending”—perfectly encapsulates her sonic identity. Hearing her work for the first time as the closing credits roll on Witch Hat Atelier is an arresting experience, as she captures the exact moment innocence collides with catastrophic consequence.
“Plugless”: The Art of Unamplified Performance
The intensity of her studio work translates flawlessly to the stage. Recently performing a “plugless” (entirely acoustic, unamplified) concert at Tokyo Node Hall, Nakamura defied convention. In a dimly lit space overlooking the Tokyo skyline, she performed with a raw, visceral vulnerability that left audiences spellbound. Her songs, such as “Seventeen” and the Witch Hat Atelier theme, acted as a mirror for the audience’s own hidden despairs and longings. There was no artifice—only the stark, shivering truth of someone grappling with the heavy weight of their own experiences.
Tracks like “Suna no Oshiro” and “Zen to Aku” explore the intersection of purity and betrayal, transforming personal pain into something universal. The concert was less a performance and more a shared catharsis, proving that her music reaches far beyond the boundaries of the anime that introduced her.
The Global Horizon
Signed to the esteemed label maximum10, Nakamura Hak is only just beginning her ascent. With her track “Zen to Aku” currently featured as the theme for the drama Lunacy and an upcoming nationwide “Itan” tour, her influence is expanding rapidly. As Witch Hat Atelier continues to earn international acclaim, it is inevitable that Nakamura’s evocative, mirror-like sound will find listeners across the globe. She is an artist who refracts the complexities of life into pure, crystalline sound—and she is undoubtedly one to watch.
—Originally reported by Tetsuo Hiraga for Billboard Japan
