BUG FILMS announced on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, that Witch Hat Atelier is scheduled to premiere in April 2026. The studio published a new teaser on its official site, revealed key visuals and confirmed the principal cast; Crunchyroll will stream the series outside Japan.
Adapted from Kamome Shirahama’s acclaimed manga, Witch Hat Atelier follows Coco, a young girl who yearns to become a witch in a world where magic is believed to be an inherited gift. Despite the popular belief that one must be born with magic, Coco’s curiosity leads her to a secret that changes everything.
The teaser opens on Coco performing menial tasks in a quiet rural setting until she witnesses the traveling mage Qifrey inscribe a sigil to cast a spell. When Coco mimics the symbol, a surge of magic engulfs her home; Qifrey arrives in the nick of time to save her. That incident launches Coco onto a perilous path as Qifrey’s apprentice. Toward the trailer’s end a caption reads, “This is the story of children who encounter despair, yet reach out toward hope,” and the final frame shows Coco receiving her own pointed witch hat.
The lead roles will be voiced by Rena Motomura (Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex) as Coco and Natsuki Hanae (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba) as Qifrey. Ayumu Watanabe (Summer Time Rendering) directs, Kairi Unabara (The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife) handles character design, and composer Yuka Kitamura — known for her work on Elden Ring — provides the score.
Motomura reflected on the project in a Crunchyroll blog post, saying that revisiting the pages of Shirahama’s manga stirred memories of childhood and reignited her longing for dreams; she added that the work’s magical world has been faithfully realized in animation. Hanae described Qifrey as a character whose gentle, slightly sorrowful presence and enigmatic aura make him a meaningful role, and praised Director Watanabe’s rendering of Shirahama’s fantastical vision.
Shirahama’s manga — which debuted in Kodansha’s Morning Two — has sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. The anime was first announced in April 2022 and had initially been slated for a 2025 release; in September the studio postponed the premiere to refine the production and raise the project’s overall quality.
Judging by the new trailer and visuals, the creative team appears to have met that ambition.
Source: Polygon
