Witch Hat Atelier: Unique Magic Systems

How you cast a spell makes a difference.

Preface!

There’s this amazing moment in Harry Potter (I think The Chamber of Secrets, but I could be wrong) when Ronald Weasley, in his bravery, points his taped-up wand at Draco Malfoy and says, with admirable confidence, “eat slugs!”

The spell backfires and Ron ends up vomiting slugs for the rest of the day, and it’s all good fun. It showcases Ron’s foolish courage, his willingness to stand up for his friends, and it gives Malfoy more fuel to be a complete and total twat.

But please don’t gloss over the fact that “eat slugs!” was apparently a valid spell. It worked exactly as Ron intended it to. The problem wasn’t the spell, but the wand being broken. Of all the fancy latin words that constitute the Harry Potter spell book, there’s also the highly underused “eat slugs.”

Preface over.

I’m not a big connoisseur of unique magic systems. In fact, I’ve been sitting on this post idea for awhile, but I kept reminding myself that I don’t have that much to pull from. What magic systems out there are cooler than others? Anything that’s just like… dynamite? Shrug.

So I got to thinking—why don’t I have that much to pull from? I read fantasy, plenty of it. Manga and otherwise. I watch magical movies with witches and wizards and warlocks too. Why can’t I think of other standout magic systems? I’m sure there are plenty out there, ones I haven’t had the fortune to come across yet, but in the meantime, the magic system of Witch Hat Atelier is lodged in my head as the most unique magic system I have ever seen. It cast such a heavy shadow on other magic systems that I legit forgot about them.

Not just that, but in terms of storytelling elements, a magic system can be—should be—a feature of the story. But again, I’m not over here with a catalogue of “you have to read such and such story because the magic system is sooooo cool.” Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Shadow and Bone, Avatar the Last Airbender, these are magic systems that do the job. They serve the story and they serve it well. But do they stand out?

Not really.

I’m always impressed by how simple Avatar the Last Airbender’s magic system is, the four element system with very few bells and whistles that drives what this story is all about—the one individual who can wield them all. And this magic system factors into the identity of the four respective nations who wield that element. There are little nuances that add even more authenticity, like at night, when the moon is bright, water benders are stronger. Contrarily, in the day, when the sun is out, fire benders are stronger. Same with Lunar and Solar Eclipses.

That’s neat. But am I out here like “you have to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender because the magic system is sooooo cool”? I’m really not. I’ll tell you it’s effective, it’s simple, it serves the story really well, but is it a feature? Not really.

I am however, over here like “you have to read Witch Hat Atelier because the magic system is sooooo cool.”

So what’s the difference? The difference is something I keep coming back to here at MangaCraft—the way it interacts with the story. Tsugumi Project uses theme to bolster the story, Delicious in Dungeon uses ridiculousness to bolster the story, and Witch Hat Atelier uses their magic system to bolster the story. They wield it as a feature, it’s there to be admired, and it works into the story such that it’s a feature, an inextricable piece of the plot and of the characters who wield it. Without this magic system, the story would look so much different. It might not even work at all.

Okay, a quick rundown of Witch Hat Atelier’s magic system before I get too into the weeds: It’s all about that ink. Wizards use specialized ink to draw glyphs—circles with markings inside. Every glyph can contain whatever the caster wants to put in it, but it’s all steeped in elemental magic, directions, actions—everything you put in the glyph becomes the spell. And it all comes from that ink. If you draw a bunch of ‘up’ markings alongside ‘air’ markings, you will fly. but if you point the motion the wrong way, you will jut sideways instead.

Or if the spell isn’t clear, if the lines are curved, you’re going to be pushed and pulled just like you drew it.

Most wizards have little flip booklets of premade glyphs that they can use at any time, or they put glyphs on their clothes, or the bottom of their shoes, to facilitate flying.

However, it is forbidden to put glyphs on your body. There are rules, see. I won’t get too much into the rules, but just know that they are there.

Compare that to Harry Potter. The magic system is literally point a wand and say a latin word. In Lord of the Rings, it’s kinda just… there. Magic happens when a magic wielder slams his staff or points it. It works. It is what it is. It’s not a feature.

So how does Witch Hat Atelier make it a feature? They didn’t really have a choice. Few stories lean on their magic system or make it part of the plot. There’s no errant spells (eat slugs notwithstanding) that alter the state of the world or facilitate a major piece of the plot.

Witch Hat Atelier’s plot is inextricably woven into the magic. One of Coco’s first major issues is that she has been sabotaged by bad witches who swap her ink with cursed ink that makes her spells a bit… unpredictable. They cause a lot of damage, dry up an entire river, it’s a mess. The story is getting to the bottom of her misfiring spells.

When apprentices face a trial to level up to the next witch rank, they have to go into this magical tunnel that requires them to use their unique spells to advance. And that’s the other thing—everyone has their own spells, their own specialties. Conceivably, the entire metaphorical spell book is open to everyone, but each character has specialties. They each have their own specialized glyphs.

Which leads into another key feature of this magic system, perhaps the biggest one: It is 100% customizable. Witches create their own spells, their own glyphs. It’s not just encouraged, it’s required. Some witches, like the apprentice Richeh, struggle with inspiration for useful spell creation. Contrarily, Agott, another apprentice, loves creating new spells and excels at it.

Spell creation is unlike any other magic system I’ve come across. The wild card. But it also feels, on the surface, to be a bit unwieldy. So these characters can really create anything? Yep. But the organizing principle is the glyph. The circular spell holster within which spells must be contained.

Manga is no stranger to power/magic systems of lesser intricacies. The Devil Fruits in One Piece, for instance, are simple and effective, and that’s all they need to be. Quirks in My Hero Academia are much the same. Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen, they all have a power system that essentially grants special powers with a few governing rules. But fully committing to an intricate magical system is much rarer.

Full Metal Alchemist is a good example of something similar. Whereas Witch Hat Atelier is based in glyphs, Full Metal Alchemist is based in… alchemy. Spoiler. It’s all about manipulating alchemical components. Transmutation, as it’s called in-universe.

Because I’m on a role, let’s briefly talk about some other magic systems outside of manga. The Earthsea series is a pretty dense and intricate magic system and, like Witch Hat Atelier, it demonstrates the power of magic and how easily it can go wrong.

V. E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series is also unique and intricate, with magic essentially present everywhere and in everything, but it’s the parallel worlds component that adds new layers that, personally, I found a tad confusing.

Similarly Patrick Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Chronicles has a detailed magic system, but there are elements that aren’t fully explained, or are couched in mystery, probably on purpose, since Rothfuss is a low-key genius, but regardless it can still feel hefty and complex. Maybe even, as with Shades of Magic, confusing.

I never found Witch Hat Atelier’s magic system confusing and, quite frankly, I doubt I ever will. It’s expansive but compact. Its system of glyphs and the orbiting variables doesn’t need to be anymore than it is. The rules of the magic, such as not putting glyphs on the body, leads to a rogue magical organization and that’s that.

So let me just say it one more time, for everyone still feeling any inkling of doubt: The magic system of Witch Hat Atelier is the best magic system around. Thus spoke MangaCraft.