This article was originally published on June 22, 2023.
Yousuke Kaneda, the mind behind The Classroom of a Black Cat and a Witch, has been a big fan of Witch Hat Atelier since it began publication. We had the opportunity to sit down with both Kaneda-sensei and Kamome Shirahama-sensei and hear their thoughts on what it’s like to create two distinctly different yet very detailed magical fantasy adventures!
――Thank you both for joining us today! This whole conversation became possible because Kaneda-sensei mentioned that he has been a fan of Witch Hat Atelier for quite some time.
Shirahama:
I’m very honored. I’ve been really looking forward to today, too. Thank you for having me!
Kaneda:
Thank you for having me, too! I first started reading Witch Hat Atelier when I bought the book based on the cover alone. I’ve always enjoyed magical fantasy stories, so when I saw the cover, I knew I just had to buy it. When I started reading, I was overwhelmed by how detailed the worldbuilding was, and I got completely sucked into the story.
Shirahama:
Such praise right out of the gate…! Thank you so much.
Kaneda:
You even went into a lot of detail for the smaller tools. Did you design them yourself?
Shirahama:
I did, yes. I design pretty much everything myself. Coming up with ideas can be pretty tough [laughs].
Kaneda:
When it comes to the magical fantasy genre, it is hard work coming up with designs for small objects.
Shirahama:
Yeah. Sometimes, I’m just coming up with things based on vibes, so the designs are probably quite different in places [laughs].
Kaneda:
[laughs] I totally get it. Compared to the wand designs I drew at the beginning, the ones I’m drawing now are a little different. I have faith in my memory, but when I look over them again, I realize they are different.
●Blown away by the art!
Kaneda:
The art in Witch Hat Atelier is really stunning. I especially love the times when the clothing is billowing in the breeze… Scenes where the cape is trailing in the air are so enchanting.
Shirahama:
That makes me so happy to hear! I love the uniforms in The Classroom of a Black Cat and a Witch. They’re super cute… plus, each character wears their uniform in a slightly different way, right? Uniforms are usually a way of keeping to the rules and putting everyone on the same level, but I think it’s interesting that their personality comes out this way.
Kaneda:
Thank you. You’re right – Spica wears her uniform properly, but there are definitely students who do not.
Shirahama:
The variations and slight differences between everyone are so cute.
Kaneda:
I’m so, so happy to hear that…! The clothing in Witch Hat Atelier has a real fantasy air to it, but also a sort of modernness. They’re very stylish, so I wanted to ask how you came up with the designs.
Shirahama:
For the clothing, rather than fashion magazines, I actually look more at fashion school textbooks. I reference patterns in there.
Kaneda:
What! You start from the patterns?
Shirahama:
Yes. I play around with existing patterns when I draw. I also love looking at fashion design sketches. Kaneda-sensei, are you also into fashion? The uniforms are really cute, plus the colors are great…
Kaneda:
I think so. I also enjoy looking at the sketches! The “cute” uniform design is based on the zodiac. I wanted people to be reminded of the starry sky when they looked at it. However, adding a lot of decorative elements also adds a lot of drawing work. In my previous serialization, Boarding School Juliet, there were a lot of ribbons with stripes, which really increased the workload [laughs]. So this time, I wanted to keep things simpler but stylish when it came to the uniform. The overall colors are dark like the night, black and navy, with golden details for the stars.
Shirahama:
Ah, you say black is simple, but it adds a lot of unexpected work, doesn’t it? [laughs]
Kaneda:
It really does. Filling the sections in is rough [laughs].
Shirahama:
I feel you [laughs]. Do you work traditionally?
Kaneda:
No, I’m fully digital.
Shirahama:
There’s a lot of detail, so I thought you might be a pen and paper kind of person. Your art doesn’t feel digital, in a good way – it doesn’t feel unnatural.
Kaneda:
Thank you! I love drawing traditionally, so I’m always working on how to make my art look as analog as possible.
Shirahama:
Really, your art is incredible… [laughs].
Kaneda:
No, no, no [laughs]. That’s too much. Your art in Witch Hat Atelier is so amazing, I feel like I’m getting pummeled by just how insanely good it is.
――What do you think of each others’ story and characters?
Shirahama:
I’m a Taurus myself, so when Io first showed up, I was really excited. As the story continued though, I began to like Hana more. I love characters who just recklessly charge in head first. I love how she just goes straight for what she wants once she sets her mind to it.
Kaneda:
Thank you. Hana is pretty popular with the readers, too! The characters’ personalities are also based on their zodiac signs. I looked at a lot of horoscopes while I was creating them. Hana is a Scorpio, so I tried to give her a kind of “she tends to be a loner, but will depend on her friends when she makes them” personality. In Witch Hat Atelier, I love the relationship between Agott and Coco. They were at odds at first, but as the story continues, their bond deepens, and I was really moved by that. Especially in volume 11!
Shirahama:
I enjoy stories that have plots where different characters are the main focus, so I find myself creating stories of my own where any of the characters could be the protagonist. Which is why my stories tend to be all over the place [laughs]. The same goes for The Classroom of a Black Cat and a Witch – any of them could be the protagonist. They all have main character energy.
Kaneda:
Thank you. But even when the main focus is a sub-character, the main character has to show up, which can make things quite difficult sometimes. When it came to Capella and Ewe’s stories, I couldn’t really get Spica involved between the two of them.
Shirahama:
But that particular arc is a fan favorite!
●But that means I can’t use magic!
――Both of your manga are in the magical fantasy genre. Were there any stories that influenced your work?
Kaneda:
For me, definitely Fairy Tail and Magical Circle Guru-Guru. For example, in Magical Circle, they use a staff to draw the magic circle on the ground to cast spells, which was really exciting to read. Witch Hat Atelier also utilizes magic circles, right? I love that they don’t use wands to cast their spells, but they draw them.
Shirahama:
I love Magical Circle, too. But isn’t Kukuri (one of the main characters) one of the Migu Migu Tribe? Only they can use magic, right? In a lot of other stories that feature magic, regular people can’t use magic at all. I felt a little sad that I wouldn’t be able to use magic.
Kaneda:
I see…!
Shirahama:
I thought it was kind of a shame once I realized that even if one person can use magic, another person can’t. That’s why I wanted my story to be a place where anyone can use magic, and kind of turn the stereotypes of the genre on their head.
Kaneda:
Those feelings you had when reading carried over to Witch Hat Atelier, huh?
Shirahama:
You’re right. I thought that if readers could understand that anybody can try their hand, and anyone can become a witch, that would make more of them happy, so I created the world in which Witch Hat Atelier exists.
Kaneda:
I totally get it! I have a similar feeling on the matter, which is why I based the magic in The Classroom of a Black Cat and a Witch on the zodiac signs. When I’m reading magical fantasy stuff, I do end up wondering what kind of magic I would be able to use if I ended up in that world, but… There are definitely stories where I can’t imagine myself as part of it. But with zodiac signs, anyone can picture the exact type of magic they’d be able to use should they end up here, which is why I decided on that motif.
Stay tuned for part 2 of the interview, coming soon!
Click below to read Witch Hat Atelier!
Click below to read The Classroom of a Black Cat and a Witch!
