REVIEW: ‘Witch Hat Atelier’ Episode 9 – “A Nightmare Stained In Black”

There’s no avoiding the very real threats that plague the shadows of the world in Witch Hat Atelier Episode 9. Something the series has succeeded with from the start is even more evident in “A Nightmare Stained in Black,” which masterfully blends competing tones. While it begins with a charming countryside adventure where the girls train while Qifrey (Natsuki Hanae) watches on, the sunny lunches soon turn darker, shrouded in mystery. The result is a tense, slow-burning episode that reveals characters’ innermost fears and sense of dread. 

Witch Hat Atelier Episode 9 serves as a transition while allowing character-driven beats to push the story forward. And this is most noticeable with Coco (Rena Motomura) and Qifrey, and in the ways they run parallel to one another. It’s a component that runs throughout the series, which makes the early signs of a like-minded pursuit of knowledge (however that manifests) more intriguing.

Coco is driven forward by the need to save her mom, burdened by how little magic she knows. Unlike Tetia (Kurumi Haruki), Richeh (Hika Tsukishiro), and Agott (Hibiku Yamamura), she can’t picture what type of witch she’ll be because her path is so different from theirs. They’ve always lived in this world of magic, whereas Coco was thrust into it through violence and destruction. She hasn’t thought about her life as a witch beyond her desire to save her mom from the spell she cast. Her nightmare brings all of this to the forefront, as the pools of black ink threaten to consume her. 

Qifrey’s composure unravels in Witch Hat Atelier Episode 9. 

Meanwhile, Qifrey is following a similar thread, locked in a tunnel-vision pursuit of the truth about the Brimmed Caps. We don’t know the full reason yet, though we discover snippets as he talks about taking back what was stolen from him. The entire sequence of his investigation into the tainted ink is beautiful and haunting. From the swell of the magic and the way Qifrey seals off the side of the atelier where he works, to the water that encases him, stealing his breath and taking away his ability to look further into the spell. 

All of which ends with the Brimmed Cap, who continues to threaten our characters, appearing in a plume of smoke to hover over Qifrey, taunting, before disappearing. This one composition highlights the imbalance of power between the two, as Qifrey struggles to regain his strength and composure, all while the Brimmed Cap watches on before crushing the empty vial of ink in their hand. 

The unraveling of Qifrey’s composure is one of the more interesting elements of the first part of the series, and Witch Hat Atelier Episode 9 highlights it. And it’s all the more impactful because we see that, as his facade frays, so too does his students. Because while he’s struggling with his own fatigue and stress, Coco is fighting her own demons which slip by his immediate notice. The image of the two of them, both slumped and yawning in sync, is cute, but it is, again, a visual reminder of their similarities. Coco’s fatigue, however, stems from staying up late to study and practice her spells, painfully aware of how much she doesn’t know. 

Coco’s collapsing highlights the similarities between the student and the teacher. 

All of which culminates in the moment where Coco collapses, feverish and overworked. Qifrey races her to town for medical aid, only to run into Tartah (Mutsumi Tamura), who helps them find a doctor. In another instance that might’ve been a throwaway cut scene, Witch Hat Atelier Episode 9 instead uses this sequence to showcase playful direction and spiraling landscapes and architecture as they run through the maze-like city. 

These types of moments, where the animation flourishes in unassuming scenes, are plentiful throughout “A Nightmare Stained in Black,” a reminder that great artistry isn’t just present in the sakuga-heavy action shonen. Instead, true animation wonder is just as evident in the smaller, detailed beats that hone in on a character’s physicality or movement. 

Scenes such as the Brimmed Cap flipping the vial in their hand before disappearing in a puff of smoke capture the details of their hands, from their movements to the blood- and ink-stained fingertips. Later, when Agott first uses the new sylph shoes Coco makes for her, the speed is immense, plummeting her through the air and straight into Qifrey. The scene takes pains to showcase his physicality as he drags his hands along the cliffside to stop their fall. 

Witch Hat Atelier Episode 9 luxuriates in specific details and shades of worldbuilding. 

These details enrich the story’s tapestry. From the old-fashioned inkwork of the flashbacks that flesh out the history of the magical world to the different ways the brushbuddy eats a pear, it all adds up to a world that feels uniformly lived in. You don’t think to care about these moments until you see them and realize how they add to the overwhelming weight of the world and its tactility. The fabrics and food, the way someone falls and then gathers themselves, all of it works to heighten the senses and give the story a sense of tangible feeling. 

Witch Hat Atelier Episode 9 is, in some regards, a slighter, leaner installment. But while the story serves as a setup for what’s to come, the artistry creates something that’s both familiar and stunning in execution. It’s such a treat to exist in this world with these characters, through mundane acts and otherworldly moments—a true testament to the brilliance of the story. 

Witch Hat Atelier Episode 9 is available now on Crunchyroll. 

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