REVIEW: ‘Witch Hat Atelier’ Episode 10 – “A Promise in Silver”

It’s easy for us who’ve read the manga of (insert name here) to declare that, while said anime adaptation is good – extraordinary, even – it can’t ever achieve the detailed touch of the source material. Witch Hat Atelier Episode 10 doesn’t so much disprove this point as offer a different alley. It’s not that the adaptation is better, but that, in the way any adaptation should strive to be, it finds a way to accomplish what the manga cannot by virtue of its medium. And, in doing so, manages to combine the story’s text with its visual cues. 

And it all comes down to Tartah (Mutsumi Tamura), who gets the main focus in Witch Hat Atelier Episode 10. Tartah has an affliction called Silverwash, meaning he can’t see colors; the world is filtered through to him in silver only. It’s not just a day-to-day inconvenience, either.

Instead, it has major ramifications for his desire to apprentice as a witch. He’s been told constantly that because of it, he won’t be able to study at the same level as his peers or use more intricate spells due to not being able to quickly assess the color of a dye to cast with. 

Aside from color spreads and the cover art, manga is a black-and-white medium. We read about Tartah’s Silverwash, but we don’t experience it beyond our own imaginations. The beauty of “A Promise in Silver,” directed by Akihiro Obata and storyboarded by Shun Shinohara, lies in its ability to let us see the world through Tartah’s eyes. It does what the manga literally can’t: it shows us how Tartah sees the world, awash in silver, and how that leaves him feeling lacking and helpless. 

Witch Hat Atelier Episode 10 lets us see the world through Tartah’s eyes. 

All in all, it’s a relatively small trick. But the way it is used is seamless. Witch Hat Atelier Episode 10 doesn’t just use these point-of-view shots to submerge the viewer in his sense of gloom. Instead, it simply offers another approach to the world created by Kamome Shirahama. As her story develops, so too do the themes of living life with a disability and the way even magical worlds are plagued by ableist beliefs. Tartah is our first entry point. 

We learn throughout that he’s been told – instructed, even – that his condition means he won’t be able to be a successful witch. In life, there are simply things you can’t do, so you should focus on what you can. But they’re all telling him this through their own privileged perspectives.

They believe it’s his job to reach their standards or to quit. To put in the work or choose a different dream. Coco (Rena Motomura), meanwhile, bedridden and sick, offers him another new perspective. Due to her novice mindset and the fact that magic is still a wonder to her, she’s able to help him deconstruct and reconfigure a spell to see the world and ways to use magic differently. 

Witch Hat Atelier explores the world of magic and the rules that guide it.

Suddenly, he’s able to see a path ahead that allows magic to guide his abilities, rather than his condition ruling his ability to use magic. That, in Coco’s eyes, is magic. The ability to create something new that doesn’t just help one person. Magic for the sake of great improvement. 

Witch Hat Atelier Episode 10 is deceptive in its lean plotting. Qifrey (Natsuki Hanae) waits at Coco’s bedside until he’s grabbed by a local who begs him to help with a fire across town. Tartah, meanwhile, is driven back to the hospital after leaving because he left his hat, the sign that allows him passage back to the island he lives on.

And through these small transitional sequences, so much of the rules of the world comes into play. Being a witch allows for plenty of extraordinary gifts. But it is also a hindrance to daily life, either met with distrustful eyes or pushed around for the sake of others, because ignorant bystanders don’t realize that magic is more than just a wave of the hand. 

Coco helps Tartah see how he can use magic to achieve his goals. 

Even without these scenes, it’s a wonderful, understated episode that comes to life with the series’ expected subtlety and warmth. Once Tartah is back at the hospital, he worries about Coco and, in a bout of childlike naivety, believes no one is still working and able to help him. Instead, he assumes the role of Coco’s momentary protector, which leads him to try to find the right herb to help alleviate her symptoms. All of which comes back to her helping him view magic differently, as he finds a spell that will help him find the herb without relying on color. 

While it has no great bearing on the current plot, Witch Hat Atelier Episode 10 brings together so many of the core beliefs and themes of the series. And it does so with some strong animation. With chief animation from Kairi Unabara, Haruhito Takada, and Hiroaki Karasu, there’s weight and give to the smallest motions. 

From the struggle of Coco trying to sit herself up, and Tartah’s hunched shoulders, to the flourish as Qifrey (once again) brings himself to the eye level of a child asking him a question, the physicality highlights the specificity of character: Coco’s determination, Tartah’s shame, and Qifrey’s warmth. 

“A Promise in Silver” is gorgeously understated. 

Tartah is a fantastic character who adds another layer to Witch Hat Atelier as Coco continues to acclimate herself to this world. And he further reminds us of Qifrey’s inconsistencies. Qifrey, who is warmhearted and giving, so quickly turns to ice when put on the spot. “A Promise in Silver” strikes a careful balance of story, tone, and setup.

There’s levity in how the characters interact, and the final goodbye between Coco and Tartah as the former heads back home to the atelier is sweet. He believes she’s become a great witch, and his grandfather grants him that same belief. Tartah might have a condition that makes typical magic harder, but he has the tools and the friends to help him approach it with an atypical lens. 

He has someone who is on his side. And sometimes that’s enough. Witch Hat Atelier Episode 10 is contemplative and vibrant, setting up the final arc of the season while delivering heartfelt and spirited connections. With superb animation, emotive performances, and a score that strikes with continued, fervent accuracy, “A Promise in Silver” makes a singular, personal story feel epic in scale.

Witch Hat Atelier Episode 10 is out now on Crunchyroll.  

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