Witch Hat Atelier

Its two-episode premiere does a great job of presenting a coming-of-age tale full of wonder that also packs an emotional, melancholic punch, and a world that hides plenty of dark secrets and horrors. It’s an effective premiere that heralds the arrival of an exciting new fantasy anime.

It's the perfect mix of nostalgia and solace, pure hopecore in service of a riveting fantasy tale. Indeed, Witch Hat Atelier is a triumph of feeling, and it's exactly that quality that makes it a must-watch anime for every fan.

Neither the storytelling nor the art has the deep emotional timbre achieved routinely by Ghibli’s master, Hayao Miyazaki, but that’s a wholly unfair standard; that the series bears comparison with the studio’s midlevel work is sufficiently unusual to deserve notice.