The Witch Hat Atelier anime series has been pushed back until next year. Originally slated for broadcast in 2025, the official website and social channels for the highly anticipated series have confirmed that it will now premiere in 2026.
"The TV anime "Witch Hat Atelier" will have its broadcast schedule changed from 2025 to 2026 in order to deliver the series with the highest possible quality and to fully showcase its charm," the announcement reads. "We sincerely apologize to everyone who has been looking forward to the broadcast."
"Our staff is working with the utmost dedication and care on the production. Further updates will be announced via the official team as soon as they are decided," the statement continues. "We kindly ask for your patience and understanding."
Witch Hat Atelier is an anime adaptation of the Japanese manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Kamome Shirahama. The supernatural fantasy story follows a young dressmaker named Coco who aspires to become a witch, but gives up on her dream as its believed that only to be a gift that only a select few are born with. But after she discovers that anyone can cast spells if they know how to draw the correct magical runes, she accidentally casts a dangerous spell that turns her mother into stone. Taken in by a witch named Qifrey, Coco trains alongside other apprentices at his atelier.
The original manga premiered in July 2016 and has since sold over 6.5 million copies worldwide. In the U.S., it is officially published by Kodansha, which describes it:
In a world where everyone takes wonders like magic spells and dragons for granted, Coco is a girl with a simple dream: She wants to be a witch. But everybody knows magicians are born, not made, and Coco was not born with a gift for magic. Resigned to her un-magical life, Coco is about to give up on her dream to become a witch…until the day she meets Qifrey, a mysterious, traveling magician. After secretly seeing Qifrey perform magic in a way she’s never seen before, Coco soon learns what everybody “knows” might not be the truth, and discovers that her magical dream may not be as far away as it may seem…
The anime adaptation was first announced in April 2022. It will be produced by by Bug Films, with Ayumu Watanabe directing, and Yuka Kitamura composing the music. Crunchyroll has already confirmed it will stream the series when it airs.