Fans eagerly awaiting the anime adaptation of Kamome Shirahama’s critically acclaimed manga, Witch Hat Atelier, will need to exercise a bit more patience as the series’ broadcast has officially been postponed from its initially planned 2025 release to 2026. The production committee cited a desire to deliver the highest possible quality and fully showcase the manga’s charm as the reason for the delay.
The announcement was made on Saturday by the staff for the television anime, with an official statement expressing apologies to fans who were looking forward to the 2025 premiere. Studio BUG FILMS, responsible for the animation, is reportedly working with dedication on the production, promising further updates as they become available.
Why the Delay? Ensuring “Highest Possible Quality”
The official statement emphasized that the delay is to “deliver the series with the highest possible quality and to fully showcase its charm.” This commitment to quality aligns with previous statements from those involved in the anime’s production. Hiroaki Kojima, representative director of BUG FILMS and animation producer, had previously acknowledged that the production of Witch Hat Atelier was a “battle against time.” He expressed confidence in the completed animation but also concern about the sustainability of fitting everything they wanted to do into the original schedule.
Production Challenges and Artistic Ambition
The Witch Hat Atelier manga is known for its intricate artwork and rich world-building, which presents unique challenges for animation. Director Ayumu Watanabe, known for his work on Summer Time Rendering and Komi Can’t Communicate, along with the team at BUG FILMS, aims to preserve as much detail from the original manga as possible. Watanabe has spoken about the difficulty of adapting the manga’s “dense amount of detailed information” and the studio’s use of a challenging technique called “hatching” to maintain the manga’s aesthetic. This artistic ambition likely contributes to the need for an extended production timeline.
A Highly Anticipated Adaptation
The Witch Hat Atelier anime has been highly anticipated since its announcement in April 2022. The manga, created by Kamome Shirahama, has garnered global acclaim, selling over 5.5 million copies and winning prestigious awards such as the 2020 Harvey Award for Best Manga and the Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia.
The story follows Coco, a girl from a non-magical family who dreams of becoming a witch. After a fateful encounter with a traveling magician named Qifrey, Coco discovers a hidden world of magic and begins her journey to learn its secrets, aiming to undo a tragic spell that turned her mother to stone. Crunchyroll has licensed the anime and will stream the series worldwide outside of Asia when it eventually airs.
While the delay is undoubtedly disappointing for fans, the stated commitment to quality suggests that the extra production time will be used to ensure an anime adaptation that lives up to the beloved source material. Further updates regarding the new release window in 2026 are expected from the official team.
