New York Comic Con 2024: Witch Hat Atelier's Kamome Shirahama Talks With Anime Herald

Note: Due to the time-sensitive nature of our coverage, this article will debut on the main Anime Herald site on November 2. We apologize for the inconvenience.

• Interview Date: 10/19/2024

• Interview Location: New York Comic Con 2024

• Interviewer: Seth Burn

• Editor: Nicole Mejias

Anime Herald: Welcome to New York! Is there anything in particular you are looking forward to doing in New York?

Kamome Shirahama: I’ve been to New York multiple times. I think I’ve seen most of the tourist places so far. I noticed that there’s been a lot of new construction around the Javits Center. I’m looking forward to walking around those new areas. The last time I was here, it was all under construction.

Anime Herald: How was Toronto?

Kamome Shirahama: The event in Toronto, Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF), was really cool. It took place in a public library, which has a good synergy with the book reading audience. Also, I had a good time eating good food and walking around the city.

Anime Herald: What was your favorite food in Toronto?

Kamome Shirahama: I had some salmon with a pineapple sauce and some chicken with maple syrup. Those were really good.

Anime Herald: Manga, and more specifically, anime, have become a worldwide phenomenon. How do you feel about Witch Hat Atelier becoming an anime that will be released here in the United States?

Kamome Shirahama: I’m excited and looking forward to the anime. It can be watched by so many people!

Anime Herald: Do you think about the international audience when writing Witch Hat Atelier?

Kamome Shirahama: That was something that was on my mind since when I started the series. I’m a big American comics fan. I feel like those stories are not just made for kids in America, but for people like myself who were able to enjoy them as well. Because of this, when I wrote my own story, I tried to make sure it could be enjoyed by everybody in the world.

Anime Herald: What are your favorite American comics?

Kamome Shirahama: When I first started to read American comics, the first series that I got into was Kingdom Come. The series that I deeply followed were X-Men, Young Justice, Aquaman. In general I really like illustration by artists like Greg Capullo.

Anime Herald: Very few people ever mention Aquaman specifically.

Kamome Shirahama: I really like Ivan Reis and the new 52 series. I really enjoy those movies.

Anime Herald: When playing Dungeons and Dragons, what is your favorite type of character to play?

Kamome Shirahama: I am always a wizard.

Anime Herald: That makes sense.

Anime Herald: Are there any lesser known fantasy works that helped inspire Witch Hat Atelier?

Kamome Shirahama: Maybe not so much from the American side. I read a lot of Japanese shojo fantasies, like Knights of Alfheim (Alfheim no Kishi), and The Planet where the Dragon Sleeps (Ryuu no Nemuru Hoshi). There are a few works like that from the publisher Hakusensha. I really like their fantasy series.

Anime Herald: The Brimmed Cap Witches do not seem like very nice people. Will we ever discover what their motivations are for going down the path of dark magic?

Kamome Shirahama: Just because those characters are portrayed as dark wizards, sorcerers, that doesn’t mean they are bad people. When I asked fans what kind of magic they’d like to use, often they say magic would be illegal in this world to use. Something that only the brimmed caps could achieve with their magic. For example, “I have shoulder pain. I wish I could do something about that with magic.” But that would be the way of the brim hats. So, those simple things that are a problem in your life, could lead anyone on a “dark path.” I don’t want to say those characters are going down a “dark path.” In that sense, I want to keep my comments limited on that point.

Anime Herald: I used to play tennis, and was a baseball pitcher. I understand what you are saying about shoulder pain.

Kamome Shirahama: Right before my deadlines, I wish I could stop time in the world.

Anime Herald: Absolutely.

Kamome Shirahama: Dark path. (Laughs)

Anime Herald: Which character design did you enjoy the most?

Kamome Shirahama: It’s really hard for me to choose, but I feel like the character design of Jujy came out very nicely.

Anime Herald: This is a quote from an interview you gave in Toronto:

“I’d use an inkpot and a dip pen to take notes in this bound book that I made myself. You’ll be surprised to hear this, but I had a classmate who actually used a block of ink, and he would grind the ink into liquid every class to take notes! It was very unique.”

Anime Herald: I am unsure of which one of you is more “old school.” He ground his own ink… but you made and bound your own book. How is it that the two of you ended up in the same class?

Kamome Shirahama: This is something that is kind of common. The art students who go to school majoring in Japanese art tend to use hand-bound books, as well as solid ink with water to take notes. That’s been kind of a trend in my school. But then, after a while, people started to draw mock sketches of Vagabond and Slam Dunk. Existing artworks that look really good in ink.

Anime Herald: Wow!

Kamome Shirahama: As part of our assignments for art school, we had to submit our notebooks. A lot of students were trying to be creative to present their works in the best way.

Anime Herald: This is fascinating. Was the professor impressed?

Kamome Shirahama: Yes. A lot of times when a professor thinks something is interesting they’ll print it out and pass it out, or put it on display, so it was kind of important. That became something to motivate the students to listen in class. No one fell asleep. Everyone worked very hard.

Anime Herald: Do you a recall a time when your work was passed out or displayed?

Kamome Shirahama: I don’t think there was a time like that, but my grades were pretty good though.

Anime Herald: Do you have any questions for us?

Kamome Shirahama: What kind of magic would you like to be able to use?

Anime Herald: Good question. I would like to be able to move from this world into another world. Not necessarily a fantasy, but for example, I’m reading a book. I’d like to be able to go into that world. I’d like to be able to go into any world I read in a book.

Kamome Shirahama: I think that’s a great use of magic. I feel like a lot of people who come to New York Comic Con would wonder what it would be like to be in the fictional worlds they are cosplaying.

Anime Herald: Thank you very much.

Kamome Shirahama: Thank you.