Witch Hat Atelier 1×3 Review – “The Dadah Range Test”

Witch Hat Atelier anime season 1 episode 3, titled ‘The Dadah Range Test’, had Coco undergo a trial test to prove her place as one of Qifrey’s apprentices.

Due to Qifrey deciding to make a trip away from his home/school to run some errands, ‘The Dadah Range Test’ was all about Agott forcing Coco to take the test every young witch needed to pass to be selected as an apprentice. As far as Agott was concerned, Coco was undeserving of being called a witch, especially one who was worthy to share a space with Agott as one of Qifrey’s apprentices.

The test in question was performed in the Dadah Range. The animators did a wonderful job of depicting a verdant landscape that featured floating globes of grass. Witch Hat Atelier is hands-down one of the best-looking fantasy anime ever. And though I have seen some fans talk about how the manga’s more visually stunning, I have to say that there’s a difference between creating a single engrossing panel and actual animation. Not every frame of animation (or even live-action) can house the visual intensity of a single compelling static panel. There’s a reason why the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words”, exists. So, yeah, enjoy the anime medium for how it functions compared to what manga brings to the table.

Anyway, on top of the numerous floating globes grew a flower called the Consent of the Crow. Percure the flower, and you would pass the test. The student was allowed to take three magical components along with their bag containing their magical pen and ink. With Agott giving Coco an enchanted compass and a magical water container, I liked how Coco was quick to ask for Agott’s flying shoes as the third component. Even though Coco had no idea what kind of place she was walking into, yay, to her being smart enough to ask for a pair of flying shoes. Coco’s request made sense, considering the shoes were one of the few magical items she had seen in action.

For young witches like Agott, Tetia, and Richeh, passing such a trial, while not easy, was doable. Agott was betting on the fact that an outsider like Coco wouldn’t have the analytical skills or the magical aptitude required to pass. Not only that, but the globes were at their highest during the current season. As Qifrey mentioned, attempting the test right now could get a student killed. Now, I don’t think Agott wished death on Coco. I think Agott hoped Coco would be so overwhelmed by the severity of her predicament that she would just give up. Also, according to the rules set by magical academia, you could only attempt the test once. That explained the reason why Agott handed her own flying shoes to Coco, because Agott was aware that those shoes didn’t pack the required magic to have Coco easily fly to the summit to collect the flower. In Agott’s mind, Coco was guaranteed to fail.

I liked how the narrative handled Agott’s antagonistic demeanor. I would definitely describe it as bullying. And while I don’t condone what Agott did, I could understand where she was coming from. Agott wasn’t a fan of outsiders and people she deemed undeserving of what she had worked so hard to achieve. According to Agott, she also didn’t like spending time with people she couldn’t learn from or who were unable to perform magic better than her. Agott’s time was precious to her, and Coco wasn’t worthy of her social attention.

Talking about Coco’s performance during the test, her initial determination made for a bunch of comedic moments. Coco did put in the effort to get used to the flying shoes. However, unfortunately, she didn’t expect the shoe’s magic to wash away after falling into the lake. With Coco running out of time and resolve, the moment when she contemplated drawing the flying magic symbols under her feet was quite exciting to me. I hope to see more scenes where Coco’s challenged when it comes to stopping herself from dipping her toes into forbidden magic.

The emotional core of ‘The Dadah Range Test’ was Coco realizing how she would need to perform magic in her own way. Coco’s mother had trained her as a dressmaker. Coco was an expert at using the tailor’s chalk and fabric. So, instead of using the traditional pen and ink, Coco decided to draw a flying magical symbol on her cloak with an improvised tailor’s chalk to make the boat fly.

As an artist, I couldn’t help but smile seeing Coco’s take on performing magic. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t get the hang of a pen and ink; it’s just that she was running out of time and had to rely on what was familiar. It was similar to how a skilled artist could still create something good while using a completely new medium to them, compared to the same artist creating something exceptional by using materials they have years of experience with. I still remember the learning curve I experienced when I began to draw digitally as someone who was accustomed to pen and paper. (You can check out my artwork at The Geekiary’s Redbubble shop. Any support helps.)

Also, with Coco remembering her mother’s lessons while working on her flying boat… my heart… my mother (a self-taught artist herself) also taught kid me how to draw. She’s also the one currently encouraging my little niece to explore her artistic side.

Along with Coco’s creativity and skill, Agott had also underestimated Coco’s determination to set things right. Even though Qifrey had told Coco it wasn’t her fault her mother was trapped inside a spell, Coco still took full responsibility for her mistake, and she was very determined to free her mother, resulting in an impressive drive that wouldn’t have been the same if Coco’s goal were more self-centered, in my opinion.

With Coco having passed the test and returned to the school, it’s revealed that she didn’t need to take the test in the first place. Qifrey had already accepted her as an apprentice, and his trip had to do with visiting the Great Hall to get Coco’s official apprentice garb.

Qifrey could have done a lot more to make Agott realize the danger she had forced Coco into, but then again, I can see Agott and Coco’s relationship building toward a strong friendship. So, I doubt the narrative could have severely punished Agott, as that could have made Agott angrier toward Coco.

As for the rest of the world building, a number of witches and their apprentices lived inside an underwater magical city called the Great Hall, including Qifrey’s friend Alaira. Yes, to Alaira for bringing up how leaving four young witches alone wasn’t the best move on Qifrey’s part. I hope to see more of Alaria down the line.

Qifrey wasn’t a fan of living in the Great Hall because he seemed to have some issues with how the higher-ranking witches ran things. Those issues will likely come to light soon. Also, the witch responsible for giving kid Coco the magical book years ago was said to be part of the Brimmed Hats.

The reveal at the end of the episode that a Brimmed Hat witch had been observing Coco’s performance during the test took me by surprise. The Brimmed Hats clearly had plans involving our young lead. I wonder who else the copies of the same magical book were sold to.

Did you watch Witch Hat Atelier anime season 1 episode 3? What did you think of it?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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