#btw I'm just going w/ the pronouns used on the wiki for now but it's worth noting that Iguin and other Brims are pretty ambiguously gendered

[dear-kumari]

How about Witch Hat Atelier for the ask meme?

I heard it's getting an anime, so I will definitely be checking it out once it airs ^^

Wonderful choice!  In the spirit of really hoping you pick up the series someday, I will also provide a little context for my blorbos, skrunklys, et al. :3  All you need to know going into these is that there’s a society of witches that’s regarded as helpful and altruistic but also hides the secrets of magic from the rest of the world, and the series is about a young outsider entering this society and wrestling with the cognitive dissonance therein.  The Pointed Hats follow the law, the Knights Moralis are a subset of Pointed Hats who enforce the law (they have the power to memory-wipe and exile people), and the Brimhats are any witches on the fringe who reject Pointed Hat laws and practice dangerous forbidden magic.

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most):

Coco, the main character!  It’s my opinion that main characters must be incredibly hard to write well, considering how often I’m underwhelmed by them.  Coco is a fantastic protagonist, though, and I really love how we get to see her worldview grow and/or shrink in real time with every harsh reality she faces.  A lot of the tension in WHA hinges on the possibility that she’ll join the Brimhats, which I would really love to see.

Also tied with Coustas, who started as a seemingly inconsequential bystander/casualty who would be forgotten in most manga and is now arguably the most important vehicle for the story’s themes.  Don’t want to spoil anything big here, but the way his arc has played out so far is just … intensely cathartic in a way I haven’t experienced in a while.

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped):

Iguin, the main Brimhat antagonist!!  He’s aggressively Shaped, honestly, and all because of the cool/scary/somewhat goofy costume he wears.  I adore his vibes.

Also Sasaran, a minor ally of Iguin!  He’s also very Shaped, but not really by choice; he accidentally permanently transformed himself into a cat-man with forbidden magic. :/ it happens

Coustas again — wonderful character design, really

Tetia (one of the girls Coco’s learning magic with, basically loves making people happy and has curly pink hair), she’s soooo cute and endearing

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave):

Tartar!  I wrote a whole impassioned post about it already, but yeah, he’s really the best.  I love when characters actually surprise me, and Tartar might be the most surprising character in the series with how much depth he brings to the story.

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week):

Cheating a bit here, but I also absolutely obsess over this depiction of random Brimhats, even though most or all of these representations probably aren’t specific characters we’re going to meet.  (You never know, though …)  I love the idea that there is a large and vibrant (and honestly, probably very chaotic and #cringe) Brimhat subculture out there waiting to be explored.  I just think they’re neat :)

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave):

Who could it be but Sasaran?  Really, look at him.  He’s a literal pathetic wet cat.  He’s a goofy little meow meow.  He loves hurting random people, including innocent kids, with forbidden magic.  He has no redeeming qualities as far as I can tell, but that doesn’t make him any less deserving of my affections.  Honorable mention for Iguin ofc, but no one is doing it like Sasaran.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason):

Easthies :) To put it diplomatically, Easthies is solely dedicated to his job as a witch cop and the ethical principles it’s built around, so ofc he deserves the horse plinko ^^ (tbh I am Not opposed to “““redemption””” for any or all of the Knight Moralis in whatever form that might take, but only if this guy gets plinko’d)

Also Beldarut (a whimsical and politically important Pointed Hat guy), though I really have nothing specific against him.  I mean I think his worldview is kinda cowardly and ultimately harmful, but like. he has a fine personality.  I shouldn’t want to torment him for fun, but I do.

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell):

Uhhh any of the minor characters who are obviously shitty to kids (Sasaran gets a pass bc he’s a skrunkly little meow meow, ofc)

Thanks for the ask!!  I really like talking about this series and I hope the anime brings in new readers ^^