Following the winter season, the spring season kicks off in April for anime fans with plenty of new series and returning seasons—including some major hits! Among them is the anime adaptation of Kamome Shirahama’s popular fantasy manga series: Witch Hat Atelier. The Crunchyroll anime has already blown viewers away with its first episode and is currently on track to become one of the best anime of the year.
Witch Hat Atelier Starts with Top Ratings on IMDb
With the release of its first episode on April 6, 2026, the anime adaptation of Witch Hat Atelier has already catapulted itself nearly to the top of the spring series rankings. The first episode, “The First Magic,” currently holds an IMDb score of 9.1 with over 1,382 ratings (as of April 21, 2026). And on Anichart, Witch Hat Atelier is also among the top 3 most popular newcomer anime of the season.
Witch Hat Atelier is already one of the best anime series of 2026
The high rating for the anime’s first episode is no fluke, as Witch Hat Atelier continues to prove—with its next four episodes—that the anime adaptation has completely won over the hearts of fans and viewers alike. While Episode 1 still ranks first among the series’ highest-rated episodes with a score of 9.1, the ratings for Episodes 2 through 4 aren’t far behind—with Episode 2 being the lowest-rated episode (8.2) and Episode 3 the second-highest-rated episode with a score of 9.0.
Overall, with a high rating of 8.8 (as of April 21, 2026), the anime adaptation of Witch Hat Atelier is well on its way to being among the best anime of the year—or even claiming the title for itself, provided no other series can challenge Witch Hat Atelier for the title of Anime of the Year 2026.
What Witch Hat Atelier is about and where you can watch the anime
Witch Hat Atelier tells the story of a young girl named Coco, who has a passion and fascination for magic but cannot perform spells herself. During an unexpected visit from the wizard Qifrey, she discovers the secret of magic and immediately tries to imitate it. In her attempt, she accidentally turns her home and her mother to stone. Determined to find a counter-spell and turn her mother back, she becomes Qifrey’s apprentice.
As a sorcerer’s apprentice, she learns about the dangers of magic and discovers that the mysterious Brim Keepers have taken a liking to her for inexplicable reasons and want to persuade her to practice forbidden magic. Witch Hat Atelier is currently available exclusively on Crunchyroll with the original Japanese audio, German subtitles, and a German dub. Which anime from this season do you consider to be among the best series of the year?
