Witch Hat Atelier Hits 10 Years, Shirahama Marks Milestone

Witch Hat Atelier just turned ten. On July 22, 2026, Kamome Shirahama marked the anniversary of her manga series with a commemorative illustration shared on social media — and the internet responded exactly how you'd expect when a beloved series reaches a decade in print.

The manga, serialized in Kodansha's Morning Two, has become a genuine phenomenon since its 2016 debut. The numbers back it up: over 7.5 million copies sold globally, with the kind of international reach that most series only dream about. Awards have followed suit — recognition from France, Spain, and South Korea, plus the Eisner Award for Best Asian Work back in 2020. That's not just success in one market; that's a series that transcended regional boundaries.

The timing of this anniversary matters. The anime adaptation just wrapped its first season in late June, having aired from April through the end of June 2026. A second season is already locked in, which means the property is still accelerating even as the manga itself celebrates a decade of publication.

Fans flooded social media with congratulations, which tracks — Witch Hat Atelier has built something rare: a fanbase that spans manga readers, anime watchers, and collectors across multiple continents. The series has that quality that sustains engagement over years: intricate worldbuilding, character work that deepens with time, and the kind of visual storytelling that translates across formats and languages.

Ten years is a real milestone for any manga. It's the difference between a breakout hit and a legacy title. Shirahama's anniversary illustration is a marker of that shift — not just a celebration of what Witch Hat Atelier has been, but a signal that there's clearly more to come.

Source: Anime Anime