Witch Hat Atelier ranked eighth among manga on BookWalker during summer 2026, according to information shared with Anime Corner by a BookWalker representative. Created by Kamome Shirahama, the manga also ranked 14th across BookWalker’s broader catalog during the same period. Additionally, Witch Hat Atelier was the second best-selling series of the first half of 2026 across the catalog. Rankings above are for the BookWalker English/Global Store.
Witch Hat Atelier was originally serialized in Kodansha’s seinen manga magazine Morning Two beginning in July of 2016. Kodansha USA Publishing began releasing the series in English in April 2019. The manga has received international recognition. This includes winning the Best Seinen award at the 24th Manga Barcelona Awards, being listed as a Top 10 Graphic Novel via the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) List of Great Graphic Novels for Teens, and winning Best Manga at the 2025 Harvey Awards. The manga’s anime adaptation was announced in April 2022, and the first season of the anime aired from April 6 to June 29 2026.
The popularity of Witch Hat Atelier has also become a subject of online controversy. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), anime commentator ChibiReviews described the series as a “Government psyop,” alleging that it was being used to promote UK and UN messaging about diversity and gender equality. A psyop (short for psychological operation) is an effort, typically by a government agency or military, that aims to shape how an audience thinks or acts through targeted delivery of communication, media, and information. Both the post and its linked YouTube video cite an interview creator Kamome Shirahama did with UNESCO to support the allegation. In the interview, Shirahama-sensei discusses her artistic influences, perspective on manga creation, women in the modern manga industry, and creator anonymity. While the UNESCO interview does not directly address representation and inclusivity within the Witch Hat Atelier manga, a later interview with Anime Corner included a question about those topics.
While rankings do not themselves establish anything about an alleged psyop’s veracity, Witch Hat Atelier ranking among BookWalker’s top-selling manga reflects recent commercial success on the platform.
Source: Correspondence with a BookWalker representative
©Kamome Shirahama / Kodansha
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