On July 3, shortly after “Witch hat workshop: A Magical Chat with the Cast and Creator” at Anime Expo, I spoke with creator/writer/illustrator Kamome Shirahama and Rena Motomura, the voice of Coco. Natsuki Hanae, the voice of Qifrey, participated in the panel but was not available for our interview. Mimmy Shen performed the conversation.
Bob Miller: Shirahama-sensei, what do you think makes your story so strong and engaging?
Kamome Shirahama: I write with one thing mainly in mind: whether it is something I would find interesting to read and whether I would enjoy it. If I enjoy reading it, it doesn’t matter what others say, I think the most important thing is to trust my own instincts.
Miller: What kinds of stories do you find compelling or interesting when you read them?
Shirahama: I read a lot of different things, but I especially enjoy stories that really resonate with how I’m feeling at the moment, or that allow me to see society and the world from a new perspective, stories that introduce me to new ways of thinking. I find those kinds of stories especially compelling and interesting.
Miller: How did he do it? Witch hat workshop Is it going to be adapted into an anime?
Shirahama: In the process of creating an anime, the manga artist does not have much involvement. Basically, we receive a proposal and then it’s just a question of how we respond to that proposal. So, personally, I feel like I was very blessed and fortunate with what happened.
Miller: As an artist, is there anything you learned through anime production that you now apply to your own manga creation or artistic expression?
Shirahama: Yes, definitely. Compared to my manga, the anime is able to portray certain things much more beautifully and vividly, such as the way magic comes to life and the vitality of the characters. These are elements that I have learned a lot about and have been incorporating into my own work.
Another thing is that now that the characters have voices, I can hear them in my head. And I try to think about that when I come up with his dialogue.
Miller: Rena, what kind of preparation did you do for the audition?
Motomura: At the time of the audition, I read everything from the original manga that had been published up to that point. As I read, I tried to absorb my own idea of what Coco’s voice would sound like, as well as her overall personality and the atmosphere around her, so that those qualities would feel natural to me.
Miller: Shirahama-sensei, what was the reason you chose Ms. Motomura for the role?
Shirahama: It was not a decision I made on my own. The director, the sound director and the other members of the production team gave their opinions and we made the decision together. So it wasn’t just my choice. But there was such a wonderful clarity and purity to her voice, as well as a kind of sweetness that made you feel like you would want her by your side. So when it came to Coco, we were pretty much unanimous in choosing Ms. Motomura.
Motomura: I was very lucky to get this role.
Miller: When recording dialogue, do you match your lines to the characters’ mouth movements in the full animation, or is the dialogue recorded first and the animation created later?
Motomura: This production is really very special. To raise the quality of the anime, we were able to put our voices into an animation that was almost complete in almost every scene. Normally you don’t have that. You might have something like stick figures on the screen and you match your voice to that and then they animate. That makes this job a little more special in that sense.
Of course, the animation is so beautiful that I couldn’t help but feel a little pressure in the way I voiced the character. I worked very hard.
Miller: How far in advance of the streaming or broadcast release did you record your lines?
Motomura: We did the voice acting about a year in advance. We had to reschedule some sessions because they really wanted to focus on the quality of the animation, so depending on their progress, we changed the recording dates a little. They created this one with great care and attention to detail.
Miller: Shirahama-sensei, have you already decided how the story will end?
Shirahama: Yes. I have the general outline in mind, but I decide how to get there flexibly as I go, depending on the circumstances of the moment, what is happening in society, and the direction the story itself is taking. But as for the ending (where the story ultimately goes), I have a general plan. I know the conclusion, the goal I’m headed toward, but exactly how I’ll get there remains to be seen.
Miller: A question for both of you. What do you know now that you wish you had known when you started your career?
Shirahama: I definitely wish I had studied languages. I want to be able to talk to fans all over the world, so it’s very frustrating not being able to communicate with them as much as I would like.
Motomura: I’d like to tell my younger self, ‘Someday you’ll find a wonderful character that’s perfect for your voice.’ I used to feel like there was nothing distinctive about my voice, and that was something I was aware of.
Miller: Alright. We ran out of time. Thank you so much. Dōmo arigatō gozaimasu.
For our coverage of Witch hat workshop panel at Anime Expo 2026, click here. To watch my interview with English-speaking cast members Anjali Kunapaneni, Joshua A. Waters, and Madeleine Morris, click here.
Witch hat workshop streams on Crunchyroll. It is rated TV-PG for fantasy violence. The second season is in production but its premiere date has not yet been announced.
Special thanks to Stephanie Wong, Senior Streaming Content and Awards Publicist, and her team at Crunchyroll: Blake Shuster, Pamela Abeka, Kaitlin Hargrove, Taylor Cocke, and Cameron Winston.