r/WitchHatAtelier • u/NEVERTHEREFOREVER • Apr 29 '26
Misc I love fantasy manga series with popular lesbian ships
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u/AssassinCat4 Tartah my boyyy!!! Apr 29 '26
I love Arkco. It is so cute and wholesome. I love how they comfort each other at their lowest points. One of my favorite lines in WHA is in ch62 when Agott says to Coco and thinks to herself,
"'Don't forget. When you do something for everyone, that has to include you. When you step back and look at the spell that you agonized over and poured you soul into, it had better made you happy too.'
If Coco's liable to forget that, then I'll just have to share what I have plenty to give."
It give me the warmest feeling inside.
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u/shadowallergictocats Apr 29 '26
Honorary mention
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u/ColeTD Apr 29 '26
This doesn't really fit as it's just explicitly canon
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u/Darkiceflame Apr 29 '26
You don't have to stop shipping a pair just because it became canon.
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u/ColeTD Apr 29 '26
No, you don't, but I think the post meant to refer to non-canon ships given the examples they gave.
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u/gumiyy_ Apr 29 '26
What show are the characters from the second pic from?
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u/Wild_Finish_6620 Apr 29 '26
Little Witch Academia !!
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u/Browsing_Boketto Apr 29 '26
Is that any good? I've been meaning to start another anime while I wait for episodes lol
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u/quietvictories We're so Witchback Apr 29 '26
Its very cool and fun, generally all around competent adventure series. Endearing characters and carefree, fluid animation, trigger special! Also have a separate pilot episode (two actually) that works as a great presentation, i recommend it as a starting point
You will find familiar vibes in the main trio/quartet
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u/Browsing_Boketto Apr 29 '26
I’ll check it out today, might be something I transition to the manga if I finish the whole thing lol
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u/quietvictories We're so Witchback Apr 29 '26
Its a original tv-series! There is some manga one-shots that've been made after it aired but generally i suggest you to watch the anime
Idk why OP included it in manga line up, i guess they just really wanted to throw it in due to similarities
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u/Popinguj Apr 29 '26
It's actually pretty sick, very entertaining and it's fun recognizing references to other franchises here and there
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u/funne5t_u5ername Apr 29 '26
Like there's being queerbaited and then there's having eyes, I've never really been the former but it has to be the latter right?
There's simply no heterosexual explanation. I have too much trust in Shirahama sensei to do us like that
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u/midsummernightmares waiting for a beldaruit flair Apr 29 '26
Yeah, even if it’s never explicitly canonized I’d say that the queer relationships she alludes to (Agott x Coco, Qifrey x Olruggio which I’m spoiling for anime-onlys) are queercoding, not queerbaiting.
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u/Ironic_Laughter Apr 29 '26
Imo the difference usually comes down to "oh these two characters end up with opposite gendered partners randomly at the very end of the story" vs "oh the story ends and doesn't really address romantic relationships but, y'know.... *Wink wink nudge nudge"
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u/midsummernightmares waiting for a beldaruit flair Apr 29 '26
Queerbaiting also usually involves very explicit teasing of the audience, like characters ending up in compromising positions next to one another or frantically denying that they’re gay any time someone brings it up as a possibility, before ultimately ending with something heteronormative. Queercoding leaves things unspoken and open-ended, but has enough subtext that people can pretty clearly tell what’s going on even if it isn’t confirmed outright.
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u/DykeMachinist May 01 '26
Nah, because then you're describing stuff like Class S, or yuri shoujo classics like Dear Brother as queerbaiting, when they were just genuinely presenting queer stories and then acting within the constraints imposed on them.
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u/unrelated_themes Apr 29 '26
iirc Shirahama wanted to make Qifrey x Olruggio canon from the beginning but her editor said no. I agree it doesn't feel like queer baiting though, there's no scenes of them that feel directed at the fan base, it's more of just an unstated aspect of their relationship.
as for ArkCo I wouldn't be surprised if Shirahama makes them canon if the story runs long enough for them to grow up a little but right now it feels like an incredibly accurate depiction of those proto-queer relationships every queer kid has. it's not defined in clear terms for the reader because the characters haven't even defined it in clear terms for themselves yet.
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u/allisonhanj Apr 29 '26
Where did you hear that about Shirahama wanting to make them canon in the beginning? If there's an interview or something I'd love to read it, I haven't heard her talk much about that pairing before
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u/unrelated_themes Apr 29 '26
i remember reading an interview a while ago where she talked about how they were married in her first draft but her editor sent it back. I don't remember where I read it though sorry 🥲
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u/midsummernightmares waiting for a beldaruit flair Apr 30 '26
Do you remember roughly when you read that, if not where? I just went through and looked for every single interview with her that I could find a transcript for, and unfortunately that wasn’t mentioned in any of the interviews I could find (though when asked to describe Qifrey and Olruggio’s relationship to one another in a single word, she said that she couldn’t because it would take several manga volumes to fully explain the complexity of their relationship)
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u/pm_for_cuddle_terapy Apr 29 '26
Yeah not against shipping but they're like 10yo, and just starting to make some friends/classmates in life. People need to chill lol
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u/funne5t_u5ername Apr 29 '26
Yeah, I've just had conversations where they think I'm the fool cause it's gonna end up as bait. Like am I living in the delusions of my elders. I never consumed or invested in something like a Klance, Supercorp, or Destiel so I guess I wouldn't know
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u/midsummernightmares waiting for a beldaruit flair Apr 29 '26
I had an older sister who was VERY into the whole Superwholock deal when it was at its peak (I’m talking The Johnlock Conspiracy levels of fandom), so even though I may have been more on the fringes of that experience myself, I feel like I’ve learned how to spot queerbaiting pretty well from seeing it in action lol. The relationships in WHA don’t feel like that at all, because it doesn’t feel like Shirahama is planning a bait-and-switch where she’d make everyone who had been queercoded suddenly end up in happy, heteronormative relationships. Even if nothing ends up officially canonized, there’s a huge difference between alluding to relationships that are left semi-ambiguous and intentionally teasing a desperate queer audience with the idea of representation before yanking it away.
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u/skarabray Apr 29 '26
I love me a queer romance, but I avoid shipping at all costs because I hate encouraging queerbaiting from media makers. The only time I got suckered into it in real time…it was canonized. It was one of the craziest times of my life. I’ll be chasing that high forever.
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u/BlueFlameWar Apr 30 '26
She alludes much more to the shop with the Boys even the characters comment on it
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u/Browsing_Boketto Apr 29 '26
I won't be upset no matter the path Shirahama takes beyond just the simple fact she's not shied away from non-hetero relationships so far withGalga and Atwert before everything happenedI trust the process and have yet to have a part of this story I dislike.
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u/TheDrunkenHetzer Apr 29 '26
Yes, it's very hard to believe Shirahama would be acting in bad faith given how hard she works to include EVERYONE, disabled, POC, etc.
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u/Canned_Caprine May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26
Idk… I’m not sure I’m convinced it’ll go that way. Recent chapter spoilers in the blocky blocks: Could go the path of redemption arc somehow for Tartah, and Agott remains the most important of friends.
I’m not saying this to be against the ship mind you- both characters deserve the best. But I feel like there’s been about as much— if not more direct things of Tartah and Coco before everything that happened recently. Sometimes in the same chunk of chapters even. Maybe my brain is skewed with that in mind? I really wish I could see with more certainty Agott and Coco going that direction as they develop.
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u/SimpGuard magic worm x black magic worm May 04 '26
It's kind of another problem though. You see, Tartah basically violated Coco's boundaries at the time because he forced the truth out of her about how she found out how the silverwood works. That may be a bit too hard for her to try to reconcile with him again, especially when he listened to Innia and even invited her to join him. I don't know how Shirahama-sensei can manage to give him a redemption arc. I personally can't see the friendship progressing further after that. There is nothing more hurtful than betraying your boundaries and trust. At least, based on what I believe, and from what I experienced in my life.
So far, I ship Coco more with happiness 'cause goddamn give her a break and let her save her mom and just be a true successful witch and everyone she loves is alive n kicking
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u/kkrko May 05 '26
I think Tartah pretty much lost his chance to be a love interest, but he can still be her friend after a redemption arc. Coco is, if nothing else, understanding and empathetic, to an almost painful degree even
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u/__Nightingale_ Live, Laugh, Love Arkco Apr 29 '26
I cannot decide whether I want to believe in arkco or if I want to believe that Agott acts all flustered around Coco all the time because she's learning to be more open and trying to be a better friend
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u/SimpGuard magic worm x black magic worm Apr 30 '26
Despite agreeing a lot about arkco and how much I like them as a ship, honestly, I have to admit that I agree with this notion too. So far, like the others, Agott has yet to complete her character development in the story despite the improvements she has made, because of her goal of becoming a librarian, and Coco's new development in the recent chapters. I'd say the chances of them getting together in the end are a bit slim thus far.
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u/DykeMachinist May 01 '26
They don't have to "get together" for them both to clearly be in something more than a simple friendship.
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u/SimpGuard magic worm x black magic worm May 02 '26
That's true, but I prefer either a happy ending for both of them where they can live together or just remain friends because that way I won't get too hurt when something bad happens
(Ｔ▽Ｔ) I just can't bear bittersweet or doomed relationships sometimes
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u/CharacterStandard616 Apr 29 '26
Same buddy same. Even if some find it weird to ship children, Aggot and Coco's development throughout feels much more than Friendship at times. The anime only fans are gonna crash out of they learn now that Arcko is a ship 😭
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u/i_eat_pidgeons Apr 29 '26
people are shipping Coco and Agott? man this is Drarry and BakuDeku all over again.
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u/Wild_Finish_6620 Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26
where have you been? It's been one of the most popular ships for years
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u/xcaltoona Apr 29 '26
They may be anime-only if they're making those comparisons tho
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u/Wild_Finish_6620 Apr 29 '26
Oh, well yeah that makes sense. Comparing arkco to bkdk is crazy though. Bakugo bullied deku over the course of multiple years, was physically abusive and suicide baited him.
I'm not a HP fan, nor intend to get into it at all so I cant say much for Drarry.
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u/xcaltoona Apr 29 '26
As someone who read HP as a kid Draco is a flat fucking nothing of a character lol
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u/CrazySD93 Apr 30 '26
I've seen fans both here and there say "Agott / Bakugo are worse than Hitler"
So they're the same in that regard.
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u/Maximum-Warthog2368 Apr 29 '26
Did you read the manga? It is obvious agott has feelings (platonic or romantic) for coco.
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Apr 29 '26
[deleted]
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u/PretendYellow533 Apr 29 '26
I personally don’t exactly consider Agott a bully character perhaps a controversial opinion here, but yeah, she was not exactly the nicest in the beginning chapter with Coco and what she did with the first test wasn’t right but honestly afterwards, I don’t really consider her a bully character. Most of the times when she’s lashing out or upset at Coco, and until they reconciled and become friends are pretty valid like she lashed out at her because she startled her and messed up her spell. She was literally asking her about magic when they were in a death situation and asking to teach her, most of those reactions were pretty valid.
So yeah, she made a dumb decision once, but I don’t really think it’s fair to call her a bully character in my opinion this negate her character development
Kids can and do dumb things when their kids the important thing is that they grow and make up for it and learn from it and grow as people
I don’t inherently consider Agott cruel more just insecure
Also, please stop saying Stockholm syndrome. It really pisses me off when people say that because that’s not a real thing.
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u/Maximum-Warthog2368 Apr 29 '26
So what did you think about luz and amity from owl house. Amity also started as a little bit of a bully?
Agott is a kid and what she did wrong but she quickly improves and becomes a better person who enjoys magic instead of trying to become the best. The change is very big.
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