In a world where only witches can cast magic, they must avoid being seen by ordinary people while casting. While Coco does her chores, she daydreams of becoming a witch. When a young witch named Qifrey visits her village, Coco uncovers the “absolute secret,” becomes Qifrey’s apprentice, and begins her studies. This is the story of children who encounter despair, yet reach out toward hope.

Witch Hat Atelier follows Coco, a kind and hardworking young girl who has always dreamed of becoming a witch, despite lacking the innate talent required in a world where magic is a closely guarded secret. Her life changes forever when she secretly observes a visiting witch, Qifrey, casting a spell, leading her to realize that magic is actually drawn, not an inborn trait. Attempting to replicate a spell from a mysterious picture book she was given as a child, Coco accidentally unleashes forbidden magic that turns her mother to stone. Recognizing the spell's dark origins, Qifrey takes Coco under his wing as his apprentice.

Our next anime will be Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You:

Sasaki is an overworked salaryman drifting through the corporate grind, sustained by cigarettes and the cheerful service and smile of Yamada, the clerk at his favorite supermarket. But one night after a grueling shift, he arrives late to find Yamada nowhere to be seen. With nowhere left to smoke, his spirits sink—until a pierced young woman calls out to him: “You can smoke here.”

Sasaki is an overworked salaryman drifting through the corporate grind, sustained by cigarettes and the cheerful service and smile of Yamada, the clerk at his favorite supermarket. But one night after a grueling shift, he arrives late to find Yamada nowhere to be seen. With nowhere left to smoke, his spirits sink—until a pierced young woman calls out to him: “You can smoke here.”

Our next anime is Sasaki and Peeps:

Sasaki is a middle-aged office worker living in Japan. Feeling drained by the vapid corporate world, he heads to the pet shop in search of a new companion. There he finds an adorable bird named Peeps and takes him home. But Sasaki quickly learns that Peeps isn't your average bird...he's a powerful mage from another world! Together, they embark on a magical adventure filled with swords and sorcery.

WARNING! THIS ANIME CONTAINS MANY THEMES THAT CAN BE TRIGGERING TO SOME PEOPLE!

Happy-seijin Takopi, lands on Earth with one mission: to spread happiness! When he meets Shizuka, a lonely fourth grader, he vows to bring back her smile using his magical Happy Gadgets. But as he uncovers the pain in her life, Takopi learns that true happiness may require more than gadgets.

Takopi's Original Sin follows Nueinukf, a naive octopus-like alien from the Happy Planet who arrives on Earth with a singular mission to spread joy.Renamed "Takopi," he befriends a quiet fourth-grade girl named Shizuka Kuze and attempts to use his magical "Happy Gadgets" to make her smile.However, the series aggressively contrasts Takopi's cartoonish innocence with the grim reality of Shizuka's life, which is marred by severe bullying from her classmate Marina, deep depression, and parental neglect. As Takopi tries to forcefully fix her problems with alien technology, his fundamental inability to grasp complex human trauma causes his well-meaning interventions to backfire, pushing the children further into misery rather than saving them.

The narrative rapidly descends into a dark psychological thriller involving time-travel loops, accidental murder, and the cyclical nature of abuse. As Takopi desperately rewinds time to prevent tragedies, the timeline only grows more twisted, leading the children to cover up deaths and succumb to paranoia.A late revelation upends the premise: Takopi is actually an amnesiac who originally traveled back in time at the behest of a deeply traumatized older Marina to kill Shizuka, only to forget his violent objective and befriend his target instead.Ultimately, the series serves as a harrowing critique of escapism, culminating in Takopi sacrificing his own existence to break the cycle of violence and allow the girls to slowly heal through genuine mutual understanding.

Now that that anime has ruined our brains, let's move on to a little lighter of and anime!

Our next anime is Witch Hat Atelier

In a world where only witches can cast magic, they must avoid being seen by ordinary people while casting. While Coco does her chores, she daydreams of becoming a witch. When a young witch named Qifrey visits her village, Coco uncovers the “absolute secret,” becomes Qifrey’s apprentice, and begins her studies. This is the story of children who encounter despair, yet reach out toward hope.