In a world where only witches can cast magic, there is Qifrey. Voiced by Joshua A. Waters, Witch Hat Atelier‘s Qifrey is a gentle, yet terrifying witch, who teaches young apprentices the wonders of magic while molding their minds to be curious, kind, and helpful in a world where danger awaits in the form of Brimmed Caps. And oh how Waters voice acting has made fans fall in love with Kamome Shirahama’s Qifrey all over again.
Fangirlish got a chance to interview Waters about his time as Qifrey, how it feels to be a single mom to their Qiflings (the fan nickname for his apprentices), fans, and the Gordon Ramsey comparisons Qifrey has been getting. Because yes, they’ve seen the edits on TikTok. And they love them!
To start off, we wanted to ask about the Qifrey and his apprentices. Because these young witches are his responsibility and he’s there to nurture them and their minds when it comes to witchcraft. But he’s also a kind teacher that trusts in their instincts and believes in them. And for Waters, this love that Qifrey has for his Qiflings, it comes easy to them because of what they did before voice acting.
“I used to work in pediatric nursing,” Waters shared, “I used to work on a trach floor at a placed Cincinnati Children’s for my nursing preceptorships. And through that you sort of have to learn how to talk to kids. You get on their level. You make sure that they know that they’re like being spoken to rather than spoken at.”
The way that Qifrey acts with Coco, Agott, Richeh, and Tetia is of course due to Shirahama’s writing. But that warmth that Qifrey had in the manga, it comes to life through Waters voice acting. And it’s made all the better because Waters acknowledges that and knows the source material.
“I’ve been a fan of this series for a very long time now. So I’ve already grown attached outside, as just a fan of the series, to all of these characters,” Waters said. “But now I have like… being and playing the English voice of Qifrey, it feels like I’m constantly thinking about like “These girls need to stay safe. I am worried sick about these girls. These are my actual daughters now. And it’s been an absolute joy.”
This was a perfect segue to our next question for Waters. Because as fans, oh we catch things. And one of the funniest comparisons is how Qifrey is essentially Gordon Ramsay. Hold on, let me explain.
Gordon Ramsay is known for being no-nonsense and loud on MasterChef. But when he’s on MasterChef Junior, he is the kindest and most helpful chef to these young cooks. And fans have clocked Qifrey being the same way. When he’s dealing with anyone that could get in his way or endanger the lives of his apprentices he’s a force to be reckoned with. But when he’s with his Qiflings, he’s calm, encouraging, and their biggest cheerleader.
So we wanted to ask Waters if they’d seen the comparisons on TikTok. The answer was a delighted yes. “I’ve seen those. Him with like adults, versus him with kids. No, that is so on point. I see the clips of Gordon Ramsay being like, “Oh, it’s all right, it’s all right. Don’t worry. You’re learning.”
And it really is that serious for Waters because this is how you should be nurturing young minds. “When kids are trying their best and they’re young and they’re learning, the way that you teach them isn’t through like badgering. There’s a reason that [Ramsay] is doing the badgering to these adults. They’re taught and should know better.” So yes, fans. Waters has seen the edits and loves them.
This comparison also led Waters to talk about Qifrey’s goals. Because yes, he’s a teacher to these young girls and is hoping that they change the future of witchcraft for the better. And yes, he has his own goals in mind that we’ve seen peek out during tense moments. But he does everything with his girls in mind.
Waters explained, “In the way of Qifrey, it feels like he has his goals that he is slowly working on throughout the series behind the scenes. And we’ve been seeing little bits and pieces of those plans. And as the series continues, we see more and more of them and the desperation. He does this all while having the girls in mind.” And at the end of the day, Qifrey, “does not want to put them in harm’s way at all, but still needs these goals and will do whatever he can to make those happen.”
To end this Witch Hat Atelier interview on a lighter note we wanted to ask about the Qifrey rescue in Episode 5 and the fanart.
Bug Films has been praised for the glorious animation. And we wanted to know if Waters loved it as much as fans do. “I can talk about this scene until the day I die,” Waters said. “When I saw it in the booth, we don’t have lines when the actual scene happens. The parting of the clouds, the dragon being summoned. That entire scene is voiceless until the dragon’s on the ground.”
And when the scene was done and over with, they asked to watch it again. “It’s beautiful. And in the manga, it’s two panels. So it just goes to show how Bug, the studio working on the animation and doing this has been working so closely with Shirahama and been making even the things that they add, that aren’t in the manga, so so beautiful. So well done. So incredible.”
On the fanart front, Waters feels like they’re masterpieces. Waters said, “I think for a show where the crux of it is based on creativity and art, especially right now, I think seeing the love and the appreciation and the creativity that has blossomed from the show has been beautiful.”
So continue making that fanart about Qifrey, his Qiflings, and maybe even those Qifrey and Olruggio edits, because Waters loves all of them. “It feels like every episode I see a million new masterpieces thrown onto my timeline and I am absolutely honored because, truthfully and honestly, it’s some of my favorite parts of fandom is seeing the beautiful creations that can blossom from it.”
Witch Hat Atelier Season 1 is currently on Crunchyroll.
