welcome to my talk show where I talk about witch hat atelier and how disabled people are treated in it cause I think it’s a really interesting topic that Kamome tackled really well…
MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE MANGA BELOW!!!!!
I’ll mainly be focusing on characters like Custas and Beldaruit;
Seal chairs are obviously the immediate thing to use for anyone with a disability impairing their mobility, things like physical therapy I’m guessing don’t really exist yet or aren’t a used concept yet.
Seal chairs are just a bandaid slapped onto a wound- you’re thrown into the world with a janky wheelchair. They’re shown to be flimsy and prone to breaking, alongside that they’re really only useful on flat terrain;
Witch society and just all of society in general hasn’t found a way to compensate for people with disabilities. They haven’t found alternative ways to help them and it isn’t being prioritized. Coco and Tartah- two CHILDREN- had to invent something to help their friend get around. And then, in the leech arc they had to create a splint for Beldaruits broken arm. The girls also make sure to compensate for Beldaruits seal chair when completing their second trial.
I’d like to appreciate the fact that these little examples of the children helping people struggling with disabilities in a world where these people aren’t cared for puts more emphasis on how important coco and others are for the future of Magic. Alongside that the pressure on them of either using forbidden magic to help or innovating a new way to help with harmless magic;
Next I want to move on to Beldaruit; he might have something similar to ehlers danlos syndrome with descriptions of brittle bones and hyper-mobility. Going off this theory, people with these symptoms don’t necessarily need a wheelchair all the time, especially if they’re younger and their bodies aren’t being affected by old age, and Beldaruit has been using a seal chair for presumably all- if not most- of his life. He’s shown to never be standing or walking in the slightest. I think the reason for this is the lack of physical therapy and proper ways for a diagnosis, Beldaruit has a mobility issue that requires the support of others yet the world they’re in isn’t supportive of the disabled.
The support he likely lacked growing up with a disability plays a lot into his character. The fact that he was able to become a sage is likely a great feat itself. He’s prone to bending rules, opening up to new ideas, and going against tradition because he’s been failed by this world.
One of the biggest plot points in witch hat atelier is innovation. All of these characters in some way are impacting the future of their world through their creations. The world of witch hat atelier is extremely sensitive to change and inventions and it’s obviously at a point of major change.
This is why story arcs involving characters struggling with mental and physical disabilities is so important. Even people like Tartah and Qifrey lack respect as witches due to their visual impairments, they aren’t expected to be able to draw spells and succeed in it. But they find ways like with Tartah and the ingredients;
Another massive appreciation I have is them including the struggles of a persons disability being exploited.
During the entirety of the Silver Eve arc Deanreldy is medically abusing and exploiting Beldaruit due to the fact that Beldaruit is completely bed-bound without the help of others in the castle.
Deanreldys goal obviously implies using witches (likely Beldaruit as he’s the most vulnerable) to get ahold of magic, there’s constant metaphors and talks about the tipping of the scales and the dynamics between royalty and witches. There’s a power imbalance within the castle between Deanreldy and Beldaruit.
This section is a little shorter since there hasn’t been much with all that Deanreldy is planning, there’s likely way more to come in the future and I might make an update to this or a new post when the time comes.
#savebeldaruit 😔
Edit: thank you to commenter for some insight!! I edited the post a little!!
This is true of the manga, but I love how the anime accentuates the absolute physical trust the apprentices have with Qifrey. Specifically with Agott, the way she is so ready when Qifrey says “hang on tight, I need my hands free” to cling to him a mile into the sky, and then in the latest episode, how, as soon as she impacts Qifrey while flying to him, she makes no move to save herself, she just curls into him and trusts that he will keep them from falling.
And I think it works as a signal to the audience, to subtly go “hey, I know we don’t trust Qifrey right now, he’s being shady, but we can always trust him to protect the physical wellbeing of his kids. Remember that.” Idk man maybe I’m getting too attached to a teeny detail but aaaaaaghhhh that’s her dad.
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