Little Witch Academia (TV) [Review]
“In a time when magic is on the decline amid society, Atsuko Kagari is a cheerful girl who enters Luna Nova Academy in order to accomplish her dream of becoming a witch like her idol, Shiny Chariot. Shiny Chariot is a famous witch who disappeared from public view many years ago. On her way to school, Kagari meets the kind Lotte Yanson and the mischevious Sucy Manbavaran and the three become friends as they share a bedroom on campus. At the academy, Atsuko soon discovers she is in serious disadvantage compared to the other girls since she doesn`t come from a magical family and is required to learn the magical curriculum from scratch. Having found an item that once belonged to Chariot, Atsuko must discover how to activate and properly use the mysterious Shiny Rod as she hopes it might lead to finding out what has truly happened to her vanished idol.” -ANN
I remember seeing the movie premiering back in 2013 and feeling my jaw drop to the floor. And for it to actually come out as an anime was a dream come true. It’s everything I wanted and much more!
————————————————————————-
“Remember, a believing heart is your magic.” -Shiny Chariot
Story:
Starting off, the story had a slice-of-life feel, following Akko and her class activities. There is a light playfulness in the story that puts Akko in the seat of the clumsy yet brave underdog. As the story moves on it develops a much deeper and meaningful plot. It starts with the search of the words, which starts as a quest to find Chariot only to lead to a much more serious end point. The light hearted beginning slowly turns into a powerful and emotional journey, with a spectacular ending.
Artwork & Animation:
Leave it to Trigger to give us amazing, wild, and wacky animation. Character designs are beyond words, no character has a blank face. Every one of them is a character whether they have an important role in the story or not. The fanciful locations that Akko and friends travel to are vivid and colorful. Their signature style is a match made in heaven along with the whimsical story of Little Witch Academia.
Character(s):
There’s a lot to cover so we’ll start with Akko, the main heroine of the show. Akko has fantastic character development, in the beginning, she is very arrogant, impatient, loud mouthed, and undisciplined. But as she goes in search of Chariot, she is put through trials and with each trial, there is a virtue to be learned. Yes, it follows a Shounen-type anime story-line somewhat, but like they said: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Seeing her progress and mature is a very satisfying experience. As for the other character, they too have their moments. Each with their own specialty such as flying, talking to faeries, or building magical items. Although there is one character lacking, Croix. Croix is such a weak character as a villain, her motive is such a childish reason that it makes her feel pathetic.
Sound (OST & Voice Acting):
The soundtrack has a Harry Potter type of aesthetic, with a lot of use of orchestral instruments. Opening themes and ending themes both performed by YURiKA were high energy and great for the start of the episode.
Enjoyment:
I liked the beginning’s light heartedness, but I fell in love with the deep and compelling story that followed after. I did get a bit annoyed with Croix, after a while, but it turned out fine.
Overall: Score 9
Little Witch Academia has it all, from fantastic artwork and animation to amazing character development. An underdog main character with a lot of spunk, as well as amazing supporting characters makes the show worth watching.
KiritoNarukami 