Never Forget; A Believing Heart is Your Magic
- Episodes : 25
- Genre : Adventure, Comedy, Magic, Fantasy, School
- Airing Date : Date: Jan 9, 2017 - Jun 26, 2017
- Studios : Trigger
Contains Spoilers
Little Witch Academia Introduction and Story (Spoilers)
Kagari Atsuko, also known as “Akko” in the anime, is drawn to Luna Nova Academy by her childhood dream to become a witch like her idol, Shiny Chariot. However, Akko does not come from a line of witches, which immediately makes her an eyesore for many of the witches attending Luna Nova Academy, even before taking off! Life is not so easy at Luna Nova Academy for the young Kagari Akko as her magical skills are clearly nowhere near everyone else’s. However, she was gifted Shiny Chariot’s Shiny Rod and a task to attain the 7 ancient, magical words. Atsuko is in for the magical adventure of her life.
What We Liked About Little Witch Academia
For fans of origin stories, the Little Witch Academia tv anime may be a fun one as we explore more into the roots of Akko and how she plans on developing her skills as a witch. The focus is on Akko’s life, making this anime more of a school life anime for the most part. However, don’t expect it to be that mundane. Every few episodes, Akko enters a new adventure from the cursed tree to saving Diana Cavendish to saving the world. The storyline is very similar to that of RokuDenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records where something is constantly happening to Akko that further tests her magical ability, even if it appears to be your basic school life plot device.
This means that Studio Trigger did a great job on pacing itself in its 25 episodes as each episode was utilized very well. You didn’t have episodes that stood as fillers as you do in most anime that last even just 12 episodes (only the last 2 episodes really matter). This is a rather impressive feat considering how other anime are structured.
There’s also something quite charming about both Akko and Diana. While Akko views Diana as a rival, and Diana views Akko as a pest, the two are neither right or wrong in their convictions. Heck, they aren’t really separated by the idea of good and evil, as we see in many rivalries. They are divided by the idea of tradition and honor vs dreams and whimsy. They are divided by opposing ideas of what it means to be a witch and do what is expected of you. That is perhaps one of the most interesting things about this rivalry. Diana may seem stuck up, especially thanks to her lackeys, but there’s a lot more there than meets the eye.
The same can be said about many of the characters who somewhat view Akko as an untalented witch, but really appreciate her for her positive attitude and headstrong personality. Akko is able to make many friends who may not 100% believe in her abilities, but they provide the source of friendship and objective commentary that Akko, like many of us, needs.
Little Witch Academia itself is not an extremely exciting anime, but things are continuously happening in the anime that keeps viewers from getting truly bored. It’s not just one story arc but many. This keeps the viewers engaged and we truly appreciate Studio Trigger for providing this source of entertainment for many fans.
Discussion Time
If you were a fan of the original Little Witch Academia movies that were so popular that crowd funding was utilized to film the sequel, then you are probably one of the many who wants to know about this new Little Witch Academia anime series. With a total of 25 episodes, you can walk the halls of Luna Nova Academy with Kagari Atsuko as she learns what is necessary to be a witch, and fight back all of the non-believers who don’t believe in her petty dreams. However, Little Witch Academia the anime series is much different from the movie itself.
Do not come into this expecting the same as the movie. Little Witch Academia has its good and bad points. Please go on to see our thoughts about it!
1. Pacing
The pacing of Little Witch Academia is very enjoyable as no episode is truly wasted. Sneaking into town is utilized to teach new life lessons as well as introduce more plot points. Even when the Sorcerer’s Stone—the source of the witches’ powers—was stolen by the dragon and it seemed to resolve in a comedic fashion, that episode was used to rather casually introduce the idea that witches are running out of power and trying very hard to conserve as much magical energy as possible. This would later be a reoccurring issue that would allow Ursula to take over the school with her androids that provided magical energy.
It’s these little details that are so lightheartedly mentioned that tend to get missed but we love oh so much. It’s a great way of introducing important plot points that the audience either misses or grasps right away that changes the enjoyment of the anime itself in the end. This is a great trait for more active viewers to enjoy while watching the anime.
2. Studio Trigger
One reason to watch this anime has to be the studio behind it. Like viewers who watch specifically KyoAni productions, viewers will flock to a Studio Trigger production such as this one. Studio Trigger is the mind behind great anime like Kiznaiver, Uchuu Patrol Luluco, and Kill la Kill that has all been great successes in the anime community all in their own right. Even the original Little Witch Academia movie was a hit, creating enough love to raise money via crowdfunding for a sequel. There is a lot expected out of Studio Trigger.
Studio Trigger brings to Little Witch Academia a mix of old and new in animation, a great cast of characters, and a rather interesting subplot underneath a somewhat predictable plot. Studio Trigger considered what fans wanted and gave it to them in the form of a TV anime series of a fan favorite anime movie. Studio Trigger is known to be unconventional and is willing to take risks in the world of Japanese animation, that is what we have come to expect out of Studio Trigger, but they have also provided quality alongside those risks.
To state that Studio Trigger being the studio behind Little Witch Academia as a reason to watch the anime is a reason alone for you to stop and give Little Witch Academia a try.
1. Typical Storyline
We won’t lie to you, readers, Little Witch Academia appears to follow a rather typical storyline that is a cross of school life and magic. The idea feels very similar to Gakuen Alice in which Mikan goes to a school for gifted children without even knowing if she has any supernatural gift of her own. They even follow a similar plotline where Mikan and Akko are both failures and people mock them, but they both continue to persevere and it is noted by the important characters the potential Mikan and Akko have. Let’s not even mention that the two of them even have episodes where the main characters try to get out to go to town and have fun, which creates more trouble for everyone else.
Plus, the plot development can be rather generic as it progresses. You know Akko is going to show more and more potential to all the right people, while the others mock her. In the end, you aren’t even surprised to see that she is going out of her way to save the world—Although to be fair, we didn’t expect it to be with Diana, nor did we expect there to be further plot beyond Ursula. While Little Witch Academia has a few unexpected details, there can be no doubt that it follows a rather stereotypical progression. This might not be a great trait for people who are looking for more excitement and something different—But how often do you find something that really catches you by shock anymore?
2. Generic Main Character
First off, Akko spends a great deal of time obsessing over her idol Chariot and constantly talking about her or defending her. The anime series feels very similar to anime like Gakuen Alice and Sugar Sugar Rune where the main character clearly does not have the talent but continues to try hard. Akko even spends a day as a mouse for her inability to perform magic properly, which is a bit reminiscent of Princess Tutu who spends part of her time as a duck or Tokyo Mew Mew where Ichigo ends up as a cat for a day.
Clearly, Akko is very similar to a lot of magical girl heroines, despite not actually being a magical girl herself. This may not be a trait that grabs your attention, but Akko is very much human in every way, and so, very similar to the ordinary anime viewer. This is very similar to a lot of shounen heroes like Naruto who continues to persevere rather than allow handicaps to stop him from achieving his dream. If you are looking for a main character who stands above the rest, Akko may not be your main character, but she is endearing enough for those who can relate.
Final Thoughts
As an anime, Little Witch Academia is an enjoyable anime with many good qualities and a great studio to back it up. While much of it is pretty predictable and the main character does not stand out, Studio Trigger managed to create a quality anime series for the popular anime movie of the same name. However, that was our experience with the anime and may not be the same for you.
How many readers out there are excited for Little Witch Academia? Who is going to watch it? Who has already watched it? Share your opinions in the comments down below.
Author: Jenangelx3
Recommended Post
Little Witch Academia - Winter 2017 & Spring 2017
Recommended Post
