Ever since she saw Shiny Chariot as a child, Akko Kagari
has always wanted to be a full fledged witch.
Her undeterred will has brought her to the doorstep of Luna Nova
Academy, where the best and brightest from around the world train to be the
next generation of witches. But Akko
doesn’t hail from a magical family, so she’s at a bit of a disadvantage. Her edge: A will that refuses to be
shattered. Together with her roommates:
Lotte and Sucy, Akko takes on any and all challenges, given or issued through detention. Who knows, if she works hard enough, she
might even learn to fly a broom…or maybe even find her long lost idol, Shiny
Chariot.
I was a little nervous about the announcement of a Little
Witch Academia series. I did a First
Impression/Pseudo Review of the original Little Witch Academia movie a while
back and loved it from beginning to end.
The follow up, The Enchanted Parade, was ok but not as good as the
first. I thought that the coolness and
inspiring awe should be contained to one story, even if the world was begging
to be explored past the initial concept.
I’m glad I was wrong with my concerns.
The series not only lives up to the level set by the first (lets just
call it the Pilot) film, it’s on its way to surpassing its goodness.
The LWA Anime Series resets to story, ignoring or working
in elements from the original and maybe eventually The Enchanted Parade, and
goes back to the beginnings of Akko’s education at Luna Nova. All of the characters from the two films are
here as well: Lotte, Sucy, Diana, Amanda and her team, and no ones lost their
charm or edge. Diana seems to be given
more of an upgrade, further exploring her family history and even giving her an
unexpected humbleness and the possibility that, despite her status as an elite
student, she and Akko could eventually become friends. Also given a bit of a character status boost
is Professor Ursula, but it’s pretty easy to see why. They aren’t exactly being subtle with who she
really is. Akko, Lotte and Sucy are just
as fun as ever and seeing the beginnings of their friendships is a real
treat. Sucy is still the best character
with her gothic attitude and her love for inflicting harm and experimental fun
via her potions. Special shout out to
Conatanze, who’s such a bad ass for combining tech with magic and using
shotguns and rocket launchers against Dragons.
Akko’s still an endless ball of energy though im wondering if she ever
will learn to really fly at some point.
Lotte might have the best episode of the few ive watched so far:
describing the feeling of being a huge Otaku while attending an event for a
book series written by a witch. I can
only imagine if I brought a fresh faced fan with me to a convention, they’d be
just as lost as Akko and Sucy.
Naturally, Studio Trigger is behind the series, as the
films were their successful babies to begin with. Even if it’s not as over the top and wacky as
those films or even Kill La Kill, there’s still such a lovable energy to how
they bring Luna Nova to life. This
really is the Harry Potter of Anime, where imagination can run wild and the
only limits to what can be accomplished is the limits of the animators. Like Kill La Kill, those guys have energy to
spare and every bit of that energy can be felt in each frame of animation. Simply put, this series looks good, maybe
even a little better than the movies.
It's funny that this show shares a title with an,
arguably, more popular title at the moment.
Unlike My Hero Academia, the world of Little Witch Academia grabbed me
with a tight grip long ago and I’ve never forgotten it’s magic, magic that im
still trying to find in MHA. I’ll
definitely be keeping up with this one.
I didn’t think it was possible to match the inspirations brought about
by the original film, even The Enchanted Parade didn’t succeed at this. But listening to the OP as Akko, Lotte and
Sucy fly through a star lit sky, I felt that feeling again, the one I felt
after watching Little Witch Academia for the first time. I felt my heart soar and tears come to my
eyes. It was like watching Anime for the
first time all over again. Hell yes, I’m
so glad Studio Trigger finally got around to expanding this universe and I cant
wait for more.
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