Little Witch Academia

Nicknames Jan 13, 2016

8

Back in 2010 the Young Animator Training Project (now known as Anime Mirai Tamago) started and a lot of anime of different degrees of quality were featured there. Some of them were average (Ryo, Arve Rezzle) while some others were good (Wasurenagumo, Chronus). Among those good shows were two of them that not only were great but also became so popular that they got a sequel made. Little Witch Academia was one of them (the other was Death Billiards) but, does this show deserve the popularity it has? Keep reading to find the answer. Little Witch Academia is about a young girl who was a big fan of Shiny Chariot, a witch that used her powers to entertain people, and decided to enroll in a magic school to follow her steps. There she learns that learning magic is not precisely fun and, on top of that, Shiny Chariot is looked down by the rest of the witches because magic is serious business. At first glance this looks like what would somebody expect from a Pixar movie, even the characters are based on the typical stereotypes you usually find in their movies. Aside of some minor characters there's the main heroine, her friends, the alpha b*tch and her girl posse. Luckily the execution was good so this ended up being more of a minor complain than an actual issue. Of course you can't do much in 30 minutes so there were some stuff that was left undeveloped. Of course things were done better in the animation and sound department. It was very fluid and the characters were well designed and, like the scenery and the backgrounds, everything was done with vibrant colours. Regarding the sounds, the background music not only is good but also fits the tone of the series really well and the sound effects were well done. Also the voice acting was top-notch. So, what's my final veredict? This show is definitely worth the praise. While it has some flaws and it's not perfect it's quite enjoyable for both kids and adults. If you're wondering whether to watch it or not, go ahead and do it. It's worth it.

osaka Jan 23, 2021

4

[Little spoiler alert] Maybe I'll start with the fact that this anime is definietly not an anime that has risen to the top. It has a fairly plain and very little creative storyline. It tells only about the school of the witches and we have seen a lot of such anime, such as Quiz magic academy, Sugar sugar rune, Madoka Magica etc. There are many such anime, but they are true often watched by otaku begginers. However I think that from this category of "witches or magic school" this anime is one of the worst. The line of the series is also not surprisingly outstanding. There aren't many twists and turns which makes the anime a bit boring after watching it. You can even guess who Shiny Chariot is very quickly, which does not keep us in suspense to watch it until the end. The characters have their own characteristic and distinctive personalities. I like the fact that the main character, Atsuko Kagari, is a very simple character which shows that not only imaginary anime characters are the protagonist. However, I think this are not very privy to the secrets of anime, manga and the whole world of otaku. I would reccomend it to people who are not too concerned with the topic but would like to start with something. To be honest, I liked it very much when I watched the series and I was delighted with the characters and the story but- it was one of my first anime right after Sailor Moon and Glitter force so as you can guess I didn't have much to compare to it. Remember that this is just my opinion so if you don't think the same I'm good with that but please don't write rude things or hate me :>

Gzerble Feb 16, 2015

9.4

OK, it's family friendly fun. The premise has been beaten to death in all forms of art. And yet, Little Witch Academia is so earnest and fun that it is absolutely fantastic. From the clever and distinct character designs (like a cartoon of Hogwarts), the brilliant backgrounds, the uplifiting cinematic music, multiple character arcs, and a bunch of jokes ranging from slapstick to situational via nerd and literary references, this is some top notch stuff. Have no doubt, Little Witch Academia is cheesy, and invades Pixar territory with the plot style. It sets itself up to compete with the entire world of animation, and not only that, in the particularly fierce and high budget section of child friendly movies. You know what? Call me impressed. The story is perhaps the weakest point of Little Witch Academia. It isn't anything special. The plot is very basic, naively sticking to the most general formula out there. It borrows plenty from Harry Potter; a muggle born witch not knowing the culture and sucking at flying on brooms, a trio led by super-snob as the school rivals, two best friends so they can match up, history of magic being a snoozefest, the "evil" good guy using potions... I could keep going on for ages. It also borrows from various other works. I'd actually really hate it if it wasn't so damn enjoyable. The animation is top notch with a unique style that is on the border of anime and the cartoon network from a style point. The movement is glorious in its flow, not sticking to realism but rather revelling in the format to emote with body language so much more than adding more details to the character design. The care for the facial expressions is magnificent, giving us a range of personality in every interaction. As I mentioned, the backgrounds are downright glorious. And through it all, there is a vision of how it should be done, and they stick with it from start to end. The sound is perhaps the weakest point, since I am comparing it to the best of Disney/Pixar/Dreamworks and not only anime. While the voice acting is superb, the soundtrack is a bit on the obvious side. It is overall a great fit for such a short piece, giving us tension when needed, and is uplifting and grand as well. Overall, it is a strong showing. From a character perspective, the fact that they managed two complete character arcs while this being a world-creation/plot driven piece is one amazing accomplishment. Little Witch Academia manages to have a few memorable characters, and even manage to make them have some depth. There are the stereotypical characters, but luckily, the focus is more on their interactions when they're flat and depth is added when they're important to the plot. I cannot recommend Little Witch Academia to just anyone. I will recommend it to everyone. This is half an hour your life will be better for spending.