“Don’t forget, a believing is your magic!”
—Shiny Chariot
In this world, magic and witches are no secret, nothing is ordinary. For Akko, being a witch is what she has always dreamed about. Being the first human to enter the prestigious witch academy of Luna Nova, Akko faces many challenges to become a great witch, just like her beloved idol, Shiny Chariot. Making friends and changing hearts, Akko goes through her school years always with a smile and with the belief that she will meet Chariot again one day.
(Caution: some spoilers ahead – read at your own discretion)
Little Witch Academia is a Netflix original produced anime with Studio Trigger (Kill la Kill, Darling in the Franxx, etc.) being the animators. Studio Trigger has its very own unique style when it comes to anime, a style that I find aesthetically pleasing. The art style for this anime is very bubbly and cute because of the usage of soft, round/curved lines and bright colors. Even the dark colors used are highlighted with lighter tones, leaving the illusion of magic throughout the anime. Each character is unique and specially designed, no two are alike. While the characters are drawn in a softer touch, the background also deserves recognition for their attention to detail. I just really enjoyed their animation work, can’t you tell?
This anime is very light-hearted and fun to watch; you can’t help but smile and laugh at the different wacky situations Akko and her friends run into. But sometimes you just need to watch some animes that are light-hearted and funny. I call these animes my “filter anime” because it does not require a lot of energy to sit and enjoy this anime. They’re light animes, nothing too hard on the plot or characters that makes me sometimes rethink the entire existence of my life or anything, but still interesting enough for me to follow through with all of the episodes. It’s fun. Little Witch Academia is fun, cute and perfect for all ages to watch.
This anime has such an amazing moral and motivational tagline that I just can’t seem to get out of my mind. “Don’t forget, a believing is your magic!” How beautiful and poetic is that? It is a very simple phrase, but it carries a strong weight with it and becomes a motivational moral. It makes you believe that you possess a little bit of magic too. This quote inspires Akko to become a witch and strive for her dream.
I just love it when animes give their watchers a great message and moral because it gives the audience themselves a kind of “you can do it” energy and motivation. Although we are not in a magic-casting world with mystical creatures, witches and warlocks, we still face hardships and challenges in our lives each day. This anime does a great job at reminding the watcher of that message in each episode and it gives me a little motivational boost, too. And the one reason why this anime projects its message so well is through Akko.
To me, Akko is the symbol of hard work and friendship. In each episode of the series, we see Akko trying harder and harder to become an amazing witch. Akko is such a well crafted character that I just can’t help but fall in love with her. She’s cute and caring but also silly and quite a klutz when it comes to handling anything magic related. As the protagonist of any story, they must be different and stand out against the other characters. Akko is human and, presumably (wink, wink to those who have seen it), possesses no magical abilities. It is believed that only witches who have family members who are witches can have their magical abilities passed down — for no human has ever been admitted to Luna Nova before — Akko was the first.
We, as the audience, are continuously rooting for her and laughing at her silly mistakes when casting the wrong spells. She has the strongest will and brightest personality out of everyone at the Luna Nova Academy. Despite all the teasing and the taunts from her fellow witch classmates and the disapproving judgments of her professors, Akko is still determined to prove them wrong. She may lose hope sometimes but she will always remember her dream and her idol. Not only is Akko great at reassuring herself that she can complete her tasks, she also helps others realize their potentials and motivates them to achieve their own goals, starting from her two best friends and even reaching to the academy’s star, Diana Cavendish, a girl who is the polar opposite of Akko.
Diana is not only considered beautiful but also talented in magic. Said to be the next head of her family, Diana must uphold her position as the number one to fit her family’s reputation. She is admired by both students and professors at Luna Nova, except by Akko. But because she has such a perfect image she has to uphold, Akko taught her that you don’t always have to be perfect but be who you truly are and try hard at what you do. Instead of trying to receive recognition, achieve happiness and your goal. And through this realization, Diana goes from another judgmental classmate to one that secretly admires and cares for Akko.
But despite having Chariot as an idol and a motivator to get through the school years, Akko seemed to be too focused on becoming just like Chariot that she doesn’t see her true talents. Her vision is sometimes fogged by the image of Chariot that gets her stuck trying to solve her problems sometimes. One example is during the academy’s broom flying relay race. Just like Chariot, Akko wants to win first place and win the championship cup. As a result, she seeks out magical tricks to try to get her broom to move. Some unfortunate events take place during the race and Akko only manages to get in second place.
She tries so hard to fit the image already made by Chariot, wanting to achieve the same masteries and recognition, that Akko takes a little longer to find a way to accomplish her tasks her way. Even though she ultimately succeeds in the end, she doesn’t realize how truly talented and important she is to the magical world. But I love that she never gives up and after two seasons of crazy adventures, she finally sees that she should be who she is, not trying to be Chariot.
It’s funny, it’s cute and it’s got a great moral. I will always come back to this anime if I need a good laugh.
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One Response
Great review!