Common Name: Little Witch Academia
Score: 7/10, 4/5
Length: 25 Episodes, 2 Movies
Genre: Comedy, Magic, School Life, Shoujo
Summary: All her life, Kagari Atsuko has always loved and revered the power and potential of magic to bring people together. With magic and the will to see it happen, nothing is impossible. This was the lesson taught to her by the famous witch/performer Shiny Chariot as a child. This is the reason she's taken it upon herself to cross the world, brave the unfamiliar, and struggle daily with her magical inabilities at the same school Chariot attended, Luna Nova Magical Academy. No sooner does Ako arrive at Luna Nova that she learns that the world of magic isn't nearly as thrilling or exciting as she expected. Classes are still boring and impracticable as they are in the human world. Her classmates are just as inclined to form abusive social cliques. Worse than all of those, though, it seems like magic is slowly dying out. In spite of these threats and many more to come, though, hope is not lost. So long as Ako has the Shiny Rod, the magical wand used by Chariot, and faith in herself, nothing is impossible.
Review: Perhaps its because I mostly honed in on this show due to the numerous accolades that follow in its wake and the TRIGGER brand plastered to its side but I have to admit that I didn't expect Little Witch Academia to be a glorified kids' show. Now, don't get me wrong; being a "kid's show" is anything but a black mark against what this is/could have been. True as it might be that most shows that fall in this genre are utter dreck, there are usually a few gems to be found as well as a few that are just kinda alright. Considering how highly this show is praised and worshiped, though, the greatest thing I didn't expect was how little I cared for Little Witch Academia as a whole. I liked it, to be sure, but not to that same degree I've seen and heard from so many others. So, I'm personally unsure whether this feeling is the result of my coming down from the hype or simply that this show just isn't that good. Either way, I can be relatively sure that this title was never going to achieve the rank of being a "masterpiece" of any kind, so I can safely list off the various praises and criticisms and let those determine whether or not you agree with my assessment.
That said, let us away, friends, on a magical journey that may or may not end poorly for everyone involved. You can never really be sure with magical girl shows these days.
On the whole, Little Witch Academia is a fun and interesting episodic romp through a magical world through the eyes of a young witch-in-training, Kagari Atsuko, as she tries to learn some cool magic spells, make some friends, and save the magical world from going extinct. While that last bit might sound like I'm playing my hand a bit, it is a stated fact within the first few episodes that witches are running out of options and are down to possessing only a single reliable source of magical power, the Sorcerer's Stone. In spite of her age, however, Ako is strangely qualified to be the savior of this world since the world itself has, for reasons that are hardly addressed, dubbed her the heir to two intertwined legacies--that of Ako's idol, Shiny Chariot, and the will of the None Olde Witches--though this fact isn't revealed to Ako until very late in the series. For all Ako knows, she has simply stumbled across the wand used by Shiny Chariot and hopes to someday meet Chariot, return the Shiny Rod to her, and thank her for all she did to fuel Ako's dreams. Until the day comes when she can return the rod, however, she's more than content to while away her days at Luna Nova, doing as she pleases and caring little for the expectations of her teachers.
Granted, the same can generally be said about the people she typically associates with.
As it turns out, though, Ako is absolutely awful at using magic. Whether she lacks the skill, the pedigree, or just the right mindset to use magic properly, it's tough to say, but the point of the fact that this inability results in a kinda of humorous and convenient slapstick born of her making mistake after mistake. To help her out, round her out, and hype her up, though, Ako's adventures are usually joined or caused by her interacting with her various classmates. Most notably among this menagerie of allies are Ako's roommates and best friends Lotte and Sucy. The daughter of magical item sellers, Lotte is a quiet and emotional nerdy type with little ambition outside of wanting to take on the family business. For Ako, she's a source of calm and kind companionship and encouragement that helps Ako through any and all trying times. Sucy, on the other hand, is enigmatic and eccentric to the point of being a danger to herself and others. Still being stuck with Ako has forced this stereotypically haggish witch to grow a connection she most certainly did ask for, leading to a number of unorthodox solutions to Ako's problems as well as a source for a few of the show's more unorthodox problems along the way.
While I relate to Lotte personally, for fairly obvious reasons, Sucy is definitely a favorite.
Alongside Ako's enablers, however, there are a few characters who are directly invested in the girl's success as a witch, even if they need to twist her arm to do so. As a fellow student, Diana Cavendish is the primary example of this classification of character who will, more often than not, make herself Ako's enemy in the vain hope that spite alone might drive this girl who is equal parts frustrating and fascinating to succeed. As time goes on, however, these two dynamically opposed characters do find a common ground and common purpose enough to become true friends. In the world of adults, there's also an example of this kind of concerned ally for Ako's slow and eventual growth. Professor Ursula Callistis, as a concerned ally, generally falls into a role of well-informed (suspiciously so) mentor who is generally unsure to what degree she can or should interfere in Ako's life. Bumbling, incompetent, yet determined in spite of her inabilities, Professor Ursula understandably roots for Ako since the girl is basically just a younger, less skilled version of herself.
Also, she's totally not Chariot. Just saying. Ursula Callistis is absolutely, 100%,
totally, probably not just Shiny Chariot in disguise.
Joking aside, the vast majority of this story is built on the idea that Ako is slowly and steadily growing into a proper witch and the successor to Chariot's legacy. How the show goes about this basically through a kind of "problem of the week formula" that is born from either Ako needing to learn something, a local happening in the world, or learning one of her various friends and acquaintances are in need of some help. Proof of her growth, however, is represented in a very real way as she slowly fills in the seven "stars" that cover the Shiny Rod, thus learning a whole new spell in the process. Here's were my issues with this show start to make themselves known and unavoidable. While it is true that Ako does grow into a protagonist for this show, it never really felt like her growth was earned or lasted beyond the episodes that growth needed to show up in. More often than not, the answer to each and every problem is handed to her by one of the show's other cast members, thus making her growth seem cheap and pointless as Ako mostly remains the same bumbling, incapable, impatient, head-strong dope she's always been. Even if we were to take the true measuring stick of her progress, the number of friends she's made, the result is still relatively lackluster since every character apart from those I mentioned has barely any definition, assuming they get any whatsoever.
Yep. I'm one of those people who feels slighted that Jasminka isn't actually a character.
Because of these issues, the actual drive behind this show is very nearly lost simply because the show refused to actually develop its characters in any real way. Week to week, this kind of formula might work fine, but when it is binged and enjoyed several episodes at a time these issues become far more noticeable. To the show's credit, however, the actual message and thematics of the show's plot are very well developed and built into the story in such a way that it's hard to ignore. To be more specific, the way that this show speaks to how technology and the growth of social media-informed mobs formed over the pettiest things is crushing creativity and individuality is nothing short of inspiring. By making the fate of magic itself tied into humanity's faith in the power of the paranormal, we become actively invested in these characters who are naturally at odds with these kinds of systems and mentalities that encourage efficiency at the cost of personality. School life, in particular, is a fantastic lens to look at this problem through. Everything from standardized testing to clique-based elitism actively gets in the way of Ako's progress and sets the stage for larger social issues to eventually be seen as similar to those same kinds of institutionalized harm to individuality. Shallow as they might be, the fact that Ako draws all kinda of unique and quirky individuals together functionally makes her an effective paragon for the world of magic.
Not to mention it definitely makes her a proper TRIGGER heroine.
Yet it is also made clear that Ako's way isn't necessarily the only way to succeed, as we watch Diana slowly follow a similar path of growth, one that is tempered from her upbringing and ideals rather than Ako's fanatic love of Chariot. The same can even be said on the desires of Chariot's old classmate and rival, Croix, were it not for the fact that her efforts were driven almost entirely by her selfish ambitions and reckless need to outdo Chariot. Many different characters had potential solutions to the threat of magic dying out, but the best solution depended entirely on finding a way to work with others toward a common goal without belittling the chaotic power of individuality, thus bringing the point of this show and Ako's underdog hero's journey come full circle.
Rant completed, it's now time for my final verdict.
In the end, I can't hide the fact that I did really enjoy this show and can see why so many people like it. There was no way that this show was ever going to get 10 or the masterpiece distinction from me, though. The characters are little more than comedic caricatures. The placing is stutter-stop from start to finish due to the episodic format. Unique and colorful as it is, the animation for this show is admittedly not fantastic--just look for weird faces in this show and you will find many to laugh or cringe at your pleasure. Had this show given thought to the true driving force behind it--giving more personality, growth, and nuance to Ako and her friends--this might have gotten my wholehearted approval, but it falls short of that. Still, in spite of those flaws, this show is just plain, old, silly fun. It gets really weird at times, as you might expect of a TRIGGER property, but it tends to keep things relatively PG and appropriate. So, while I, as an adult, might be ready and willing to pick this show to pieces, my inner child was floored with what he was seeing. In other words, if you have the power to turn off your critical, jaded adult brain for any length of time, you will likely love this show just as much as I did.