Joining Anime Club at my University this year, I expected to see a lot of interesting anime.
Barakamon was one of these anime and, as you could see from my review, I enjoyed it a lot.
But my favourite series we watched in Anime Club, by far, is Little Witch Academia, made by Studio Trigger.
Directed by Yoh Yoshinari, the anime follows Atsuko “Akko” Kagari (Megumi Han) who, hoping to follow in the footsteps of her idol, the witch Shiny Chariot, goes to the witch school she went to, Luna Nova.
There is just one problem: Akko is a terrible witch, being completely incapable of flying on a broom.
However, after finding Chariot’s Shiny Rod, Akko resolves to find the idol who inspired her, embarking on a series of increasingly hilarious adventures with her friends Lotte (Fumiko Orikasa) and Sucy (Michiyo Murase).
Little Witch Academia succeeds in being extremely funny, leaving most of the club roaring with laughter.
This was mainly because of the absolute klutz that is Akko.
Despite her incompetence, I found Akko to be one of the most relatable underdog protagonists I have seen in a while.
Every time she gets knocked down she gets back up, more determined than ever.
Along with this, Akko shines through the friendships she builds with the other characters.
It was great to see other people slowly warm up to her, resulting in positive impacts in the lives of characters like Diana (Yoko Hikasa) and Andrew (Ryosuke Kanemoto).
Another aspect of the anime that keeps the humor fresh is the constant references to other material, with hilarious homages to Star Wars, Pawn Stars and even freaking Twilight.
Then there is the way that Little Witch Academia brings it themes across to the audience.
Looking deeper into the writer’s thought process, it is apparent they were trying to create an anime with messages about whether you should follow in the footsteps of your idol, and being your own person.
These themes are brilliantly presented in fantastic episodes such as “Night Fall”, “Intellect and Sensibility”, and the final two episodes, “The Road to Arcturus” and “Changing at the Edge of the World.”
The anime’s animation and music are also quite well done, with the first op, “Shiny Ray” by YURiKA, being a song you will be glad to get stuck in your head.
If I had to pick out any flaws it would be that there is a twist in there that is blatantly obvious.
Other than this though, I whole heatedly enjoyed Little Witch Academia.
It has a relatable, underdog protagonist, moving themes, and will have you holding your sides with laughter.
THE REVIEW MONSTER 