Little Witch Academia

[MFauli]

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For young witches everywhere, the world-renowned witch Shiny Chariot reigns as the most revered and celebrated role model. But as the girls age, so do their opinions of her—now just the mention of Chariot would get a witch labeled a child. However, undeterred in her blind admiration for Chariot, ordinary girl Atsuko Kagari enrolls into Luna Nova Magical Academy, hoping to someday become just as mesmerizing as her idol.

episode 1 is out
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Lol, you guys are all so lazy, nobody creating threads for these enjoyable shows. :P
Anyway, another anime of this new season that I very much so enjoyed. The heroine Akko can be obnoxiously dumb at times (I´d kill her if I were Lotte), but she´s a likeable girl overall. The general feeling is, paradoxically, a rather grounded, down-to-earth one. As in, while there´s magic, it´s not really over-the-top, rather, it succeeds in creating a proper plot. So many anime these days feel rushed, but this one successfully portrayed the beginning of Akko´s journey, and it´s not just the setting that makes this anime feel a lot like Harry Potter and when the title-named hero first got to Hogwarts.

I hope we´ll get to follow Akko´s everyday-life at the witch school. There ought to be an overarching plot, but I don´t need an epic story here. And with Akko being a normal human, there´s enough plot for the first couple episodes.

[MasterOfMoogles]

I thought Sucy was just a little too evil in this version. Like, she literally tried to get them killed. That's a bit much.

Other than that, pretty good opening episode.

[Ryllharu]

I don't think Sucy intended to go to the school in this retelling. She was going to the forest on purpose. 'It appears we reached my destination.'

This time, it seems she's there because all three of them showed up at the matriculation ceremony.

Bear in mind she never really had a backstory in the OVAs other than being sadistic. Now she does. She's obviously already an accomplished witch. "Normal witches are unable to enter the forest." Honestly, we don't even know if she's actually a teen, nor did we before. Even in the original, she gave a monster a single potion, where it promptly died in the most horrific way possible, and the remains promptly melted a giant hole in the floor. She's always been evil.

She only looked less evil before because Sucy, Akko, and Lotte were already friends.

That's what makes it funny. You have Akko, the endless supply of innocence, determination, and hope, who is best friends with the type of witch who is always the villain in fairy tales.

edit:
Also, in the scene where Ursula-sensei is looking for the disturbance (11:58) with the magical map...where is the star shining in that constellation?
Oh, Trigger, you scamps you...

[MasterOfMoogles]

Being evil to a random monster that is attacking you is pretty different from being evil to random people you just met.

I was fine with her being a jerk to Akko on the road. Trying to kill her is quite a stretch.

[neflight86]

After the OVAs, I'm glad we got to take a step back and enjoy the origin story a bit more fleshed out this time. I'ts not like there was a pressing story to get to anyway.

[Kraco]

She's just fine being evil, if that's what you'd call her. I'd rather call her selfish for the sake of her own ambitions in magic. Akko wants to become a show business witch after her great idol. Not everyone else needs to.

I spotted Salmiakki. That's always good, although I reckon in Japan that would be considered something only witches would eat.

[MasterOfMoogles]

Yea, I generally assume people who attempt to murder other people are evil.
I just think it's really weird to have that in this kind of show. Maybe there'll be some redeeming reason, but my bet is they'll just gloss over it.

[Kraco]

When was she attempting to murder someone? I don't think the reanimated toy bird was capable of murder, so that's probably not what you are referring to.

[MFauli]

She used the other two as bait for the chicken monster, without any hint that they´d manage to survive. I agree with Moogles, I found it odd how casually Sucy was willing to kill them, kinda clashing with the atmosphere of the show. It got played off as comedy, so I don´t expect much thought behind it, though.

[Kraco]

You are misunderstanding something. If you left two ordinary humans there like that, it would equal to a death sentence, but what she left there were two witches, the same as herself. If they are witches, they can do something about it. It's that sort of life. If you can't handle it, stay home and stop dreaming of magic.

[Ryllharu]

Sucy tries to scare off Akko with the plush chicken. When that doesn't work, she uses rope snakes. That does work, and she continues on her way.

She's evil, for sure, but she's not going out of her way to murder the other two. Akko claims she's a witch, and Lotte clearly is one. She's just using them. They're capable enough.

But what we do know from the OVAs is that she is very sadistic.

[MasterOfMoogles]

She trapped them both in front of the cockatrice and left them to die.
Like, nothing even remotely suggested they should have lived, and it was basically dumb luck that they managed to survive.
If you put someone in a situation where you see no reasonable way for them to survive, that's pretty much murder.

I see what you're saying about they're witches Kraco, but nothing even remotely hinted that Sucy thought they would be able to survive that encounter.

[shinta|hikari]

Moogles suddenly grows a conscience.

[Kraco]

I see what you're saying about they're witches Kraco, but nothing even remotely hinted that Sucy thought they would be able to survive that encounter.

This is why you are a muggle, Moogles.

Of course there was no reasonable way for them to survive. Magic isn't reasonable to begin with.

[MFauli]

But there was no reasonable way WITHIN magic either, lol. They survived because the scene was played off as a gag comedy-scene. That´s it.

As I said: As long as this doesn´t repeat, I can get over it. Now, if Sucy keeps putting her friends in lethal situations, that would be a problem.

[Kraco]

But there was no reasonable way WITHIN magic either, lol. They survived because the scene was played off as a gag comedy-scene. That´s it.

This is why you are a muggle, MFauli.

Of course there was no reasonable way within magic for them to survive. Magic isn't reasonable to begin with.

[Ryllharu]

Now, if Sucy keeps putting her friends in lethal situations, that would be a problem.

Quite likely...because that's Akko's job.

(Or Diana's...)

[Kraco]

Episode 2


- - - - - - -


A stupidly energetic MC isn't bad as long as they succeed at least sometimes. It would be painful to watch her make a fool of herself if she didn't pull it off when it really counts. Of course she has the friends helping her, if Sucy can be counted as such, which might be vital to her survival.

It's really kind of unfair if everybody else is from magic families and thus knows a whole lot before coming to the school. If that's the case, then the school would have a certain baseline, like a high school assumes middle school knowledge. What could Akko do under such circumstances?

[Ryllharu]

Bawww...Diana. You're a good girl after all.

Gee, guess who has that last card Akko is missing from her collection?

I like that they're giving development to Ursula, where she's hiding that she's actually very competent by pretending she's a barely-competent klutz.

[Edort4]

Im in dire need of those lessons about why LWA is a great show... 2 episodes in and im already bored. Clumsy and "airhead" humor is already burned in less than 40 minutes of the show and almost every cliche about girls highschool is already in place except romance (Im really missing some "older" teacher dude, with ambiguous attitude nice/bad guy, she could crush on to fulfill the prophecy of doom).

I really like the art but it can only accomplish so much with such a shallow and cliche filled show. Is there gonna be some short of plot (at least something that would make a 12yo wonder what could happen) further on?