Story:
The story begins with our main heroine Kagari Atsuko admiring the infamous ‘Shiny Chariot’, a traveling performer witch, as she puts on a beautifully animated display of a battle against a giant monster that then concludes in a glorious roar of fireworks. With her admiration for witchcraft in full bloom, Kagari decides to enroll in a local Magical Witch Academy, despite not being born into a magical family and having little to no actual talent for magic. Without spoiling too much, the rest of the movie involves Kagari trying desperately to adapt to her new curriculum until something goes horribly wrong and it’s up to our heroine to save the day. The story is very simple, predictable, and doesn’t push the envelope in any way, but what’s here still manages to shine thanks to the movie’s wonderful cast of characters.
Characters:
No simple, school story can truly shine without a class full of fun, colorful characters. Kagari herself is a clumsy, ditsy, and somewhat short-tempered girl, but her optimistic and indomitable nature let her fill the protagonist role rather nicely. Amongst all the different faces that our heroine interacts with, few stand out quite like Diana, Kagari’s rival for the semester. With her long and flowing, blonde hair, advanced magical ability, and an overall bourgeois demeanor, Diana quickly becomes the antithesis of Kagari that gives her the strength and motivation to persevere through the challenges before her. Then there are Kagari’s two best friends: Lotte, a frumpy, glasses-wearing girl whose supportive nature is always there to encourage Kagari when she’s feeling down, and Sucy, a rather haggard looking girl whose blunt words can come off as rude at times, if they weren’t such a great source of comedy at Kagari’s expense. Combining that with her affinity for comically random potions and deadly poisons, easily made Sucy a personal favorite.
Presentation:
For all the shit Trigger sometimes get for their “unique” style of non-animation, it’s nice to see that the studio can get results when they actually go all out. From art style to animation quality, this animated film was simply stunning and an absolute treat for the eyes. I can’t really say anything bad about it, other than that I really wish this movie was longer so that there was more of it. Nothing about the soundtrack really stood out to me, but the music did at least do a good job of accompanying the scenes.
Overall:
If, like me, you’ve found yourself off put by the J.K. Rowling epic that is Harry Potter, don’t let your distaste for that formula detract from viewing Little Witch Academia. Though the parallels are hard to not notice, the lovable cast of characters and eye-watering, gorgeous animation give this movie more than enough legs to stand on.
