In the world of LWA is a world of magic or to be more apt, a world where magic is declining. And yet Akko tries to attend a school for Witches. So she can fulfill her dreams of becoming like her idol, Shiney Chariot. And yet the moment she arrives at the school, she learns that her idol is actually considered to be a hack and she herself lacks any talent for magic. And yet she presses on, with her stubborn demeanor, refusing to accept her weakness and most importantly refusing to give up. And thus she meets friends and rivals who are each attracted to her rather intriguing personality.
After the introductions LWA follows an episodic structure till the half way of its run. Each episode Akko finds herself in some zany adventure regarding magic. These episodes are often themed around her friends. After the halfway point, reality starts to hit. The actual consequences of trying to achieve ones dreams are introduced. At the same time an arch villain shows up and disrupts the joyful adventurous nature of the show and adds in intrigue. Culminating in a fantastic climax that can only called awesome.
As usual studio Trigger brings a fantastic visual style to the show. LWA looks distinct from every show that came out this year. The characters all have wonderful expressive animations. Meanwhile the action sequences can become outright insane in complexity and creativity. They even have a tendency to sneak in a few cheeky references in pretty much every major scene. The soundtrack is more focused on suiting various scenes instead of just on a specific theme. Though the classical music portion of the soundtrack is more noticeable as they are used in the Academy, where most of the story takes place in.
And at last it’s hard not to give a shout out to Diana Cavendish, the most well developed, well rounded and likable rival character since Kiryuin Satsuki. Both her and Akko’s growth throughout the story is what grounds the compelling aspect of the story.
Perhaps it isn’t too late to chase our dreams. Well even if it is, Little Witch Academia will try to persuade you otherwise. And even if you are not convinced, you’ll have a good time experiencing the attempt. It is beyond a doubt one of the best shows of the year.
