First, it is good to separate animation and production from the story of the film, as it is necessary to understand the reasons why the criticisms for and against exist in that title. Aya to Majo is no big deal. Basically, Ayatsuru (or just "Aya") is an energetic and mischievous girl, who lives playing games in the orphanage where she lives. She was left by her mother as a baby, but that never shook her, as she fully relies on her friends for everything. She has an important friend, Custard, in whom she has a special affection. But everything changes overnight, when a very bizarre couple decides to adopt her: Bella and Mandrake. Both have magical abilities and Bella is the couple's witch, while Mandrake does the job of being a "demon". Aya, just like anyone who would be adopted in her place would think, strange and fear the couple. But her curiosity for magic changes her relationship with the couple, especially when she becomes Bella's assistant. From there, the film is based on comedy, games and very cool and interesting mysteries.
The plot is simple and seems to follow American films from Disney and Pixar, where fantasy and the children's audience are the main objectives. It is really an art show, in view of the great effort that the staff had with this show. As much as it is only 82 minutes, Aya to Majo delivered something beyond what most expected. And this is where I want to demystify, commenting on his production.
The quality of the anime is above many other content that we see year after year, released on Japanese TV. This is a good thing, since movies and anime in television format with this quality are quite difficult to have. Even with the improvement and refinement of art and setting techniques, whether in drawings or in CGI, many shows are hampered by the time they have to make an episode, or deliver a finished scene. Shingeki 4 is a current example that faces these difficulties and has a strong and negative reception from a portion of fans, where the effort of an entire team is being literally disregarded, as if it were easy to make more than 30 thousand frames per episode. Exhaustion and psychological pressure are fundamental problems that need the attention of the industry. Aya to Majo apparently managed to reverse this negative picture of animes and delivered an excellent experimental work. It's a new chance for all studios and streaming platforms to make anime more innovative. CGI can be good, art can overcome with time and anime can use it as a new method of work and professionalization.
Going back to the film, what bothered me was neither of the two topics presented, but a lack of structure to keep the show interesting. Aya and Bella practically occupy the entire anime and their daily lives are the central focus. In addition, Mandrake raging is also well used. But, I felt that the lack of a better text and of development harmed the show itself, since it was, for the most part, weak. I don't know if it's just an opinion of my own, but I expected Aya's birth mother to appear in some more natural way, which it didn't. The anime also did not have a purpose, because the childishness and function of the story is just an attempt to convince the target audience that everything presented is cool and pleasurable. Of course, it is a show for children, I am not the target of the production for that very reason, but I hoped that Studio Ghibli would further improve this determining factor. Incidentally, the direction also did not know how to make a finale very well, nor did it improve during the scenes. It was just a fun that got tired, it was repetitive and that will be very little remembered by the otaku.
Overall, Aya to Majo is a decent film. It does not lack visual qualities and it is really deserved praise for its production. But aesthetics and history didn't go together this time. The anime does not entertain the most diverse in this type of media, nor will it mark generations, like Totoro and Chihiro. It is a pity, as its influence has the potential to reform the industry. However, the film has a quality that I liked. Children's comedies are things I really appreciate and like a lot. Congratulations to Ghibli, for doing a show like this. The studio brought the main essence easily and remained one of the most important organizations in the history of anime.
