Little Witch is an archetypally rich Trigger show. The story is one of Akko's attempt to become her hero - her destined self - with sheer determination in spite of her magical impotence. The slice-of-life first half of the show shines thanks to the characters who have great depth of personality and synergy producing comedic moments which really hit. Each of these intial episodic narratives touches on a nuanced moral motif which is both interesting and doesn’t demand your attention. However, like with many shows which transform into stronger over-arching narratives, the transition is rocky. Nevertheless, the show manages to get back into gear for a finale with a refreshing twist. I very much recommend you give Little Witch a go!

Little Witch Academia, though different from most other Studio Trigger shows, still has its stellar animation quality, with bright colours and smooth action the show’s a joy to watch. The full and imaginative world holds many fun and extremely likeable characters who (nearly) all get their time to shine and the slice-of-life plots of the early series make it easy to get to know the characters and root for their later journeys and personal growth. Overall Little Witch Academia is an extremely cute and fun show I would recommend to any magical girl fans or lovers of great animation.

I am a big fan of You Yoshinari's previous work, and so I was glad that he finally got a chance to write and direct his own show. I got to attend a talk by him in 2017 where he described his travels across England to learn of our folktales as inspiration for Little Witch Academia. I found it fascinating to see his interpretation of these old stories from a very Japanese perspective. The show both respects the tradition of the legends and of the Gainax-Trigger lineage it comes from, while not being stuck in its ways. This same message is core to the show narratively too, and is an important lesson to take away.

To me, Little Witch Academia is a great anime about how hard work can achieve anything if you believe in yourself. My favourite part of LWA was Akko & Diana’s relationship as it went from Diana looking down on Akko to seeing her as a friend and equal. Episodes 19 & 20 were my favourite because they were the episodes where Diana recognises Akko and accepts her help in her time of need. Little Witch Academia will have a special place in my heart and I hope I get to rewatch it for years to come.

I got it voted in as set series in anime society so it will have a special place in my heart