Get Ready for ‘Little Witch Academia’
Little Witch Academia, Studio Trigger’s newest anime series project, has just wrapped up its first cour, or 13-episode half-season, in Japan. With the English-subbed/dubbed(?) version guaranteed to come to Netflix in the US under an exclusive distribution contract, it’s safe to say the show should be on its way soon. In anticipation of the series’ migration to streaming in the States, here are some things we think you should know!
This Franchise Is INFINITELY Wholesome
Studio Trigger has a reputation of boundary-pushing in their franchises, and not for nothing; Kill la Kill, their first full-length show, pushed an edgy “fashion = fascism” leitmotif over an edgier revenge tale over an even edgier choice to make everyone wear as little clothing as possible. Shorts like “Inferno Cop,” “Ninja Slayer” and even “Space Patrol Luluco” each find themselves pulling inspiration from other Imaishi-helmed properties like Panty and Stocking w/ Garterbelt in some fashion as well.
Little Witch Academia is one-hundred-fucking-percent not that. Instead, we get a pretty classic story of a kid who wants to make people smile with magic, and with her burning spirit and the power of determination, she’s going to accomplish her goals, by god, or her name isn’t Atsuko Kagari. The short and adjacent movie doesn’t feature any creepy sight-gags or perviness, which is really fucking nice y’all.
What really sets Little Witch Academia apart is that Atsuko, or Akko for short, really isn’t very good at magic. She’s not a Harry Potter stand-in; she’s just a non-magic-using girl who was inspired to pursue magic by someone she looked up to, and she’s not going to give up on her dreams just because everyone else is turning her nose up at her. I think we’ve all felt that at one point or other.
The Animation Is Gorgeous
The relatability of Little Witch Academia’s story and themes is paired with some of the finest animation Studio Trigger has ever produced. Directed by Yoh Yoshinari with assistance from Takafumi Hori and Yusuke Yoshigaki, the animation of Little Witch Academia stands out for its fluidity, nuance and attention to detail.
In addition, Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs provided funding to Studio Trigger through its Young Animator Training Project to show new and learning artists the ropes. Little Witch Academia’s first OVA was put out for free through the project’s Anime MIRAI showcase.
You Can Watch The Short and Movie Sequel For Free, Right Now (If You Have Netflix)
But probably the best reason to watch Little Witch Academia is that you don’t have to find weird pirate sites or get a subscription to an anime streaming service like Crunchyroll or Funimation to watch everything we’ve got right gotdamn now. If you have a Netflix subscription, you can watch both Little Witch Academia and Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade right this second. I can think of much worse ways to spend two hours. (Like watching the first two episodes of Marvel’s Iron Fist.)
And don’t forget to catch Little Witch Academia: the TV series when it arrives sometime soon as a Netflix Original Series, either!
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