Trigger’s interpretation of Harry Potter meets Winx Club.
Little Witch Academia started out as a Kickstarter project that gave life to two movies. If commercial companies should beg for money is a topic for another debate. In 2013 the campaign got 150.000 US dollars in just six hours and got 625.518 US dollars in a month, four time the original goal. People were obviously stoked.
Little Witch Academia tells the story Akko Kagariis, an ordinary girl, who enrolls the school for witches called Luna Nova Academy. Akko and her classmates wander around school property and release a sealed ancient dragon. Now they have to make sure this dragon won’t go haywire around her school.
The Little Witch Academia movies were fun to watch, since they strayed off from Trigger’s absurdist storytelling, accompanied by over the top visuals that really went all over the place. Little Witch Academia had a more accessible nature, especially with its cast centering around Akko who is very impressionable and full of enthusiasm, swaying viewers into her daily shenanigans.
I briefly mentioned Harry Potter in the opening lines and for good reason, since Little Witch Academia really has that atmosphere drained over it. The girls go to a magic academy, learn the traits of studying potions, flying on a broom and encounter magical beings. It’s all very innocent and in setting that is familiar to many people.
I expect the TV-adaptation to not move away too much from its original format. The visuals will be rough, but still less over the top. The setting will remain accessible and lure potential none anime watchers into the medium. The TV version will air the 9th of January of 2017.
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