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zoeekar · 8 years ago

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Little Witch Academia (TV) 2017

It has officially been a week since the Little Witch Academia finale and having finally had time to watch the whole series over, I have one thing to say. It’s beautiful. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like some of the plot or the characters or whatever, you can’t deny that it’s visually stunning. The animation flow and direction are absolutely amazing and that, combined with the beautiful music and superb voice acting make for a show definitely worth watching.

HUGE SPOILERY REVIEW UNDER THE CUT (obviously)

The anime features an all-female cast (with the exception of homeboi Andrew™) which, in my opinion, is another one of its high points as this gives it the opportunity to deal with other, much more interesting subjects, and not only with girls swooning over boys all the time which, to be honest, would take away so much of its magic.

Speaking of magic, there is an abundance of it in the show as it is the main point of the entire anime. It follows Atsuko “Akko” Kagari, a girl from an ordinary, non-magical family and her journey to fulfill her dream and become a witch just like her idol, Shiny Chariot whose show she watched when she was a little girl. In order to fulfill said dream, she begins attending Luna Nova, a prestigious academy for witches, the same one Shiny Chariot once attended. Of course, things will not be too easy for her.

I’ll be the first to admit that I was just a bit skeptical about it during the first few episodes. It felt like it lacked some of the charm the two OVA’s had and was just a little bit too childish at times. The fact that I found Akko extremely annoying, stupid and one-dimensional didn’t do much to help either.

EPISODES During the first half, episodes 1-13, and especially during the first… 6 or so episodes, I found the whole plot to be a tad oversimplified and, again, childish for lack of a better word. I had yet to warm up to Akko as a character, to the point I was actually tempted to skip some of her scenes, something that didn’t change until the second half of, well, the second half. The overall pacing of the first half felt a little off, with filler episodes shoe-horned in, something that made the second half feel more rushed than I hoped it would be.

The second half, episodes 14-25, is where the show starts to pick up, and it does so wonderfully. The action that was mostly lacking up until episode 13 is there more and more and the plot starts getting heavier and heavier, leaving behind the filler episodes that were the majority of the first half. The main objective of the show never changes, it’s still all about Akko trying to be the new Shiny Chariot, but, in contrast to the first half, we can see Akko growing as a character, recognizing her mistakes and flaws and kinda trying to be a better person.

Overall, it may start out a little bit weak, but it gets better and better as the episodes go by and it’s definitely worth sitting through all the fillers as they too provide some very nice narratives and humorous content, which is honestly much needed as, starting from episode 19 (one of my personal favourites), the show really starts hitting you in the feels more and more. There is also just a little bit of romance between Akko and homeboi Andrew™, for those of you who like that sort of thing, but it’s not that prominent. Not that I’m complaining as I was never too big on the AkkoxAndrew (Anko?) front. If you’re like me, however, you will also be able to find traces or romance between Akko and Diana as well, the dianakko front being my favorite one (along with the charoix one).

CHARACTERS Much like the OVA’s, the main character of the anime is Atsuko Kagari, you can just call her Akko, a human with big big dreams. Her personality isn’t very different when you compare the OVA’s to the TV version of her. She’s passionate, hot-headed, stubborn, pretty naive, kinda annoying, and quite a bit stupid. Not that she’s not smart IQ-wise, she’s just not too smart in the decisions she usually makes. She wants to be the new Shiny Chariot so bad that she is pretty much blind to everything else. And that doesn’t change until the very end of the anime, the last few episodes is where she actually realizes that she can’t be Shiny Chariot, not for lack of trying, but because she is her own person. Her and Chariot are two different people who share a common dream. To make people laugh and believe in magic and that’s all. She can’t be Shiny Chariot because there is and ever will be only one Shiny Chariot. Just like there’s only one Akko Kagari. As soon as Akko realizes that, she also realizes just how truly powerful she is. That’s when she goes from being annoying and one-dimensional to being an actually fleshed-out and well-rounded character. This development doesn’t happen till the last few episodes of the second half, but it’s really worth it if you can put up with her till then.

By Akko’s side during her journey to become Shiny Chariot are always her two best friends and roommates, Lotte Yansson and Sucy Manbavaran. They’re both main characters in the two OVA’s as well as the TV series, making their first appearance in the very first episode, but, to me, they lack character development. They are very interesting characters with a lot of potential, that, unfortunately, goes mostly unexplored. They are there every step of the way, helping Akko, making sure she’s not in too much over her head, but, by the end of the series, it doesn’t feel like we know more about them than what we knew in the beginning. They both have one or two filler episodes dedicated to them that provide us with a bit more information, but that little development is lost in the sea of the 25 episodes, which is honestly quite sad.

Now, my personal favorite (as some of you may know already) is best girl Diana Cavendish™. I find her to be the most interesting and well-rounded character of the entire anime, starting off as a sort of antagonist (in Akko’s eyes at least), and ending up being one of Akko’s closest friends, and also the one who helps Akko defeat the “final boss” and finally restore magic. In contrast to her character’s portrayal in the two OVA’s, where she appeared to be snobby, bitchy, and kind of a bully towards Akko and co, in the TV version, she is much different. While still being the top student of Luna Nova, admired by teachers and students alike, still followed around by her two friends and roommates, Hannah and Barbara (who are the ones doing all the bullying and being mean), and still being cold and distant most of the time, her words still harsh when it comes to dealing with Akko, she’s never once mean towards her or gets mad at her, even when she has every right to be. There are plenty of examples in the show where she chose to be the bigger person while Akko was more petty. It becomes clear as the episodes go by that her and Akko share more similarities than either of them thought they did, and it’s their common love and admiration for Chariot that will eventually bring them closer. That, along with Akko’s realization that Diana isn’t a bad person at all and that she too, much like Akko, has a dream that’s very important to her and who she is as a person. Even though Diana isn’t featured in every episode, she is still probably the second most important character, only behind Akko herself. Be sure to look around for an extra review of only Diana’s character as I will most likely do one of those since I have much more to say about her than this.

Next we have the green team, consisted of Amanda O’Neill, Jasminka Antonenko, and Constanze whose full name I’m not even going to try and type. They make their very first appearance in the second OVA and are recurring characters in the TV show, often helping Akko out with her quest. Not much about them is known since they too lack significant character development, something that prevents us from really getting to know them. Amanda is tough and tomboyish, often in rivalry with Diana, and she loves flying on her broom, Jasminka likes to eat a lot and Constanze is very into technology, and can usually be found building something, infusing it with magic. Her abilities come in handy a few times both in the second OVA and the TV series as she’s one of the two characters with extensive knowledge in magic infused technology, which is both the cause of the final conflict and part of the solution.

The second best girl of the show and another favorite character of mine is professor Ursula Callistis. She’s the youngest faculty member of Luna Nova, which usually gives her the short end of the stick, and also Akko’s mentor since day one. It’s made perfectly clear (to us) from the very beginning, both in the first OVA and the TV series, that Ursula sensei is, in fact, Shiny Chariot (or Chariot du Nord) in disguise. Not-so-subtle hints are dropped all throughout the series, until the big reveal in episode 22, in a gorgeous scene that had me tearing up because my fragile heart can’t take sad music and flashbacks all in one go. Up until the final episodes, it is unclear why Chariot would give up her dream and adopt a different persona and lifestyle, so far away from what she actually wanted to do, which was to perform and make people happy with her magic. The reason why is revealed towards the end and it does a great job at making us feel guilty for liking her so much. I don’t know if any of you actually stopped liking her after the reveal, but I couldn’t do that. The fact that they made it clear that she didn’t do anything on purpose, and that she ran away and hid because of how guilty she was feeling made it easier for me to keep loving her till the very end.

The main antagonist, who isn’t revealed until the first episode of the second half (episode 14), is (instant ramen noodle eating monster) Croix Meridies or Croix sensei. She makes her first appearance as a new teacher in Luna Nova who is there to teach the girls more about technology as she believes that that is the future of magic, as opposed to traditional magic. She is immediately liked by Akko who finds her “super cool”, but it’s made clear that she’s definitely not as good as she seems. In the end of episode 14, it’s revealed that her and Ursula sensei know each other, and it’s also pretty clear that they are not in the best of terms. Croix makes sure to get close to Akko by helping her out and giving her more information about Chariot since the two were classmates. Akko, being her naive and reckless self, immediately does whatever Croix tells her to, as she believes that it’s for her own good and that it’ll bring her one step closer to both meeting Chariot, and also becoming just like her. As a result, she finds herself in danger more than once, always being rescued in the end by Ursula sensei. As the episodes go by, it’s all the more clear that not only did Croix and Chariot know each other, but they once were best friends. That changed over the years, the beginning of their downfall being the day Chariot was chosen to be the one to restore magic instead of Croix, something that obviously made the latter feel very bitter and unappreciated. It is also shown that they used to work together during Chariot’s shows and that it was Croix’ idea for Chariot to use the dreams and hopes of non-magical children to gain more power. Another thing that’s made kind of clear is that at least Croix had feelings for Chariot that went beyond those of friendship. Nothing is outright stated, but it is quite obvious the more we’re shown about their past. When Croix’ master plan to exploit negative human emotions and gain more power for herself is made clear, it’s Chariot the first one who tries to stop her. She’s eventually defeated with the help of Akko and co (see all the characters above) and ends up helping them stop the “final boss” (that she created) by building a seven-person, technologically advanced, flying broom alongside the rest of the main characters.

Lastly, we have homeboi Andrew Hanbridge™. Not a lot of character development happens here as well, but it is obvious that he changes as the episodes go by. Starting off as someone who is against witches and anything magical, he soon learns to accept and even respect witches and what they stand for. He’s first introduced in the middle of the first half of the series, specifically episode 6, and is shown to be someone who most girls find extremely attractive as he has both good looks and a lot of money. He appears to be a well-educated, well-mannered young man, often distant and indifferent, traits that he shares with Diana who he knew while growing up. By the end of the series, he is shown to have developed his own ideas and views concerning magic, disregarding those of his father which he had been somewhat blindly following all his life.

FURTHER ANALYSIS On a technical aspect, I found Little Witch Academia to be absolutely flawless. Everyone from the animators to the voice actors did an amazing job at bringing this world to life. The character designs are beautiful, and I can’t even begin to tell you how refreshing I found it that there weren’t any oversexualized characters and/or shots. As far as the OP and ED songs are concerned, they are great, and I loved the sequences too, especially the OP sequence of the second half. Music, in general, was expertly used throughout the anime and was usually combined with beautiful animation and voice acting, making every scene unique and touching in its own way. Some prime examples of this are the scenes between Akko and Ursula sensei in episode 21, and also the big reveal in episode 22, and the scene between Akko and Diana in episode 23 (you all know what I’m talking about).

FINALE I found the finale as a whole to be pretty damn good. That said, it did feel a little bit rushed to me, almost as if they were in a hurry to finish it. The animation was beautiful as ever, as was the voice acting, but it was the first and only time I had a slight problem with the choice of music. Yes, the first OP was a cute choice, but it didn’t feel too appropriate for the final battle. I guess I just wanted something a bit more dramatic, something a little heavier. Just like I would prefer some more angst during the episode that would lead to the final, epically gorgeous (and gay) Akko and Diana scene. I expected a happy ending cause that’s how the entire anime was set up, no big battles, no overly angsty scenes, no signs of blood and gore… It was obvious that is would have a milder, happy ending. I’m definitely okay that they didn’t kill anyone off, especially since there was talk about either Chariot or Croix dying, something that I felt was quite possible too, I just missed the drama, the angst, the will they/won’t they. Other than that, I’m pretty happy with the way they decided to end the anime, and I can only hope that they will bring it back for a new season, cause god knows it deserves it.

Favorite Character(s): Diana Cavendish, Ursula Callistis/Shiny Chariot, Croix Meridies Favourite Episode(s): 3, 13, 14, 15 (that Chariot scene thooo), 17 (Amanda. In. A. Suit.), 19-25 (duh) Overall Rating: 8-9/10

If you read all this and you’re still here, thank you! I’d love to hear what you have to say about the anime, what you liked, what you didn’t like, what you’d change, what are your thoughts on a second season… I’m always here to listen and talk about LWA, so… Let’s talk about it!

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reneesghostinthelivingroom · 3 months ago

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mentor!ursula callistis x student!fem!reader comforting her after a failed practical exam please comfort and fluff bc i missing her sm rn 😔🫶 thank youuuu!

Better Than Nothing

|| mentor!ursula callistis x platonic!student!fem!reader

|| Warnings; reader's like a daughter to Ursula and vice versa, reader feels anxiety/panic about her test results, Ursula comfort, hints at not so great parents, short drabble

|| Summary; when reader finds out she failed, her world feels like it's crumbling. Ursula takes notice.

Requests closed!

Started; November 13th

Finished; November 15th

~~~

10%. Your most recent report card seemed to almost be glaring at you. 10%. You got 10% on your practical exam in Professor Ursula's class and it felt as though the world around you was shrinking. Collapsing in. You were a good student, you got good grades and understood most of what you were taught. You'd even gone and asked Ursula for extra classes when you both had the free time. So how did you do so poorly...? Your hands trembled as you held the paper between them. Sitting silently in your seat at the back of the class.

Ursula had been at the front, sitting at her desk and talking with some students who had questions about their finale marks. When she noticed you. Over the time she's spent with you, she'd grown a bit of a soft spot. Viewing you almost like a daughter to her. She could tell you were distraught about your mark. It made her wonder how your parents would react whenever they found out, given by how freaked out you seemed... she could only guess. She frowned at that.

"Professor Ursula?" The student she had been talking to tilted her head to the side. A little confused when Ursula seemed to not hear her question.

"Oh! Um, I'm sorry, repeat that for me?" Ursula gave a sweet smile. Hoping she didn't hurt the kid's feelings. She repeated her question and Ursula helped her out. Then when she was done with the students at her desk, she made her way over to you and the finale bell rang.

The students left the class, but her focus was on you. You hadn't even moved to get up, even when the finale dismissal bell went. Signalling the end of the school day. Ursula sat down with you, her eyes watching carefully through her glasses. Thinking about what to say. "Are you okay, Y/N?" She asked. Her tone careful and considerate for your feelings. She knew you tried hard. But her class... had never been a strong point for you.

"10%... all that effort and that's still what I got?" You slapped the paper with one hand. The sheet making a sound as you looked to Ursula. Who frowned and rested her arm on the desk.

"You did better than last time." She didn't know if that was the most comforting thing to say. But she was really trying. Besides, she was right. Last time you had gotten a zero. 10% was better than nothing. "We'll just have to work a little harder together, okay? How about you meet me in my office later this evening?" She placed a hand to your head and you looked up at her. Your eyes sad and full of disappointment in yourself. You had been trying hard... why couldn't you grasp it?

"Okay..." You mumbled.

Ursula gave you a sad smile, bringing her hand down to your jaw and cupping your cheek. Thumb brushing over your skin in a comforting gesture," you're smart. Okay? Don't ever let a test result define you. Not everyone is perfect at everything. I've messed up a lot in my life. That just means there's room for us to grow." She took a glance outside, thinking about the moon and that night with a distant look in her eyes.

You felt confused by that. What could Ursula have done? You didn't know, but the look in her eyes told you maybe it wasn't a conversation for you to hear. She looked back to you as she stood," I'll see you around 7?"

With a nod, you stood up too. Gathering your things," 7." You agreed and walked out of the class. Her words helped you a bit, but you still felt like there was a massive weight over you. What would your parents say? You tried to push the thoughts aside and focus on putting your all into tonight. After all, you'd get more time with your favourite teacher. Ursula was like a mother figure to you. She's helped you a lot and you didn't know what your grades would look like without her guidance. So you wanted to impress her and make her proud.

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