Little Witch Academia

Little Witch Academia (リトルウィッチアカデミア, Ritoru Witchi Akademia) is a 2013 animated short produced by Trigger for Anime Mirai 2013. The short was created and directed by Yoh Yoshinari and written by Masahiko Otsuka. The short was released in theaters on March 2, 2013^[1] and was later streamed with English subtitles on YouTube from April 19, 2013. A second short film funded by Kickstarter, titled Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade (リトルウィッチアカデミア 魔法仕掛けのパレード, Ritoru Witchi Akademia: Mahō Shikake no Parēdo), will be released in 2015.

Story

Akko Kagari enrolls into Luna Nova Magical Academy (ルーナノヴァ魔法学校, Rūna Nova Mahō Gakkō), a school for young witches, after being inspired at a young age by a witch named Shiny Chariot, and often spends her days hanging with her classmates, Lotte and Sucy. However, she has trouble paying attention in class, doesn't know how to ride her broom, and is often looked down upon for admiring Chariot, whom many believe gives the wrong impression about witches. One day, as a teacher instructs the class to explore a dungeon and retrieve rare treasures, Akko finds the Shiny Rod that belonged to Chariot. Meanwhile, the top student, Diana Cavendish, inadvertently breaks a seal on a dragon that grows more powerful by absorbing magic. Noticing the Shiny Rod still has power after all these years, the teacher sends Akko and her friends to reach the Sorcerer's Stone, the source of the academy's power, before the dragon can devour it and become invincible. Arriving at the stone, the Shiny Rod absorbs some of its power, allowing Akko to fight against the dragon. Put into a desperate situation, Akko hears Chariot's words coming from somewhere, that a believing heart is magic, and with renewed conviction she uses the full power of the Shiny Rod to destroy the dragon.

Characters

Akko Kagari (アッコ・カガリ)

Voiced by: Megumi Han

The main protagonist, an energetic girl who joins a school for witches called Luna Nova after being inspired by Shiny Chariot. Having not come from a magical background, she struggles using magic most of the time.

Lotte Yanson (ロッテ・ヤンソン, Rotte Yanson)

Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa

Akko's friend and roommate, a shy girl who wears glasses, sometimes worrying for Akko's well being.

Sucy Manbavaran (スーシィ・マンババラン, Sūshī Manbabaran)

Voiced by: Michiyo Murase

Akko's other friend and roommate, a sickly looking girl who specialises in creating various potions with various effects.

Diana Cavendish (ダイアナ・キャベンディッシュ, Daiana Kyabendisshu)

Voiced by: Yōko Hikasa

The top student in Luna Nova who often looks down on Akko for her admiration of Shiny Chariot. Despite saying this, she is secretly a fan herself.

Shiny Chariot (シャイニィシャリオ, Shainī Shario)

Voiced by: Noriko Hidaka

A well-known witch who specialised in spectacular performances and inspired Akko to become a witch. She is often believed to give the wrong impression about witches and is generally looked down upon. Unbeknownst to the other students, she currently works incognito as a teacher in Luna Nova.

Media

Anime

Little Witch Academia was produced by Trigger as part of the Young Animator Training Project's Anime Mirai 2013 project, which funds young animators, alongside other short films by Madhouse, Zexcs and Gonzo.^[2] The short was created and directed by Yoh Yoshinari and written by Masahiko Otsuka with music by Michiru Oshima. The short, along with the other Anime Mirai shorts, opened in 14 Japanese theatres on March 2, 2013.^[3] Trigger later released the short on Niconico and with English subtitles on YouTube and Crunchyroll on April 19, 2013.^[4] The YouTube version received over 850,000 views up until it was taken down in August 2013 to promote the Blu-ray release.^[5] The short was later released on region-free Blu-ray Disc on October 24, 2013.^[6][7][8]

On July 5, 2013, Trigger announced at Anime Expo that a new episode, titled Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade, would be developed in response to the reception the first episode received.^[9] The project began production in 2014 following the airing of Kill la Kill,^[10][11] with an estimated release date of May 2015.^[12] Whilst initially having the funds for a twenty minute episode, Trigger launched a Kickstarter campaign to extend its runtime to forty minutes.^[13] The Kickstarter was launched on July 9, 2013^[14] and met its $150,000 goal within five hours.^[15] A stretch goal of $500,000 was added to produce a making of documentary and audio commentary for the Blu-ray release.^[16][17] The Kickstarter raised a total of $625,518.^[18] Otsuka has stated that if the sequel performs well, they may potentially look into producing a television series or full length film.^[19] Trigger has followed a path of taking risks and remaining largely independent in order to maintain creative freedom, having experimented with non-traditional funding methods, though Masahiko Otsuka has stated that Kickstarter-funded projects do not result in any change in production from traditional methods.^[20]

Manga

A short one-shot manga based on the anime, drawn by Terio Teri, was published in Shueisha's Ultra Jump magazine on August 19, 2013.^[21]

References

External links

• Little Witch Academia at Anime Mirai (Japanese)
• Little Witch Academia at Acttil (English)
• Little Witch Academia (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Little Witch Academia at the Internet Movie Database