One of the biggest myths surrounding anime has always been this: it’s for kids. As if Chainsaw Man and Junji Ito aren’t convincing enough, this false assumption has caused anime much grief as it went global. However, some anime actually are for kids, and not just Pokémon. Of all things, Studio Trigger’s Little Witch Academia is rated TV-Y7. As a reminder, Studio Trigger is the team behind the extremely NSFW battle shounens, Kill la Kill and Darling in the FranXX, and helmed New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt; the revival of one of the naughtiest anime of all time. Could this be the old myth at work again? Or is Little Witch Academia actually for kids? Only one way to find out.
In Little Witch Academia, a girl named Atsuko “Akko” Kagari attends the school that her idol, Shining Chariot, attended: Luna Nova Magical Academy. However, if you’ve seen literally every instance of the magic school trope ever, you’d know immediately that there’s stigma towards muggles like Akko. But surely enough, she’ll overcome insurmountable odds with the power of friendship!
So, yeah, I can already see how this show would be divisive, but for the opposite reason as what you’d expect from Trigger: it’s so inoffensive. Even when expecting it, Little Witch Academia felt so jarring to watch, although the studio’s distinct style is definitely there. Since I wasn’t feeling pumped up within minutes of the first episode, my brain immediately told me that the show must be awful. Compared to that insane opener for Kill la Kill, where that guy is running down the flights of stairs, while Gamagoori is skydiving after him and laughing maniacally, Little Witch Academia establishes that Akko is a fan of Shiny Chariot and that’s about it.
More than anything, Little Witch Academia needs to be approached as, of all things, a CGDCT. It’s meant to be comfort food, just like the Pokémon anime, and I was definitely able to enjoy that. However, unlike Pokémon, Little Witch Academia is objectively less creative in terms of worldbuilding. It’s anime Harry Potter, that’s it.
Fortunately, Little Witch Academia manages to turn itself around soon enough, by showing its Studio Trigger colors with some good old-fashioned social commentary. The main theme of Little Witch Academia is the classic duel of tradition versus modern day, with magic being symbolic of the former. Unlike most magic schools, Luna Nova has been suffering financially because magic has been wavering in popularity, due to the technological advancements of society. Of course, politics are involved too. This is when Little Witch Academia begins to feel like a proper Trigger show.
The weird thing about this dynamic is that, compared to Kill la Kill’s blatant criticism of the Right, Little Witch Academia comes off as a criticism of the Left. Wanting to keep things in line with traditional values is generally a more religious and conservative thing, so logically, the anti-magic viewpoint—the viewpoint in favor of social change—is symbolic of liberal values, which is framed as a negative thing in this context. It’s also out-of-character for witches; due to the nature of witch hunts throughout history, witches are generally seen as liberal and Feminist symbols these days. Perhaps Trigger actually has the intelligence to explore both sides of the coin… Or maybe I’m overthinking this—it is a kids’ show after all—but thanks to my experience with Trigger in the past, it’s something I’ve come to expect.
If there were meant to be allegories, Little Witch Academia feels more nuanced with its social commentary than Kill la Kill, which implies that Trigger actually respects the intelligence of children. However, I’m not really sure how ahead of its time they were back in 2018. A lot of kids’ media is SUPER political these days, especially in the world of books. Regardless, Little Witch Academia isn’t—for the lack of a better word—woke, as a lot of newer cartoons blatantly try to please liberals. There are canonical queer characters, but it’s played off as mundane, versus making that its entire identity (like The Owl House).
Unfortunately, Little Witch Academia is one of those with the big hurdle of an unlikable main protagonist, and I don’t mean morally bankrupt. While Akko does receive the designated overpowered thing that offsets her being a muggle, it only works when it feels like it. Overall, Akko is just a complete, brash idiot. Most notably, her obsession with Shiny Chariot is more grating than how Deku felt about All Might. In terms of magic ability, all she ever gets good at is basic transformation spells, mainly because the whole second half of the show becomes a MacGuffin hunt, thus making her magic issue irrelevant.
To be honest, this isn’t Akko’s story, but Shiny Chariot’s. The events of Chariot’s past are the crux of the entire narrative, and Akko basically exists to be the errand girl as those events converge in the present day. That’s pretty much this show in a nutshell.
Fortunately, there are still some great characters. Akko’s roommate Sucy is basically the Best Girl. She’s the designated weirdo with the goofy voice, and is just always fun even if she gets no real character development. Diana is the Draco Malfoy, but is at least formal enough to be humble about her cartoonishly perfect talent (although the same can’t be said about her friends). The one who gets the most development is a boy named Andrew. Raised by a sexist politician, he attends an appropriately sexist boys’ school, and after meeting Akko, learns to question his upbringing and society’s stigma against witches.
That’s basically it. I know I didn’t mention Lotte, Akko’s other roommate, and that’s because she gets third-wheeled HARD. She has no real traits or development at all, basically existing because three is the magic number for lead protagonists. Even secondary characters like Amanda get more moments than her. Even the principal gets to be the star of one of the most heartfelt moments in the entire series!
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Final Verdict: 9.5/10
Little Witch Academia is an outlier in Studio Trigger’s filmography, but a good outlier. It’s fun and charming, and refreshingly devoid of watermelon breasts and obscenities. This is a rare case of an anime that is legitimately appropriate for children, and I would recommend it to any parents who actually care about what their kids watch. Of course, I suggest they watch it subbed…
