All the Witches in the Sky
Actually, what we all really want in life is the feeling we get when we watch the first three or four Harry Potter films back-to-back. It’s warm, adventurous, and full of friendship. And if there is such a thing as a perfect emotion, it’s exactly that mixture. Unfortunately, even the most beautiful feelings eventually fade in life. But I’ve found a way to revive them—by taking a bit of a detour.
We simply take the most beautiful, affectionate, and cozy elements from the now slightly less radiant Harry Potter epic, mix them with another world we love—say, Sailor Moon—and suddenly we have something new that’s packed with all those old, wonderful, almost legendary emotions. How does that work? Very simple: with Little Witch Academia.
If I had to explain Little Witch Academia in one sentence, I’d say: just imagine putting Usagi Tsukino into Hogwarts. That’s it. You really don’t need to know much more about this anime series, which grew out of a successful short film. Sailor Moon meets Harry Potter—as a series. That should make everything clear now, every doubt removed, every question answered.
At the center of Little Witch Academia is the 16-year-old Atsuko Akko Kagari, who is sent to a prestigious magic school called Luna Nova Magical Academy to learn everything about magic. The problem is that while all her classmates are gifted witches, Akko has no clue about any of this hocus-pocus. In fact, she can’t even ride a broom.
Together with her two new best friends, Lotte Jansson and Sucy Manbavaran, the rather arrogant Diana Cavendish, and the mysterious teacher Ursula, Akko tries to make the best of things. She soon realizes that behind the façade of Luna Nova Magical Academy there are not only countless ancient mysteries hidden away—but that she herself might be destined for something greater.
Little Witch Academia thrives on the small adventures Akko experiences around the academy and on the countless colorful characters scattered throughout its lovingly crafted world: Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank Albrechtsberger, the grim German who prefers tinkering with her robots; Jasminka Antonenko, the Russian glutton; or Amanda O’Neill, the cheeky American who loves causing trouble.
Akko herself is basically a brunette version of Usagi Tsukino. She’s cheeky, impatient, and stuffs herself with cake whenever she’s stressed. Her temperament not only constantly gets her into trouble, but also helps her turn seemingly hopeless situations around and uncover one or two small—and sometimes big—secrets that would otherwise have remained hidden.
The all-girls Luna Nova Magical Academy is essentially nothing more than a Hogwarts packed with all kinds of new legends. There are potion classes with eccentric professors, sealed corridors where death and disaster lurk, and dark schemes threatening to surface. In other words: everything a grand story needs.
The episodes are pleasantly mixed up. Sometimes it’s about Akko’s destiny-shaping past, sometimes about a magical competition gone wrong. One time it’s the search for a grumpy yeti, another time the resurrection of a crazed skeleton. Sometimes it’s a deadly moss disease, other times a debt-collecting dragon. Little Witch Academia is never boring.
And although the small adventures are the most entertaining, a big secret casts its shadow over every single episode. Little Witch Academia does a lot of things right, and we could all take a page from Akko’s boundless naivety and joy for life. Without her, half the fun would be gone. If you like Sailor Moon and Harry Potter, you’ll love Little Witch Academia.