By Robert Ramos

When I found there was going to be a TV series of Little Witch Academia, I got fairly excited. I was pretty pleased with how the first “movie” turned out, even if was only 30 minutes and left a lot of openness. Will the TV adaptation hold true? Let’s find out, shall we!

The episode starts off in the same manner as the movie.  A young Kagari is watching a magic show by a witch idol and is completely enthralled. From there, we fast-forward and finally (if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll get what I mean) get some insight to Kagari’s character. Kagari is not of witch blood and is only able to attend the boarding  school [for witches] because the school is desperate for money. So begins Kagari’s school adventure, and along the way meeting the two above pictured girls who end up being her roommates.

In terms of first episodes, this was perfect. We’re presented with just the right amount of information about the characters and the world. None of it was ever overbearing nor was there ever any confusion. If anything, after watching this, I was left with wanting more. Really, I couldn’t have asked for a better opener and I just hope the later episodes don’t falter.  

The studio behind the animation is Trigger. If you’re at all familiar with them, then you know what’s in store. While it’s not your typical Trigger animation with over the top antics and in your face-ness that you’ve grown accustomed to, the style is modestly present but turned down to a 7. I did feel that the colors were a bit flat, but that couldn’t have been a result of how I watched this episode. Either way, I think the animation, as a whole, was fine and suits the story at hand. The character designs I enjoyed a lot as well. Everyone was unique and I appreciated the diversity of them all.

Overall, this episode was fun and cute and I cannot wait for more. The comedy was well placed and it looks like the story is going to progress nicely. While it was simple in presentation, it wasn’t too simple that it was ever boring. If you have the time, I highly recommend you watch the first movie before checking this episode out. Dig that and you’ll dig this, I guarantee it.

Score: 5/5

Little Witch Academia E.01