Little Witch Academia

Episode Count	25
Season	Winter 2017
Genres	Comedy, Fantasy
Source Material	Original Anime
Rating	TV-Y7
Streaming	TBD

Yoh Yoshinari is a fascinating creator in anime, because despite his age (the man is 54 at the time of this writing), much of his sensibilities are rooted in the tastes of Millenials. Inspired as much by the likes of The Powerpuff Girls and My Life as a Teenage Robot as he is by the likes of Panda and the Magic Serpent and the early works of Hayao Miyazaki, Yoshinari’s style favors as much zany slapstick and screwball comedy as it does epic fantasy and whimsical flourish. And in that respect, Little Witch Academia is an encapsulation of those sensibilities.

The best way I’ve been able to describe the tone of LWA is “a 2000s Cartoon Network series mashed up with Harry Potter, made by a Miyazaki fanboy”. It’s a delightfully wacky yet warmhearted series following well-meaning ditz Atsuko “Akko” Kagari as she navigates a world of magic and wizardry with only her love of the long-disgraced magician Shiny Chariot to guide her. It’s as much a series about growing up, dreams, childhood whimsy and optimism as it is a comedy where Akko proceeds to rope everyone into her own pace of things while being humorously smacked around in the process. It’s an even split of the old and new generation of cartoons that Yoshinari loves, and the final result is nothing short of joyous. If nothing else, it’s guaranteed to leave a smile on your face.

- CCharmanderK