Comments on Little Witch Academia · 3:46pm Jul 3rd, 2019
Funny story, I completely forgot that this title exists until recently, when Netflix used their magical algorithm to remind me that yes, I watch anime, and that I still haven't seen their greatest original show. Thank you Netflix. You did good (for once).
When she was a little cute loli, Kagari Atsuko (Akko) saw a magical show made by a witch named Shiny Chariot. By magic show I mean ACTUAL MAGIC, not smoke and mirrors, because in this world magic is real and common knowledge, though it's not as popular, glorified or magnificent as you'd think. The world is moving on with the technology and magic stays behind, keeps to itself and creates many barriers and I should probably get back to the plot. Ehem, Akko gets her dream of becoming like her and joins the school for witches as the first student not to come from a witch family. The rest of the story is basically adventures in a magical school, in a world where magic is slowly becoming irrelevant.
My gosh, this series is so charming! I can't quite pinpoint what's so special about it. The episode plots are very catroony in the oldschool way of writing, but with a lot of modern sensibilities, jokes and sheer heart in every frame. Yes, the animation is stunning, but that's Studio Trigger for you.
All the characters have this distinct Studio Trigger vibe in them- all are weird and would clash in any other setting, but here they are at home, never dull, always amusing. Akko is just the right amount of "plucky" for this show- talentless, hard working and rebellious, also a butt of most of the jokes. Her two friends are also a lot of fun, but I thought Sucy, the poison/mushroom obsessed eccentric would be a little more charismatic, but I don't feel her quite yet (but I'm not done with the series, so fingers crossed). Lotte is the opposite- I expected to dislike her for being the shy bookworm type, but she grew on me very quickly. And while I like the secondary cast a lot, nobody can rival the greatness of:
Diana Cavendish 
I don't claim waifus and my imaginary harem is quite small (and most of it is MLP characters), but if I would, Diana would be more than welcome to stay and step on me sometimes. And totally not because she's a recolored version of Sunset Shimmer. That is besides the point!
No, you are not the first person to compare it to Harry Potter, but there are key differences as I mentioned and I gotta say that the world is fascinating. Us, real life muggles have been dreaming of having magical powers and living in a more interesting world, but what about those who are already there? Would magic be all that cool if it was always there, but doing less and less each year, while the sheer human ingenuity marches on and creates so much cool stuff that becomes part of our daily lives? It's an allegory to literature: something that is neat, but ultimately serves no purpose other than amusement once in a while. Or it is something bigger, but we just need a different approach? I got to ask a lot of those questions and I'm not even done with the series!
Confession: I'm only in the middle of the series (no spoilers please), which is available on Netflix and torrents everywhere, along with two specials- a single episode that was kickstarted (successfully, I might add) before the series as a test pilot and was left in limbo for a while, the second was a bigger movie that I haven't watched.
As for where to start watching (because I do recommend it!)- go straight to the TV series if it sounds great and you want to watch it right away, or watch the specials to see if it's up your alley, but I have a sneaking suspicion that you will enjoy it 
Sadly I didn't have time to catch up with it, which I will attempt to fix as soon as I can.
...next time I'll review a series that I actually finished. Hopefully.
So, Reverse Harry Potter with a pinch of Prison School - Mostly for D. C. Cavendish -?
Sounds interesting
You might have seen me declare Diakko as my ultimate OTP, so it should be obvious how I'm standing with this show. And if you're already loving Diana I'm curious what you'll say after the second half, you're in for a treat. Episode 17 is just the start of an avalanche of whams. (Maybe send me a PM when you're done)
Also an important note: the test pilot and the movie are in their own continuity which is non canon to the series (which is why Diana is less interesting there)
And now I'll go back to hoping for an LWA DLC in KLK If.
5083800
Oh boi, I'm getting excited already
The specials are a bit spoilery for the series proper; not severely so, but there's enough plot points and hidden bits of characterization that are meant to be reveals over the course of the show's pacing that I'd warn people away from starting with them. Fun to watch after the fact, though.
I participated in the original Kickstarter, and I think it turned out to be really quite worth it.
The show gets nothing but better as it goes along. You haven't seen anything yet if you haven't watched to the end.