Little Witch Academia (2017 series): Difference between revisions

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''Little Witch Academia'' was a major influence on ''[[The Owl House]]'', to the point where you can point to some characters in one show, and unambiguously say ''exactly'' who their equivalents are in the other show.
 
Fun fact: this show, which itself is a television length adaptation of the original ''[[Little Witch Academia (2013 film)|Little Witch Academia]]'', has adaptations! We have a light novel with the absolutely mouthful title ''[[Little Witch Academia: The Nonsensical Witch and the Country of the Fairies]]''. There's also ''[[Little Witch Academia (Keisuke Sato manga)|Little Witch Academia]]'', an adaptation of ''Little Witch Academia'', which itself is an adaptation of ''[[Little Witch Academia (2013 film)|Little Witch Academia]]''! Fun and totally not confusing at all!
 
{{tropelist|Noctu Orfei... ''Aude Tropae''!}}
* [[Absurdly Sharp Blade]]: In episode 9, the resurrected skeleton grabs his sword, leaps, and cuts a ''stone tombstone'' cleanly in half. Based on how the sword is in "default sword gray" and doesn't have a [[Battle Aura]], you expect it to be quite weak, but no. It's far sharper than it looks.
* [[Accentuate the Negative]]: In universe. In episode 4, Annabel Crème--the author of the ''Night Fall'' series--quits writing due to the hate messages criticising her latest work. She passes her job to Lotte. {{spoiler|Lotte persuades her that she is a good author, and that she is a huge fan of her works, convincing her to keep writing.}}
** {{spoiler|This plays a role in Shiny Chariot's backstory. Chariot keeps receiving requests to make magic more spectacular, and to step up her shows. This, along with pressure from showrunners, led her to seek extreme methods to make her performance better. The fallout from these methods is why she disguises herself}}.
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** In episode 5, the trope is played straight. Diana single-handedly solved the conflict, despite many teachers trying (and failing) to resolve it.
* [[An Aesop]]: Episode 11 tells Akko (and the audience) there is no shortcut for hard work. It requires effort and determination to learn any skill, including magical ones.
* [[Alliterative Name]]: What is the systemic solution to sorcery slowly shrinking? The "Sorcerery Solution System"! Granted, Professor Croix's system is not a person, but the alliteration is still in a name.
* [[After-School Cleaning Duty]]: Dished out to Akko and the trio almost every second episode, as punishment for them doing things they should ''not'' do in the first half of the series.
* [[Animate Dead]]: This is one of the things a witch must ''never'' do, otherwise they face dire consequences. A witch who do so would wish for death than suffer the punishment; it is the greatest crime a witch can commit. Anyway, Akko resurrects the dead in episode 9 "Undead Travelogue".
* [[Animation Bump]]: Any time magic is used for a fight scene, the animation becomes ''much'' better and fluid, showcasing greater movement and agility in the characters. If an episode starts off with characters frozen or contains large amounts of pans over backgrounds, you know the animators are saving for a big fight scene.
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* [[Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever]]: In episode 10, the "whatever" is a squirrel, who Akko enlarges in order to sneak into a party.
* [[Back from the Dead]]: In episode 9, Akko accidentally casts a resurrection spell. She was meant to mend a grave, but her mending potion was mixed with Sucy's mushrooms, resurrecting a corpse who desperately began looking for revenge on a man. {{spoiler|That man was himself. Why did it take you the entire episode to remember, skeleton-man?}}
* [[Bait and Switch Credits]]: The first opening sequence (the one backed by "Shiny Ray") shows Akko flying on a broom through the sky. In reality, she spent the majority of the series begging her broom to fly and yelling into the void while nothing close to flight happens. She did fly on the uncontrollable Shooting Star a couple of times, but the opening depicts her on a regular broom. Plus, the sequence shows a level of control which cannot be applied to the shooting star. {{spoiler|The final sequence of season 1 depicts her flying, but she only makes ten centimeters off the ground at most}}, unlike the hundreds of metres the opening suggests. However, the opening does feature Akko running down a hillside, holding her broom, while Sucy and Lotte flew effortlessly on their broomsticks--a perfect representation of Akko's relationship with a broomstick in the series.
* [[Barehanded Blade Block]]: Blocking a blade with your bare hands is impressive. Blocking a guillotine blade, and stopping all its kinetic energy, like Akko in "Akko's Adventures in Sucyworld" with only your bare hands is more impressive. Unfortunately, her achievements are invalidated because [[Toon Physics]] are at play.
* [[Basilitrice]]: The first episode has a cockatrice as the main antagonist.
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* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: When {{spoiler|Akko threw herself in front of Diana's magic to protect the pupae of a magical butterfly}} in the second episode, injuring herself in the process.
* [[Big Fancy House]]: The Cavendish estate the 2 episode "Cavendish" and "Intellect and Sensibility" arc takes place in. It even comes with its own lake. Note that, despite being made by a Japanese studio, the effects of this trope aren't as great because the estate is in Britain, where the population density is much lower. It shows the Cavendish family is rich; having the mansion in Japan would show they are on the [[Fiction 500]] list.
* [[Big, Thin, Short Trio]]: The {{color|green|green}} trio:
** '''Big''': Jasminka Antonenko.
** '''Short''': Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger.
** '''Thin''': Amanda O'Neill.
* [[Body Horror]]: The start of episode 7 explains if a witch uses magic to commit murder, they will be eaten by mice, with hundreds of teeth slowly chipping away. Fortunately, this never happens to anyone in the series.
* [[Book Ends]]: Episode 5 begins with Amanda and Akko fighting over who is the biggest try-hard in Luna Nova. Episode 5 ends with Amanda and Akko fighting over who is the biggest try-hard in Luna Nova.
* [[Brainwashed and Crazy]]: {{spoiler|Episode 10 centers around Akko, Sucy, and Lotte trying to get rid of a "cupid bee" whose sting causes the one stung to fall in love with the first person they see. [[Bi The Way|It's a pretty potent sting.]]}}
* [[Calling Your Attacks]]: Witches must say ''some'' spell name in order for their magic to work. If you're near Akko, get ready to hear "Noctu Orfei Aude Fraetor" a lot. Because witches use abstract, constructed magic words instead of English, you won't understand exactly what the attack does until you see it.
* [[Cast of Snowflakes]]: The students at the Luna Nova academy. Every one of them are unique. To a lesser extent, also extends to the crowds outside the [[Wizarding School]].
* [[Catch a Falling Star]]: In episode 3, Akko, after falling of her broomstick, is caught by Diana. {{spoiler|Akko returns the favour in the season 1 finale}}.
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** Episode 17, "''Amanda O'Neill'' and the Holy Grail", focusing on [[Little Witch Academia (2017 series)/Characters#Amanda O'Neill|Amanda O'Neill]].
** Episode 19, "''Cavendish''", focusing on [[Little Witch Academia (2017 series)/Characters#Diana Cavendish|Diana Cavendish]].
* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: Akko initially finds her stuff lying on the ground, guarded by a human-eating mandrake. That flower is used later on in the first episode, by she and her party, to attack the gigantic cockarice attacking the cast.
* [[Children Are Innocent]]: Akko and Diana are depicted as innocent in hertheir childhood flashbacks.
* [[Color-Coded Characters]]: The main witches are placed in colour coded trios. The colours are seen in their belts and hats.
** {{color|red|Red}}: Atsuko Kagari, Sucy Manbavaran, Lotte Jansson.
** {{color|green|Green}}: Amanda O'Neill, Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger, Jasminka Antonenko.
** {{color|blue|Blue}}: Diana Cavendish, Hannah England, Barbara Parker.
* [[Continuity Reboot]]: Of the original two films, so it can develop events and characters in greater detail. Even the first episode refers to how the series is "Starting Over".
* [[Contrived Coincidence]]: In episode 16. The Greenman Disease needs such a specific condition to spread it is said to only do so every thousand years. Conditions which must be fulfilled include having planets be in the correct alignment, having the correct amount of carbon dioxide emissions, having the correct amount of herring be born, and having a pie baked at the perfect temperature. It somehow shows up the exact day Akko and her trio visits Lotte's town.
* [[Corporal Punishment]]: Episode 7 states that if a witch engages in fraud, their tongues will be branded with iron, although this never happens in the series.
* [[Cosplay]]: In episode 4, during a [[ShowFictional Within a ShowDocument|''Night Fall'']] release ceremony for the 365th entry, many people dress up as characters from the book series. Lotte was able to point and name at every single one of them and say which character they dress up as.
* [[Crash Into Hello]]: How Akko and Sucy meet.
* [[Creative Closing Credits]]: Two original sequences are created for the first and second halves of season 1. The first sequence shows sketches of characters throughout the series. The second sequence shows an abstract sequence involving Akko and the sun transforming into various objects. Akko, in a basic, undetailed style with no outlines, grows wings and flies away. The last episode in season 1 involves a fully animated sequence.
* [[A Day In The Limelight]]: Almost every [[Recurring Character]] and supporting character gets them. Most episodes focus on Akko, but "Akko's Adventures in Sucyworld" focuses on Sucy, "Pohjola's Ordeal" focuses on Lotte, "Stanship Take Off!" focuses on Constanze, "Cavendish" focuses on Diana, and you can probably figure out who "[[Character Title|Amanda O'Neill]] and the Holy Grail" focuses on.
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* [[Emotion Eater]]: {{spoiler|Professor Croix's solution to the diminishing magic in the world involves this. The little red [[Sinister Geometry]] cubes feed off others' emotions, draining them but using it to power magic. This cycle can quickly get out of control, however, if way too much negative emotions such as anger are absorbed}}.
* [[Empathic Environment]]: At the beginning of episode 8, when Sucy is doing all sorts of creepy experiments and making potions, the weather is appropriately [[It Was a Dark and Stormy Night|dark and stormy]] to reflect this mood.
* [[Equivalent Exchange]]: Magic as a whole works like this. Witches cannot cast magic without the power provided by the Phliosopher's Stone, or another source. The school lights go off, and no one can use magic when something happens to the stone present at Luna Nova. {{spoiler|In episode 22, it is revealed that both Chariot and Croix has different methods of countering the diminishing magic in the world. Chariot absorbs the dreams of people, removing their magical ability in the process. Croix creates [[Sinister Geometry]] cubes to amplify and absorb people's emotions}}.
** In episode 11, if Akko wishes to gain a bright future where she is a talented witch, she must give up her past. {{spoiler|She says no}}.
* [[Eye Poke]]: In the first episode, Sucy animates one of Akko's stuffed bird plushies. The bird proceeds to perform an Eye Poke on Akko. Insane screaming and hyper-exaggerated backgrounds follow. {{quote|'''Akko''': That wasn't very nice!}}
* [[Fairytale Wedding Dress|Fairytale Magic Dresses]] In one of the episodes, Akko, Lotte, and Sucy try to buy magical dresses, and end up with a special magical item that {{spoiler|grants them each "Cinderella" dresses that last two hours}}.
* [[Fate Worse Than Death]]: This is the punishment if a witch uses magic to resurrect the dead. In episode 9, Akko uses magic to resurrect the dead.
* [[Fetch Quest]]: In "Pohjola's Ordeal", Akko must find various ingredients, such as naturally falling snow, and reindeer droppings, in order to cure the Greenman disease. She must do so while her friends are being infected, racing against time before she gets too.
* [[Figure It Out Yourself]]: Hey, buddy. Want to revitalise the entire magic community and revive the Seven Lost Words of Arctus? Screw you. You must figure it out manually. No amount of guidance from kind hearted characters such as {{spoiler|<s>[[Little Witch Academia (2017 series)/Characters#"Shiny" Chariot du Nord|Shiny Chariot]]</s>}} [[Little Witch Academia (2017 series)/Characters#Ursula Callistis|Professor Ursula]] will help. Why? You need to know more than what they mean. You must ''feel'' and understand what they truly represent. Anyone can tell you what the words mean. Only you can figure out its true meaning.
* [[Finale Credits]]: The season 1 finale credits are fully animated, depicting {{spoiler|Akko learning to fly while her friends and Shiny Chariot watch her}}.
* [[Forbidden Zone]]: The Forest of Arctus. It is said that if one enters the forest, they will never leave. {{spoiler|Atsuko Kagari enters and leaves the forest at least three times}}.
* [[Free Sample Plot Coupon]]: The Shiny Rod was just sitting on the floor in the forest in the Forest of Arcturus. Akko easily picks it up and keeps it. Finding the lost words of Arcturus, which the device helps with, is much harder.
* [[Freeze-Frame Bonus]]: In the first episode, when Akko holds out a guide to Luna Nova, you can pause the episode and read its content, which includes a history of Luna Nova, a map of the facility and how to access it, and pictures of the facility. Generally speaking, this applies to all English text in the show. {{quote|'''''Greetings from Luna Nova'''
In 420 AD at the site dedication for the prestigious witchcraft academy of Luna Nova, our founding mentor, Woodward of the Nine Olde Witches greeted our first 100 students with these words "Let this academy be the first milestone in restoring the art of witchcraft and all of its lost glory."}}
* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]: In episode 21, the animators used the fact that Japanese audiences probably don't know what English swear words are to sneak a very naughty word into a scene. This is when anonymous users online are complaining about the latest soccer game. {{quote|''piece of shit game''
''piece of shit referee''}}.
* [[Ghibli Hills]]: The Forest of Arcturus, filled to the brim with dangerous magical creatures. In fact, it's forbidden for witches to enter it (this never stopped Akko). This is one of the few times when the "everything trying to kill you" aspect of the trope is emphasized, and the trope is not romanticised.
* [[Good Angel, Bad Angel]]: In episode 8, the inner Sucys manifest themselves as angels to guide Akko through, well, Sucyworld. Played with, in that what the good angel is doing--forcing Akko to sign a contract to enlist the angel's help--cannot be considered "good".
* [[Gratuitous English]]: Used in the second opening, "Mind Conductor", which is mostly in Japanese except for a couple of English words inserted here and there. {{quote|''Take action!''
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* [[It's a Long Story]]: In episode 22, Professor Croix asks Akko how she is in the town, and how she got to the rooftop of the building Croix stands on. Akko responds with this stock phase.
* [[Journey to the Center of the Mind]]: The plot point of episode 8, "Akko's Adventures in Sucyworld", where Akko tries to wake up a sleeping Sucy.
* [[Kangaroo Court]]: In "Akko's Adventures in Sucyworld", the court in Sucyworld is this. Any hint of personality from any Sucy means they are sentenced to death. In fact, ''every'' Sucy put on trial was sentenced to death. When Akko opposes this decision, she is sentenced to death herself. {{spoiler|Don't worry. Everyone is fine}}.
* [[Kid Hero]]: Let's put some pieces together: the series takes place in a [[Wizarding School]], the main characters are young, Lotte's parents are seen in an episode, the word ''little'' is in the show title, and the show is targeted towards kids. After pondering the topic over and over, staying up late at night, you might come to a stunning revelation. The main characters, including the [[Hero Protagonist]] Akko, are all teenagers; they're Kid Heroes! Their ages, according to official promotional material, are all sixteen.
* [[Knight of Cerebus]]: Professor Croix, whose introduction in episode 14 marks the start of a large story arc, complete with more serialised episodes. This is even complemented with a new opening. {{spoiler|Indeed, because the next episode features a ''big'' reveal}}.
* [[Last Episode Theme Reprise]]: The last episode fits the trope description wonderfully. We have the first opening [[Anime Theme Song]] "Shiny Ray", played at [[The Climax]] in an epic battle. We also hear verses not in the original opening, and [[Studio Trigger]] is very much going for a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]].
* [[Late for School]]: How the series starts out. Akko asks around for a bus stop to take her to Luna Nova, but turns out, there are ''no'' buses that go there. Instead, you have to ride on a broomstick. Oh, also if you're late, you're expelled. The stakes are just a little high. Since the rest of the series happens, we can obviously conclude Akko made it... barely.
* [[Legacy Character]]: In episode 4, {{spoiler|Annabel Crème. The pseudonym was passed down from author to author, and the current Annabel Crème decided to pass it down to Lotte. Lotte rejects the position, giving a motivational speech to the current Annabel, convincing her to keep going with her role}}.
* [[Leitmotif]]: "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko4VW6ucq_8 Chariot's Theme]" often plays when (guess who) Shiny Chariot is on screen, and in other important moments in the story. It is the song that opens the series, when the audience is introduced to important characters for the first time.
* [[Loan Shark]]: In episode 5, {{spoiler|the dragon, who takes Luna Nova's own Philosopher's Stone as collateral, claiming that the school fell behind on interest repayments. Turns out, the initial agreement, written in the dragon language, mentioned that there were ''no'' interest to be repaid, rendering the dragon the world's worst loan shark.}}
* [[Long Runners]]: In universe with ''Night Fall'', where the 365th novel was released in episode 4. The series continued for 120 years.
* [[Look Ma, No Plane]]: In episode 3, when Akko flies past an airplane after getting on a broomstick she can't control very well.
* [[Love Potion]]: A love ''bee'' in this case, appearing in episode 10. When it stings anyone, they instantly fall in love.
* [[Love Triangle]]: One is present in the ''Night Fall'' [[Show Within a Show|book series within the show]].
* [[The Magic Comes Back]]: {{spoiler|In the ridiculously over the top, [[Studio Trigger]] style finale, the people around the world give their support for the witches stopping the missile. This increases the Diana and Akko's magical power, and even brings back the [[World Tree]]}}!
* [[The Magic Goes Away]]: As the world of ''Little Witch Academia'' enters the modern age, magic has been getting weaker and weaker. Magical resources become scarcer, and there's fewer users of magic. Many aspects of magic was replaced by [[Muggle]] technology. This concept isn't explored in other franchise instalments, and is only touched on in the series.
* [[Magic Kiss]]: [[Parodied]]. In episode 8, Sucy is asleep. Akko performs a [[Journey to the Center of the Mind]] and locates the sleeping Sucy within the sleeping Sucy. She drinks all the antidotes Lotte gave her, and is about to feed them to Sucy via a magical kiss. That ''was'' the plan until Sucy wakes up at the last minute and pushes Akko aside.
* [[Memento MacGuffin]]: Akko's rare card of Shiny Chariot. {{spoiler|Diana has an even rarer card!}}
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* [[Mood Whiplash]]: Episode seven begins with the dangers of magic. To use magic to commit murder, they will be eaten life slowly by mice. Use magic to resurrect the dead? Enjoy your [[Fate Worse Than Death]]. Then... {{quote|'''Akko''': Are all of these going to be on our next exam?
'''Professor''': Probably.}}
* [[Muggles Do It Better]]: This is one of the reasons why magic is disappearing in the world of ''Little Witch Academia''. While witches use magic, muggles<ref>Muggles possesses the ability to use magic, just less efficiently. Akko demonstrates this by being from a non-magical family, but still being able to cast spells.</ref> have technology. Modern technology can do many things magic can: magic has flying broomsticks, technology gives us airplanes. Magic require rigorous study to use, modern technology doesn't. Cars are just a viable method of transportation than broomsticks. In fact, ''any'' muggle who can drive are better at transportation than Akko, who ''cannot'' ride a broomstick. The series explores this in depth the most, while other instalments tend to gloss over this aspect in favour of goofy episodic magical adventures.
* [[Morph Weapon]]: The Shiny Rod can shift into various forms depending on what Lost Word of Arctus is said. For example, "Noctu Orfei Aude Fraetor" changes it into a bow.
* [[My Hovercraft Is Full of Eels]]: Akko calls a cockatrice a "stupid bird" in the Forest of Arcturus, and now it wants to eat her. She meant to just cast a spell that Sucy gave her. Sucy uses Akko as bait to distract the cockarice while she harvests its poison.
* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]: Diana casts a family-secret revitalization spell in the second episode, to bring more life to the Memorial Tree which is special to Luna Nova. It led to the tree spreading its roots all over the campus. Then the trope occurs ''again'' as she tries to destroy what appear to be parasites on the tree's roots, but turns out to be Papiliodia--rare butterflies who only hatch once in a hundred years.
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* [[Only the Chosen May Wield]]: Only the chosen may wield the Shiny Rod. Shiny Chariot was once chosen to be the wielder. Later, Akko is chosen to be the wielder. From this, we can conclude that the Shiny Rod does not do a very good job at choosing its wielder, given how Chariot did {{spoiler|not want to wield the rod, instead believing Croix}} is better qualified, and how Akko blows up in the face of any magic. Don't worry, Akko eventually becomes more qualified to wield it, {{spoiler|and somehow manages to do a better job than ''the'' Shiny Chariot at reviving the Lost Words}}.
* [[Or Was It a Dream?]]: "Akko's Adventures in Sucyworld" ends with Akko waking up, with the world seemingly back to normal, and the events of the episode apparently a dream. That is, until Sucy brought up the deal Akko made inside Sucy's mind: Akko needs to carry her stuff for a month in return for the Sucys' help.
* [[Out-of-Genre Experience]]: Episode 18 starts off with fantasy themes and elements, and doesn't deviate from the [[Wizarding School]] formula too much. Then it introduces some science fiction elements with Constanze's inventions, but still remains with the theme. Then the science ficionfiction elements take over as Akko discovers Constanze's lab. Finally, it turns into a [[Humongous Mecha]] show.
* [[Our Dragons Are Different]]: The dragon in episode 5 brews coffee and makes money trading stocks, apparently. {{spoiler|He's also a [[Loan Shark]] and takes Philosopher's Stones as collateral, for some reason.}}
* [[Out-of-Genre Experience]]: Episode 18 starts off with fantasy themes and elements, and doesn't deviate from the [[Wizarding School]] formula too much. Then it introduces some science fiction elements with Constanze's inventions, but still remains with the theme. Then the science ficion elements take over as Akko discovers Constanze's lab. Finally, it turns into a [[Humongous Mecha]] show.
* [[Overly Long Name]]: In episode seven, we have "Constanze Braunschbank Albrechtsberger", who takes an exam right before Akko. Constanze is part of Amanda's trio.
* [[Public Domain Soundtrack]]: In episode 10, while Akko is hunting down a flying bumblebee, we have Andrew playing ''Flight of the Bumblebee''. Very clever, [[Studio Trigger]]. Very clever.
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** A miniature version occurs with the green trio. Amanda's aggressive personality (which is ''nothing'' compared to Akko, by the way) contrasts with Constanze's quieter and more focused character.
* [[Retraux]]: In "Akko's Adventures in Sucyworld", the film that Akko and all other Sucys watch inside Sucy's mind are in black and white, and animated like older American cartoons than a Japanese series.
* [[The Reveal]]: {{spoiler|Did you know that Professor Ursula is Shiny Chariot all along?}} It's true! Go watch episode 15 yourself! Akko doesn't find out until the episode number hit their twenties. Other instalments of ''Little Witch Academia'' don't advance the story far enough for this reveal to happen, although the [[Little Witch Academia (2013 film)|original film]] subtly hints at this reveal.
* [[Rewatch Bonus]]: {{spoiler|Shiny Chariot's performance that opens the series becomes vastly different once you know what ''really'' happened on that day. The fairy flying out of child Akko? That's not a fairy}}. Also, guess which [[Little Witch Academia (2017 series)/Characters#Diana Cavendish|green-haired blue-eyed]] [[Defrosting Ice Queen]] is in the crowd alongside Akko?
* [[Road Trip Episode]]: "Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld" sees Akko taking a road trip through Sucy's mind. Highlights of this trip include watching a movie, meeting different personalities that Sucy has, and getting sentenced to death.<ref>Don't worry. She's fine.</ref>
* [[Screen Shake]]: Used in conjunction with action and fight sequences, as well in sequences where someone is hit. An example would be in "Akko's Adventures in Sucyworld", where Lotte hits Akko with a wand to put her to sleep, and the screen shakes to reflect this action.
* [[Ship Tease]]: The end of episode 10 gives us one between Lotte and Frank, although Lotte immediately crushes any shipper's hope by stating that they're [[Better as Friends]]. The episode gives a more subtle one hinting at Akko and Andrew. Later on, there's plenty between Akko and Diana, especially in the episodes after "Cavendish".
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'''Sucy''': Yeah, yeah.
'''Akko''': It won't happen!}}
* [[Show Within a Show]]: In episode 4, we are introduced to the [[Young Adult]] book series ''Night Fall''.
* [[Sink-or-Swim Mentor]]: Sucy briefly turns into this while teaching Akko how to fly on a broomstick. She does this by tying Akko to her own broomstick and making her bungee jump off a tower, then shooting her out of a cannon. Don't worry, because [[Toon Physics]] is at play no one gets hurt. {{quote|'''Sucy''': In order to win, you actually have to be able to ride a broom. I think it's best if you jump into the pool, completely head first.}}
* [[Slapstick]]: The exaggerated animation and existence of Atsuko Kagari means ''no one'' is free from getting hurt in ridiculous ways. Akko herself is the subject of many a slapstick gag.
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* [[The Song Remains the Same]]: The ending and opening songs remain in Japanese even in the English dub. This applies to both opening and ending sequences.
* [[Speed Stripes]]: Used quite frequently throughout all episodes. It's there to save budget so [[Studio Trigger]] won't make the mistake their ancestors at [[Gainax]] made and run out of money. They do ''not'' want to pull a [[Gainax Ending]].
* [[Sucky School]]: [[Downplayed]] with Luna Nova. Akko believed it is a prestigious, perfect school with absolutely no flaws whatsoever, a school highly effective at producing talented witches such as Chariot. In reality, people are moving on from witchcraft to modern technology. LessFewer and lessfewer pupils are attending the school each year, so the school started admitting more people, even people not from magical families like Akko. Many students feel like this is tarnishing the reputation of the school. The labour union strike in episode 14 shows the school is running out of both magic and funding, and the school is much worse than what it was.
* [[Surprisingly Good English]]: Despite being made by a [[Studio Trigger|Japanese studio]], the [[Freeze-Frame Bonus]] guide to Luna Nova Akko holds up in episode 1 features perfect English, with real, on topic information about Luna Nova that you [[If You Can Read This...|can read]]. English text throughout the series are appropriately high quality. The animators even know how to swear in English, without using [[Gosh Dang It to Heck]]!
** If you ''really'' nitpick, you can discover some errors. For example, near the end of episode 14 a newspaper headline was titled "SHOOTING STAR sighted in japan!", with "sighted" and "japan" missing the capitalisation expected for a title.
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* [[Talking Is a Free Action]]: When Akko accidentally insults the cockatrice in episode 1, there is just enough time for Sucy to explain what she's really done before the bird starts attacking them.
* [[Taken for Granite]]: The cockatrice in the Forest of Arcturus, in episode 1, has the power to turn things into stone with its breath.
* [[The Teaser]]: With the exception of episodes 5 and 24, the show gives you a one or two minute glimpse of what the episode will be about before dropping its anime opening.
* [[Technician Versus Performer]]:
** Professor Croix is the technician, who wants to revitalise magic and be the best she can. Chariot only wishes to entertain the crowd and show people the wonder of magic.
** Diana wishes to be the best she can be, and holds herself to high standards. She spends way too much time studying, leading to her being the best student in Luna Nova. Akko (the performer) only wishes to entertain and be like Chariot, even though Akko successfully casting a basic spell is a rare occasion.
* [[That Was Objectionable]]: In the courtroom scene in episode 8, Akko loudly objects to the different Sucys being executed, even going as far to physically stop the judge's hammer with her hands. She ''does'' have a reason, thinking it's ridiculous that people should be put to death because of what they like.
* [[This Is a Drill]]: In episode 18, the "metamor-formation" [[Humongous Mecha]] uses a drill for the Wild Hunt.
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** In "Stanship Take Off!", the ship built for the Wild Hunt is able to transform into a [[Humongous Mecha]], accompanied with flashy backgrounds and music.
* [[Unwanted Harem]]: In episode 10, Lotte has to deal with one of those, from people stung by a love bee.
* [[Vacation Episode]]: The series usually takes place in Luna Nova and the locations close by. Episode 16, however, sees the {{color|red|red}} trio travelling to Lotte's home village and meeting her parents. It's not a relaxing vacation, though. Akko still manages to get herself into an adventure, because life around Akko is ''never'' quiet.
* [[Valley Girl]]: In episode 8, one of the Sucys in Sucyworld is like this, complete with way too much makeup and trendy clothes. {{quote|'''Valley Girl Sucy''': I really want to be a Hollywood celebrity.}}
* [[Vanity Plate]]: In episode 8, the film that's shown inside Sucyworld has one. The film is apparently "A Sucy Picture", with the black and white vanity plate featuring a witch riding a broomstick around a mushroom planet.
* [[When the Planets Align]]: Planets aligning in ''exactly'' the right way is a prerequisite for the Greenman disease to spread in episode 16.
* [[Word Salad Title]]: "Little" comes from the adolescent age of the main cast. "Witch" comes from how the cast uses magic. "Academia" comes from the [[Wizarding School]]. Put the three words together, though, and you'll end up with a big mess of nouns and adjectives.
* [[The Wild Hunt]]: The show has its own version in episode 18. It's quite unlike your average wild hunt. It's done for sports, the target is ghosts instead of people, and you can show up to the hunt in a mecha.
* [[World Tree]]: Episode 15 reveals that, long ago, the world tree Yggdrasil thrived and spread magic everywhere. Over time, though, the tree grew weaker, and the power of magic diminished along with it. {{spoiler|The tree returns in the season 1 finale}}.
* [[You Can See the Explosion from Orbit]]: In episode 25, {{spoiler|the Shiny Arc attack can be seen from orbit, probably because it was conducted ''from'' orbit. Bonus points for the camera shot showing the attack}} from orbit.
* [[You Gotta Have Blue Hair]]: With characters such as Diana and Sucy. In Ursula Callistis's case, you ''literally'' gotta have blue hair.
* [[The X of Y]]: Episode 15, "Chariot of Fire". Also the "Lost Words of Arctus" and "Forest of Arctus" serve as in universe examples.