Little Witch Academia (2017 series)

Your average Wizarding School.
Clockwise from center: Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, "Shiny" Chariot du Nord, Diana Cavendish, Sucy Manbavaran, Constanze Amalie von Braunschbank-Albrechtsburger, Amanda O'Neill, Jasminka Antonenko, Lotte Jansson, Professor Ursula.

My story is about to begin!
Extend your hand!
Adventure awaits!

—Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, Episode 2 "Papiliodia"

Little Witch Academia is a 2017 anime series produced by Studio Trigger, and released on Netflix. It is part of the Little Witch Academia franchise. Currently the show only has one season, consisting of twenty-five episodes. Its director Yoh Yoshinari, along with the studio, has moved onto other projects, although they have said they are interested in developing a second season.

Let's face it. Magic is cool. Magic has so functions in life, from the mundane yet simple utilities like making plants grow faster, to the extraordinary like magical spectacles and combat magic. There's nothing that magic cannot do. Atsuko "Akko" Kagari knows this, witnessing a spectacular performance her idol Shiny Chariot put on when she was a kid. This is precisely why she signed up to the prestigious Luna Nova academy, which Shiny Chariot formerly attended.

Problem: Akko kind of sucks at magic. Flying on a broomstick is supposed to be one of the simplest spells for a witch. Everyone around her effortlessly rose into the air and soared through the sky, while not even a Training Montage, The Power of Friendship, nor intense Calling Your Attacks sessions with No Indoor Voice could make Akko overcome gravity. No, Akko, transformation spells are not meant to give you rabbit ears. You're supposed to transform the animal sitting in front of you, not yourself. No, Akko. That spell is not meant to blow yourself up.

Well, no fear! Her pluckiness and exceptional enthusiasm means she at least has a chance in the academy. Throughout her time in the academy, she inherits a much more important role: searching out the Seven Words of Arctus and yelling them really loud to revive the words. She is the world's least qualified person to do this, but fear not, for her friends are always there to help! Plus, it seems there's a bit more to her Shiny Chariot than she first thought, and she might be able to meet Chariot by seeking out these words...

Tropes used in Little Witch Academia (2017 series) include:

Accentuate the Negative: In universe. In episode 4, Annabel Creme--the author of the Night Fall series--quits writing due to the hate messages criticising her latest work. She passes her job to Lotte. Lotte persuades her that she is a good author, and that she is a huge fan of her works, convincing her to keep writing.
- 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.
- Near the end of the series, a controversial decision made by a football referee causes people to riot openly in the streets, and complain on the in universe version of Twitter.
- All these messages are blind hatred, attacking the person making a point instead of the point.
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".
Anime Theme Song: The opening song "Shiny Ray" for the first half of season 1.
Art Shift: In the second episode, as Diana animates a statue, the animation looks much more like a painting.
- Happens often in "Akko's Adventures in Sucyworld", in the Retraux film playing inside Sucy's mind. The most notable example is a callback to the scene in which Akko first meets Sucy, where the art becomes much more detailed for two shots. There are no animated components, only objects moving around and parallax scrolling, contrasting the shots before and after them. The shots before and after are like cartoons from The Golden Age of Animation. This shot is in a typical anime style.
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. That man was himself. Why did it take you the entire episode to remember, skeleton-man?
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.
Better as Friends: Lotte thinks that she and Frank are this.
Bland-Name Product: In episode 18, we are introduced to "CBay", which Constanze searches to find a hand mixer. The site has Surprisingly Good English, although the animators messed up plural form and wrote "2 bid". You can pause to read what the items for sale.
- The last episode features YouTV.
Blank White Eyes: In episode 8, Akko gets them. This happens after being hit by Lotte's wand, so she can enter Sucy's mind.
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.
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. Akko returns the favour in the season 1 finale.
Cerebus Syndrome: The start of the series is episodic wacky adventures in Wizarding School. Professor Croix's introduction marks a significant turning point of the Myth Arc. By the time episode numbers hit twenty, the series becomes much more serious, with more emotional moments. Every episode around this mark will introduce Continuity Lock Out, and either reveals new information, develops the characters, or advances the story.
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 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 her childhood flashbacks.
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 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 "Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail" focuses on.
Deface of the Moon: In the series, the Moon has a massive, four-point star carved into its face. What do stars do? They shine. What's the adjective form of shine? Shiny. What's shiny? Shiny Rod. Who uses the Shiny Rod? Shiny Chariot. Guess who did the deface? Shiny Chariot. She does this as a last ditch effort to please attendees of her magic show.
Dream Sequence: Opens the second episode, as Akko reflects on the events of the first episode.
Drive-In Theater: Akko visits this, among many other places, in "Akko's Adventures in Sucyworld". She watches a Retraux film which reveals how the inner Sucy thinks about her.
Emotion Eater: 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 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. 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. She says no.
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.

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.

piece of shit game
piece of shit referee

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".
Heroic Self-Deprecation: Downplayed. Akko at the start of episode 12 does this briefly. This is even lampshaded.

Sucy: Wow. Akko's feeling down in the dumps. I guess there's a first time for everything.

Homage: In episode 8 "Akko's Adventures in Sucyworld", the fangirl Sucy holds up a lightsaber.
Humongous Mecha: In episode 18, the ship that Akko and Constanze builds transforms into one. Akko proposes this plan, but Constanze's helper bots believe that a transforming mecha is a stupid idea. Constanze regardless tries to make the plan work. In the end, it all works out. Studio Trigger, we get it. You're formed from the people who made Neon Genesis Evangelion and Gurren Lagann.
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.
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. Indeed, because the next episode features a big reveal.
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.
Loan Shark: In episode 5, 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 book series within the show.
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. Diana has an even rarer card!
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...

Akko: Are all of these going to be on our next exam?
Professor: Probably.

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.
No Indoor Voice: Akko can only speak by yelling. Nothing else. In addition, there appears to be a rule that the Words of Arctus can only be activated when yelled out at volumes louder than 90 dB.
No Ontological Inertia: In episode 10, when the love bee was killed, the love spell from everyone it stung wears off. Thus, Andrew is no longer in love with Akko, and Lotte no longer has an Unwanted Harem.
Off-Model: If a character is small and far from the camera, it's difficult to tell exactly who they are. While it is expected that characters further away will be drawn with less detail, sometimes characters won't be drawn with basic features like eyes at all, or be drawn with the wrong proportions, making them difficult to tell apart.
- In episode 17, a particularly noticeable example involves Akko in rat form standing on Amanda's shoulder, where she looked like an eleven year old having a frantic fifteen second session in Microsoft Paint.
One Word Title: Episode 2 is titled "Papiliodia" and episode 23 is titled "Yesterday".
Offscreen Teleportation: In the courtroom scene in episode 8, Akko is clearly seen sitting with the other Sucy characters. Two shots and three seconds later, she somehow got up to the judge, close enough to stop the hammer.
Only Six Faces: In episode 8, Sucyworld is only made up of, you guessed it, Sucy. Every background character is Sucy. In fact, there are no characters other than Sucy other than Akko taking a Journey to the Center of the Mind.

Judge Sucy: The case of Sucy by Sucy for Sucy is now in session.

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.
Our Dragons Are Different: The dragon in episode 5 brews coffee and makes money trading stocks, apparently. 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.
Recursive Canon: In episode 8, there is a number plate with the letters "LWA". Does this mean the characters of Little Witch Academia know they're in Little Witch Academia? Does this mean Little Witch Academia exists within Little Witch Academia? Or does this mean that Sucy is the only person who knows, and is desperately dropping clues for other characters so they can recognise that they live in Little Witch Academia?
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Sucy as a character is less enthusiastic, and serves as the blue oni counterpart, Akko.
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: 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.
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 1 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".

Frank: What about you and Atsuko Kagari?
Andrew: You're kidding.
Frank: Well at least you didn't kick her out.

- In the same episode, when Akko is asked about whether she likes Andrew her response is suspiciously close to He Is Not My Boyfriend territory.

Lotte:Wait, don't you like him?
Akko: Absolutely not. I never ever fall in love with a guy like him.
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.

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.

The Sky Is an Ocean: In "Stanship Take Off!", the airship that Akko and Constanze designs look like a seafaring vehicle. It even sailed on water before flying into the sky.
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.
Surprisingly Good English: Despite being made by a 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 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!
Talking in Your Sleep: Akko after freeing all the Sucys from being executed inside Sucy's mind, talks in her sleep about how she did something good.
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.
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.
Training Montage: Parodied in episode 3, with Akko trying (remember, trying) to fly on a broomstick. Cue lots of intense yelling, book reading, and epic failing.
Transformation Sequence: Parodied. In the second episode, Akko has a brief sequence where she changes into formal clothes for the school. It turns out, those were not the clothes she was supposed to wear for class, and learns that before begrudgingly changing into the correct clothes.
- 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.
Valley Girl: In episode 8, one of the Sucys in Sucyworld is like this, complete with way too much makeup and trendy clothes.

Valley Girl Sucy: I really want to be a Hollywood celebrity

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.
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. The tree returns in the season 1 finale.
You Gotta Have Blue Hair: With characters such as Diana and Sucy.