A Witch Watches Little Witch Academia

Little Witch Academia: The Witches' Anime

When I watch Little Witch Academia, I geek out over a lot of things.  The animation is fantastic and fluid and at times really, really beautiful. The character designs are adorable, original, and extremely expressive when they need to be.  The characters themselves are all dynamic and most are so lovable that you can get attached almost immediately.  The fantasy world that’s created is beautiful and imaginative and it makes me want to live in it for real.

But even with all of these technical and typical anime-lover reasons to geek out over Little Witch Academia, nothing gets me more excited in this show than its depiction of magic and witches.  As I study more about magick myself, I’ve found more and more real elements of magick in this anime.  Everything from the characters to the Shiny Chariot cards to even little background details reminds me of my own practice and the practices of others I’ve seen throughout my time as a witch.

Let’s face it.  If a witch were to watch any anime, it would be Little Witch Academia.

The Witchy Details

One of the reasons the world of Little Witch Academia feels so solid is because of how well researched it is.  Fey folk and dragons and crystals are all included and so well done that, as a witch who has studied a lot of these subjects, I find myself connecting to the world even more than one would expect from an anime.

Take the constant witch symbolism throughout the show.  The triple moon is a common symbol of the witch and in Wicca.  A waxing crescent moon, a full moon, and a waning crescent moon are shown together to symbolize the three stages of a witch’s life.  In the case of a female witch, whom all the characters of Little Witch Academia are, those stages are the maiden, the mother, and the crone.  I could go into more detail, but for now let’s focus on the symbol itself.

Moons are present throughout the background and character designs.  They appear as runes in episode 2, which Diana deciphers with flying colors. They also appear on the clothing of the professors at the academy.  The Headmistress, the most powerful and important witch at the academy, is the only witch in the show to have the triple moons featured on her hat whereas everyone else has crescents, circles, or interlocking shapes.  The triple moon in this case is a testament to the level at which she can cast magic.  She is essentially the high priestess in the very large coven which is Luna Nova. There is only one other witch at Luna Nova who has the triple moon symbol featured in her design, and that is Ursula also known as Chariot du Nord or Shiny Chariot.  Chariot is one of the most powerful witches who had graduated Luna Nova and was also chosen as the wielder of the Wand of the Seven Stars, so it makes sense that she too would have a triple moon somewhere in her design.

Speaking of triple moon, the goddess of the triple moon makes multiple appearances in the background.  Hecate, a goddess commonly depicted with three heads, is commonly referred to as the goddess of witches and her statues are everywhere at Luna Nova!  They’re based on a common Greek statue of her.

The witches of the academy also learn actual magick traditions as evidenced by the tree of life in the background of this scene in episode 2.  This tree is part of the spiritual Hebrew tradition and marks the paths one takes in life to reach spiritual enlightenment.  It can also be used in conjunction with similar spiritual path traditions such as the Major Arcana of the Tarot.  And since the Major Arcana tell the story of the witch or magician in training throughout their life, it makes sense that it appears in Little Witch Academia.

Not only is the setting treated with a high detail in terms of real magick, the characters are too. With so many witches in one anime, the way each one stands out is how they approach their own magic.

The Characters and their Diverse Witchcraft

No two characters in Little Witch Academia are the same and that’s one of my favorite things about the show!  Because of this diversity in character, there’s a huge diversity in the kinds of witchcraft each character specializes in.  It’s all heavily personality based, but it also reflects the real diversity you see in real witchcraft.

Diana, for example, is extremely book smart which allows her to be more of a traditional witch.  She practically has an encyclopedic knowledge of the history, the spells, and the lore of witchcraft.  Diana is a descendant of witches and comes from a long and famed witch line.  With the pressures that followed her throughout childhood, it’s no wonder Diana sticks to tradition, though she’s not afraid to learn from more non-traditional witches around her.  I’m not a hereditary witch myself, but I’ve seen this kind of traditional, hereditary witch many times.  They’re good for asking questions to and learning information from when they want to and Diana tends to act this way in the show as well.

Then there’s Lotte, a spiritworker with an affinity for fairy-type creatures.  She has an incredible talent for working with them, once calming a group of restless spirits with a song in The Enchanted Parade.  Another smaller spirit is often seen tagging along with her as well.  For someone so small and quiet, she has a confidence with spirits that I’ve only seen in real life a few times.  Funny enough, those people had similar personalities to Lotte.

Sucy, who is obsessed with poisons, is a botanical witch.  She has an encyclopedic knowledge of mushrooms which likely rivals Diana’s knowledge of just about anything.  Because of this, Sucy also can make potions and poisons quickly and easily. Some of her strongest potions in the series have been one that brings objects to life and a mandrake potion to increase magic powers.

Contanze has some of the most original magic within the show that even Akko questions at one point. While putting together potions in class, Contanze uses her special machinery to get the job done in episode 5. Akko exclaims, “Hey! That doesn’t look witchy at all!”  This is something a lot of witches who are drawn to machinery and technology hear often. It might not look like traditional magic, but Contanze’s use of technology makes her magic stronger. She’s even able to create a magic powered mech for the Wild Hunt which takes down the dark magical creature that crashes the hunt.

There are many more examples of the characters and how their diverse personalities and talents reflect actual magick and witches, but these are the ones who stick out to me the most. Of course, Akko, the main character, is in a league of her own as a witch both as a student at Lunanova and a character in the show.  It’s Akko’s character arc that makes her the most relatable in the show for a variety of reasons, but especially as a young witch.

Akko, the Fool’s Journey, and Staying True to Who You Are

Akko’s story is a familiar underdog kind of tale.  She starts out as an overly optimistic dreamer going into a new situation where she may be way in over her head.  Over time she learns and grows and becomes a powerful witch in her own right.  The best way I can explain Akko’s character arc is through something that appears around the character often: cards.

Akko collects Shiny Chariot trading cards which describe different magical items, spells, happenings, and places.  She often lays the cards out almost as if they were a tarot spread and in these cards, Akko seems to find the answers to her problems in the earlier parts of the series.  Though Akko isn’t as gifted as Diana when it comes to memorizing and performing magic, Akko’s cards are her own tool for learning magic.  It’s because of this, that I can’t help but draw a parallel between the tarot and Akko herself.

The Fool is usually considered the first card of the Major Arcana and marks the beginning of the cycle the Major Arcana depicts.  Reckless, bright, and friendly Akko is essentially the definition of The Fool card, and not in the way of her intelligence level (though there is a running joke among fans that Akko is a beautiful, lovable idiot, but I’ll get to that in Little Witch 101).  She is happy-go-lucky and overly optimistic when it comes to magic, often forgetting or disregarding the realities of magic around her.  What others consider to be a childish fascination with magic for the joy of it, I consider to be an innocence.  Akko was not raised in a family of witches and instead decided to become a witch all on her own.  Of course Shiny Chariot was a big part of that choice, but Akko wants nothing more than to become a witch who can spread happiness in the same way.

Its Akko’s innocent, optimistic perspective on magic is what I think makes her so relatable for actual witches struggling with their own magick.  Most witches I’ve seen have made the choice to be witches on their own rather than being born into the practice.  Most are solitary, without covens or elders to teach them what to do. Even more witches go around looking for other witches on the internet to help them because actually meeting other witches in real life is difficult and even then, many witches feel as if they don’t have their own place in the witchcraft community or struggle with magick while on their own.  When I see Akko, a young witch struggling to fit into the traditional witchcraft community especially when her own beliefs butt heads with the traditional ones, it reminds me that being a beginner is okay.  Akko is able to learn and grow without changing her core beliefs which is something every struggling person in general should be able to look at and be inspired by.

The Fool card is labeled with a 0 for a reason.  It is both the beginning and the end of the Major Arcana and life’s cycle.  It is also the card with the greatest potential. Even after learning all knowledge The World can give, it is possible to live life as happily and innocently as The Fool.  My favorite part of the overall story is that it starts and ends with Akko, The Fool. Though she went through life’s experiences at a rapid pace, and experienced heartbreak as well as ultimate victory, Akko still is the same person she started the series as deep down inside.  She has learned how to harness powerful magic, but she doesn’t let that change her. The world around her is different though.  This time, she has friends and mentors who love and support her.  Akko tries to fly her broom once again, this time with all of her new friends watching.  Finally, with their support and her continued belief in herself, Akko is able to float off of the ground.  It is because believing in herself really was all that it took to make magic.