Little Witch 101: What is a Little Witch?

If you are a fan of sparkling dresses, adorable yet deadly weapons, and the power of friendship, you’re likely a fan of magical girls: girls who do magic and kick butt while doing so.  Though it’s a broad genre with many enduring series, a quick Google search of the term “magical girl” will get you the same kind of results with shows like Precure, Sailor Moon, and Madoka Magica.  While all of these series are lovely and filled with amazing female characters, they don’t quite capture the broadness of the magical girl genre.  In a world focused on magical girls who are doing their best to save the world and change history, I personally feel that there is a group of magical girls whose problems are often more relatable even if they aren’t always as exciting: little witches.

The little witch genre is full of feel-good moments, warm slice of life, and the occasional magical hijinks all centered around young girls.  In any little witch media, the girls also either address themselves as witches or dress in what is considered traditional Western witch clothing (the standard hat, broom, wand, etc.).  But just having a witch doesn’t automatically make your anime, book, or movie part of the little witch genre.  The work must first and foremost be a magical girl piece since little witches are a subgroup in this genre.  So before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we should first outline what makes a magical girl.

What is a magical girl?

On the surface, the definition is in the word: a girl who is magical.  If we leave the definition at that, any girl or general female with the ability to use magic could technically be a magical girl.  Still, the presence of a girl that does magic doesn’t make something part of the magical girl genre otherwise Harry Potter (with the amazing and talented Hermione) and Soul Eater (with more witches and magical item wielding girls than you can count on both hands) would be considered magical girl media.

I’ve seen many definitions of what makes a magical girl, but this one from Ninapedia which defines the genre by specific elements is my personal favorite.

In order for a piece of media to be considered part of the magical girl genre, it must have three things:

1. “A girl, or a group of girls, who use magic or advanced technology to overcome their problems, go on adventures, and/or defeat evil….”
2. “The story must be girl-centric. Girls must be the heroes (and maybe even the villains). Girls must progress and expand the plot…”
3. One or more of the girls must grow and develop as a character. Even if it’s just a “lesson of the day” type moral….The girls’ growth has to be independent of any male characters (she can’t just grow because he grows).”

With this in mind, we can finally get to the core of this series.

So then, what is a little witch?

A little witch is a magical girl who calls herself a witch.  She has powers, but this magic is usually extraordinary to her world.  In most cases, a little witch is sent to live somewhere magic is not commonplace, most often the mortal Earth world.  There are exceptions of course as in cases where witches are training with other witches like in Little Witch Academia or Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch because these often take place in the magical world itself.  Still, all of these witches are in training.  They cannot fully harness their magic powers or cannot control them, which inevitably leads to magical hijinks.  Sometimes it’s in the form of typical magical girl adventures (fighting monsters or big bads), but more often than not, magic mostly causes “slice of life” type problems.  Over the course of their training, they often encounter emotional obstacles, troubles with learning their physical magic, and feelings of isolation from non-magical girls or more talented witches around them.  Through these trials, a little witch grows into herself.  She develops as a strong and confident young woman who can stand on her own in a world that still may hold challenges yet to come.

Though little witches are magical girls, a genre typical of anime, they still have crossover ability into different genres and across the world.  Little witches are relatable in the way that they’re young girls growing into themselves and embracing the things that make them different and special. Even though their magic may leave them feeling ostracized from others their age or as if they are alone in the world, they are able to look inside themselves and harness their powers within. With this newfound strength, they can make anything happen.  The story of the little witch is one where any girl coming of age or woman who remembers the struggles of growing up can look at and relate to.

In Little Witches 101, I’ll shine a spotlight on every little witch I can.  I’ll talk about what makes them special, their struggles, their victories, and what we can learn from them.  Hopefully, you’ll see your favorite along the way, or maybe find a new one!  In any case, Little Witches 101 will be a celebration of what makes little witches so special and unique!