The Worst Witch meets Harry Potter in this spin-off from an anime movie and short-run tv show, Little Witch Academia.
Atsuko Kagari, or Akko, is an ordinary girl in Japan who dreams of being a witch like her idol Shiny Chariot. She is determined to attend the Luna Nova Witchcraft Academy towards that end—but first, she has to get there!
In the first volume, Akko is ready to follow her heroine’s words: “Reach out your hand and your story will begin,” by attending Luna Nova, but not only is she having trouble finding the school, it turns out she needs magic to get in. She meets several other witch students, some more friendly than others, has an exciting adventure, and finds what just might be a sign that she’s meant to follow in Shiny Chariot’s footsteps.
In the second volume, Akko has made it to Luna Nova, but she’s not the best of students. Discouraged by her constant failures, and unable to attend the prestigious banquet with Appleton Academy, she decides to try and find a magical solution to her problems. But there are other mysterious happenings and Akko’s unexpected transformations may be the least of her—and the school’s—problems.
In the third and final volume, Akko continues to struggle, although she has gained much confidence and maintains her determination to work hard. When Diana, the school’s best student, unexpectedly falls ill, Akko and her odd band of friends get tagged to compete in a broom race with another school. The only problem is that Akko can’t ride a broom! And who are the mysterious students they’re up against? They seem to have strange powers and Akko’s never heard of any other magic school in existence…
Throughout the books, a recurring theme is the loss of magic, the growth of science and technology, and the outside world’s view that magic is outdated and useless. Akko also has to contend with the disdain of other students towards herself and Shiny Chariot and her own less-than-stellar abilities. The art is crowded and busy, at least partly because the books are a smaller format, but many of the panels are obscured by large speech bubbles, exclamation points, or wild movements and heavy lines. The students are distinguishable mainly by their haircuts, since they all wear the same uniform. Akko and the more excitable students have bigger eyes and send lots of sweat and emotion flying, while older, more experienced students, present a cooler, more laid-back appearance. Some art is blurred, meant to show speedy movement or the world through the eyes of a crying student, but it more often just looks unfinished or badly printed. While there are some interesting magical artifacts and buildings shown, most of the art is on a scale too small to really get an idea of the backgrounds or setting, and generally focuses on the students’ faces and movements.
Despite the hit-or-miss nature of the art and the rather scattered plot, it’s still a funny and amusing story of a girl who desperately wants magic to be real and the adventures she finds with her friends. While they can be read as a stand-alone, this brief trilogy will be most interesting to fans of the show, two seasons of which are available on Netflix. This trilogy also is one of the rare manga series that is truly appropriate for all ages and librarians looking for manga for elementary students will want to add it to their collections.
Little Witch Academia, vols. 1-3
By Yoshinari Yoh
Art by Keisuke Sato
vol 1 ISBN: 9781975327453
vol 2 ISBN: 9781975328108
vol 3 ISBN: 9781975357429
JY/Yen Press, 2019
Publisher Age Rating: All Ages
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11)
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