The main message of this show is really simple - believing can get you everywhere. If you think “hey, that’s so childish and naive” than, yes, you’re right, it is. Even if unrealistic, it’s still beautiful and somewhat motivating. This show doesn’t try to be believable or even “make sense” all of the time, and it isn’t about that. It’s about that indomitable positivity of the young heart, the one that most of us forgot about, but still have deep within. I definitely felt like a little kid when watching this series, I cherished my favorite characters, kept my fingers crossed when they were put to the test and felt down when they experienced hardships. But, one emotion was more significant than others - pure and uncontrollable happiness. I literally jumped on my chair when I watched final battle and couldn’t stop myself from smiling in both agitation and satisfaction. Although emotionally the show had mainly positive impact on me, I can’t say it was perfect or even near it….
Story:
The story goes around Akko, our main character - a witch as hopeless in magic as good in staying positive despite it. Her actions are usually reckless and because of that she constantly gets into trouble. She may seem quite selfish and ego-centered at first, but as show goes we see through that first impression and are able to see that most of her “mistakes” are caused by her cute and harmless stupidity, not by egoism.
Main plot line is about collecting the “Words”, 7 spells which when collected have a power to break the seal of Grand Triskellion. Every word has its own meaning and represents not only plot progress, but also Akko’s development as a character. The message of each word is quite simple. They are casual teachings, like “be yourself” or “friendship is… nice” which can be found in most tales like this.
When we don’t see much innovations in that matter, execution of it is pretty nice. We really feel that acquiring and fully understanding them is associated with hardships and can only be achieved by oneself.
Story had some plot problems. I know it is mostly directed to children, but even though, some things made absolutely 0 sens, like:
-Ursula Sensei not telling anyone about Croix’s laboratory, or even none teachers visiting it
-Characters completely changing personalities after one event (Croix, Daryl, etc.)
-and probably much more…
I think the last arc is the weakest one in the mean of plot tightness, which weakens the most emotional moments that take place in it. Overall, it is
a entertaining story meant to make you more feel than think.
Characters:
The main cast is well written, their development looks believable and their characters are interesting. We have a wide range of personalities, from Akko - imaginative and extroverted type to Lotte - soft and introverted. I think I can say, that everyone can “pick” something for themselves, no matter if you prefer more spontaneous and adventurous character, or the reserved and hard-working.
Characters are able to surprise, even when they are present from the very beginning, we still can anticipate some major changes or at least explanations for their behaviour.
When front line characters are well developed and interesting, the further plan ones are… well made too. Really, their personalities aren’t as complex, they can even be as flat as “the one who eats all the time”, but they still serve a purpose in the story and aren’t there just to fill the void. When you don’t like every one of them, you can at least understand their actions.
Art:
The art is very bright and colorful, like, really colorful. The lines are strong, but animation can get way out-shape, which results in goofy, lighthearted experience. I particularly liked the face expressions of Akko, which were able to go grotesque in a second and return to normal right away. Hair movement was pretty too, many girl had different hairstyles, so watching them fly all around when they were riding brooms was really satisfying. As to magic… I wasn’t that impressed, most spells contained some green floating balls, and caused its effects in a poof of smoke...
The best moment of animation and fight choreography was in the final battle against the missle. The way that Akko uses her shape-changing abilities to dodge all the attacks and counters them... It was absolutely amazing!
Music:
It was great. It was mainly orchestra produced, so we are able to hear a lot of instruments. The similar motives are present throughout all the series, but many rearrangements made them sound fresh and entertaining. I said that motives repeat, but that doesn’t mean, that there are a few of them, the opposite is true. I never experienced a feeling, that music repeats itself, not when it wasn’t intended. When it was, like when Akko and Diana were fighting and people were cheering them it felt amazing and unique. Openings and endings were really nice, they had that light-hearted vibe and were good expositions of what we can see in the actual show.
Overall I consider this show a good entertainer. It won’t force us to deep reflections or to ask ourselves philosophical questions. Even though, it isn’t mindless, and shouldn’t be considered as such. The message it’s trying to deliver is childish and simple, yes, I agree, but that doesn’t debunk it’s validity. The real world isn’t a place as simple and idealistic as the one portrayed in the anime, but that doesn’t mean the believing heart can’t spark some magic in it...
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