Little Witch Academia Episode 12 Review: What You Will

The hype is real! Not only will the second cour of Little Witch Academia will focus on the main plot, but now we’ve finally got an actual continuous story (compared to the previous episodic ones)! And it’s just so good because, when stories start focusing on the narrative, you notice it right away. But here, important bits and pieces of the story are tackled in between everyday events! Therefore, the characters are slowly and unknowingly dragged into something big, which in my opinion feels a little more natural!

Japanese Original Episode Title: What You Will

Plot

Last week, it made me incredibly happy to see Akko improve so much with her magic! But unfortunately, it looks like her hard work was still a long way off for her to be considered for the award of the Moonlit Witch in the upcoming Samhain Festival, especially when she’s compared to Diana! Diana was chosen to become the chairperson of the festival preparations after all, while Akko along with Sucy and Lotte, were tasked by fate to become the sacrifices to a depressed monster! Of course, our stubborn protagonist was never one to easily accept her lot. She thinks that she’s still better than her rival until a prankster mirror helped her realize just how big the responsibility on Diana’s shoulders is!

Episode Highlights

Preparations for the festival: Well, Luna Nova is a magic school, full of amazing sights and unusual wonders, so it’s no surprise that Akko was expecting something as magical and fun for their festival! I was too, actually, maybe something like Chariot’s show! But, alas, witches are really stuck to their traditions, therefore everyone’s also stuck with lame, old-school rituals. Poor Akko, Lotte, and Sucy, though! They got the short end of the stick, forced to be the sacrifices to Bachoalawy! If memorizing ten thousand incantations sounds like a pain in a neck, just imagine being eaten and pooped out by a giant monster! No one would want that – okay, no one except Sucy would want that.

In Diana’s shoes: I’m not sure if I felt bad for Akko or wanted to strangle her for the most part of this episode. On one hand, what savage friends she’s got! Honesty is always a must for friendships, but they could’ve worded their thoughts better! Any person would definitely get depressed over that! But since this is Akko we’re talking about, she did something rash instead of mope around! Although, not like it was her fault she suddenly became Diana because of the mirror. Her fault was playing a prank and keeping up the façade while she was her! To her credit, she didn’t make a total fool out of Diana but instead realized the weight of the noble girl’s responsibilities. And here I was thinking that, like the usual body-swap scenarios, she’d ruin Diana’s reputation out of spite! I’m glad our girl Akko’s not like that!

Self-discovery: We can all agree that sometimes – well, most of the times – Akko needs to think before she speaks, or look before she leaps. She’s just so determined that she becomes stubborn, thereby putting herself and other people in trouble! She’s also only focused on her own goals that she never realizes that other things will also help her achieve them. That’s why I’m glad she finally seemed aware of her flaws. Not really sure if she’ll fix them anytime soon, but at least she knows about them. Match it up with her realizing that there are things only she can do, and her discovery that her idol, Chariot, had been improving her magic, not for any kind of fame, but only to give happiness to others! I wonder what she’ll do now, knowing these things?

Themes & Trivia

Responsibility: Even though the task she got was gross and humiliating, being the sacrifice was Akko’s task. The others had their own tasks as well, and they decided to do them properly. Even Diana had a lot on her plate, and none of them were easy to do. But she, too, was doing her best to carry them out perfectly. Everyone was appointed to do those things, after all, so only they could do them. Which brings us to the next theme…

Identity: Pretty sure everyone has thought at some time in their lives: ‘Why can’t I be like [that person]?’ Comparing ourselves to other people is not easy to avoid, especially if there are multiple people around you that you think are better than you in many ways. However, while comparing ourselves allows us to realize our flaws, when it comes to our situations and our callings in life, every single one of us has our own potentials and destinies! There are certain things that other people can’t do, but you can! Just like what Professor Ursula said, ‘Do what only you can do!’ Whatever you’ve got in your hands right now, do it excellently!

Samhain: This is a Gaelic festival that celebrates the end of the harvest season and start of winter, which is October 31 to November 1. It’s also believed to be the time when the boundary between our world and the spirit world is at its thinnest, so spirits are able to pass through. The spirits of deceased family members are invited to people’s homes, while evil spirits are warded off. Traditionally, there were a lot more rituals and events that were done during this festival. Then eventually, Samhain merged with the celebration of All Saints’/Souls’ Day to become what we now know as Halloween!

Easter Eggs – Just some interesting facts you may not have noticed! First off, apparently the mischievous broom, Shooting Star, was seen in Pakistan, according to the newspaper that was distributed to the Luna Nova students. Then, the mirror that pranked Akko could’ve been the work of Professor Woodward, who was briefly reflected in the mirror as Professor Finneran was watching Diana! Akko ran away. Last, the face paints Akko put on Hanna and Barbara are a reference to the American hard rock band, Kiss, particularly to The Starchild’s and The Catman’s make-up designs respectively. It’s always so fun keeping an eye out for these Easter eggs!

Comments

I think viewers might be getting pissed off at Akko at this point, but I personally think it’s good that we have a flawed protagonist that we can relate to (though I also do get annoyed at her most of the time). I think that’s much better than having an overpowered, perfect character who no longer has any room for improvement. Meanwhile, episode by episode, I have hope that Akko will soon grow into a fine protagonist, especially with what we have now! So please, let her become more mature soon.

Arae Aryrha!

I guess that ends the first part of Little Witch Academia, with a cliffhanger! At least they’re not leaving their viewers wondering if and when this will continue, because that cliffhanger definitely means the second part is directly starting next week! I’m just so excited! What did you guys think about everything’s that happened? And what are you expecting to happen in the next cour? Leave your comments below!

Please also keep checking out the last bits of anime reviews for Winter 2017 as different shows start ending, while new ones for the Spring 2017 roster start airing! You can check our episodic reviews for the new season here: