Little Witch Academia Episode 15 Review: Chariot of Fire

From a vague idea on just what Professor Croix wants to accomplish to something about Akko’s mission with the Shiny Rod, some answers have finally emerged in Little Witch Academia! This show is really raring to tell its story! We even got a rather impressive scenario with Professor Ursula!

Japanese Original Episode Title: チャリオット・オブ・ファイア

Plot

It truly is amazing just how helpful and useful Croix’s devices have been to Luna Nova. Some students seem to already depend on them, though some still refuse to get used to them. But, you’ve got to admit that the gadgets are quite revolutionary, not only for the school but to the whole world of magic, right? Good for Croix then; she’s gaining quite the reputation and attention, both in the present and in the past. Meanwhile, Chariot’s still known as a misfit witch who brought shame to the witches. Of course, Akko couldn’t just accept that, so it’s a good thing there’s at least one person who complimented Chariot, even though it was Croix herself. However, it looked like the teacher had her own notions about Akko’s missing idol and especially about her staff, the Shiny Rod!

Episode Highlights

Croix and Chariot: Seems like these two were like Diana and Akko in the past. Diana and Croix are the diligent students, while Akko and Chariot are the…less studious ones. And even though Croix and Chariot weren’t considered rivals by the teachers, based on what we’ve seen, they definitely seemed to be. Diana and Akko aren’t exactly rivals either, but they also kind of give that idea since Akko is always trying to pick a fight with Diana. Let’s just hope that these two students won’t end up like their teachers now!

Analyzing Akko: While it’s now evident that Croix wants the Shiny Rod, or Claiomh Solais, to obtain the Grand Triskelion, it’s still questionable if she only wanted it recently or from when she and Chariot were still students. It’s highly likely that she could’ve already got the idea then, though, especially since Chariot was accepted by the rod. It rejected Croix when she tried touching it. Maybe that’s why she was trying to gather data on why Akko’s compatible with it, so she could find out how she can use it too! It’s a good thing she got nothing new, and that that was the only thing she did. I thought she was gonna brainwash Akko or even steal the Shiny Rod! I was super worried!

Ursula’s Rescue Mission: We finally got to see Ursula kick some butt, in all her magical glory! We only used to see her use a bit of her magic whenever she went to save Akko; now she went full force to rescue her beloved student and fan! Guess her nimbleness and quick-thinking didn’t only come in handy for her performances, huh? She’s definitely not just an entertainer, or just a ditzy professor, but a really capable and talented witch, even after all those years in hiding! Though, I do wonder if she expected to be attacked at all when she got to the Blue Moon Tower. She didn’t look the least bit fazed or surprised when those arrows suddenly shot at her and the statues started charging at her. Though, doesn’t that kind of imply that Croix was really bent on dealing some damage? I mean, that was dangerous! What if Ursula had gotten hurt, or worse, killed? How did she plan on explaining that?

Grand Triskelion: Akko knows her destiny and mission, at last! Too bad she still didn’t get to know that her mentor, Ursula, and her idol, Chariot, are one and the same. I would’ve enjoyed seeing her flip out! Though, at least she’s looking forward to meeting her somewhere along the way, albeit it looks like meeting Chariot was still her primary goal. Well, she did think they both have the same objective. The only difference from the truth was that she thinks Chariot is looking for the other four Words alone, but in reality, she’s in it together with her.

Themes & Trivia

Unique ambitions: As we know, Luna Nova is a school that strictly upholds its traditions, so anything apart from that will surely stand out. As students, Croix, who was developing magic through science, and Chariot, who was aiming to entertain others, definitely attracted lots of attention, both positive and negative. Even now that they’re adults, they still have unique goals setting them apart as teachers. Croix would go to any length, even collecting data from an unconscious student, just to gain the world-reconstruction magic. Ursula, meanwhile, fully supported Akko to reclaim that powerful magic, even if she had a choice to not get involved.

Salem Saberhagen: Did you guys notice the name of the student next to Croix on the school register? At first, I thought it was just a shout-out to Salem, the place famous for witches. But then I saw part of the student’s surname, matched with the words ‘Black Cat’ and ‘Sabrina’, and what do you know, we’ve actually got a shout-out to the cat, Salem, from Sabrina the Teenage Witch! Interestingly, Salem really was a witch who got sentenced to spend 100 years as a cat – what a clever Easter Egg! The only weird thing is that Salem is a male, and Luna Nova seems to be an all-girls school, so you gotta wonder if the Salem that studied there is also a boy, or maybe a girl!

Yggdrasil: Known as the Tree of Life, its branches connects the nine worlds in Norse Mythology. It’s located in the middle of Asgard, where the gods and goddesses live.

Where’s Sucy?: Have you seen Sucy anywhere in this episode? She wasn’t beside Akko and Lotte during Croix’s class, nor was she in the cafeteria with them or their room. Is there any particular reason she’s missing?

Comments

I’m actually at a loss on what to say. I want to point out how awesome Ursula’s fight scenes were! I was trying to look for some off-drawings or odd timings, but with the stylized art and animation, everything just fit so well! Even with the smallest of details, like Ursula running to Akko and the symbolisms of the screens showing and disappearing on the monitors, the staff clearly planned things carefully!

Onwards to the next four Words!

Who else is looking forward to seeing Akko’s reaction once she finds out her idol has been the one guiding her all this time? We still don’t know when that’ll happen, though, but it’s one of the things I’m already looking forward to! Are there any other things you’d like to see in the next episodes, especially with what happened in this episode? Share your thoughts below!

Do also visit our Spring 2017 reviews! There are tons of other amazing anime to watch this season!