Little Witch Academia Episode 25 (Final) Review: Tree of Leaves

When talking about festivities, you often think of fireworks, confetti, dancing, camaraderie, etc., right? Well, after watching the finale of Little Witch Academia, a celebration like that was exactly the image that was left in my mind! Just as the show first started with Shiny Chariot’s fantastic performance, here it ended with another performance that was just as amazing! The anime couldn’t have a better conclusion!

Japanese Original Episode Title: 言の葉の樹

Plot

Croix’s minions decided on their own that they want to spread even more hate, by possessing a missile and launching it to attack Great Britain’s neighboring country! Yikes. Everyone was slowly losing hope, because who’d manage to catch up to a sentient rocket, let alone stop it! But of course, Akko was as optimistic as ever! No wonder she was chosen by the Shiny Rod! So it’s up to her and her amazingly supportive and talented friends to stop the chaos that was bound to ensue!

Episode Highlights

The missile of hate: Oh dang. Croix’s just so talented that the cube creatures she created gained a life of their own, albeit still within their programming and a whole lot more. To think they’d go and find a weapon of mass destruction, knowing that it stems from and begets even more hate? It seems they even completely took over their host since they managed to transform it from a normal missile into a shape-shifting creature!

Friends and Supporter: I never thought that Akko, the friends she’d made and the professors involved with her actually amounted to nine witches! It totally never crossed my mind that they’d be the next generation after the Nine Olde Witches! That was such a sly move, writers! It also made me incredibly happy to see Chariot and Croix use their magic not to fight, but to join forces this time and support their students! Then there was the part where Akko’s friends passed on their hopes and magic as they separated with their rocket boosters from the Shiny Volley! That was so dramatic and heartwarming! However, the most heartwarming moment was the people’s belief in the witches, though we don’t know how the whole thing was being broadcast to everyone. It told a great deal for the people, who were previously riddled with hate and anxiety. They came together and started having hope, in turn giving Akko and Diana infinite magical power to revive the tree of Yggdrasil! Who knew Chariot’s, or actually Croix’s, motto ‘A believing heart is your magic’ is the true solution to the limited power both professors were looking for all this time?

Resolution: When we first started watching this show, I bet none of us ever imagined that both Akko and Diana would be the ones saving the day! Even if we’ve already seen Diana join the gang, I’ve always expected that, as usual, the protagonist alone would defeat the bad guy! Or even Akko with Lotte and Sucy! But, I’m actually very satisfied with this turnout as, I’ve mentioned before, Diana and Akko’s relationship paralleled Croix and Chariot’s! Seeing Diana use the Shiny Arc with Akko despite not being the chosen one… The same could’ve happened with Croix if she only supported Chariot properly. Plus, the two younger girls were both fans who saw the Shiny Arc be used to defeat a monster at the show firsthand, and now they themselves used it for a serious threat! That gave me serious goosebumps!! Another thing that surprised me was the comeback of the Shooting Star, saving the day!

Epilogue: I always love a happy ending! More so if not all is perfect, but still happy nonetheless! Croix still had to be taken away by what seemed like secret agents, and Chariot still couldn’t fly, but we were given hope that the two friends would reunite someday, with Croix bringing a cure for Wagandea’s pollen. People all over the world have started believing in magic and the witches again, all thanks to Akko and Diana’s magic show. Even the ones who were so against them started supporting them, like Andrew’s father! Akko and Amanda’s groups started getting along with Diana’s group, who used to look down on them all the time! What a miracle indeed! Well, not as much a miracle as Akko finally being able to fly though, in the midst of her beloved friends! I’m super glad that Andrew, Frank, and the teachers were all there to see it! Even Constanze was so surprised that she finally talked! (To be honest, for me, that was the most surprising out of everything that happened.) Our protagonist is definitely a full-fledged witch now!

Themes & Trivia

Fight hate with…? They say that you should never fight fire with fire, nor with gasoline, since that will just make the situation worse. Here we saw that the saying is indeed true, as Croix’s creations just continued looking for more hate to spread when they were defeated. It’s definitely similar to how humans also never stop hating others until they destroys everything in their path. Instead, we should always aim to love others and make them happy, kinda like how Akko kept turning all the attacks of the rocket into cute things!

Where power comes from: I thought we were gonna get the same ‘My friends are my power!’ shtick we always see in anime and games. Well, we actually did, but it wasn’t the ultimate solution. Instead, the source of magic came from the people of the world, which is something you rarely see. One example I know of that used this same idea was Goku’s energy ball from Dragon Ball Z!

Comments

As expected of a show from Trigger, when it’s time for a finale, it means going out with a bang! And Little Witch Academia really did not disappoint. It delivered more than what I could have hoped for! The writing was just so good that it felt like everything that happened in the past was leading up to this very episode! It was just so satisfying! I give a really big salute to the writers for giving us a spectacular finale! Of course, any great writing would be more enjoyable if the visuals were just as great! The animation was super-duper amazing and definitely took us for an enjoyable ride! I’m glad that, even though some of the previous episodes had hiccups with the art, they made it a point to go all-out with this last episode.

Take Flight!

After six months of magical adventures, we now finally say goodbye to Akko and the gang! I’m super sad that this feel-good anime is already over, but it’s leaving me with quite fond memories, and a reminder that I just need to believe! I hope that just as this anime became totally dear to me, it is for you too! Let me know in the comments section below!

Then we also have our Spring 2017 reviews! Most of these shows, like Little Witch Academia, are ending this week, so stay tuned for everyone’s articles and series reviews!

You can also check our list for Summer 2017: