Little Witch Academia Episode 4 Review: Night Fall

I swear, Little Witch Academia just makes me feel relaxed and happy whenever I watch it. It’s such a pure and feel-good anime! I’m sure most of us are often interested in action or horror shows, but you really can never go wrong with having one or two peaceful shows like this in your watch list! Personally, I look forward to it every week because it takes the stress out of me after a tiring day at work!

Japanese Original Episode Title: ナイトフォール

Plot

It was surely refreshing to have Lotte as this episode’s focus! We’ve always seen her as the obedient voice of reason, so seeing her so passionate about something she loves was a delight! Plus, I’m pretty sure she resonated with every one of us who are fans of many things! There are also some, those of us who create things – whether music, art, or stories – who might’ve resonated with Annabel about the pains and joys of being a creator. Annabel’s joy was that she got to create, or continue rather, something that witches and commoners both ended up enjoying: a novel series called Night Fall! I’m also super happy for Lotte that she got to meet and even directly support her idol! How amazing must it feel to be a source of encouragement for someone you look up to, right?

Basically, this episode was dedicated to every die-hard fan out there!

Episode Highlights

The Trio’s friendship: While the story this time was mostly focused on Lotte, Akko and Sucy stayed by her side and helped her out all the way, listening to her fan-girling, getting her to the event, and helping her look for Annabel! It showed just how inseparable they are! Getting in trouble as a team for stealing tarts in the kitchen proved how much their friendship has developed (even though the stealing was mostly Akko’s doing, but the two still stuck with her despite getting scolded).

Night Fall Event: No wonder Lotte wanted to go so badly! Being with fellow fans, talking to them about the things you love, seeing cosplayers and buying merchandise – what’s not to like about conventions? To make it even more memorable, Night Fall’s author made an appearance for the first time ever! Getting a chance to see your idol in person is usually a dream coming true for any fan! Lotte also got to prove just how much she loved the series by winning the contest! Too bad she didn’t get to keep the pen she won, though. But the experience seemed super worth it for her!

Annabel Crème: I think it was surprising to learn that the author was actually twelve different people instead of a witch that has been writing it for 120 years. The fact that no one noticed the writing styles to be different over time is already a feat! However, continuing something as big as Night Fall must have been a weight on each Annabel’s shoulders. Add in the flames the current Annabel has been getting, then it’s no wonder she wanted to quit writing! Good thing Lotte’s really good in supporting and encouraging people!

Lotte’s Ability: Fans of the second short film might’ve remembered that Lotte can call out to spirits by singing. I’m happy that we saw her do it this early in the series, and that we got a bit more information about it! Sure, it was only a bit helpful this time around, but most likely it’ll come in handy in the future!

Themes & Trivia

Fans and Creators: I actually never thought about it before, that there are fans inspired to be like their idols, like Akko, while there are also fans that purely enjoy their idol’s work, like Lotte. Whichever kind of fan you are, I believe both are wonderful, and it surely must be flattering for the creators you admire! The kind of ‘fans’ that aren’t wonderful, however, are those who criticize, not for the sake of improvement, but just to spite. Your idols are people too! And every single one of them faces different challenges every day, even about their own works, just like how Annabel felt insecure with hers. So insulting them, or their fans, in anyway is a huge no-no! Let’s remember to just enjoy whatever we want, and let others enjoy and create what they want!

A bunch of series references: Little Witch Academia already seems like a huge shoutout to Harry Potter, so seeing all the other references to many other series made me laugh! I’m pretty sure the font of Night Fall was already a big giveaway to what it was based on. Add in the names of Belle and Edgar, as well as vampires, werewolves, and humans, and you’ve got Twilight by Stephanie Meyer! The poses Lotte did as she described what Night Fall was about also seemed to reference other shows (the conspiracy one resembled Gendo Ikari’s famous pose from Neon Genesis Evangelion!).

GreatBen810: Akko noted that Lotte’s fellow Night Fall fan might be a student from Luna Nova too! But, if you notice a certain someone sneaking in the background when the girls were caught, you’ll find out that it’s actually Professor Badcock, the Numerology teacher! See what I meant when I said that Night Fall became something everyone enjoyed?

Comments

I’ve already been raving all throughout my review, so you can probably already guess just how much I loved this episode! It’s also terrific to know that, by centering the episode on Lotte this week, we’ll most likely have the next ones dedicated to the other characters! Getting a chance to know more about them and their stories is incredibly exciting!

Never underestimate a fan’s willpower!

We just watched the latest installment, and I’m already looking forward to the next one! Maybe soon enough we’ll also start to see hints of a proper story arc? But until then, just keep the fun and delightful stories coming please!

How much were you able to relate to this episode, fellow fans? Also, if you happen to know what other references were made here, aside from Twilight and Evangelion, do share them in the comments below! It’d be fun to know what other Easter eggs the writers left for us!

Also, don’t forget to check out our other anime reviews for Winter 2017!