Little Witch Academia Episode 5 Review: Luna Nova and the White Dragon

I actually thought that Little Witch Academia was now entering a serious phase in its story. But judging on how this episode ended up, guess it’s still the same funny show we all know! Sure, it’s possible that the story has something serious in store for the future, but we can always count on happy and fun times to ensue along the way. It’s what makes this the Little Witch Academia we all know and love!

Japanese Title: ルーナノヴァと白い龍

Plot

Like I mentioned, this episode was quite different from the previous episodes. We all thought it was going to get dark and grim from here on out, until something unexpected happened. I felt like everything that happened thus far resembled those horror episodes where the ghost is just something silly, something the characters will eventually laugh about. Not that Luna Nova being ruined because of their debt is a laughing matter, but the resolution was quite different from what we were all expecting.

Episode Highlights

Akko and Amanda: Akko has found her match when it comes to being stubborn and gung-ho! Unfortunately, she and Amanda have different points of view, so it often put them at odds with each other! It’s a good thing they could put aside their differences (or similarities) when it came to saving the school from the dragons that stole the Sorcerer’s Stone. They’ve also got amazing friends backing them up and looking out for them. They also share the same annoyance for Diana and her ‘I’m-better-than-you’ attitude! But with all these similarities, it looks like their friendship has a long way to go.

Diana’s Proficiency: Oh wow, this girl is really amazing! I mean, sure, she needs to learn how to be kinder to people, but I actually sense no personal animosity from her towards Akko and Amanda. She also doesn’t seem to be showing off on purpose; she was just doing what needed to be done as a diligent student. And she is diligent, and intelligent too! Normally, the protagonist would always save the day instead of the rival, but it’s nice to see Diana change the trope for once. At least this will push Akko to become even better, right?

Costanze and Jasminka: I was so happy that we got to know more about them. It was super fun to see Constanze’s inventions coming in handy when magic couldn’t be used. It showed that you’d have to rely on methods outside the box, or else you won’t be able to improve. Meanwhile, Jasminka carrying Constanze as she was shooting the dragons made me laugh a lot! I could also relate at some level with her as she kept on munching on food with a perpetual happy face! Nothing is better than food! Hopefully, these two will show up even more often, along with Amanda!

The Sorcerer’s Stone: Establishing the witches’ reliance on the stone this early on is pretty important, as it might come into play again in the future. But, it makes you wonder just how the other witches all over the world get to use their magic if the stone is kept in Luna Nova, right? How were the young students able to practice their magic back home? Guess we still have a lot more to know about the witching world and their culture.

Fafnir, the old dragon: Well played, writers, well played. Everything was just a huge misunderstanding on our dear students’ part! That ‘oracle’ bit the teachers mentioned, as well as the legend of dragons eating witches set up the stage for a dire situation, when it was only just a debt issue! Well, can’t blame them. Who’d think that the smaller dragons would only be robots, and that an old, giant dragon is actually a loan shark? The splashes of ‘blood’ in the kitchen and the keeping the girls in a cage were nice touches that genuinely creeped me out! I also got quite worried once Akko started nagging on Fafnir. Luna Nova already owed him a lot, and here was Akko possibly ruining it for everyone. But, all’s well that ends well, and Fafnir noticed the astonishing determination in her eyes!

Themes & Trivia

Keeping up with the times: Culture is something so well treasured for most people that they often have a hard time letting it go, or even just combining it with recent advancements. In this case, Luna Nova couldn’t accept that magic is something of the past, the reason why their student population was slowly dwindling. I can understand the sentiment of keeping something so unique as magic as it is, though. However, keeping a close mind will really leave you behind; most people won’t trade convenience for culture, as sad as it may seem.

Greed and generosity: I love how they made Fafnir a greedy money man, I mean, dragon. Dragons like to hoard things, so in this case he just likes hoarding money, probably a little too much. He had the gall to trick the Luna Nova into paying a debt bigger than what they owed, and wouldn’t even let it go despite already having so much money! And it came to bite him in the behind, thank to Diana’s capacity to read Dragonese.

Comments

I never thought this show could get any better, but here was a story with a plot twist wonderfully set up! I, for one, absolutely love a good plot twist! The animation in this episode also stood out to me more than the previous ones for some reason. Not sure if the animators did anything new, but some parts seemed to be animated exceptionally well for me. It’s also quite rare to see shows where the characters still look and move nicely while zoomed out. Well done, Studio Trigger!

Scrooge McDragon?

I mentioned this last week: are we finally going to see hints of a proper story arc? With how this chapter went, I kinda wondered if this is a preparation for something big. Will the tone slowly turn dark? Or will Little Witch Academia still keep its lighthearted theme? Do you guys think we’ll even have one? Well, time to share your thoughts in the comments below!

Do check out our other anime reviews for Winter 2017 as well! See you next week!