Funny / Little Witch Academia (2017)

Reminder to never let Akko serve you breakfast

Being a lighthearted and comedic show by Studio TRIGGER, Little Witch Academia provides plenty of laughs throughout.

General

• Any shot of the Principal's office. Look at the hats in the background. One of them is Rita Repulsa's.
• Akko is incredibly and hilariously expressive and can barely go an episode without at least one goofy expression. Here is a montage of just some of the many faces she makes across the series.

Season 1

Episode 1: Starting Over

• Sucy is back in all her Token Evil Teammate glory.
  • In her first conversation with Akko, Sucy goes out of her way to animate Akko's stuffed bird. Akko is amazed for a whole two seconds before the bird pecks her in the eye.
  • Afterward, Akko makes the mistake of continuing the conversation. Sucy silently reciprocates by using the classic Electric Joybuzzer, only that the buzzer is illusionary snakes.
  • After the two part ways, they meet again minutes later via Crash-Into Hello. This time, Sucy actually speaks.
    Sucy: You are the very definition of trouble.
    Akko: [Oh, Crap! face] Y-you're alive!
  • Later in the episode, Akko, Sucy, and Lotte are being chased by a plant monster. Sucy reacts by transforming some rope she has into a protective cage around Akko and Lotte. Sucy then tells Akko to recite a spell. This attracts a bigger monster.
    Akko: What's this thing? What did that spell just do?
    Sucy: You said, 'Hey stupid, come and eat me if you want to shut me up.'
    Akko: What?!
    Sucy: That's a mythical cockatrice which lives only Arcturus Forest. They say its feathers contain a deadly poison. A collector of poisons can't ignore such a super rare item. Distract it for me. I'll grab a feather in the meantime.
    Akko: What?! Are you saying that you used us as bait?!
    Sucy: Nope, you're a sacrifice. Shout that line one more time!
    Akko: Heck no!
    
• During the opening ceremonies, one of the professors is a goldfish in a bowl (complete with witch's hat).

Episode 2: Papiliodia

• In the beginning, Akko wakes up to and checks if the first episode really wasn't just a dream, even though she's already moved into her school dorm. She then shows the Shiny Rod to Lotte.
  Akko: Check it out!
  Lotte: [still getting up and groggy] The Shiny Rod, right?
  Akko: That's right!
  Sucy: You only told us about it a hundred times last night.
  Akko: [ignoring Sucy] It's Shiny Chariot's magic staff!
• Lotte lists off the first classes of the day (magic linguistics, magic pharmaceutics, and magic numerology), which just sound like regular college courses with 'magic' at the beginning. Reed Richards' Hogwarts, this is not.
• The first in a series of Gilligan Cuts.
  Akko: I can't wait to see what magic lessons are like! It's so thrilling and exciting!
  First class's professor: [gesturing to the Wall of Text of Wingdinglish on the chalkboard] Is anybody able to read what I have written on the board?
  Akko: [This Is Gonna Suck face]
• Sucy turning Akko's hair into a plant. Turns into a Funny Background Event when the plant grows a little in each subsequent scene.

Episode 3: Don't Stop Me Now

• We see Diana showing off during the broom flying class by flying around at high speed, when she stops her broom emits the sound of screeching tyres.
• Akko trying and failing to fly with a broom in her own time. Made funnier by doing it literally in the middle of school. Made even more funny when she bribes, argues with, and begs to her broom, specifically in that order.
• Sucy continues to be a top-class snarker.
  Sucy: It was only a hunch before, but now I'm sure that Akko is a moron.
• Pretty much all of Akko's attempts to quickly learn how to fly after Sucy is motivated to help.
• The Shooting Star curb-stomping anybody that touches it. It also takes Akko to a tour around the world, including underwater and above the clouds.
• Sucy casts a spell on Akko's broom to make it "frog hop" across platforms she's meant to fly over - Akko actually seems to find it fun:
  Akko: (cheerfully singing) Ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit, quack quack quack!

Episode 4: Night Fall

• Akko is absolutely livid over the fact that she is being accused of stealing a pie. It was a tart, thank you very much.
  • Then there is the teacher agreeing with her because a tart is three times more expensive then a pie.
• Lotte's outburst when she's grounded. Especially when she throws Akko's face to the floor. When she does that, you only hear a little bumping sound. The next second, she raises Akko, clearly knocked out with a big red spot on her face.
• Lotte's favorite novel series, night fall. It starts off as a Surprisingly Similar Story to Twilight, then spirals into a Long Runner of 120 years, 12 consecutive authors, and 365 volumes. The genre of the story itself sounds like it could Depend on the Writer, and if Little Witch's characters talk about the plot itself, it's a sequence of Noodle Incidents that leave you wondering just what the fresh hell this story is supposed to be about. Oh, and most importantly, the readers either think that it's the best thing since sliced bread or that it's a huge garbage fire.
  Annabel (the latest author of the series): I'm not talented at all! Everyone's been saying that the last night fall books have been a train wreck.
  Lotte: It's true that I never expected Arthur to go to space...
  Annabel: See?
  Lotte: I was surprised, but he's been unconsciously wanting to go to space for the longest time. It's just like when his Oedipus Complex was revealed in the past. Experts have been predicting this for ages! It's something that every fan knows! We've always been waiting for this development!
  Annabel: But that's what a small part of the fanbase thinks. Ever since I started writing, I've been flamed like crazy.
  Lotte: Now that's a small part of the fanbase. The prison arc, the chapter when Belle caught a nuke with her bare hands, and the saga of them aiming for that a cappella world championship were all really interesting! It's like, how could you possibly not enjoy that?!
  Annabel: Even I wrote those because I thought they were interesting. But how am I supposed to stand back up when they say 'stop writing' and 'this sucks' and call each new volume worthless? I've had enough.
  Lotte: What's your favorite book?
  Annabel: Eh?
  Lotte: [literally sparkling] Which book do you like the most?
  Annabel: Volume 363 when-
  Lotte: [Squee] The one where Edgar lends Arthur his shoehorn?
  Annabel: Yeah! I knew I wanted to write that one since I started!
  Lotte: Edgar hands over the shoehorn with his left hand, right? His clan believes that the left hand is a symbol of life. And he handed him the shoehorn he received from his father with his left hand! That means-
  Annabel: You're right!
  Lotte: I never realized!
  Akko: [whispers] What does that mean?
  Sucy: [whispers back] No idea.
• Lotte immediately befriends a person in a Big Ben style costume by recognizing the obscure reference.
• When Lotte insists the trio search for Annabel, there's a montage of Lotte and Akko looking across town, whilst Sucy doesn't even bother and just starts collecting mushrooms.

Episode 5: Pact of the Dragon

• Apparently Luna Nova's toilet runs on magic. So when Sorcerer's Stone gets stolen, a student stares in horror when she can't flush it...
• When the dragon dismisses the thought of eating Akko, in the subbed version she screams, "How dare you?! I taste great!"
• The Reveal. Luna Nova owes money to an economic-savvy dragon who repossesses the school's Sorcerer's Stone when the faculty ignored his threat and didn't pay their loan in the past year. The deadpan expressions on Akko, Amanda, and their friends when they find this out is hilarious.

Episode 6: The Fountain

• When Andrew enters the room, every single one of the young witches starts fawning over how handsome he looks, while Diana's uncharacteristically bored look◊ basically says: "I've already seen this play out countless times".
• A mishap while practicing transformation magic results in Akko spending much of the episode with bunny ears, a pink nose and an all white body. She also gives Andrew donkey ears and a tail trying to use it further.
• When Akko and Andrew have found the door to the Fountain of Polaris and Andrew is reading the warning.
  Andrew: "Visitors should take head and abide by these words. Do not disturb the slumber of Arcas. Those who encroach upon the fountain beware it's wrath." Well, I would say the wisest choice is to keep our distance.
  Akko: ATTACK! (shoulder smashes down the door)
  (Andrew stands there with an annoyed look on his face)

Episode 7: Orange Submariner

• When Professor Lukić is describing the Cool And Unusual Punishments for using magic illegally in magic law class (and visibly terrifying the students in the process), Akko interrupts her by asking if 'this will be on the test?'
  Lukić: [Beat] That it will.
  • In the English dub, Lukić responds with "...Probably?"
• The first half of the episode is a celebration of all the things Akko is terrible at, and hilariously so.
  • She tries to levitate a teapot. She ends up throwing everything on her desk at Professor Finnelan.
  • Ursula asks Akko to open a window. It takes her all night.
  • Her next exam is White Magic.^note Well, the show calls it that, but specifically, it's Healing Hands. She un-bends a spoon offscreen.
  • Her broom exam comes up. She hasn't gotten better since episode 3.
  • She tries to kick-start a Hard-Work Montage for an all-night study session. A millisecond later, it Gilligan Cuts to her falling asleep.
  • She tries to make an apple taste better. Cue Waterfall Puke.
  • She tries to transform... something. We don't even have the chance to see it ourselves before she blows it up.
• Akko's shock when Lotte explains that she's attending school to get a magic tool maintenance licence.
  Lotte: It's a national qualification. Didn't you know? You need the right qualifications to get a job in handling magic tools.
  Akko: Job?
• There's a culinary magic class, separate from the magic pharmaceutics class.
• Constanze's Transforming Mecha makes a familiar sound effect.
• The thing that pulls Akko out of her spiral of despair is not the she would never be like Shiny Chariot, not that she would never become a witch period, but the notion that Diana would be right about her leaving Luna Nova.
• Akko, desperate for a good grade in at least one subject, tries to bribe her magical philosophy teacher, Professor Pisces, who is literally a fish in a bowl. She tries to give Pisces "fancy water that celebrities drink", and when it turns out that mineral water is really bad for Pisces, Akko panics and starts running around with her, culminating when Pisces slips out of her hands and goes down the drain of a nearby sink.
  Professor Ursula: You flushed Professor Pisces down a drain?!
  Akko: I didn't mean to!
• Later, when Akko and her roommates are trying to find Pisces by turning themselves into fish, Akko only manages to get about halfway, making herself look like a Zora.
• Akko asks that Ursula cover for her while she, Lotte and Sucy go to the sewers to find Professor Pisces. Cue Ursula having a mild panic as students come towards the exam room before tossing a fish lure into Professor Pisces' bowl and hiding under her desk.
  • Even better when Professor Nelson (the flight instructor) walks into the room, looks at the fishing lure which is very obviously NOT Pisces, and asks (completely seriously) if she's changed her look.
    • Which turns into uproarious laughter when Ursula attempts to talk as Professor Pisces with 'Paku Paku!' (Bubble, Bubble)^note In the english dub she says 'glub' instead. and this only compounds the problem.
• Akko finding out that her elective class, Magic Philosophy, is actually an advanced class that can only be taken by witches who are fluent in fish language because of Professor Pisces. And she finds all this out the lecture before her final exam.

Episode 8: Akko's Adventure in Sucyworld

• Sucy brewing a potion with intent to awaken all her magical potential, and is set to drink it when she stops herself in case she botched it. She decides to then test it on her 'guinea pig' Akko, before realising that if it worked, it would awaken all of Akko's magical potential, and that would be boring as hell, and drinks the potion herself.
• Akko wakes up the next morning with the funnel that Sucy put in the night before still stuck in her mouth. When she realizes that they'll be late for class, she throws off her pajamas and changes clothes before finally spitting out the funnel. Yes, this means Akko changed clothes with a funnel still jammed in her mouth.
• The total lack of reaction from Akko or even Lotte, combined with a later scene in the same episode, implies that Sucy regularly does this but Akko never figured out it was experimentation until she saw Sucy's memory of it. Akko has woken up randomly with a funnel in her mouth enough times that they've all become accustomed to it.
• The spell Lotte uses to send Akko into Sucy's mind essentially turns Lotte's wand into a bat, which Lotte bashes Akko in the head with.
• Several different Sucys are shown in her inner mind, all representing different sides of her. One of them is in the form of an alpaca to show how much she wants to spit on people.
  • Another is the "Easily Manipulated Sucy"... Who looks like a Jedi.
• At the movie theater, we learn Sucy's vision of Akko is a cartoonish goofball. On top of that, there's a Funny Background Event where Akko decries the cartoon and declares that it doesn't look anything like her only for her film counterpart to mimic her gestures at the exact same time.

Episode 9: Undead Travelogue

• When Akko accidentally revives a dead body, the first thing the body does is introduce himself... except that he realizes that he has Identity Amnesia mid-sentence. He does remember important things though, like he has to take Revenge on somebody and that he left his hat in his coffin.
• When they catch the dead guy in a bust marketplace and start to make a scene, Akko tries to play it off as All Part of the Show. And pulls it off like a champ, judging by how much money she got when she passed the hat around.
• The dead guy then tries to look in a garbage bin for his revenge target, because according to him, that's where trash is supposed to be. This attracts the attention of the police, and Lotte has to make up the excuse that the dead guy is her grandfather, that he's a pirate, that that's not actually true and he's just senile, and pirates have to look in every chest they find in search for treasure. They buy it.
• In the end, the skeleton reunites with his daughter in front of her mother's grave. They have a touching conversation, before he fades away. The leaves around his wife's rise up, and they form the figure of a man and a woman embracing. The onlookers are all wowed by the sight, and then:
  Sucy: I think I inhaled some old man dust.

Episode 10: Bee Affection

• Akko and her friends buy a do-it-yourself Cinderella kit (pumpkin sold separately) in order to crash a party. The Gorgeous Garment Generation works perfectly, but it wears off only after two hours instead of When the Clock Strikes Twelve, and their pumpkin turns into a three-seater bicycle instead of a carriage.
• They sneak into the party with the perfect Cacophony Cover Up: Casting Make My Monster Grow on a squirrel.
• Everyone continues to believe that Andrew and Diana would make a cute couple, even when Andrew casually points out that Diana's study of magic is frivolous, Diana verbally expresses that she would rather be studying magic than being at his party, and it's revealed that to be common knowledge that their families have 'been linked for over five hundred years.'
• Sucy releasing her fallin lovelove bee at Akko's expense.
  Sucy: There's nothing in the world better than toying with you, Akko.
• When stung by the bee, people see their crush as something out of a Shōjo Demographic manga, complete with Love Bubbles and a Bishie Sparkle.
• Akko's surprise whenever someone makes a Love Confession to her. Hannah and Barbara take it much harder.
• Sucy taking potshots on her friends' love lives.
  • On Akko:
    Sucy: Why not enjoy it? This is the first time you've ever been desired.
    Akko: Oh yeah, this is the first time!
    Sucy: And it's likely the last as well.
    Akko: True, I'll probably never-Hey, that's not the issue here!
  • On Lotte:
    Sucy: Lotte, I bet that you don't need a boyfriend as long as you have night fall.
• While Akko tries to swat the bee, Andrew decides to make it more dramatic for onlooking guests by deliberately playing 'Flight of the Bumblebee.'
• As Akko is chasing the bee, it proceeds to sting nearly everybody in the room. Couples created by this madness include at least two sets of two men, a woman and a dog, and Diana and a mirror.
• Diana falling in love with Akko. It's magically compelled, but The Shippers Rejoiced.

Episode 11: Blue Moon

• Sucy only gets one joke for this episode, and she makes it count.
  Sucy: Wow, Akko's in low spirits? Is an apparition going to come to life next?^note Yep, one sure did!
• Ursula's attempts to keep up her Clark Kenting, even though it's common knowledge that she and Shiny Chariot are the same age, went to the same school, and have the same eye color. At one point, Akko even points out that Ursula forgot to put on her glasses.
  Akko: Have you ever met Shiny Chariot? Or maybe you were even classmates?
  Ursula: Yes...
  Akko: Really?! Classmates?!
  Ursula: [Overfills her teacup without looking] P-perhaps we were...
  Akko: I can't believe it was true! Wow! What kind of person was Chariot? Did she stand out in class?
  Ursula: I-I suppose...
  Akko: She must've been so pretty!
  Ursula: Some might've agreed...
  Akko: Why did Chariot disappear? Where is she now, and what is she doing?
  Ursula: I can't say...
  Akko: [Beat] I see.

Episode 12: What You Will

• Vajarois the Wailing's And I Must Scream scenario is as bad as any; but nobody, not even in-universe, can take it seriously. She's a giant marshmallow with antlers, for crying out loud.
• Akko, shapeshifted into Diana, getting humorous revenge on Hannah and Barbara by making them stand outside all night painted up like two KISS members with their hands on their head. The two have long deserved such silliness.

Episode 13: Samhain Magic Festival

• Akko works so hard on her Voluntary Shapeshifting spell at night that she falls asleep in class the next morning, still mumbling the spell while she naps.
• The Samhain Fesitival's decorations are purposefully gaudy, but paradoxically well-organized. Not a Spike of Villainy is out of place.
• Vajarois was princess of a country called 'the Book Kingdom,' a piece of information which Ursula reads from a book.
• Sucy's still into the vore.
• Akko's performance is an in-universe Crowning Moment of Funny. She takes what was probably a punishment for the worst students and turns it into a crowd-pleasing (and crowd-stunning) performance the literally brings down the house.

Season 2

Episode 14: New Age Magic

• Akko Discussing the Shiny Rod's Crisis Makes Perfect tendencies without a hint of irony in her voice.
• Sucy tries to poison Akko again, and verbally expresses her disappointment when it doesn't work.
• Croix is the professor of modern magic, but she's heavily restricted on using modern magic.
• Akko joining with the fairies for their equal rights when she meant to have them get back to work.
  Holbrooke: Miss Kagari?
  Akko: I ended up being their General Secretary.
  Holbrooke: My, you're really climbing the ranks!
  Akko: [Hand Behind Head] Oh, please...
  • The mere fact Diana was this close to having the fairies go back to work, but then Akko reminds them she's an aristocrat, which is enough for the fairies to insult her for painting a bad picture. It's one of the rarest moments Diana looks visibly irritated by Akko.

Episode 15: Chariot of Fire

• Ursula's face when she realizes she may have said too much about knowing Croix.

Episode 16: Pohjola's Ordeal

• Akko accidentally knocks Lotte's father, when he's been rendered into a moss statue by the Greenman disease, into the neighbor that he had been talking to at the time the infection took hold of both of them. Their statues end up looking like they're kissing. At which point, Lotte's mother who has come under the same infection somehow moves out of the house solely to smack her husband away.
• The conditions for the Greeman Disease to manifest; basically a combination of the planets aligning, harvest conditions, how much the fish are getting it on (yes, really) and it all has to be capped off at a certain pie being baked at just the right temperature and time.
• The first ingredient for the Greenman Disease cure is a snowflake that falls from the pine woods. Unfortunately for Akko and Lotte, the snowflake must fall naturally, or else it won't count. After awkwardly waiting for the snow to fall for a good 10 seconds, Akko grows impatient and opts to just kick the tree.
  Akko (kicking the tree): Oops.
• When retrieving the second ingredient, a berry leaf blown off by the wind, Lotte sternly tells Akko to let it fall naturally this time... and then Akko accidentally sneezes the leaves and berries away.
  Lotte: What did I say?!
  Akko: I couldn't help it!

Episode 17: Amanda O'Neill and the Holy Grail

• Amanda transforms herself into a bifauxen to go undercover at a boys school. Ako transforms herself into a mouse. It's not clear if she did this on purpose or not, because no one comments on it.

Episode 18: Stanship Take Off!

• When all of Akko's attempts to help out end in unmitigated disasters, a very fed up Constanze locks her in a giant cage.
• After Constanze activates the ship's Humongous Mecha form, Akko delivers a passionate introductory speech a la Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. The response from the rest of their friends is as follows.
  (beat)
  Sucy: ...What is that?
  Amanda: Those guys are such morons.
  Jasminka: So cool!
• The mecha then immediately stops working because all the power got used up by the transformation.

Episode 19: Cavendish

• Akko's "Hitch-HIKE!" scene.
  • And subsequently being squished between Andrew and his father in the backseat of their car.
• Diana's maid pulls out an old dress for Akko to wear while she stays at the Cavendish mansion. As she despairs at having to let Akko wear it while straightening out her hair, she notes it was specially prepared by Diana's mother... for Diana's eleventh birthday.
  Akko: ELEVENTH?! [Stands up promptly, taking a moment to inspect herself in the dress] ...I don't want to admit it, but it's a perfect fit...
• The dinner scene. Akko, having no experience with upper class dinner mannerisms, tries to copy Diana at first. By the end she gives up and start shoving bread into her face with her bare hands. Cue an exasperated glance from Diana.

Episode 20: Intellect and Sensibility

• Akko: "you call that poison? Its got nothing on Sucy!"
• During a genuinely heartwarming moment, Diana reveals her wish to make her family's name justice by protecting it, revitalizing magic, and becoming someone her ancestors would be proud of. Akko grabs her hands in empathy and when Diana lifts her head to look at her... she's met with the biggest case of Inelegant Blubbering sees so far in the series.
• Diana being very tsundere about thanking Akko on the way back to Luna Nova, especially when Akko starts prodding her further.
  Akko: Just one more time!
  Diana: I will absolutely not say it!
  Akko: Don't be so bashful.
  Diana: I'll drop you!

Episode 21: Discipline

• While it's otherwise a pretty serious and sad episode, it still has its funny moments.
• The episode actually starts quite funnily with Frank shipping Andrew-Akko and Andrew acting composed. The rest of the episode is almost Mood Whiplash.
• Akko being aware of her constant bad luck.
  Akko: In the worst case scenario, I'll have to wait years to go! That's way too long!
  Lotte: But doesn't that hardly ever happen?
  Akko: [Matter of factly] Don't you know how strong my luck is? I'm guaranteed to always pick the short straw!
  Sucy: Not sure you should be proud about that.
• Diana is back to berating Akko's reckless behavior and lack of skill in certain areas, but it then cuts right back to heartwarming.
  Diana: Witches deluged by Wagandea's pollen lose their ability to use magic as well as the power to ever fly again. Although your inability to fly remains a mystery to this day...
  Akko: [Groans and nearly Face Desks]
  Diana: If you continue practicing, you may still learn how to do it eventually. You don't wish to lose even that possibility, do you?
• Lotte notes that Diana is still harsh with her criticism but also genuinely caring, while Sucy quips about her Defrosting Ice Queen status.
  Sucy: She's gone soft.

Episode 22: Things We Said Today

• Another Sucy one-liner:
  Sucy: Diana's looking for Akko? She must be plotting something.
  Lotte: (in a hushed voice) Come on, Sucy!

Episode 23: Yesterday

• There's something darkly hilarious about Croix's master plan to generate enough hate to power her dark Shiny Rod is to rig a soccer match.

Episode 24: A Road to Arcturus

• Croix's reaction to the Grand Triskellion - a stick making childish bubbles, stars, and confetti - feels like Laser-Guided Karma.
• Also doubles as Heartwarming Moments. After she finally unlocks the Grand Triskelion, everyone runs up to Akko and dogpiles her before tipping over and falling on the ground.
  • Diana couldn't jump in on the group hug because of said fall, but her expression can be taken as one of amusement at the others' goofiness.

Episode 25: Changing at the Edge of the World

• As Akko and the others fly towards the missile, Croix takes a moment to wonder who's streaming the feed of the missile and the girls. And that's all the show has to say about it.