Leon Staton’s review published on Letterboxd:
Anime Mirai—the theatrical release of four Young Animator Training Project shorts—ranges from cyberpunk incest, to freakin' Death Billiards, and ultimately to this fun, frantic take on The Worst Witch. It's produced by Studio Trigger, founded by wacky-talented animator Hiroyuki Imaishi and his ex-Gainax pals. And they got a bunch of grant money from the Japanese government to let their "young animators" (director Yoshinari not included) showcase their talents.
I could be a smart aleck and say that all this is reason enough to watch Little Witch Academia, but this short doesn't resemble shows like Gurren-Lagann and Panty & Stocking all too well. Instead, Yoshinari's in the forefront with a straightforward, albeit dazzling take on a familiar concept: the all-female high school adventure. I've never seen it played this straight so well, though, and that comes with both pros and cons. The characters are generally generic, ranging from plucky Akko playing the fool to Diana the reasonable ojou; there's nothing subversive here in regards to stylization, narrative techniques, or general plot points. And the main character conflicts become excuses for profuse pyrotechnics in the thick of the whole thing. So long as one's expectations are set accordingly, none of that even matters for a ditty like this. In fact, any necessary character development and exposition here is handled gracefully and kept hidden within background details and humorous dialogue—not to forget stellar animation.
The opening scene alone puts so much detail into young Akko's animation that her personality speaks visually and without excess. Many anime productions today are much too dependent on using background layouts to communicate what can't be animated given a certain budget, but that's no issue here. Instead, Yoshinari and the crack team of animators manning Trigger put out some impressive, bendy, and often daring movement into this piece. I'm talking about blossoming explosions, fuller character motion, and some wondrous circuses around towers and monsters with alternating frame-rates galore. Little Witch Academia's simple, yet it animation style works well with the story at hand, and the interactions between characters rarely feel simplistic. And, when it so desires, the devilish thing's more than clever: I spotted a possible My Little Pony allusion within, and by Shiny Chariot was it gruesomely funny. Hell, the whole short's sensual without fan service—entertaining without embarrassment. It's just darn solid.
There are some subtle quirks to it that also recall earlier, equally fascinating periods of Japanese animation. Sucy's droopy character design is both modern and resemblant of those from Ge-Ge-Ge Kitaro and other series from the '60s; Yoshinori Kanada clearly has had an influence on Yoshinari, whose strengths with both character animation and special effects hold strong throughout. Ultimately, Little Witch Academia gives off a slight impression of sophistication, working both as a stand-alone story and as a pilot for a potential IP (which may or may not mean anything as of this date). Key background details and silent slivers of backstory really make this otherwise one-note magic romp appear more layered. Eh, I can see why Trigger kept the concept so brief. Some subjects in life speak for themselves, and representing the growth of the aforementioned young animators through the girls' exploits is clever enough for one go.
Joe Bob sez check it out.