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「アルクトゥルスへの道」 (Arukuturusu e no michi)
“Road to Arcturus”
Little Witch Academia‘s sprint towards the finish line has been an intense mad-dash to tie up any loose ends it created during the second half of the show. In the process of trying to make a grander plot out of the series, Trigger faces a prevalent issue of trying to resolve conflicts as quickly as possible within a short span of time. In this episode’s case, Croix was finally able to use the Noir Rod to reach the Grand Triskelion only to be trolled out of the reward she expected by Woodward, and Akko unlocked the Gran Triskelion with the last Word. The only plot-line that doesn’t feel like it’s moving at hyperspeed is the subplot of Andrew trying to resolve the diplomatic troubles that England has to face with the soccer riots, but it’s connection with Croix’s Noir Fuel Spirit doesn’t make it feel any less out-of-place in the show. Snooty old aristocrats talking about using political strife for their own gain has been the least engaging aspect of the series, but it plays the most important role as the conflict that the witches at Luna Nova have to face for the finale.
And it’s a shame because they really could have given more time to fleshing out Croix and Ursula’s relationship. They’ve only touched on it slightly in flashbacks and brief encounters where Ursula is saving Akko, but it’s easily one of the aspects of the show that intrigued me the most because of how well it relates to Akko’s journey. Croix’s breakdown cuts into how a bulk of her motivation was to be acknowledged for her hard work only to be shunned left and right, culminating in Woodward trolling her with a twig as a reward for her troubles. We’ve seen Croix as a mostly one-sided jerk character with short spurts of compassion, but seeing Croix before Chariot was granted the Shiny Rod would’ve honed in on the positive qualities to her character that are open for development once she puts aside her resentment. Her breakdown also opened the door for her to right any of the wrongs she did to get to her goals as she actively tried to undo the damaging effects of her magic, and protect Ursula from the mess she made.
On top of this, Ursula’s compassion towards Croix gave her depth that also could’ve been fleshed out more. Even after having her own dream sabotaged by Croix, Ursula still felt she owed her all this time for having the responsibility her friend could only dream of having. Ursula saddles on a lot of regrets, but we don’t see enough of the good times that Croix and Chariot shared, so it feels like we’re stuck just having to trust the show’s instincts that they had a good enough relationship for Ursula to feel this terrible. It also would’ve made it more rewarding for us to see Akko’s equally quick growth. Rather than Chariot and Croix’s relationship fracturing as they repress their emotions, Akko let Ursula know that she doesn’t hold any resentment for her taking her magic when her decision to become a witch and the resolve to trust in herself is thanks to Chariot’s inspiration. It helps set up the contrast between Chariot and Akko’s paths, yet intertwines their trajectory enough to have them compliment one another. How Akko can relate to and overcome the same struggles that Croix, and Chariot faced in their past is very significant to her story as she further develops her magical prowess, but this has only been lightly touched upon within the last few episodes.
That being said, the show does an effective job at ramping up the stakes to their highest. With the Noir Rod manifesting into a nuclear rocket heading to the moon at the same time Akko is celebrating the Grand Triskelon’s reawakening. For all the points that I wish were improved upon, I think that the show is doing a great job at keeping me invested in the overarching story, and leaves me hopeful with the possibility that we’ll leave Akko, Ursula, and Chariot’s stories on a high note next week.
Considering that we now have Show Spoiler ▼
, the very ending of the second ending where Show Spoiler ▼
seems a little bit more relevant.
Although the ending differs from the ep1 vision which has a surface mushroom cloud with proportions we have not seen. We will have to wait and see.
This would make an excellent prequel series…
One of the things on my wishlist for the last episode or any OVAs would be for them to have more Chariot/Croix prequel material. I love the dynamic the two have, and would’ve liked to see the two before the Shiny Rod chose Chariot. That way, we’d be able to see why it’s tough for Chariot to hold Croix accountable when they were close friends before Croix had a falling out.
The Ultimate Test and Croix failed spectacularly. If can’t accept and see the beauty behind a seemingly small reward, truly you are the worst witch ever.
Chariot didn’t feel such warmth ever since she first touched magic. Dreams are a blessing but the Greatest Dream Chariot had was loving a young girl who never stopped believing on her teaching. Akko meet Chariot and Chariot has her Akko back.
That might ultimately be why the Shiny Rod chose Chariot and Akko. While Croix was devastated about finding the twig, Chariot and Akko’s optimism and whimsy would have been more compatible to find value in it.
It was touching how Chariot found her way back not from pushing herself to the brink of despair, but finding appreciation and influence from a fan of hers. It all goes back to what Chariot really wanted at the end of the day; to have inspired someone.
I could hear Woodward in the background saying “It’s me, Croix! It was me, all along, Croix!”
Akko and Chariot’s moment could easily became the scene of the year
How long must Woodward have been containing her laughter as she waits for Croix to work tooth and nail on placing the world in jeopardy to hand her a ticket on the Ruse Cruise?
True, the way that Akko and Chariot came together was very well-executed, and has the makings of being the scene of the year. I’d include many scenes from the past couple episodes as well such as Akko finding out the truth, Diana opening up to Akko, Chariot’s flashbacks, and Croix’s breakdown. The last episode might have something even stronger judging from the trend.
Croix: “STOP HAVING FUN!”
I think that was the highlight of the episode for me.
What if the broom that’s been orbiting Earth is the thing that hits the nuke, changes its tragectery, and saves everyone?
“I will NEVER join you.”
“If only you knew the POWER of the Noir Fuel Spirit.”
the moment when chariot transforms into poison ivy
I really wasn’t sure what show I was watching here. It started off as Star Wars, then we had Evangelion, Alien and Strike Witches, and at the end it turned into Dr. Strangelove.
Why is no one talking about Chariot pulling out some lightsaber?
Yeah… I was wondering where she had gotten that.
The Stick of the Grand Triskelion reminds me about the Stick of Truth from Southpark.
Looks pretty identical.
So have they said anything about continuing the franchise after the anime ends? Every time I realize there’s only one episode left, I get sad. LWA is just *too* good. Easily my favorite fantasy show since 12 Kingdoms (yes, I’ve been around a while).
I know there’s like… some kind of RPG game or something, but might we also get some OVA episodes or something?