Akko and the Shiny Rod

The second episode of the Little Witch Academia begins with Akko dreaming herself using The Shiny Rod. She awakes, exited to the fact that she has the Shiny Rod and is attending the Luna Nova, witch academy. She still doesn’t have any knowledge of how to utilizes the Shiny Rod.

Unsurprisingly, Akko and Sucy find the lessons at Luna Nova to be boring. The first-class studies the “luna alphabet,” “a traditional writing system that was used by ancient witches.” It’s considered a form of “phonemic orthography.” When the Professor if “anybody can read what’s written on the board,” Diana Cavendish raises her hand. She impresses the Professor who states that “for as long as I have been a teacher, you are the first person able to read this.”

The next class is the potion class, which Sucy seems to enjoy. The following class explains the some have a theory that the Pythagoras “laid the foundations of sorcery and divination.” Akko and Sucy are also bored in this class, Diana once again shows that she is smarter than everyone when she corrects the Professor. At lunch, Akko complains that school isn’t how she thought it was. Diana and Akko clash over their opinions of Chariot. Of course, Akko fails to make the statue move with the Shiny Rod, but Diana manages to do it herself.

The Jennifer Memorial Tree

The professors gather around the Jennifer Memorial tree, they are concerned with it’s seeming weakened state. They assume that it’s dying due to old age, Diana arrives and explains that the tree of life was left behind by the great witch Jennifer. Diana attempts to revitalize the tree with magic. She aims to provide the tree with nourishment using the spell, Louperial Ral. However, the spell causes the eggs of the Pappiliodya to begin hatching.

Diana, Akko, and the others assume that they are pest and Diana begins killing them. Akko releases that they aren’t pests and step in to save them. She releases that they are “papilliodya chrysalises,” the Papilliodya “only emerge once every hundred-twenty years,” according to Akko. The Shiny Rod begins to glow and Akko uses the Papilliodya spell, Diana helps her with the pronunciation. The Papilliodya are released and they fly through the air.

This episode was interesting mostly for how the characters were presented. The typical templates were established, Diana the pretty, know it all mean girl. Lotte the good, nerdy friend, Sucy is sarcastic, talented but ultimately dismissive. Finally, there’s Akko, starry-eyed and inspired, she doesn’t pay attention to anything in class but does have some magic knowledge. However, Diana was more surprising, as she wasn’t really as mean of a character. She’s not too full of her self but is more capable than the others.