A show that moves like a western cartoon in a medium obsessed with stillframes, every scene is alive. The central friendship is real enough that the magical academy stuff becomes secondary; you're watching three misfits figure out who they are, and the animation just happens to be doing backflips while they do it. Akko's obsession with Shiny Chariot feels earned because the show earns small character moments before asking you to care about larger ones.

Atsuko arrives at Luna Nova Academy bursting with determination to become a witch, inspired by the legendary Shiny Chariot who vanished years ago. The problem: she comes from a non-magical family, so she has to learn everything from scratch and starts well behind the other students. On the way to school she meets the shy, kind Lotte and the sarcastic, mischievous Sucy, and the three become friends and roommates. When Atsuko finds the Shiny Rod, a wand that once belonged to Chariot, she hopes it might reveal what happened to her idol, but she has to figure out how to make it work. Reckless and behind in magic, she still refuses to be outdone by her classmates, especially the gifted Diana Cavendish, who she treats as her rival. Comedy and fantasy blend as Akko and her friends learn what being a witch really means.