- This article is about the episode.
- For the book series, see Night Fall (book series).
Night Fall (ナイトフォール, Naito Fōru?) is the 4th episode of the Little Witch Academia anime series.
Overview
Akko, Lotte and Sucy receive detention for stealing a tart. They're also forbidden to go into town, even though Lotte is dying to go to a book event.
Summary
The episode began one night. As Luna Nova students were sleeping for tomorrow, Lotte contacted her fellow Night Fall fan under the username of GreatBen810. Said user sent her an email asking whether she'd like to join them in the book series' upcoming release event, which would take place the day after tomorrow, to which Lotte happily replied that she would. However, the next day, Akko and her roommates were brought to the Student Counseling Room for stealing tarts (though Finnelan made an error where she thought of said meals as pies). Akko blamed the academy for being so stingy that it hampered food distribution and limited the cafeteria's menu, which irritated Badcock since she was in charge of Luna Nova's funding. Despite Lotte's pleas, Finnelan banned her and her roommates from leaving the school grounds, much to the Finnish witch-in-training's dismay.
Later on, Akko was confused over Lotte's reaction and Night Fall, snapping the Finish from her shock and allowing her to explain why the novel series was so special: The series revolved around the adventures of the science teacher Belle and her two companions Edgar the vampire and Arthur the werewolf following a time-travel mishap from entering a mysterious portal that sent her to Middle Ages. From there, the three companions embarked on time-traveling adventures that would affect world history. Furthermore, on the next day, a Night Fall event was held in which the series' writer, Annabel revealed herself to the public, but in the light of the mishap they did last night, Lotte's chance to enter the event was slimmed to none, and the fact that Finnelan also tasked them to aid the academy's faeries handling the food supply and other things didn't help either. Feeling guilt for causing the said mishap in the first place, Akko concocted a plan which she and Sucy revealed to their roommate just as Lotte sent GreatBen810 the news about her predicament and checked on Annabel haters' live chat.
The next day, the three friends stowed away in the truck transporting the academy's food supply. Akko realized they had skipped their course with Professor Ursula while doing this, but Lotte, who had changed her clothes to a cosplay costume, reassured the Japanese witch-in-training that their current decision counted as a necessary evil. As soon as they arrived at the town, Lotte became ecstatic upon the sight of her fellow cosplayers who were roaming all over the town to attend the recently commenced Night Fall event, her excitement only intensified upon meeting a fan dressed like Great Ben, the tower Belle used to live at before starting her adventures, oblivious to the cosplayer's familiar voice and boots.
Meanwhile, Hannah and Barbara had just finished shopping in the other part of the town, where the former expressed her disinterest in the Night Fall event. Barbara, who longed to join the Night Fall event deep inside, managed to convince her roommate, so they went to said event to see how 'ridiculous' it might be.
Entering the building where the author of the Night Fall series was about to make her public debut, Lotte told Akko and Sucy how she became hooked with said series; it all started on a hectic day during her childhood, when she just endured another mistreatment from mundane kids around her age for being from a family of magic users. At the time, she came across Night Fall novels in her hometown's library where parts which intrigued her most being discrimination against vampires that not too different with her own predicament and the dynamic between the series' main casts (ex. Arthur the werewolf intentionally made passes at Belle to get his rival Edgar's attention); the former soon made her realized issues were the least of her worries. The Finnish witch-in-training concluded her story by stating that many people with upbringing and issues not unlike her own back in the day would likely find consolation from reading the Night Fall series, oblivious to Akko and Sucy, who barely heard the whole thing because of getting separated by the crowd.
Finding their seats, Akko, Lotte, Sucy, and the rest of the audience were greeted by the show's presenter, who soon introduced them to the author of the Night Fall series — the unassuming little girl in a black goth dress who was none other than Annabel Crème herself. Akko and Sucy were surprised by how young the author looked, as well as her lack of enthusiasm, unlike Lotte, who was too enamored to notice. Participating in the quiz, Lotte successfully outperformed her rival, a woman in the Great Ben costume she met earlier, and was finally given the opportunity to meet the Night Fall author herself in person. It was then that something unexpected occurred: Annabel bequeathed Lotte both her pen and the pseudonym of Annabel Crème, citing the latter to be the 13th person entrusted with both before abruptly disappearing, much to everyone's shock. The startled Lotte soon discovered her idol used magic to teleport out of the building, judging from a strange, used-up walnut-like magic item where she previously stood.
As the building's staff scrambled to look for Annabel, Lotte met up with her roommates and informed them of her findings, concluding her idol's stunt wasn't part of the show. The three friends searched the whole town for Annabel Crème to no avail (humorously, Sucy took her time by picking up any mushrooms she came across). After a while, they give up the search, in which Lotte revealed the truth of Annabel Crème; rather than a centuries-old witch, Annabel Crème was a long line of writers who inherited both the pseudonym and the original Annabel's magical fountain pen so they may continue writing Night Fall series on their predecessor's behalf following her passing — the young girl from earlier was the 12th in the line. This revelation delighted Akko because Lotte would become the new author of Night Fall, just as she (Akko) would become a witch like Shiny Chariot. But Lotte refused such newfound responsibility because she believed Annabel Crème the 12th to be a more capable writer than her.
Consulting with the pen's faery near Glastonbury Abbey, Akko, Lotte, and Sucy learned that the reason Annabel Crème the 12th held the Night Fall event was so she could find a better successor out of her insecurity over her own abilities as a writer. Having faith in Annabel Crème the 12th's capabilities, Lotte believes that the former should be able to write interesting volumes as much as her predecessors since the series had introduced intriguing concepts in each release. The faery, however, lacked a clue about the current whereabouts of Annabel Crème the 12th. Recalling the hydrangea motif in her idol's phone, the three friends soon realized Annabel Crème the 12th was much closer than they thought to be, thanks to nearby hydrangea bushes. Before long, they found the insecure writer disheartened by her haters' worsening rants over her latest works.
Startled by the presence of the three witches, Annabel Crème the 12th insisted that Lotte take the mantle, only for the latter unexpectedly confide in her about how much she liked Night Fall series' space travel part. Agreeing with the statement since she wrote it in the first place, the young writer nonetheless lamented her fans' criticism regarding the recent direction of the series' plot. The two then bonded over other things they enjoyed in the Night Fall series, culminating in Lotte reminding Annabel Crème the 12th that there were people who supported her no matter what haters said and that Annabel's own passion for the series was more than sufficient to be her drive as a writer. This heart-to-heart conversation renewed Annabel's interest in continuing to write the series now that she realized she had everything she needed. In her renewed resolve, Annabel conjured a projection of the Night Fall script on the air for everyone in the town to see, with Hannah and Barbara among them.
Though the three friends had to clean up the trolls' bath in the light of ditching the academy while still under detention, Akko and Lotte agreed that their visit to Annabel Crème the 12th's Night Fall event was worthwhile at very least. Akko couldn't help but be awed by Lotte's words of encouragement for Annabel Crème the 12th, which reinvigorated the young writer's faith in her own abilities despite missing the opportunity to become one herself. Lotte stated that accepting the calling as the next Annabel Crème would cost her something to look forward to (enjoying the new volumes of the series without being spoiled by them).
The episode ended in the red team's dorm room, where Lotte refrained from checking the new volume of Night Fall after another chat with GreatBen810 and called it a day before sleeping.
Order of appearances
| Characters | Tools | Spells | Creatures |
|---|---|---|---|
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|
Trivia
- The Night Fall book series appears to be a parody of the Twilight book series. The book's main characters, Belle, Edgar, and Arthur, are parodies of Bella, Edward, and Jacob.[4][5]
- The series also appears to be a parody of the Outlander series at the same time, for it also involves a time-travel adventure.
- Lotte describes the novel's "thrills" as she clasps her hands in white gloves and a dark jacket, similar to Gendo Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion.
- The cosplayer Lotte makes friends with is dressed up as Elizabeth Tower from the Palace of Westminster, which is home to the House of Parliament of the United Kingdom. Most people know the tower by the name of the great bell inside it, Big Ben. Her screen name is GreatBen810.
- The real-life GreatBen810 was implied (and later confirmed) to be Samantha Badcock herself.
- The plot twist, however, is much more noticeable if one either reads '810' as a phonetic pun in Japanese, noticing similarities in their voices, just as with Ursula and Shiny Chariot's case, or both.[4]
- This episode takes place in June, along with "Luna Nova and the White Dragon" and "The Fountain of Polaris", as stated in the chronicles book.[6][7]
- Annabel using a walnut as a magical teleportation artifact might be a reference to "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time", where the protagonist used a time travel device disguised as a walnut.
- This is the first episode where Hannah and Barbara appear without Diana at any point.
- According to Tatsuru Tatemoto, the episode's initial pitch supposedly featured either Mrs. Manbavaran or Elizabeth. [8]
- According to Hiroaki Sakura, the challenges on his part while working on the episode were fully grasping how the series's setting looked like and using a different style for Lotte's expressions to make her truly stand out. Although working on her, Akko, and Sucy together proved easier, and he even added extra lines for Sucy, which were admittedly not part of the script.[2]
- Interestingly, the current Annabel Crème's favorite flower, hydrangea, has a species whose moniker is similar to her name; Hydrangea arborescens aka. Annabelle. A nod to this fact is that Annabel Crème the 12th's smartphone has a hydrangea motif, though the petals are pink instead of white.[2]
Errors/Goofs
- The two people sitting behind the girls at the Night Fall quiz don't have glasses, but in the next scene, they're wearing glasses.
External Links
Reviews
- The Con Artists
- Rolling Review – Little Witch Academia (04) by CONARTISTDAN January 31, 2017
Gallery
| Night Fall has an associated gallery here. |
References
- ↑ Little Witch Academia's Netflix Release Date Announced - IGN
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 2.33 2.34 2.35 2.36 2.37 2.38 2.39 2.40 2.41 2.42 2.43 2.44 2.45 2.46 2.47 2.48 2.49 2.50 2.51 2.52 2.53 2.54 2.55 2.56 2.57 2.58 2.59 2.60 2.61 2.62 Little Witch Academia Chronicles, Chapter 2, page 27
- ↑
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Little Witch Academia Chronicles, Chapter 2, page 26
- ↑
- ↑ Little Witch Academia Chronicles, Chapter 4, page 116
- ↑
- ↑
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