When Studio Trigger first burst onto the scene in 2013 they quickly made a name for themselves beyond their impressive team of Gainax veterans. After garnering plenty of attention with their first full-length feature Little Witch Academia (released as part of the Young Animator Training Project for Anime Mirai 2013 ), it’s 2015 follow-up The Enchanted Parade met it’s Kickstarter goal in a mere five hours. Two years later again and the world of Little Witch Academia is back once again, this time in the form of a full-length series. Creator/director Yoh Yoshinari and writer Michiru Simada are continuing to man the helm, with the show licensed by Netflix and due for streaming alongside the movies in the near future.

One should never underestimate the power (or the wallets) of anime fans. When studio Trigger announced that they would be producing a follow-up to their extremely well received Anime Mirai 2013 short Little Witch Academia , fans rejoiced. However when they also announced that they would be launching a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to bring the sequel's run time up to 50 minutes, that's when things got interesting. Not only did the campaign meet its $150,000 goal in a mere five hours, but it also met it's $500,000 stretch goal to have a 'making of' documentary and audio commentary produced for the eventual Blu-ray release - finishing on a grand total of $625,518. Co-distributed with Good Smile Company and making its premiere at Anime Expo 2015 , Little Witch Academia: The Enchanted Parade is arguably anime's biggest venture into crowdfunding yet.

The Young Animator's Training Project  was set up by JAniCA (the Japanese Animators Creators Association) as a means of encouraging studios to train new young animators rather than outsourcing the work overseas. Selected studios are given a sum of money for the year, and the end product is then showcased at an animation festival. At Anime Mirai 2013 among heavy hitter studios Gonzo and Madhouse was a newcomer by the name of Trigger . Trigger was formed back in 2011 by ex-Gainax employees Hiroyuki Imaishi (director for Gurren Lagann  and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt , among others) and Masahiko Ohtsuka and their new studio first feature is an enchanting little short that goes by the name of Little Witch Academia . You'd fit right in a Gainax production... Akko Kagari has joined an academy for young witches to follow in the footsteps of her childhood idol Shiny Chariot. Despite having two good friends, Lotte and Sucy, Akko struggles with class, can't ride a...