Even if we don't fight, we are Witches!
Overview
Luminous Witches (ルミナスウィッチーズ) is a new Witches work started as part of the 10th anniversary project of the World Witches series.
Its official title is "League of Nations Air Force Aviation Magic Band Luminous Witches" (連盟空軍航空魔法音楽隊ルミナスウィッチーズ, 'Renmei Kuugun Koukuu Mahou Ongakutai Luminous Witches').
It is a Witches work with a unique concept that is the complete opposite of the previous series: 'Witches who don't fight' who protect everyone's smiles with songs and music.
It was announced in July 2018 as "Musical Corps Witches (tentative title)". The title was publicly submitted by fans, and the official title "Luminous Witches" was decided and announced in November 2018.
A group of voice cast members debuted in March 2019 as an idol group with the same name as the work. The group has been performing musical activities such as releasing several CD singles and giving concerts.
A TV animation has been broadcast since July 2022. Animation production is by Shaft.
This is the seventh TV animation in the World Witches series (the tenth if the film version and O.V.A. are included), and 14 years after the first Strike Witches (first season, 2008) was broadcast.
In the period between the start of the activities and the broadcast of the TV series, two short OVAs in the style of music videos have been produced under the title "Private Activity Record Video Collection" (私的活動記録映像集).
The first was an 'Animation Special PV' (December 2020) and the second was an animation PV for the song 'Swear to the Sky' (February 2022). The production staff is the same as for the TV animation version, Shaft.
It takes place in 1944, almost exactly the same time as the first season of the TV animation Strike Witches.
The story is about the Aviation Magic Band ('Singing Witches'), a group of Witches who cannot or will not fight for various reasons, and instead of taking up arms at the front, protect the people's smiles with the power of 'song and music'.
Synopsis
This is a record of activities by non-fighting Witches in a detached force working in the same world and on the same time line as the '501st Joint Fighter Wing Strike Witches'.
The story revolves around the main protagonist, Ginny, who has a mysterious atmosphere and the qualities of a Night Witch, and the girls, who have been labelled as "unfit for combat", change their slight abilities into song and dance, and bring smiles to people all over the world while climbing up from the bottom of the heap.
TV Animation
The TV animation has been Broadcast from July to September 2022. 12 episodes.
The director and series composition is by Shouji Saeki (who is known as script/storyboard for episode 6 of "Strike Witches" and script/storyboard/direction for episode 6 of "Strike Witches 2", director of "Wish Upon the Pleiades", etc.).
Production is by Shaft, with animation character design by Shaft's Kazuya Shiotsuki. On the other hand, the production team also includes the same staff from Wish Upon the Pleiades, such as assistant director Kana Shundo and scriptwriters for each episode.
Plot
In a world exhausted by prolonged warfare, the main characters are a group of clumsy witches who have left the front lines as unfit for fighting, and the story follows them as they join a musical band by chance and find an irreplaceable place to belong through their activities to 'deliver their music', in a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.
In order to bring "songs and music" to people around the world who are fighting the Neuroi and those who have been forced to flee their homes, the Luminous Witches do not stay in one place, instead travelling around the world and carrying out activities in a variety of locations. Although the unit is based at Heston Air Base near London, Britannia, they board a Lancaster military aircraft converted for transport, loaded with Striker Units and audio equipment, and travel across borders to the west and east for concerts.
Due to the characteristics of the unit, Witches from other units of the World Witches series, who have not appeared before, also make guest appearances in the story.
The existence of Witch 'familiars', which have rarely been depicted in previous animation versions of the series, features prominently in this work, with the familiars appearing not only as ears and tails when using their magical powers, which have been depicted in the past, but also as living individual animals. The familiars are good partners for witches, who do not speak but are able to share their feelings, and are also important characters that expand the depth of the world of the story.
The story of Luminous Witches is not only a record of the establishment and growth of the musical band, but also a 'journey in search of friends' for Moffy. Moffy, a familiar of the protagonist Ginny, is regarded as a 'strange familiar' by the Witches of the Band, and whose true identity as an animal spirit is unknown. Ginny considers Moffy, whatever its identity, to be a lost child who has 'strayed from the flock' and is trying to find Moffy's friends and return them to the flock.
Theme Songs
- Opening theme
"WONDERFUL WORLD"
Composed and arranged by - Ayato Shinozaki and Ryosuke Tachibana / Lyrics by - yura / Sung by - Luminous Witches
- Ending theme
"Watashi to Minna no Uta" (わたしとみんなのうた, 'My and Everyone's Song')
Composed and arranged by - Ayato Shinozaki and Ryosuke Tachibana / Lyrics by - yura / Sung by - Luminous Witches
Episode List
The titles of the episodes are based on the titles of the songs inserted in or sung by the characters in each episode.
| No. | Episode Title | Original Title | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wonderful World: Nice to Meet You | WONDERFUL WORLD - はじめまして - | |
| 2 | Eternal Spiritual Home | 永久の寄す処 | |
| 3 | Gentle Light | 優しい灯り | |
| 4 | Let's Sing a Song | 歌を歌おう | |
| 5 | Pure White Ribbon | まっしろリボン | |
| 6 | Dream-colored Contrail | 夢色コントレイル | |
| 7 | The Reason for the Sun | 太陽の理由 | |
| 8 | I Will Not Forget Those Days | あの日々を忘れない | |
| 9 | Together with the Stars | 星と共に | |
| 10 | Hometown Skies | 故郷の空 | |
| 11 | My and Everyone's Song | わたしとみんなのうた | |
| 12 | Everyone's World and Flying Skyhigh | みんなの世界そしてFlying Skyhigh |
Stuff
| Original work by | Fumikane Shimada, Projekt World Witches |
|---|---|
| Director / Series composition | Shouji Saeki |
| Assistant Director | Kana Shundō |
| Character Design Draft | Fumikane Shimada |
| Animation Character Design | Kazuya Shiotsuki |
| Chief Animation Director | Kazuya Shiotsuki, Sayuri Sakimoto, Akihisa Takano |
| Familiar Design | Mina Ōtaka |
| Main Animator | Yumi Shimizu, Nagisa Sekiguchi, Ryō Komori, Tsutomu Shibuya |
| Art direction | Takeshi Takahashi |
| Art Director | Tomoyasu Hosoi |
| Color Planning | Hitoshi Hibino |
| CG Directors | Kazuki Eigen, Hisato Shima |
| Director of Photography | Rei Egami |
| Editing | Rie Matsubara |
| Sound Director | Yukio Nagasaki |
| Sound Effects | Kiyotaka Kawada |
| Sound Recording | Coordination Kenji Hoshino |
| Witches series writing | Shin'ya Murakami |
| Music | Yoshiaki Fujisawa |
| Music Production | KADOKAWA |
| Animation Production | Shaft |
Characters
LNAF Aviation Magic Band
The unit to which the main characters in the work belong. The official unit name is the League of Nations Air Force 72nd Joint Fighter Squadron Aviation Magic Band. It is a musical (singing) corps under the League of Nations Air Force.
Members
- Virginia Robertson - Protagonist
- Inori Shibuya
- Lyudmila Andreyevna Ruslanova
- Aira Paivikki Linnamaa - Leader in the band
- Eleonore Giovanna Gassion - Sub-leader in the band
- Maria Magdalene Dietrich
- Manaia Matawhaura Hato
- Silvie Cariello
- Joanna Elizabeth Stafford
- Grace Maitland Steward - Commander, ex-witch
Other Characters
- Felicia Luisa Gresley
An old lady who is a financial supporter of the Music Band and has connections to the Congress and the League of Nations Air Force.
- Mrs. Anna and Mr. Volodya
An Orussian married couple who appear in episode 7. The wife, Anna, is of Witch ancestry and treats the Witches' familiar for their ailments. Her husband Volodya is a pianist. They were evacuated from Moscow after a Neuroi air raid.
- Tomomi Nishisugi
Appears in episode 8. A rookie Night Witch in the 17th Independent Flying Squadron of the Fusō Imperial Army. She is a big fan of Virginia Robertson of the Music Band and meets her by chance when she is visiting Fusō for a concert.
Related Illustrations
Related Videos
Short OVA Vol. 1
Short OVA Vol. 2
Trailer for TV anime
Related Article
World Witches Strike Witches Band Music
Wish Upon the Pleiades ... A 2015 sci-fi anime produced by Gainax. The work is related to the production staff, including the director and scriptwriters. The work is known for its lyrical and delicate depiction of scenes, and there are thematic similarities between the two works, such as magical girl stories, flying, music, and clunky, lonely girls.
