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Remember back in April when we brought you news of the explosively popular anime, Little Witch Academia? The short movie received such an overwhelming abundance of positive feedback from the online community that its creators Studio TRIGGER have decided to create a sequel to their highly acclaimed magical girl anime. And, in order to procure the funds for some extended running time, the team has turned to the American crowd-funding site Kickstarter.

The project began accepting pledges on Monday, July 8, and amazingly surpassed their desired US$150,000 mark after just one day!

The first Little Witch Academia was released at Anime Mirai 2013, an event funded by the Japanese government to encourage young animators into the field. The story follows a group of bright-eyed, young witches fighting to save their school from destruction.  The lead animator at Studio TRIGGER, Yoshinari Yoh, and writer for the series, Masahiko Otsuka, both have a history of working with the highly acclaimed animation studio, Gainax, on such stellar series as Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann and Neon Genesis Evangelion among others. Their work is of truly outstanding quality.

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The online English-speaking community certainly thought well of their work, appearing in droves at the studio’s YouTube page and leaving many comments which begged for a sequel. More than a few mentioned their willingness to give money to the cause and suggested Kickstarter as a good crowd funding money source. At the recommendation of many, co-founder of TRIGGER, Mr. Masahiko Otsuka, looked into the service and was drawn to the prospect of reciprocal gains, allowing the studio to work together with the fans and reap benefits on both sides. Kickstarter facilitates a fund-raiser for the animation project and orchestrates the provision of special gifts and favors to those who donate!

Donations to Little Witch Academia start as low as one dollar, but people giving $20 or more will be given a link to download the finished sequel and art book. $50 or more gets contributors a printed copy of the art book and standard edition Blu-ray of Little Witch Academia 2. The gifts continue on in this fashion all the way up to $10,000, where three lucky (and generous) fans will have the opportunity to visit Studio TRIGGER and the offices of its affiliates and have a meal with the working staff!

Now, to make things clear, this Kickstarter project is not technically for the creation of a sequel to Little Witch Academia. Studio TRIGGER was already planning on putting together a 20-minute sequel. They simply hoped that getting help from the fans using Kickstarter, they would be able to extend the running time by another 15 minutes or more. As it stands now, the project has made almost double the amount that it hoped for. If enough money is given, can we expect a feature-length film?

Anyone interested in supporting this amazingly telented band of animators should check out the Kickstarter page for Little Witch Academia 2 and give a buck or two. Donations are only open until August 7, so get over there soon if you’d like to make a pledge and earn yourself some cool swag!

Source: IT Media (Japanese)
Pictures: Little Witch Academia 2 on Kickstarter

▼ For those who missed it the first time, watch the first Little Witch Academia here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RBlqxEIJ_Cg

▼ If you like what you’ve seen so far, whet the appetite a little further with a couple of the pre-production sketches for Little Witch Academia 2!

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