Night Fall

## Images

*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 begins in one night. As Luna Nova students are sleeping for tomorrow, Lotte contacted her fellow Night Fall fan under the Username GreatBen8103. The User sent her an e-mail asking whether she'll join them at the book series' oncoming release event, which would take place the day after tomorrow, to which Lotte happily replied yes. However, the next day, Akko and her roommates are brought to 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 irritates Badcock since she is in charge of Luna Nova's funds. Despite Lotte's pleas, Finnelan banned her and her roommates from leaving the school grounds, much to the Finnish's dismay.

Later, Akko is confused over Lotte's reaction and Night Fall, snapping the Finish from her shock and allowing her to explain why the novel series is so special: The series revolves 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 is held in which the series' writer, Annabel would reveal herself to the public, but in the light of the mishap they did last night, Lotte's chance to enter the event is slimmed to none, and the fact that Finnelan also tasked them to aid the academy's faeries handling the food supply and other things doesn'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 GreatBen8103 the news about her predicament and checked on Annabel haters' live chat.

The next day, the three friends stowed away for the town through the truck transporting the academy's food supply. Akko realized they'd skip their course with Professor Ursula while doing this, but Lotte, who had changed her clothes to a cosplay costume, reassured the Japanese that their current decision counted as a necessary evil. As soon as they arrive at the town, Lotte becomes ecstatic upon the sight of her fellow cosplayers who are roaming all over the town in the light of the Night Fall event, and even meets 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 Night Fall's event. Barbara, who longed to join the Night Fall event deep inside, managed to convince her roommate, so they go for the said event to see how 'ridiculous' it is.

As the three friends enter the building where the Night Fall event is being held, Lotte tells Akko and Sucy how she became hooked with the said series: She found the discrimination against vampires in Night Fall series parallels to that of mistreatment she endured from normal kids around her age for being a witch during her childhood in some ways. The Finnish further elaborated that the dynamic between the series' trio, where Arthur the werewolf intentionally made passes at Belle just to get his rival Edgar's attention also intrigued her, and before long, she realized her concerns were nothing more than trivial matters. The Finnish concluded her story by stating that many people with similar upbringings and other problems are likely to find consolation from reading the Night Fall series, though hilariously, Akko and Sucy cannot hear the full story of being separated by the crowd.

Finding their seats, Akko, Lotte, Sucy, and the rest of the audience are greeted by the show's presenter, who introduced them to the author of the Night Fall series, a seemingly unassuming little girl with a black goth dress who is none other than Annabel Crème herself. Akko and Sucy are surprised to see the author being that young and seemingly not enjoying the event, whereas Lotte is too mesmerized by her appearance to notice. Participating in the quiz, Lotte successfully outperformed her rival, a woman with the Great Ben costume she met earlier, and finally got close to the Night Fall author herself. It is then something unexpected occurs: Annabel gives her pen to Lotte and informs her that by this, she is the 13th generation of Annabel Crème before unexpectedly disappearing, startling everyone present. Although, Lotte noticed that the young author's disappearance was done by magical means, as she left behind a strange walnut-like magic item.

As the staff in the building notice something off in Annabel's sudden disappearance, Lotte meets up with Akko and Sucy and tells them that the latest turn of events wasn't part of the show. They soon make haste to locate the Night Fall author around the town to no avail (with Sucy taking her time picking up any mushroom she comes across along the way). After a while, they give up the chase, in which Lotte reveals the truth she just discovered about the author of the Night Fall series: Rather than a centuries-old witch, Annabel Crème is actually an alias/title shared by multiple writers who impersonated the original Annabel as well as continue writing the series on her behalf after her passing, and the Annabel who held the event that day is the twelfth person chosen by her magical pen. Whereas Akko can't help but be excited by the prospect of her roommate becoming the next Annabel Crème, Lotte unexpectedly turns down this newfound responsibility, for the 12th Annabel is more capable than her as a writer.

Consulting with the pen's faery near Glastonbury Abbey, Akko, Lotte, and Sucy learned that the 12th Annabel held the Night Fall event so she could find a better successor out of her insecurity over her own abilities as a writer. Lotte argued that it is not the case as the series has introduced intriguing concepts in each release. However, the faery lacked a clue about where the latest Annabel would likely go. Recalling the image of a hydrangea in her phone, the three friends realized that they were already closer to the insecure writer (as they found several hydrangeas growing nearby) and found her in time to see her saddened by her haters' worsening rants over her latest works.

Startled by the presence of the three witches, Annabel the 12th insists to Lotte that she is the current Annabel from now on, only for Lotte unexpectedly reveal how much she loved the series' space travel part. The young writer expressed her agreement since it was her who wrote that part in the first place, but she is unable to handle her fans' criticisms over the direction of the series' plot. The two then bonded over what they love about the series, with Lotte reminding her that there are those who still love her works and support her no matter what her haters say, and Annabel's own passion for the series is more than enough to be her drive as her writer. This heart-to-heart conversation renewed Annabel's interest in continuing to write the series, who realized that she already had everything she needed as a writer. With her renewed conviction, Annabel conjures 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, they remarked that their visit to Annabel's Night Fall event was something worthwhile at the very least. Akko can't help but be awed by Lotte's words of encouragement for the current Annabel, which reinvigorated the young writer's faith in her own abilities despite missing the opportunity to become one herself. Lotte replied by stating that she would be spoiled on the series' story if she became the writer herself and thus lost something to look forward to in the process. The episode ends in Akko, Lotte, and Sucy's dorm room, where Lotte refrained herself from reading the newest Night Fall volume after chatting with GreatBen810 and calling it a day before sleeping.

## Order of appearances

* Lotte Jansson
* Atsuko Kagari
* Sucy Manbavaran
* Anne Finnelan
* Ursula
* Samantha Badcock
* Hannah England
* Barbara Parker
* Annabel Crème
* Crystal Ball
* Magic Broom
* Annabel's Fountain Pen
* Teleportation Magic Item
* Spirits

## 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.
	+ The series also appears to be a parody of the *Outlander* series at the same time, for it also involves 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 Great Ben 8103.
	+ The real-life Great Ben 8103 was implied (and later confirmed) to be Samantha Badcock herself.
* 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.
* 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.

## 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.

## References

1. ↑ Little Witch Academia's Netflix Release Date Announced - IGN
2. ↑ https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/265265778230689793/354307531914608650/IMG\_20170904\_124940318.jpg

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