A hard-working boy named Will enters a magic academy in hopes of becoming a great sorcerer.
Unfortunately, there's a fatal flaw in his plan: he lacks the ability to use magic. Amid the cold
stares of his classmates and instructors, Will feels discouraged at times, but he presses forward with
unwavering determination. He can't use a wand, but he can wield a sword in his battle to reach the top
of a magic-dominated world. He just needs to believe in his own unique strengths and remember the
promise he made with someone precious to him...
(Source: Crunchyroll)
_This review contains __SPOILERS__ for Wistoria: Wand and Sword, My Hero Academia, and Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire_ ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ #__~~~DARK HORSE OF THE SEASON!~~~__ (told ya) webm(https://v.animethemes.moe/Wistoria-OP1.webm) After the finale of Kaijuu No.8, most were likely thinking that the next season was going to be devoid of good action sequences and good shounen material, in general. Boy, how wrong we were. Wistoria took shounen lovers by storm when its first episode aired, showcasing a combination of a simple, yet satisfactory setting and breathtaking combat animation. I kid you not, there was choreography, there were angles and even impact frames. Action-wise, couldn't be better. However, the only flaws came with the writing. #__Mediocrity in writing__ Will Serfort (VA is Kouhei Amasaki who also voices the goat Otto Suwen from Re:Zero) is a student at a magical academy in a magical word where the majority can use magic. The sole problem is that he can't. He's constantly persecuted for being a no-talent and a laggard among his colleagues. His path is a hard one, but he desires to reach the top of the tower, the place where the best of the best reside, in order to reach his gifted childhood love. Remind you of anything? Isn't that the whole premise for Kaijuu No.8? Ain't that Asta's (Black Clover) issue? Now, I might be reaching, but there's more. The show took a lot, and I mean A LOT of inspiration from other popular series and implemented some of their aspects into its own. There's really nothing wrong with that, albeit, in this case, it felt annoyingly cheap. It was first obvious during the Grand Magic Festival. I mean, come on. The whole thing was just Harry Potter and The Goblet Of Fire, infused with some elements of the UA Sports Festival (MHA). A giant dome full of students watching, tiny balls flying around (golden snitch). Then you got a race to the dome and a battle inside it. Not convinced? What if I tell you that Sion and Will's relationship, and Deku and Bakugou's relationship ARE EXACTLY THE SAME. A cheap copy, if you will. Sion hates Will for being a laggard who never gives up, and hates himself for being so pathetic. Will who was born without basic powers, works hard and easily surpasses Sion. It's THE SAME THING. Dwarves are looked down upon, Will is a squib. Hell, Edward is just Severus Snape and Aizawa. img2200(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a2/1b/58/a21b58a300c8220f8c3bbb546309edf1.gif) img2200(https://pa1.aminoapps.com/6504/b1631b055ae67c46fd9b6cd63e74f27dd9ade5c1_00.gif) And what's with the designs? Fire users got red hair, ice users got blue hair, elves have green hair? The fiesty teacher has dark hair and black clothes, while the nice one has white hair? A child can create these designs. #__What's the budget?__ Now that I'm done calling out the bs writing, let's praise the production, shall we? Will is a no-talent in terms of magic, but he's a prodigy when it comes to physical combat. This makes for a perfect formula for high-speed, exilerating, close-range action sequences. Incredible work by [Actas ](https://anilist.co/studio/60/Actas) and [Bandai Namco Pictures ](https://anilist.co/studio/6116/Bandai-Namco-Pictures). Incredibly fluid action sequences week after week, never dissapointing. That, combined with the mystical atmosphere and the satisfying medieval-esque soundtrack did not fail to provide chills. There is actually a plot to follow with the whole barrier and Albis Vina thingie, certain characters to be explored a bit, a setting that attracts fantasy genre or medieval theme lovers, and a love triangle. img2200(https://media1.tenor.com/m/oe62qCQfpS4AAAAd/tsue-to-tsurugi-no-wistoria-wistoria-wand-and-sword.gif) img2200(https://media1.tenor.com/m/2bOlffs6NhYAAAAC/wistoria.gif) Episode 11 was simply gorgeous. The beautiful soundtrack, the sword engulved in flames, the alluring atmosphere, the title drop and the credit roll instantly reminded me of Demon Slayer. Almost as if it was Wistoria's version of KNY Episode 19 (great ep btw), the execution was stunning. Let me know if it reminded you of other episodes. I don't mind if it takes inspiration for execution purposes, but you have to be original in building your world and characters. I just hope that once the barrier breaks, the outside world is worth exploring. img2200(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/raWXFh3x-AQ/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEhCK4FEIIDSFryq4qpAxMIARUAAAAAGAElAADIQj0AgKJD&rs=AOn4CLCjaaCvTLWlXQLfjsdDcY9pOOOFgA) webm(https://v.animethemes.moe/Wistoria-ED2.webm) Maybe it's due to the poor pacing or execution by the studious when adapting, but another subpar thing about the show is its inability to effectively explain the concepts. Nobody knows anything about the world of Wistoria, and yet, they persistently slap new information about the magic system and special items directly in our faces without elaborating. Sure, the commercial bumps sometimes specify these questions, but a lot of the times, they don't. #__Soooooo__ A solid __7.5 to 8__ anime. Highly recommended for action and battle shounen lovers, but it's definitely not for everybody. You can't expect any depth or organized writing from this, but if you just enjoy it for what it is, then the hype train is bound to roar. webm(https://v.animethemes.moe/Wistoria-ED1.webm) (btw notice how the number of Will plushies increase with each arc?) ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ [Click here for more goated reviews ](https://anilist.co/user/HomuraDesu/reviews) img2200(https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/vF4uHLG7p10GtQbelFtRx7HKAb.png)
From the same author as DanMachi, another story arrives about a teenage boy who uses unconventional means to fight, in a world full of magic that has a dungeon with several floors and monsters. Sound familiar? Wistoria is a combination of various clichés that have been used a thousand and one times before. It's like the unofficial son between Black Clover and DanMachi, which in itself isn't a bad thing, since the most important part is it's execution. Unfortunately, it didn't manage to distinguish itself enough from these two. Directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara, director of Black Clover (they can't even hide the similarities in the staff) and action director of Chainsaw Man, the first couple episodes deliver incredible animation power, paying particular attention to the climax of episode 1, which demonstrates Yoshihara's raw animation talent as both director and storyboarder, from the frenetic and exciting actions scenes, to the incredible character acting. From the second episode onwards, the whole production starts to fall apart little by little, even in the more static scenes or those with little action, with the characters slightly off-model or with more stiff movements. Fortunately, they managed to deliver some good action scenes during the "tournament" arc, around episodes 6 and 7, which although they didn't reach the same level as before, the sheer emotion of the often generic but effective soundtrack during these more intense moments, coupled with good storyboards and direction, made up for the stiff movement of the characters and the disappointing fire effects. In the following arc, the production in general remained consistent at most until the penultimate episode, even though the art direction took a slight step down (I wasn't too fond of the textures on the dungeon walls). The climax of the season exceeded the low expectations I had, but not even Hironori Tanaka's storyboards managed to deliver a consistent episode, with very good action cuts at one point and incredible flaws in all visual aspects in the next, particurlarly in the last strike between Will and the Duke. In short, a highly inconsistent and overly ambitious production. So surely the story and characters are way better than the visuals, right? Well, very generic most of the time, stereotypical characters that seem to have been created just to fill the missing slot: character who is in love with the MC, check; character who “hates” the MC, check; character who is initially extremely proud of himself but gets better throughout the story, etc. On paper, the combination of generic story plus generic characters would be boring to say the least. Fortunately, the execution is so good that it's hard to dislike the journey our MC goes through in order to achieve what he so desires. Even so, I can't help but notice the similarities between this story and the same path that both Bell from DanMachi and Asta from Black Clover had and are taking. The similarity between Wistoria and these other two anime is uncanny, even down to the fact that there are characters with the same name and appearance between DanMachi and Wistoria (I'm looking at you Finn). I'm not saying they're the exact same, since they each have certain details in their stories that distinguish them apart (not much, but yes), although the author of the original work could have been more original in his second attempt at creating a fantasy world. I hope that in the next season, which was confirmed immediately after the end of the last episode, the story will be more surprising and separate itself more from it's "parents", expanding it's world in unexpected directions and turning Will into a more interesting MC (it wasn't particularly distinctive, but he had his good moments). Overall, Wistoria is incredibly inconsistent, with a generic story that is executed well enough, and an equally confusing production. With some high and low moments, I came out of these 12 episodes pondering whether I really liked it or not, but as soon as the credits rolled for the last time and the announcement of Season 2 came in, I felt excited about the future of this story and how it would unfold.
__Wistoria__ won't just whet the appatite of any lover of Fantasy or Isekai, it will leave you chomping at the bit for just a taste more. Whilst Wistoria does have a fairly generic premise especiially when compared to how good fantasy series have been recently. See __ Frieren__, __Dungeon Meshi__ and the much anticipated __Witch Hat Atelier __ for citations. It no less delivers on it's simple albeit well crafted entry into the summer 2024 anime season. The aforementioned premise takes place in a world, which may or may not have a name - if it was mentioned I was was sick that day and didn't catch it, where magic is the dominant force in everything from the most basic spells to help with everyday tasks to the overwhelming power in warfare. The most powerful magic users are a group of 5 individuals known as the __Magia Vander__ and it's this rank that our Protag-kun: __Will Serfort__, has his heart set on in order to re-unite with his childhood friend and fellow orphan __Elfie__ - who has has already become a __Magia Vander__. The only thing standing in his way however is himself because in a world that is dominated by Magic, Will can't use it - at all. One gets tones of 'if Mashle took itself seriously' mixed with a Kaiju No8 style "I'll stand by her side" with this one. Will therefore must relay upon his skill with a sword in order to pull through at Magic school, earning enough credit through monster slaying and dungeon crawling to graduate and keep his dream alive. This is were the main focus on the series takes place, Will trying to prove himself as capable of becoming a __Magia Vander__ in a school that would rather pretend that he doesn't exist and the subsequent bullying that comes with that. a society that places no value in him save for a few and opponents who, if he slips up even a little, would annihilate him. Now for any fan of Isekai (despite this not being an isekai) where say an entire class of students are given abilities and not just the protag, the bullying is a ruthless and vile as you would come to expect. All-most every student partakes in Will's belittlement simple for the crime of his existence in their presence. Maniacal laughter, extreme close ups of VERY sharp teeth curving into a demented smile - emphasis on the VERY and dialogue that sounds make every bully sound so unhinged i'm convinced that every single one of them are moments away from just rampaging in this school. Which is both a detractor and a champion of this series because despite the almost cartoonish, 'I can't believe it's not Isekai' flavour of the bullying which gets formulaic and predictable by about episode 4 coupled with the twisted, demon-lord like cackles make these characters very unlikable - which is the point. You're supposed to hate them so that when when Will absolutely wrecks them, it's incredibly satisfying. it's Will's determination and sheer bad-assary with a sword that makes the fight scenes really shine, and BOY DO THEY SHINE. Let me ask you a question - Are you a fan of crazy, stupid, sheer f**king awesomeness cranked up to infinity? No? Then take comfort in your own company, I doubt you will ever find happiness. The fight scenes in this anime absolutely POP OFF! Every detail and every moment is lovingly and beautifully crafted into some of the best sakuga outside of One Piece and it really gets you hooked. I cannot recommend this series enough for anyone looking for another fantasy series to really sink their teeth into and given that Wistoria already has a Season 2 announced, it's the perfect time to jump on this train.
img220(https://files.catbox.moe/l109xy.jpg) __Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria (Summer 2024)__ It came upon me while I was scrolling through Anime News Network, and the title _Wistoria: Wand and Sword_, or _Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria_, in Japanese, caught my attention. The art style, voice acting choice for the main cast, and character designs by Sayaka Ono (who is infamous for her work in _Cross Ange_) all gave me reasons to learn more and delve into what this series had to offer. __The following includes minor spoilers from the anime.__ _Wistoria_ is an action/fantasy anime based on a manga by Fujino Omori (the author of _DanMachi_) that takes place in a magical academy, and Will, our main lead, is a student who can’t use magic, yet makes up for it with swordsmanship and analysis of his enemies. However, due to Will’s lack of magic, he is ostracized by nearly every student and faculty in the academy. In other words, if someone doesn’t fit into the in-world academy’s definition of “normal,” then they are an outcast. What keeps Will going, despite all this pressure, is his desire to be with his childhood friend Elfie and become a “Magia Vander.” To be fair, I expected _Wistoria_ to fly under the radar for many viewers, but my first impressions of the trailer blew me away. Fantastic visual direction, compositing, fluid animation, stellar _Fate_-esque fight sequences, charm, and appropriately powerful OST made me look forward to the anime even more. When I actually started the first episode of the anime, it was stunning to see how much love and care that studios Actas and BN Pictures put into the premiere, and it delivered with everything the trailer had promised. As the series went on, I was also impressed by how consistent the animation and visuals were, giving me more incentive to pay attention to what _Wistoria_ had to offer. (The fourth episode’s first couple of minutes were an exception though, as that specific episode’s quality was a blatant downgrade in comparison to the first three episodes, but it recovers quickly after that.) Regardless of whether _Wistoria_ was at its weakest or at its finest, Tatsuya Yoshihara carried his solid direction skills over from _Black Clover_ to make the viewing experience of _Wistoria_ feel cinematic, especially in flashbacks and in exposition. And as previously mentioned, Sayaka Ono’s character designs also made each character a treat to look at. With all those aspects taken into consideration, it made even the episodes which weren't action-heavy still look gorgeous! In terms of plot and setting, _Wistoria_ does have some predictability at the beginning, and plot beats and magic systems may have been inspired from other anime of similar genres. But what makes _Wistoria_ stand out isn’t just its dependence on the visuals. (_Takt op. Destiny_ is a good example of an anime where despite solid visuals, the characters ended up leaving very little impression and the plot was, let’s face it, half-baked.) Unlike _Takt_, _Wistoria_ both shows and tells by combining familiar elements and lush production values with suave narrative execution. It manages to be character-driven and delivers exposition in a way that doesn’t overstay or understay its welcome. This leads me to the series’ overall pacing, as it felt perfectly paced. There were very few moments where the anime felt rushed or sluggish. And as someone who has read the manga beforehand, they adapted the flow of the original source material accurately even to the point of enhancing it and bringing it to life. For those familiar with the source material, myself included, it was very satisfying to see some anime-original moments incorporated into the adaptation. ~!One example is in the second episode, where Colette helps put Will’s sword into a magic locker. Other examples show more of Will’s earlier school days, which reflect how the naysayers around him have chipped away at his mentality. These scenes, which were not directly displayed in the original manga, serve as testaments to how Will’s inability to use magic has indeed affected him, while also adding to the series’ world-building.!~ Will, throughout the series, proves himself to be a memorable protagonist, not just because of his swordsmanship, battle analysis, and overall nerdiness, but with the way he demonstrates genuine kindness and relatability towards his classmates even when they scorn him. Those moments made me look forward to each episode, and his fresh personality traits are reminiscent of that of Midoriya from _Boku no Hero Academia_. I have made many connections between the two anime, in which for the purpose of this review, I will not list all of them, but know both have a school setting with an underdog of a protagonist. Another resemblance is with Sion, who resembles Bakugo – starting out as a bully primarily made to antagonize Will, but after every conflict he has with Will, he slowly becomes more nuanced and human. The series does cover topics such as racism between humans, dwarves, and elves, which is a nod to Tolkien’s _Lord of the Rings_, in which both _Wistoria_ and _LOTR_ both share in common. In terms of what the sound department had to offer, Yuki Hayashi, most noted for his OST for _Boku no Hero Academia_, delivered a solid OST that perfectly encapsulated every fight sequence, complimenting the series’ already breathtaking visuals. The opening, “Fire and Fear” by PENGUIN RESEARCH, is a brilliantly solid, upbeat, and uplifting tune with lyrics depicting Will’s mental state and a beat reminiscent of _Black Clover_'s high-octane openings. The ending “Frozen” by TRUE, focuses on Elfie, but its tone is too bright and somewhat off-putting. The voice acting is also quite solid, with Kohei Amasaki fluctuating layers of Will from being cute and timid to determined and serious. Masaaki Mizunaka’s Sion is also noteworthy, and Tetsuya Kakihara succeeds at making Julius sound like the cocky brat that he is. Overall, I am proud to say that I am blessed to be alive to witness _Wistoria_. I have never been so pumped up for an anime like this in a long time. In an already oversaturated anime industry filled with isekai, villainesses, reincarnation and hordes of female leads, _Wistoria_ is a refreshing sight for sore eyes. On that note, I'm impressed how it has very little time for unnecessary filler or fanservice! Yeah, that’s another win. Sure, at the end of the day, _Wistoria_’s world-building shows that it has a lot to offer, and while it does not explain everything the world has to offer in this season, it will leave you hanging for more. Throughout the Summer season of 2024, this is one that I looked forward to the most. Yes, it can be argued that _Wistoria_ is generic. Burgers are also generic - but if prepared with fresh ingredients under the hands of a skilled chef, even familiar cuisine can prove delicious. The same I can say with _Wistoria_. Put together by the hands of a solid production team, firing on all cylinders, in terms of narrative, visuals, and sound, _Wistoria_’s positives wholly outweigh any negatives it may have. __Pros__: As a manga reader, this adaptation has been a dream come true. Proves to be faithful and adds original moments that add depth while not taking away from the source material's energy; cinematic direction, otherworldly, godly fight scenes and amazing art make _Wistoria_ a visual feast for the eyes that surpasses its source material and brings it to life; Yuki Hayashi's OST is appropriately epic; Will's character as a whole is memorable __Cons__: The beginning of episode 4 is a drop in quality, but compared to the rest of the series, it's a small gripe; plot beats can be somewhat familiar; the ending song is too cutesy-poo for my taste. __Story: A+ Animation: A Art: A+ Music: A- __
**Wistoria Wand and Sword** Wistoria Wand and Sword is an okay spin on the magical school format which introduces some interesting and gorgeous animation but falls short of living up to it. Particularly the nature of how plot information is conveyed through constant repetition drags down the show a large amount. Depictions of women are unfortunate despite designs I would class as okay. For these reasons I would class it as a 6/10, above average but nothing special. To start with probably the best thing about Wistoria the animation at play here is stellar. The spellcasting effectively uses really nice and complex shading to give a great feel as well as lots of time and attention being given to objects created. The Elven wood summoning and fire magic are particular standouts to me but smaller things like Julius’ ice flowers also came out great. On the physical side the fight choreography for Will’s movement is extremely dynamic and like the elusive samurai which is also airing this season immensely aids in selling his character. The one notable sour spot is the backgrounds, especially in the final arc where the messy flesh texture is in my opinion poorly done and distracting. However throughout the show there are various points where the contrast between the amazing character art and relatively cheap backgrounds becomes distracting. The character design is simple with fire mages having red hair, ice mages having blue hair and so on. It is very effective in blocking out the characters. This is aided significantly by the fun design used for the caped uniforms which I enjoyed watching flap around with the aforementioned very good animation budget. Female designs in particular benefit a lot from this largely avoiding male gazey big breasted low cut tops with the exception of elfie whose facial design I quite like but the rest of which I find very unfortunate. Continuing with female agency in the show is very poor with every major female character of will’s age group present ending up living a life defined in relation to Will. Colette is never seen spending her time thinking about anything else with the same true for “Ms Perfect” Lihanna” Even the all powerful Magia Vender Elfie is seen clutching a pillow of will in the ED and frequent cuts to her all consist of her thinking about him. To cut them some slack on this it appears to be a general writing fault as this broadly applies to every character in the series however I don’t think this makes it much better. It would’ve helped the world building a lot if we were exposed to someone who didn’t spend all their time thinking about Will after first interaction. Continuing from the characters, I found the writing for most of them to be oversimplified and a bit uninteresting. Characters are classed into an archetype and with 1 notable rapid exception never evolve or deviate from that. Sion probably has the best written development but the way they play him still gets very grating when you can see exactly what’s going on. Possibly contributing to this was the series inability to not step on it’s own toes by repeating information. Using an example from the character writing the elf wignall’s backstory is first implied in a way that conveyed all necessary information to the audience. However it was then felt necessary to repeat that information multiple times dragging out the scene and making it feel shallow. This is an issue that extends to pretty much everything be it showing someone attacking wings and dealing no damage, having them say that only to cut to will in his head saying “I read in a book those wings don’t take damage”. Another example is when an important person shows up in the final episode and the group’s reactions clearly convey their opinions on him; however it is once again felt necessary to give a narration of the information. Both of these massively slow down the scene and remove the interest giving to the audience by having to piece together the already pretty spoonfed shown information. The world building is so:so, it’s not a complete copy of fantasy tropes but it still finds itself pretty simple. The credits system is interesting but finds itself in a weird position as it becomes clear that the author intends to use it as a power scaling system. The magic system is nothing special and finds itself in the common midpoint between a clicky and defined system and my personal preference for the vague and awe inspiring undefined nature of the cosmos. The use of dwarves is pretty simple but I found it to be an effective way to convey the unfair and cruel state of the dominant society As I said in the opener though I am critical of it I don’t *hate* Wistoria wand and sword, if it was some disgusting slop I would’ve dropped it at episode 4. It’s something that is firmly okay and I’m sure someone who has watched far less than me might even find it very enjoyable. But as it stands it’s got enough problems to chip away and it’s foundations and bring it down to a 6.