Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria 杖と剣のウィストリア

2024 summer | Episodes: 12 | Score: 7.9 (156193)

Updated every Sundays at 16:30 | Status: Finished Airing

Type: TV

Synopsis

When humanity was oppressed by mysterious foes known as the Celestial Hosts, five exceptional mages joined forces to defeat them. In fear that these formidable enemies would return, the five most powerful mages, known as the Magia Vander, built a magical dome and a tower to contain them. Since then, the five strongest mages of every generation are tasked with monitoring the dome from the top of the Wizard's Tower. Inspired by this story, childhood friends Will Serfort and Elfaria Albis Serfort promised each other that they would climb to the top of the Wizard's Tower. However, now a sixth-year student at Regarden Magic Academy, Will's future looks bleak. Although Elfaria managed to join the ranks of the Magia Vander five years prior thanks to her unparalleled magical power, Will has no magical abilities whatsoever, attracting the ire of teachers and students alike. However, blessed with an exceptional physique, Will is able to slay monsters in the labyrinth and prevail against skilled magicians with the only aid of his sword and a few magical items. Determined to climb the Wizard's Tower at all cost, Will is determined to not let anyone or anything prevent him from keeping the promise he made to Elfaria. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Voice Actors

Sekine, Akira

Amasaki, Kouhei

Hinata, Minami

News

Reviews

U87PM
03/10/2025, 05:52 AM
The secret of beating the boss... was fire aspect. Absolute cinema. In reality, this anime was the definition of mediocre. Would have given it a 3 if it wasn't for the art & the score popping off a couple times. MC's goal to ascend the tower was interesting enough, but the lack of attention given to both world building & characters (as well as leaning into stereotypical tropes) made watching the show a drag. Also how all characters fall into 3 categories: MC, in love with MC, complete dick. Separate paragraph for the art. Strong start with the 1st & 2nd episodes, fights were nicely animated with goodbackground & CG. A couple individual fights in other episodes had quality animation as well. Everything else however... I know this is nitpicking, but for me, the only possible redeeming quality could have been animation. Unfortunately, turned into quite a waste of time. If you like this genre just watch something else like idk Jinwoo Leveling or Kirito Online.
Cynthesia
02/16/2025, 03:37 PM
This show doesn't know what it wants. Its premise is a scenario done a million times over. The main character, who is apparently talentless, manages through hard work and effort to overcome the odds and become the strongest. Also it takes place at a school because why wouldn't it. Anyway, the point is that this formula is tried and true, and extremely hard to mess up. However Wistoria makes the interesting decision to start at Will's final year of school. This contradicts the fundamental appeal of this kind of show. First and most troublesome: Will is competent, really competent. From episode one he's already cleared the entiredungeon available to him and is comfortably one shotting every monster in his way. So now we've cut out all of the enjoyment of watching him progressively grow stronger or make his way through the dungeon from the start, and all the bullying that he faces falls short because it's made immediately clear that he's the best in the academy (even compared to the teachers). Second, by starting at the end of his time at the school, you remove all the benefits that come with a school setting. Namely the natural world building and introduction to the magic and caste systems -- which are both the main focus of the story. Will is also an honor student, he's amassed every single non-magic related credit the school has to offer and so when the plot remembers that it's taking place in a school in order to explain things which should be the basic of the basics -- which is what every classroom scene amounts to, it suddenly doesn't make sense because he and everyone else in that year should already be completely familiar with these things. There's no plot to this show. At all. Now this isn't entirely an issue, a lot of shows like this make use of their setting to have the characters partake in lessons or extra curriculars. However this show kind of just does things. One episode Will is in a dungeon, the next there's a tournament, then suddenly it's the final practical exam, those are the three major story beats -- if you can even call them that, and they aren't strung together naturally. Instead the episode structure goes as follows: Will is being bullied or has some kind of flashback about being bullied for not having magic powers -> some combat situation arises -> Will effortlessly wins. There's nothing of substance here and it gets tiring quick. The school setting is typically also used to develop a wide cast of interesting or fun characters in a natural way. Once again, this isn't possible because Will is in his final year. The cast of characters is actually very small, most only appearing in the second half and their screen time is insignificant. Additionally, they aren't interesting in the least. Pretty much every single character in this show hates Will and that is their only character trait. Sion is violent and angry and often abuses Will with his magic powers, his sole development is that he actually has an inferiority complex and wants Will to recognize him. Julius is apparently a genius, he has a massive ego and hates Will because he can't use magic. Wignall is an elf, he has a massive ego and he hates Will because he can't use magic. Colette is Will's only friend but she's reduced to a minor love interest and has no standout qualities of her own. All of the characters just listed are apparently in the top 5 students in the academy and yet they manage to do so little and are so quickly reduced to such basic elements that they might as well not exist at all. Will himself isn't interesting at all. He's your resident nice guy twink character and has no defining characteristics. Being a childhood friend of the most talented human mage of all time could lead to some interesting backstory but what we really get is repetitive flashbacks which amount to exactly what he's going through in the present day but in grayscale. Will doesn't experience any development, both from the start of the show and from his past. By the credits of episode 12 he is exactly the same character, the only difference is that we now know that he's even more competent than initially thought without any on screen effort. Again, this contradicts the major appeal of these kinds of shows. When you make a story in which the entire premise is someone with no talent beating the odds and proving everyone wrong through hard work, and then have your main character constantly go on about how his experiences shape who he is today without showing any of that, it robs the viewer of all that satisfaction. The visuals are this shows saving grace. They make extremely good use of 3d space and are constantly utilizing unique angles and fluid camera movement during action sequences. However, even this becomes tiring after a while. Outside of action this sometimes ends up looking awkward and even in action they fall into the trap of seeing how many flashing colors they can put on the screen at once. Despite the combat being fairly back loaded the beginning episodes were far more visually impressive, but maybe that's just a consequence of me becoming tired of the show. Wistoria just didn't come into fruition with a solid game plan. Is this going to be another zero to hero type story? Maybe a fantasy magic school experience? A revenge story where those with less magical aptitude rise up against the more privileged classes? All of these elements are introduced and repeatedly brought up throughout the course of its runtime and yet none are expanded upon properly leaving me extremely unsatisfied and, frankly, annoyed. There's no interesting or fun characters, the world isn't properly developed, the magic system is generic and uninspired. Everything save for the animation quality is subpar. Very disappointed.
yc_91
02/01/2025, 12:45 AM
It’s honestly frustrating to see how underrated Wistoria is. While it’s true that the premise isn’t entirely original—since we’ve seen similar themes in anime like Black Clover and Mashle—this series still manages to carve out its own identity in a unique and compelling way. The storytelling is well-paced, the characters are engaging and well-developed, and the plot keeps you invested from the very beginning. One of the standout aspects of Wistoria is the sheer excitement it delivers. The fights are intense and beautifully choreographed, creating a sense of hype that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The animation, in particular, is breathtaking—every scene isvisually stunning, with fluid motion and striking attention to detail that elevate the action sequences even further. Beyond its surface appeal, Wistoria has an astonishing amount of potential. The world-building is immersive, and the character dynamics add depth to the overall experience. Hopefully, it will gain the appreciation it rightfully deserves. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you’re missing out on something special!
Nikelangel
01/22/2025, 04:53 PM
Wistoria: Wand and Sword is an action-packed fantasy anime set in an academy for mages, in a world where magic is the primary resource, anyone who can’t use it is considered inferior. So guess what? The main character is a student, and he cannot use magic. Yes, it’s that boring usual troupe of the “talentless” MC that is not so talentless after all, since he can fucking slash through monsters like butter with his sword (the title is pretty self-explanatory) and moves at 400 miles per hour. Still, with a cringy cliché cast and sloppy pacing, the quality of the animation and the choreography deliverthe hype needed to consume all 12 episodes without thinking too much about it. If anything. the second season has been announced and the world-building could potentially reveal something unexpectedly interesting. I hope the story can reserve something else rather than the one-dimensional 0 surprises development of the usual “regular” MC, son of the legacy of Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia. If you already have a bunch of battle shounen under your belt, that’s a skip, but if you are relatively new to anime this show could be enjoyable, even if I think there are far superior shows as a starting point for the genre.
God_Speed7700
12/10/2024, 06:19 AM
Story revolves around MC Will Serford, who is meek and submissive kind of guy with no backbone. If you are planning to watch this then brace yourself for boring first half which is painfully slow and lackluster. Because of its boring nature I dropped and picked up this series for 6 times before finally pushing through. When I didn't had anything better left to watch so I gave this series another chance. Trust me it gets good after 7th episode until then just try to resist punching yourself. I will go through each aspect in this review. 1. Story: 6/10 like I said the first halfof anime and mean first 7 episodes are profoundly boring and story does not move even an inch. Just minor world building and character intro which could have been done in 2 episodes. Story picks up after 8th episode and becomes intriguing, with some mystery to leave viewers wanting a second season (which is confirmed). While the second half redeems the show somewhat. Nothing ground breaking just potential of being something good in second season. 2. World Building : 5/10 Frankly this season sucks in this department as well despite having useless 6 episodes it still fail to delve deep in lore or just setting of world. The only things that are covered are the MC’s immediate surroundings, leaving the larger world feeling underdeveloped and unremarkable. 3. Characters : 6/10 Don't even get me started on this one. Each and every characters are either annoying as hell or utterly forgettable. They cant even do justice to characters in first 6 dragged-out episodes for us to feel something for someone. Only in second half characters actually shows some spark for us to notice them and only then I managed to remember MC's name. MC lacks a serious backbone and instead you feeling bad for him you will get furious on him for his lack backbone and lack of ability to standup for himself. This get mildly better in second half. Other character that stood out in second half is the Red Haired bully Boy whose name I don’t remember because that’s how much you care about bothering to remember the name of these characters. And girl name elffy because she suppose to be romantic interest of MC and big shot called magic vendor or something. I managed to remember the name of this girl not because it's beautifully written character but it is such generic a** name. 4. Music: 7/10 The music is functional but not memorable. It serves its purpose in complementing the scenes but doesn’t leave a lasting impression. 5. Direction: 2/10 The direction is easily the worst aspect of this season. all the flows mentioned above is present because the direction sucks. Poor pacing, overdrawn exposition, and a lack of emotional Depth in the first half. Will’s backstory and the bullying he endured could have been shown using flashbacks and atleast 4 episodes could have been cut down to make it more precise but sadly director missed every opportunity to tighten the storytelling. 6. Animation: 9/10 this is easily the best part of this anime. Animation team did Banging job on this one. Animation is fluid and character are expressive. The Action sequences are Awesomely animated and drawn. This is hands down the only saving grace of this Season. Despite its glaring flaws, I will still recommend people to watch this anime because lot of these problems mentioned above is addressed somewhat in second half of the season and story does get good and things slowly starts to unravel which makes this anime watchable. Would I rewatch it? Probably not, but I’ll keep an eye on the second season in the hope that it will fulfill its untapped potential.
Single_fighter
10/24/2024, 05:42 PM
This is actually a good action anime, but honestly I can't enjoy it, there are many cliche scenes and dialogues, both from antagonist characters and supporting characters tend to be boring, cliche and long-winded. For the main character with a naive nature accompanied by unrealistic optimism, something that is difficult for some veteran viewers to accept because characters like this are often found in similar anime such as danmachi, Blackclover etc. And the weaknesses in all supporting characters who have the same bad nature in terms of arrogance, sarcasm, discrimination and excessive superiority. So character development does not vary, tends to be monotonous even thoughthere are several flashbacks of stories from several characters, but this is not enough to help because it looks the same as presenting sarcasm / discrimination as the core of the story. This is what makes this anime difficult for viewers to enjoy, it seems unbalanced. The concept of the anime story is good, it's just that the character traits are unrealistic. I can accept unrealistic story concepts such as fantasy, magic, sci-fi etc. but not with character traits that don't make sense or are contrary to examples of human nature in general. The nature of the characters to a certain extent that I can accept is one of the references for my assessment of each anime apart from how interesting the story concept is. Switching to the animation which is actually good in several aspects such as background details and martial art choreography. For the soundtrack and sound effects, this is also quite good, varied, not monotonous in several fighting scene atmospheres. For the voice actors, there is nothing special in each character so the standard assessment is probably because the characters are not memorable or special in my point of view. So the conclusion is that I cannot recommend it, because of several plus and minus points.
HellsMalice
10/22/2024, 11:09 PM
Everything about this anime is pretty good, except the main character. Will is one of the most generic bog-standard, to the letter, main characters. You've seen this exact character in all the trash generic slop out there like that smartphone anime. Main character is super duper special better than everyone despite being presented with a glaring flaw. He has no personality other than blind optimism, knowing literally everything, and being annoyingly kind to everyone no matter what. Any time Will has a problem it feels incredibly forced like they didn't want to actually challenge him in any way. It's just boring and if they removedWill they'd probably have a very enjoyable anime. As it is it's fun. It has good art, the world and story is fun. The fights are fun. It's all just dragged down by Will and your enjoyment will be entirely based on how much you can stand him, or not. Which sucks, this could've been great with a real main character.
Eva_PhoenixAnime
10/08/2024, 10:34 AM
If you're looking for an anime to fill your O.P. magicless MC plate in a world full of magic, then Wistoria is the anime for you. To basically describe this anime "It's a more serious Mashle, but instead of fists and creampuffs its swords and battle glasses. It is a nice watch for these reasons: 1. The storytelling and setting This anime's character storytelling is insane, as not only do we have a somewhat fleshed-out backstory and reasons for why the magicless MC is at a magic academy and trying to reach his impossible goal. But, all the other side characters have their histories andreasons explored as well. Basically saying that this anime doesn't just leave you guessing why someone does or acts in that manner without providing a solid backstory. This anime has the setting of the oh-so-common magical academy (like Reign of the Seven Spellblades), especially when it comes to focusing on the mega dungeon/labyrinth right below the academy where the characters must enter and fight monsters to achieve their goals. 2. The animation Wistoria has very solid animation throughout the entire season and does not seem to falter anywhere even in the high-impact action scenes. The spells look amazing and the sword fighting visuals are nothing to scoff up, especially when you know that the director of this anime was also the director of Black Clover. The character's expressions and body language also benefit from this good animation style. 3. The Trope and cliché I will not lie, Wistoria does fall into the category of the MC with immense powers that isn't respected or is bullied due to those powers being different. It also has the classic supporting female classmate who receives no attention from the MC, as the MC only has eyes for one person (making it their goal to reach her). Hey there's also a tournament arc in the middle of this anime. However, if you do like an overpowered MC and these tropes then this anime will be a good watch for you. Overall, I enjoyed Wistoria for the anime it was due to its amazing characters, animation and fight scenes throughout the entirety of it. It is a great adaption from its source material and is defiantly worth a watch.
mariyunni
10/06/2024, 06:25 PM
This was the best anime of the season. Who would have thought that a plot that initially seemed so generic would surprise us so quickly? I started paying more attention to the animation, and every detail is incredible. We have long sequences with a perfect transition from one shot to the next. The continuation of the same angle in the middle of a scene change during a battle is impressive. Small details that, if you pay close attention, leave you completely speechless. A LOT of passion was put into this adaptation. The soundtrack is also a standout, making tense moments even more intense—perfect in everyaspect. Will doesn't just win through brute strength, and he's not just a talented swordsman. Will wins with intelligence; he studies, prepares, analyzes his opponent, and in the middle of a fight, he's able to do this in milliseconds thanks to his instincts. It’s incredibly satisfying when things that seem unrelated come together throughout the story. The characters are captivating, and the animation is flawless. My congratulations to the studio and the entire team for the result. There’s still much to be revealed so we can better understand some points of the story, especially about the tower and the "Magia Vander." Let's see how this unfolds in the second season, but my expectations couldn’t be higher!
Spoodsy
10/04/2024, 03:13 PM
As an enjoyer of fantasy and isekai-adjacent, power-fantasy anime, the premise and themes of this anime suit me very well. I also find the lore and setting intriguing, and the art, character design (and at times, the animation) to be very appealing. These positives are what allowed me to sit through this anime despite its god-awful characters and writing. I suspect that the poor quality in this regard can be traced back to the original manga writer, which probably means that future seasons (which seem to have been confirmed) will struggle to improve. All this is to say that I wouldn't recommend watching this anime asit stands, but if a director or writer manages to salvage the characters and writing in upcoming seasons, it might actually be worth watching, as I do feel that the studio, setting, and story hold some promise.
ShibaTatsuya20
10/01/2024, 08:46 AM
Danmachi (Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?) done right.😎 The story is about a Sword yearning to become a Wand. Our hero Will is brawn plus brain on steroids. He lacks magic skills and he uses his gifted speed, wit and strength to overcome obstacles to meet his beloved childhood sweetheart Elfie. Pros: 1) Nice story build-up. 2) BGM music is awesome. 3) Characters all well drawn and each character has some background story. 4) In just 12 episodes they told a lot about Wistoria world and various factions involved in determining that magical world's fate.Cons: 1) Slow in the beginning 2) Could've shown more about the world or its history (like the Dwarves vs Magicians battle) Anyways, the first season ended on a cliffhanger showing us some glimpses about other greater powers on both good and dark sides.🗿 All in all, solid anime that I recommend everyone to watch.👌🏻👍🏻
RudeRedis
09/30/2024, 07:29 AM
Right off the bat: Animation – 10/10 (guys, just teach me how to use Maya like that, damn...) Music – 6/10 (well, it's not bad) Story – 2/10 (very typical but if that was the case I would've given it a 4 or 5; however, in this case it pretends to be super serious and becomes pure cringe) Overall – 5/10 Ok, so the MC, Will. Will, will Will will Will Will's will? Anyway... Kind of like the guy from Mashle but at least he has a positive IQ. But in exchange for his positive IQ he's a crybaby, and yet the strongest student physically. How does that work? Don'teven ask me, jeez. So he can defeat a freaking SS-rank monster (speaking in the MMO terminology) but can't give a good beating to some of his "friends" so that they stop fucking around with him. Why? Oh, that's because he's K__I__N__D. His heart is bigger that your M... Actually, no, nothing can compete with that, you're right. The teachers at the academy are annoying af, but that's kind of realistic, I guess, at least for me, because in my country you can only be on good terms with your university teachers if you bribe them (or if you're female – do some "pillow job", so to speak). Thefore, respect for realism. Every student around Will just seems to pay too much attention to him – if he's as useless as you claim, then why don't you just leave him alone? All his so-called "friends" are also very stereotypical: there's a guy who's all high-and-mighty because he thinks he's cool, there's another guy who's a hothead and always wants to fight with the MC (oh, god, that's why I don't like Shounen, bruh), then there's are girl who is in love with the MC and nobody knows why, let alone explains it somehow. And, finally there's his roommate who is indeed a REAL MAN, and together they could do some REAL MEN'S STUFF, but unfortunately the MC seems to be into girls. Oh, wowsers, zomg teh drama. When I was watching it, I was skipping some parts because I was like: "Yeah, I know where this is going. Ok, skip, skip..."
PanzerIV-J
09/30/2024, 01:16 AM
I'm not the type to absolutely hate something very often, but when I do, it's overrated garbage-heap anime that are generic but try to be different, but then do the exact same formula as all other basic reversed roles action fantasy anime. "Wistoria: Wand and Sword" is mainly bad since it had potential, some of the best anime are ruined by their unrealized potential by the original Manga/Light-Novel authors or by the main director of the anime adaptation. I'll be honest, I never read the manga for this anime, and I hope that the manga is different from this anime, since this has immense potential thatI never seen fully utilized. I will start with the good: 1. Great Animation and Fight Scenes: The animation is, without a doubt, superb. Whether it's the dynamic fight sequences or the meticulous detail of each setting, the art does an excellent job of setting the mood and immersing the viewer. I have to commend the team for this—it’s visually engaging and fluid, especially during the battles. And... well, that’s where the praise ends. 1. Cliches, Tropes, and Generic Personalities: Wistoria feels like a mishmash of every overused shounen fantasy trope thrown into a blender, and the result is something that’s both unoriginal and frustrating. This is like a smoothie, but you put in a bunch of weird ingredients to try and be different, and one of those ingredients spoils the entire drink and ruins the enjoyment from it's consumption. In essence, this means that this is just an MC that's just shoved into another environment to just be different, not to make an interesting story. Lets think this over first eh? The MC is a sword-fighter who dreams of becoming a wizard, but he’s completely inept at magic. So why is he enrolled in a magic academy that emphasizes magical combat? It makes no sense. His teachers acknowledge that while he’s intelligent, he’s not suited for battle magic. They even suggest he’d excel as a theoretical mage, focusing on research or writing instead of combat. To put it in simpler terms: it’s like a high school teacher who’s great at explaining physics but can’t conduct groundbreaking experiments themselves. They might be excellent at teaching concepts, but that doesn’t mean they should be competing with top-tier physicists on actual experiments. The problem here is that the MC’s situation feels contrived and lazy. He doesn’t really evolve as a mage; he remains primarily a sword-fighter throughout. So why is he at a magic school rather than a school for swordsmanship? 2. Horribly Generic Characters: The characters are just as lackluster. The protagonist, your typical “poor-but-kind” underdog, gets bullied because of his lack of magical prowess but somehow scrapes by due to his sword skills (plot armor, anyone?). He’s essentially a stock “different but special” character we've seen many times before. His struggles don’t add depth; they just feel like a rehash of familiar tropes. Then we have the school’s antagonists, a parade of copy-paste arrogant mages who look down on non-magical people. Their disdain is so over-the-top that they feel less like characters and more like caricatures. It’s lazy writing that manufactures cheap melodrama instead of creating compelling conflict. These antagonists are insufferable not because of clever writing, but because they’re predictable and one-dimensional. 3. Could've Been Better: This critique applies mostly to the characters. They all come off as one-dimensional and lack the depth needed to make them truly engaging. Are they the worst I’ve ever seen? No, not by a long shot. But the characters, much like the rest of the show, feel limited and underdeveloped. Because of this, I can’t recommend Wistoria to the average viewer—there are simply too many better shows out there that offer more in every category. 5/10, Wish it was better. [Thanks for reading!]
limbuckets
09/30/2024, 12:27 AM
I truly don't understand all the praise that's coming this show's way. There's no way anyone who watched past the 3rd episode would give this anything above a 5. It's so very average that it can only really qualify as kind of entertaining. I guess. Will is a pretty standard good hearted shonen protagonist. The only defining qualities that he really has is that he's really submissive and pretty pathetic. His character doesn't do much development over the course of the show aside from some moments where he gets a little angy. He's just this kind of effeminate, floaty, and kind kid who serves asan underdog the whole show. His motivation is pretty weak as well, it seems to just be that he's in love with the ice girl (I don't remember her name) and that he wants to stand beside her, which is pretty plain to me. He also is just this kind of tank in the show, where magic attacks don't really have much effect on him besides scratching him and making his mouth bleed for some reason. He can also Break through metal and ice pretty easily. They never really give a good reason for his tankiness, which makes for some pretty eye-roll moments during many of the fights where magic attacks basically just bounce off him or go right through him. The other characters are pretty much copy pasted from other magic school battle shonen. You have the hot headed bully that secretly respects the mc, the airheaded, but genius/super powerful love interest, the secretly gay, but popular friend, and the powerful mages that just smile all the time because of their confidence in their ability. Show unfolds in a pretty predictable manner in which will proves himself through various battles in front of his classmates, but the pacing isn't bad. What really disappointed me was the drop off in animation from the first couple of episodes. It started off with this beautiful animation, stuff on par with black clover and takt op destiny, and then it drops down to basically average animation. That was the main draw of this show for me because the art looked amazing at first. Overall just an average shonen, entertaining, but nothing of substance here really.
giffey6
09/29/2024, 05:09 PM
There is something to be said about an anime that isn’t particularly original, but does everything is so well that it really doesn’t matter anyway. Such is the case with this one. A story much like Mashle or many of the other similar ideas that are becoming popular today. This particular one does focus more on the drama and overcoming the odds in a more dramatic way, instead of focusing on the comedy. This gives it that iconic anime underdog feeling on this one, without ever feeling too much like the competition. What this has better than most is the animation quality. There is nounderselling that this has some of the best animation of the season. Even during the down moments, this show has better animation quality than most. It looks fantastic. I can see for some viewers the hyper movement in the action sequences can become a bit of a blur, but it does add to the action sequences for me making them look extremely fluid and interesting. Overall, I am so happy to hear that this one is getting another season. I have enjoyed this one pretty well from the start. If you are looking for some of the best action you will find this season, look no further. Also shout out to this being my 200th completed anime on here, and what a fantastic way to round out that number.
Infinite
09/29/2024, 12:12 PM
Not every show you watch has to be a masterpiece. Sometimes you don't want to be challenged, and you instead want to watch something completely predictable and unchallenging, where every story beat is as familiar and well trodden as your journey home. You've had a long day, and so you want to relax and just have some easy entertainment. This is what this show is. You watch this show because it has well animated and choreographed fights, because it won't let you down in delivering on bullies getting their recompense, the underdog getting their victory and prejudice being defeated. If you really value likeable and interesting characters, awell fleshed out world with a robust power system, an intriguing story or even a bit of nuance, then unfortunately this show just isn't for you. The characters are generic and shallow, Will (the protagonist) is just a nice person, which is great and all but that's it. Generally speaking, the male characters all hate Will and bully him to the point of parody. At some point Will will prove himself to them and they will to various degrees accept him as a minor act of redemption, which I assume is an attempt of nuance. The main female characters of this show love Will. They didn't fall in love with him, it was merely assumed from the beginning. This is because they (like us the intelligent viewer) know that Will, despite being seen as completely worthless by the very specific standard his society values, is in fact very powerful and brave and cool and brave again. If (God forbid) you're a background character? Disposable fodder that the viewer doesn't need to feel bad about getting ruthlessly killed. You get the gist. I mention the characters only because it was a limiting factor to my enjoyment even when I had done my best to turn my brain off. My eyes still rolled when characters went after Will at their own heavy detriment because actually they were only bullying Will because they felt ignored. However, with that said, characters are very important to me, and maybe they aren't for you. Maybe this is your first anime and the tropes don't annoy you as much. To conclude, a bit of story, power systems and nuance aren't going to elevate what is inherently a popcorn show into anything more, so don't worry about it. Just sit down, vegetate out and enjoy some easy fun to give your brain some time to relax.
vonroy-kun
09/29/2024, 04:10 AM
The animation quality was really good for the first few eps but that was about it. When it comes to the story, it never really does anything new. The best description I could give the series is that it's "baby's first shounen". Any new anime fan would love this series but as someone who has watched his fair share of shounen, it just doesn't hit for me. Not to mention the villains which admittedly don't have a lot of sauce due to some of their actions unfortunately not being as graphic as they could've been. Will himself is a pretty heroic person and he doesn'treally have a lot of flaws. He has some intrusive thoughts leak out here and there but it's not big enough to make a dent in his character.
slavemaster_1991
09/29/2024, 03:18 AM
Do authors even try at this point, or is an empty self insert story the best they can produce? World. The most generic magic system with heavily discriminated non-magic users. You will find nothing new or exciting here. Mandatory magic academy and dungeon diving just to fill all the checkboxes. Plot. Reunite with the love of your life, simple stuff. What happens in this plot? Tournament arc, dungeon arc, all the most blandest and most boring things. No unexpected turns or reveals here. Characters. “Underdog” MC, yeah. The problem is that the underdog must be someone who isn’t really expected to be good and/or his abilities are unknown.Here we have an honorary student in a school of magic who can’t use magic, so logically he is so good he can make up for it in other disciplines, right? Also he goes solo into dungeons, so one more sign of him obviously not being underpowered or “abilities unknown”. And yet he is bullied by people for being erm… better than them? Oh, sorry, “not being able to use magic”. Don’t worry tho, cause we also have a 10/10 waifu who is in the highest position possible in that world but can’t just bring her boyfriend with her, we have a 9/10 side waifu who has no chances but doesn’t stop following our MC, we even have a rival who bullied MC cause he wanted MC’s respect. So yes, our “underdog” is, in fact, a usual all mighty OP MC Visuals/music. Will not argue, the show looks nice, if you just stop thinking about how typical the fights go (enemies show off their fireworks, make a surprised face and get defeated) - it is surely nice. The problem is that all those efforts were used on an underwhelming source. The music on the other hand - I can’t even recall if it was there. Conclusion: I watched this whole thing without feeling any thrill or being entertained once and the reason is simple: I have seen everything this show has to offer a number of times, and many of those times were much, MUCH better. It doesn’t try to be original, it doesn’t try to be a good copy, it just uses the most simple and lazy tropes and calls it a day. This show has nothing but good visuals to offer.
Marinate1016
09/29/2024, 02:21 AM
Have you ever imagined what Black Clover with consistently good animation would be like? Well, look no further. Wistoria:Sword and Magic is unapologetically inspired by the popular Jump series and Oomori’s other work Danmachi. It’s an underdog story featuring a protagonist who has all the odds stacked against him and finds a way to persevere, refusing to settle or compromise on his ambitions. Everyone loves a good underdog story and this is one of the best ones you’ll see. If you liked the idea of Black Clover, but maybe couldn’t get into Asta screaming so much at the start or the God awful production valuesfrom Pierrot for most of the season, Wistoria is a great option. Conversely, if like me you loved Black Clover and Danmachi and just want more of both of those worlds mixed together with great characters and amazing fights, this is the way to go. Wistoria’s episode 1 is hands down one of the best episodes of anime I’ve ever seen. Directed by Yoshihara Tatsuya who worked on you guessed it, Black Clover, it is truly a feast for the eyes and a visual spectacle that perfectly sets up the magic and wonder of this world and makes you want more. Wistoria takes place in a world where magic is everything and those without it are looked down upon. Will’s journey to follow after his childhood friend and ascend the tower as a magia vander is compelling and you can’t help but root for him in the face of all the discrimination he endures. As usual in these sorts of shows, the MC gets bullied at the start and then ends up saving everyone who doubted him’s asses and that trope will never get old to me. The idea that people treat you poorly and look down on you just for being different and then next thing you know, they need your help. Will and other MC’s are better than I because I’d have left all of them to die in those dungeons, but I digress. Will is an incredibly kind person, at times to his detriment but he’s faithful to his values and determined to get to his friend’s side at the top of the magical world. There’s the obvious Black Clover and Danmachi shades, but Wistoria also has a lot in common with another of my faves, Nanatsuma or reign of the seven Spellblades. Taking place in a magical school with a dungeon underneath where students often go to explore and push themselves, underdog MC, emphasis on the importance of teamwork, etc. When watching this I couldn’t help but wonder how Nanatsuma would’ve faired with this sort of animation quality. The studio really did bring this magical world alive and make you want to know more and more about it each week. A big part of the appeal of this show is how good the animation is and it really is great. the action scenes all have film quality, they’re fluid, weighty and convey the sheer scale of power that’s used in this world. Episodes 1, 5 and 11 being my favourites with 11 being on par with 1 if not surpassing it thanks to the incredible OST. The standard art and designs of the show also look great though. Even when characters are just hanging out and doing mundane stuff it feels like you’re watching a movie. Staff did an incredible job here and I can’t wait for the second season. Wistoria’s not the most original story, like I said it’s got shades of a few existing shows, but it frankly looks and handles a lot better than them which gives it an advantage. Let’s face it. This is ANIME, so animation quality is just as important as storytelling in this medium. Artistically, this is one of the best shows of the year and pushes the envelope on what we can expect from seasonal adaptations. Even with that though, I like the story as well, generic as it may be. Will, Colette, Sion and the others grew on me a lot as the season went on and by the end I found myself desperately wanting to know more about the antagonists and who was behind certain events in the show. It’s definitely got a lot of story left to tell and I’m looking forward to season 2! Wistoria gets 9 wands out of 10.
KANLen09
09/29/2024, 01:04 AM
Wistoria: Wand and Sword — An infusion of many battle Shonens that both impresses and disappoints, I'm having a ridiculously hard time trying to mix those elements together. Ever since the release of mangaka Yuki Tabata's Black Clover onto the anime scene in Fall 2017, that has since become the NEW de facto standard of the once-Weekly Shonen Jump juggernaut that grew into the big franchise as it is today, it was the camel that broke the straw's back to set expectations for new Shonen works from that point forward. And from that point on, the Shonen genre market has been flourishing all the more, forbetter or for worse, with series like Shingeki no Kyojin a.k.a Attack on Titan reaching its conclusion, Jujutsu Kaisen still raking its fame (though at this point is nothing but the butt of jokes on mangaka Gege Akutami), and the lil' ones like mangaka Hajime Komoto's Mashle: Magic and Muscles having its parody take on the Shonen formula. And if you need any reason to doubt that the Shonen genre is on its way to death and beyond because of its tried-and-true tropes that authors didn't want to reinvent that formula too much, look no further than Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria a.k.a Wistoria: Wand and Sword, serialised in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shonen magazine, and written by one of AniManga's most successful authors: Fujino Omori of Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka a.k.a Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? fame. DanMachi, like Black Clover, has cemented its own success as a long-running franchise since the anime came out back in Spring 2015, and is easily one of the best Shonen series that I've ever experienced for the past decade (regardless of its different AniManga mediums from the LN, manga and the anime), and the masses would agree despite its stumbles along the way. So, before the anime series returns this Fall for its long-awaited Season 5, let's take a gander at this side project that he and illustrator Toshi Aoi have cooked for us, that is the bonding of Black Clover and Mashle: Magic and Muscles to become Wistoria: Wand and Sword, which started its serialisation after both series in December 2020. If you're not one to get invested into its story and world-building too much, all you need to know is that the world of the series is essentially Mashle, with its Divine Visionaries plot being the full authority of its school to protect the peace in the land, and that its world is defined by magic and magic alone; nothing else could replace the system as it is. For if someone has the qualities of Mash Burnedead, who's all strength and no magic, or even Asta, who's got the bad luck of a five-clover magic sword that only imbues masses of evil, that person would be immediately singled out, chastised, tormented, and bullied for all their life. And said person is yet another of VA Kohei Amasaki's MC trifactor maestro mainstay for the Summer season, Will Serfort. His lack of magical aptitude (much like Mash and Asta) made him the butt of all jokes within the magic school that he attends: Rigarden Magical Academy, even going as far as his infamy around the academy for wielding not magic wands, but swords instead. The academy that pretty much functions like Mashle's Easton Magic Academy, serves to train, develop and harness future Divine Visionaries called Magia Vander to succeed those who've gone before them and continue that legacy of prior generations. And Will is one of the many in the myriad of its 6-year-generational students who hope to become the next Magia Vander, more so for the fact that one of his childhood friends, Elfaria Albis Serfort, is one such Divine Visionary for being the youngest Magia Vander who specialises in ice magic and created a dozen original spells that's unheard of, thereby labelling her as a prodigal musician and leading the Ice faction of said group. It's a cliche plot for crying out loud, but at least it's a unique and very good setting, if a touch too safe for its own good. And what's the goal between the two childhood friends? Will must rise above the ranks to become a Magia Vander, all while Elfaria (or Elfie as nicknamed) just sits at her high throne in the Tower, doing nothing but slack as her responsibilities gets pushed to her subordinates, awaiting the day when she can be reunited together with Will as not just her foster brother, but of a very clear love interest. One thing's for sure, these two characters were certainly made for each other, like DanMachi's inseparable hero-deity-duo of Bell Cranel and goddess Hestia. Alas, this is where I find most of my problems with the series: it's just stereotypical cliches and tropes done time and time again, that nothing is ever done to feel it being unique outside of the Shonen formula. At first, I thought that Fujino Omori, after gaining the experience to write a compelling MC like Bell Cranel, would do the same for Will Serfort, but it turns out that he, more than the inklings to Mash Burnedead, or more similarly with Asta for that matter, is just written like a stereotypical Shonen character, with nothing that truly makes him stand out other than his "justice righteous" character of note that his hard work precedes even the strongest magic. I was actually hoping that Will would have more of a brethren in comparison to Bell Cranel, but I was completely fooled at that thought as Fujino Omori didn't really leverage anything to show him as the underdog that while could defy expectations, just did not have a hint of personality (other than his awkwardness and strive under pressure that's just like Bell) that could get us to root for him, even in the worst of adversaries, while in his ultimate goal to ascend the Tower and reach Elfie, thus making them a bona-fide power couple. Will's just a flawed character, but a REALLY flawed character, who WILL throw hands if he needs to bring down the people who underestimated him. And as if this offending easy mistake couldn't get any worse, just look at the supporting characters around him, which is just things that you CAN do in a Shonen series, but that you CANNOT remain the status quo in a Shonen series as well. Even series like Black Clover and Mashle had this recurring issue, but at least the sum of their problems isn't this egregious enough to cause a rift in the enjoyment factor of their series. You have the usual characters ranging from the usual love interest of classmate and close friend of Colette Loire who takes care of Will when everyone shuns him; to the various infighting of egoistical, one-dimensional "villany" students the likes of classmates Sion Ulster (specializing in fire magic), Julius Reinberg (specialising in ice magic, just like Elfaria), as well as Wignall Lindor (specialising in wind and illusion magic). I'd argue that Wignall at least has a character standout moment as someone like Will who is shunned by his elf dwarvens because of his weak magic, and he too mirrors his relationship with Elfaria with one of the fellow Magia Vander, so there's that. Even with the teacher professors that both recognised and hated Will's prowess to do the near impossible, they still see a potential to push him and oversee his progress in the magic amalgamation that is not just all about wands, but a lone sword as well that makes Will different from the rest. For sure, Will carries the series along its tug of plot devices in the big picture, and that act of justice and righteousness to accept "the enemy of my enemies" as they are, proves to the masses that Will Serfort is someone not to be underestimated nor trifled with, using the Power of Friendship to rally his cause forward, just like any other Shonen series. I'd always see the day when the known adage of "animation carries the show" will come to strike many Shonen series that has come and gone, the likes of Jujutsu Kaisen, and Wistoria has done this trope, but to perfection. And you can thank the person who made all of this possible: Tatsuya Yoshihara. The director now famous for his work on Black Clover, he's the reason why this show works in the production department, with slick animation and bombastic Sakuga to boot, even if he hard carries the show both in its directorial input and series composition with his staff team, with the collab between Bandai Namco Pictures alongside one of the many subsidiary studios of Actas. And it wouldn't be a mistake to say that Wistoria definitely needed someone the likes of Tatsuya Yoshihara to even out the playing field with what J.C.Staff has been doing for DanMachi for years now, and what can I say? It's great and shows how the famed director has come thus far since his days directing Black Clover. If you need a music composer who can execute the Shonen feels, look no further than Yuki Hayashi. The music composer famous for his work on Boku no Hero Academia a.k.a My Hero Academia's OST, and a fair few others the likes of Haikyuu!! to Gundam Build Fighters, he's your go-to when it comes to understanding what makes a Shonen series stand out regardless of their content, and he did Wistoria justice with a captivating OST that just feels oh-so-similar to Black Clover. I have nothing but the biggest praise for Yuki Hayashi, because like animation, music also does help provide the atmosphere for the series they are stemmed upon, and he just nailed the anime like he so does with prior series and franchises under his belt. But what I can't say aptly is the choice of the OP/ED songs. Penguin Research's OP song is just typical Shonen standard fare, and is honestly quite forgettable, as much as TRUE's ED is alright but nothing noteworthy. In the end, I find myself conflicted at what Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria a.k.a Wistoria: Wand and Sword want to achieve being part of the now oversaturated Shonen AniManga playing field. On the one hand, while its animation prowess cannot be denied, everything else is just cookie-cutter standard Shonen things that you've seen time and time again. And honestly, IMO, it just gets boring of new seasonal shows doing the same-in, same-out, and Wistoria is one of the many shows bucking the trend that it ends up being the victim of its own success. It's either for you if you're the type to like stereotypical Shonen shows, or it's just not for you if the standard Shonen trope isn't to your tastes.

Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria 杖と剣のウィストリア

2024 summer | Episodes: 12 | Score: 7.9 (156193)

Updated every Sundays at 16:30 | Status: Finished Airing

Type: TV

Synopsis

Voice Actors

Sekine, Akira

Amasaki, Kouhei

Hinata, Minami

News

Reviews

U87PM
03/10/2025, 05:52 AM
The secret of beating the boss... was fire aspect. Absolute cinema. In reality, this anime was the definition of mediocre. Would have given it a 3 if it wasn't for the art & the score popping off a couple times. MC's goal to ascend the tower was interesting enough, but the lack of attention given to both world building & characters (as well as leaning into stereotypical tropes) made watching the show a drag. Also how all characters fall into 3 categories: MC, in love with MC, complete dick. Separate paragraph for the art. Strong start with the 1st & 2nd episodes, fights were nicely animated with goodbackground & CG. A couple individual fights in other episodes had quality animation as well. Everything else however... I know this is nitpicking, but for me, the only possible redeeming quality could have been animation. Unfortunately, turned into quite a waste of time. If you like this genre just watch something else like idk Jinwoo Leveling or Kirito Online.
Cynthesia
02/16/2025, 03:37 PM
This show doesn't know what it wants. Its premise is a scenario done a million times over. The main character, who is apparently talentless, manages through hard work and effort to overcome the odds and become the strongest. Also it takes place at a school because why wouldn't it. Anyway, the point is that this formula is tried and true, and extremely hard to mess up. However Wistoria makes the interesting decision to start at Will's final year of school. This contradicts the fundamental appeal of this kind of show. First and most troublesome: Will is competent, really competent. From episode one he's already cleared the entiredungeon available to him and is comfortably one shotting every monster in his way. So now we've cut out all of the enjoyment of watching him progressively grow stronger or make his way through the dungeon from the start, and all the bullying that he faces falls short because it's made immediately clear that he's the best in the academy (even compared to the teachers). Second, by starting at the end of his time at the school, you remove all the benefits that come with a school setting. Namely the natural world building and introduction to the magic and caste systems -- which are both the main focus of the story. Will is also an honor student, he's amassed every single non-magic related credit the school has to offer and so when the plot remembers that it's taking place in a school in order to explain things which should be the basic of the basics -- which is what every classroom scene amounts to, it suddenly doesn't make sense because he and everyone else in that year should already be completely familiar with these things. There's no plot to this show. At all. Now this isn't entirely an issue, a lot of shows like this make use of their setting to have the characters partake in lessons or extra curriculars. However this show kind of just does things. One episode Will is in a dungeon, the next there's a tournament, then suddenly it's the final practical exam, those are the three major story beats -- if you can even call them that, and they aren't strung together naturally. Instead the episode structure goes as follows: Will is being bullied or has some kind of flashback about being bullied for not having magic powers -> some combat situation arises -> Will effortlessly wins. There's nothing of substance here and it gets tiring quick. The school setting is typically also used to develop a wide cast of interesting or fun characters in a natural way. Once again, this isn't possible because Will is in his final year. The cast of characters is actually very small, most only appearing in the second half and their screen time is insignificant. Additionally, they aren't interesting in the least. Pretty much every single character in this show hates Will and that is their only character trait. Sion is violent and angry and often abuses Will with his magic powers, his sole development is that he actually has an inferiority complex and wants Will to recognize him. Julius is apparently a genius, he has a massive ego and hates Will because he can't use magic. Wignall is an elf, he has a massive ego and he hates Will because he can't use magic. Colette is Will's only friend but she's reduced to a minor love interest and has no standout qualities of her own. All of the characters just listed are apparently in the top 5 students in the academy and yet they manage to do so little and are so quickly reduced to such basic elements that they might as well not exist at all. Will himself isn't interesting at all. He's your resident nice guy twink character and has no defining characteristics. Being a childhood friend of the most talented human mage of all time could lead to some interesting backstory but what we really get is repetitive flashbacks which amount to exactly what he's going through in the present day but in grayscale. Will doesn't experience any development, both from the start of the show and from his past. By the credits of episode 12 he is exactly the same character, the only difference is that we now know that he's even more competent than initially thought without any on screen effort. Again, this contradicts the major appeal of these kinds of shows. When you make a story in which the entire premise is someone with no talent beating the odds and proving everyone wrong through hard work, and then have your main character constantly go on about how his experiences shape who he is today without showing any of that, it robs the viewer of all that satisfaction. The visuals are this shows saving grace. They make extremely good use of 3d space and are constantly utilizing unique angles and fluid camera movement during action sequences. However, even this becomes tiring after a while. Outside of action this sometimes ends up looking awkward and even in action they fall into the trap of seeing how many flashing colors they can put on the screen at once. Despite the combat being fairly back loaded the beginning episodes were far more visually impressive, but maybe that's just a consequence of me becoming tired of the show. Wistoria just didn't come into fruition with a solid game plan. Is this going to be another zero to hero type story? Maybe a fantasy magic school experience? A revenge story where those with less magical aptitude rise up against the more privileged classes? All of these elements are introduced and repeatedly brought up throughout the course of its runtime and yet none are expanded upon properly leaving me extremely unsatisfied and, frankly, annoyed. There's no interesting or fun characters, the world isn't properly developed, the magic system is generic and uninspired. Everything save for the animation quality is subpar. Very disappointed.
yc_91
02/01/2025, 12:45 AM
It’s honestly frustrating to see how underrated Wistoria is. While it’s true that the premise isn’t entirely original—since we’ve seen similar themes in anime like Black Clover and Mashle—this series still manages to carve out its own identity in a unique and compelling way. The storytelling is well-paced, the characters are engaging and well-developed, and the plot keeps you invested from the very beginning. One of the standout aspects of Wistoria is the sheer excitement it delivers. The fights are intense and beautifully choreographed, creating a sense of hype that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The animation, in particular, is breathtaking—every scene isvisually stunning, with fluid motion and striking attention to detail that elevate the action sequences even further. Beyond its surface appeal, Wistoria has an astonishing amount of potential. The world-building is immersive, and the character dynamics add depth to the overall experience. Hopefully, it will gain the appreciation it rightfully deserves. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you’re missing out on something special!
Nikelangel
01/22/2025, 04:53 PM
Wistoria: Wand and Sword is an action-packed fantasy anime set in an academy for mages, in a world where magic is the primary resource, anyone who can’t use it is considered inferior. So guess what? The main character is a student, and he cannot use magic. Yes, it’s that boring usual troupe of the “talentless” MC that is not so talentless after all, since he can fucking slash through monsters like butter with his sword (the title is pretty self-explanatory) and moves at 400 miles per hour. Still, with a cringy cliché cast and sloppy pacing, the quality of the animation and the choreography deliverthe hype needed to consume all 12 episodes without thinking too much about it. If anything. the second season has been announced and the world-building could potentially reveal something unexpectedly interesting. I hope the story can reserve something else rather than the one-dimensional 0 surprises development of the usual “regular” MC, son of the legacy of Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia. If you already have a bunch of battle shounen under your belt, that’s a skip, but if you are relatively new to anime this show could be enjoyable, even if I think there are far superior shows as a starting point for the genre.
God_Speed7700
12/10/2024, 06:19 AM
Story revolves around MC Will Serford, who is meek and submissive kind of guy with no backbone. If you are planning to watch this then brace yourself for boring first half which is painfully slow and lackluster. Because of its boring nature I dropped and picked up this series for 6 times before finally pushing through. When I didn't had anything better left to watch so I gave this series another chance. Trust me it gets good after 7th episode until then just try to resist punching yourself. I will go through each aspect in this review. 1. Story: 6/10 like I said the first halfof anime and mean first 7 episodes are profoundly boring and story does not move even an inch. Just minor world building and character intro which could have been done in 2 episodes. Story picks up after 8th episode and becomes intriguing, with some mystery to leave viewers wanting a second season (which is confirmed). While the second half redeems the show somewhat. Nothing ground breaking just potential of being something good in second season. 2. World Building : 5/10 Frankly this season sucks in this department as well despite having useless 6 episodes it still fail to delve deep in lore or just setting of world. The only things that are covered are the MC’s immediate surroundings, leaving the larger world feeling underdeveloped and unremarkable. 3. Characters : 6/10 Don't even get me started on this one. Each and every characters are either annoying as hell or utterly forgettable. They cant even do justice to characters in first 6 dragged-out episodes for us to feel something for someone. Only in second half characters actually shows some spark for us to notice them and only then I managed to remember MC's name. MC lacks a serious backbone and instead you feeling bad for him you will get furious on him for his lack backbone and lack of ability to standup for himself. This get mildly better in second half. Other character that stood out in second half is the Red Haired bully Boy whose name I don’t remember because that’s how much you care about bothering to remember the name of these characters. And girl name elffy because she suppose to be romantic interest of MC and big shot called magic vendor or something. I managed to remember the name of this girl not because it's beautifully written character but it is such generic a** name. 4. Music: 7/10 The music is functional but not memorable. It serves its purpose in complementing the scenes but doesn’t leave a lasting impression. 5. Direction: 2/10 The direction is easily the worst aspect of this season. all the flows mentioned above is present because the direction sucks. Poor pacing, overdrawn exposition, and a lack of emotional Depth in the first half. Will’s backstory and the bullying he endured could have been shown using flashbacks and atleast 4 episodes could have been cut down to make it more precise but sadly director missed every opportunity to tighten the storytelling. 6. Animation: 9/10 this is easily the best part of this anime. Animation team did Banging job on this one. Animation is fluid and character are expressive. The Action sequences are Awesomely animated and drawn. This is hands down the only saving grace of this Season. Despite its glaring flaws, I will still recommend people to watch this anime because lot of these problems mentioned above is addressed somewhat in second half of the season and story does get good and things slowly starts to unravel which makes this anime watchable. Would I rewatch it? Probably not, but I’ll keep an eye on the second season in the hope that it will fulfill its untapped potential.
Single_fighter
10/24/2024, 05:42 PM
This is actually a good action anime, but honestly I can't enjoy it, there are many cliche scenes and dialogues, both from antagonist characters and supporting characters tend to be boring, cliche and long-winded. For the main character with a naive nature accompanied by unrealistic optimism, something that is difficult for some veteran viewers to accept because characters like this are often found in similar anime such as danmachi, Blackclover etc. And the weaknesses in all supporting characters who have the same bad nature in terms of arrogance, sarcasm, discrimination and excessive superiority. So character development does not vary, tends to be monotonous even thoughthere are several flashbacks of stories from several characters, but this is not enough to help because it looks the same as presenting sarcasm / discrimination as the core of the story. This is what makes this anime difficult for viewers to enjoy, it seems unbalanced. The concept of the anime story is good, it's just that the character traits are unrealistic. I can accept unrealistic story concepts such as fantasy, magic, sci-fi etc. but not with character traits that don't make sense or are contrary to examples of human nature in general. The nature of the characters to a certain extent that I can accept is one of the references for my assessment of each anime apart from how interesting the story concept is. Switching to the animation which is actually good in several aspects such as background details and martial art choreography. For the soundtrack and sound effects, this is also quite good, varied, not monotonous in several fighting scene atmospheres. For the voice actors, there is nothing special in each character so the standard assessment is probably because the characters are not memorable or special in my point of view. So the conclusion is that I cannot recommend it, because of several plus and minus points.
HellsMalice
10/22/2024, 11:09 PM
Everything about this anime is pretty good, except the main character. Will is one of the most generic bog-standard, to the letter, main characters. You've seen this exact character in all the trash generic slop out there like that smartphone anime. Main character is super duper special better than everyone despite being presented with a glaring flaw. He has no personality other than blind optimism, knowing literally everything, and being annoyingly kind to everyone no matter what. Any time Will has a problem it feels incredibly forced like they didn't want to actually challenge him in any way. It's just boring and if they removedWill they'd probably have a very enjoyable anime. As it is it's fun. It has good art, the world and story is fun. The fights are fun. It's all just dragged down by Will and your enjoyment will be entirely based on how much you can stand him, or not. Which sucks, this could've been great with a real main character.
Eva_PhoenixAnime
10/08/2024, 10:34 AM
If you're looking for an anime to fill your O.P. magicless MC plate in a world full of magic, then Wistoria is the anime for you. To basically describe this anime "It's a more serious Mashle, but instead of fists and creampuffs its swords and battle glasses. It is a nice watch for these reasons: 1. The storytelling and setting This anime's character storytelling is insane, as not only do we have a somewhat fleshed-out backstory and reasons for why the magicless MC is at a magic academy and trying to reach his impossible goal. But, all the other side characters have their histories andreasons explored as well. Basically saying that this anime doesn't just leave you guessing why someone does or acts in that manner without providing a solid backstory. This anime has the setting of the oh-so-common magical academy (like Reign of the Seven Spellblades), especially when it comes to focusing on the mega dungeon/labyrinth right below the academy where the characters must enter and fight monsters to achieve their goals. 2. The animation Wistoria has very solid animation throughout the entire season and does not seem to falter anywhere even in the high-impact action scenes. The spells look amazing and the sword fighting visuals are nothing to scoff up, especially when you know that the director of this anime was also the director of Black Clover. The character's expressions and body language also benefit from this good animation style. 3. The Trope and cliché I will not lie, Wistoria does fall into the category of the MC with immense powers that isn't respected or is bullied due to those powers being different. It also has the classic supporting female classmate who receives no attention from the MC, as the MC only has eyes for one person (making it their goal to reach her). Hey there's also a tournament arc in the middle of this anime. However, if you do like an overpowered MC and these tropes then this anime will be a good watch for you. Overall, I enjoyed Wistoria for the anime it was due to its amazing characters, animation and fight scenes throughout the entirety of it. It is a great adaption from its source material and is defiantly worth a watch.
mariyunni
10/06/2024, 06:25 PM
This was the best anime of the season. Who would have thought that a plot that initially seemed so generic would surprise us so quickly? I started paying more attention to the animation, and every detail is incredible. We have long sequences with a perfect transition from one shot to the next. The continuation of the same angle in the middle of a scene change during a battle is impressive. Small details that, if you pay close attention, leave you completely speechless. A LOT of passion was put into this adaptation. The soundtrack is also a standout, making tense moments even more intense—perfect in everyaspect. Will doesn't just win through brute strength, and he's not just a talented swordsman. Will wins with intelligence; he studies, prepares, analyzes his opponent, and in the middle of a fight, he's able to do this in milliseconds thanks to his instincts. It’s incredibly satisfying when things that seem unrelated come together throughout the story. The characters are captivating, and the animation is flawless. My congratulations to the studio and the entire team for the result. There’s still much to be revealed so we can better understand some points of the story, especially about the tower and the "Magia Vander." Let's see how this unfolds in the second season, but my expectations couldn’t be higher!
Spoodsy
10/04/2024, 03:13 PM
As an enjoyer of fantasy and isekai-adjacent, power-fantasy anime, the premise and themes of this anime suit me very well. I also find the lore and setting intriguing, and the art, character design (and at times, the animation) to be very appealing. These positives are what allowed me to sit through this anime despite its god-awful characters and writing. I suspect that the poor quality in this regard can be traced back to the original manga writer, which probably means that future seasons (which seem to have been confirmed) will struggle to improve. All this is to say that I wouldn't recommend watching this anime asit stands, but if a director or writer manages to salvage the characters and writing in upcoming seasons, it might actually be worth watching, as I do feel that the studio, setting, and story hold some promise.
ShibaTatsuya20
10/01/2024, 08:46 AM
Danmachi (Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?) done right.😎 The story is about a Sword yearning to become a Wand. Our hero Will is brawn plus brain on steroids. He lacks magic skills and he uses his gifted speed, wit and strength to overcome obstacles to meet his beloved childhood sweetheart Elfie. Pros: 1) Nice story build-up. 2) BGM music is awesome. 3) Characters all well drawn and each character has some background story. 4) In just 12 episodes they told a lot about Wistoria world and various factions involved in determining that magical world's fate.Cons: 1) Slow in the beginning 2) Could've shown more about the world or its history (like the Dwarves vs Magicians battle) Anyways, the first season ended on a cliffhanger showing us some glimpses about other greater powers on both good and dark sides.🗿 All in all, solid anime that I recommend everyone to watch.👌🏻👍🏻
RudeRedis
09/30/2024, 07:29 AM
Right off the bat: Animation – 10/10 (guys, just teach me how to use Maya like that, damn...) Music – 6/10 (well, it's not bad) Story – 2/10 (very typical but if that was the case I would've given it a 4 or 5; however, in this case it pretends to be super serious and becomes pure cringe) Overall – 5/10 Ok, so the MC, Will. Will, will Will will Will Will's will? Anyway... Kind of like the guy from Mashle but at least he has a positive IQ. But in exchange for his positive IQ he's a crybaby, and yet the strongest student physically. How does that work? Don'teven ask me, jeez. So he can defeat a freaking SS-rank monster (speaking in the MMO terminology) but can't give a good beating to some of his "friends" so that they stop fucking around with him. Why? Oh, that's because he's K__I__N__D. His heart is bigger that your M... Actually, no, nothing can compete with that, you're right. The teachers at the academy are annoying af, but that's kind of realistic, I guess, at least for me, because in my country you can only be on good terms with your university teachers if you bribe them (or if you're female – do some "pillow job", so to speak). Thefore, respect for realism. Every student around Will just seems to pay too much attention to him – if he's as useless as you claim, then why don't you just leave him alone? All his so-called "friends" are also very stereotypical: there's a guy who's all high-and-mighty because he thinks he's cool, there's another guy who's a hothead and always wants to fight with the MC (oh, god, that's why I don't like Shounen, bruh), then there's are girl who is in love with the MC and nobody knows why, let alone explains it somehow. And, finally there's his roommate who is indeed a REAL MAN, and together they could do some REAL MEN'S STUFF, but unfortunately the MC seems to be into girls. Oh, wowsers, zomg teh drama. When I was watching it, I was skipping some parts because I was like: "Yeah, I know where this is going. Ok, skip, skip..."
PanzerIV-J
09/30/2024, 01:16 AM
I'm not the type to absolutely hate something very often, but when I do, it's overrated garbage-heap anime that are generic but try to be different, but then do the exact same formula as all other basic reversed roles action fantasy anime. "Wistoria: Wand and Sword" is mainly bad since it had potential, some of the best anime are ruined by their unrealized potential by the original Manga/Light-Novel authors or by the main director of the anime adaptation. I'll be honest, I never read the manga for this anime, and I hope that the manga is different from this anime, since this has immense potential thatI never seen fully utilized. I will start with the good: 1. Great Animation and Fight Scenes: The animation is, without a doubt, superb. Whether it's the dynamic fight sequences or the meticulous detail of each setting, the art does an excellent job of setting the mood and immersing the viewer. I have to commend the team for this—it’s visually engaging and fluid, especially during the battles. And... well, that’s where the praise ends. 1. Cliches, Tropes, and Generic Personalities: Wistoria feels like a mishmash of every overused shounen fantasy trope thrown into a blender, and the result is something that’s both unoriginal and frustrating. This is like a smoothie, but you put in a bunch of weird ingredients to try and be different, and one of those ingredients spoils the entire drink and ruins the enjoyment from it's consumption. In essence, this means that this is just an MC that's just shoved into another environment to just be different, not to make an interesting story. Lets think this over first eh? The MC is a sword-fighter who dreams of becoming a wizard, but he’s completely inept at magic. So why is he enrolled in a magic academy that emphasizes magical combat? It makes no sense. His teachers acknowledge that while he’s intelligent, he’s not suited for battle magic. They even suggest he’d excel as a theoretical mage, focusing on research or writing instead of combat. To put it in simpler terms: it’s like a high school teacher who’s great at explaining physics but can’t conduct groundbreaking experiments themselves. They might be excellent at teaching concepts, but that doesn’t mean they should be competing with top-tier physicists on actual experiments. The problem here is that the MC’s situation feels contrived and lazy. He doesn’t really evolve as a mage; he remains primarily a sword-fighter throughout. So why is he at a magic school rather than a school for swordsmanship? 2. Horribly Generic Characters: The characters are just as lackluster. The protagonist, your typical “poor-but-kind” underdog, gets bullied because of his lack of magical prowess but somehow scrapes by due to his sword skills (plot armor, anyone?). He’s essentially a stock “different but special” character we've seen many times before. His struggles don’t add depth; they just feel like a rehash of familiar tropes. Then we have the school’s antagonists, a parade of copy-paste arrogant mages who look down on non-magical people. Their disdain is so over-the-top that they feel less like characters and more like caricatures. It’s lazy writing that manufactures cheap melodrama instead of creating compelling conflict. These antagonists are insufferable not because of clever writing, but because they’re predictable and one-dimensional. 3. Could've Been Better: This critique applies mostly to the characters. They all come off as one-dimensional and lack the depth needed to make them truly engaging. Are they the worst I’ve ever seen? No, not by a long shot. But the characters, much like the rest of the show, feel limited and underdeveloped. Because of this, I can’t recommend Wistoria to the average viewer—there are simply too many better shows out there that offer more in every category. 5/10, Wish it was better. [Thanks for reading!]
limbuckets
09/30/2024, 12:27 AM
I truly don't understand all the praise that's coming this show's way. There's no way anyone who watched past the 3rd episode would give this anything above a 5. It's so very average that it can only really qualify as kind of entertaining. I guess. Will is a pretty standard good hearted shonen protagonist. The only defining qualities that he really has is that he's really submissive and pretty pathetic. His character doesn't do much development over the course of the show aside from some moments where he gets a little angy. He's just this kind of effeminate, floaty, and kind kid who serves asan underdog the whole show. His motivation is pretty weak as well, it seems to just be that he's in love with the ice girl (I don't remember her name) and that he wants to stand beside her, which is pretty plain to me. He also is just this kind of tank in the show, where magic attacks don't really have much effect on him besides scratching him and making his mouth bleed for some reason. He can also Break through metal and ice pretty easily. They never really give a good reason for his tankiness, which makes for some pretty eye-roll moments during many of the fights where magic attacks basically just bounce off him or go right through him. The other characters are pretty much copy pasted from other magic school battle shonen. You have the hot headed bully that secretly respects the mc, the airheaded, but genius/super powerful love interest, the secretly gay, but popular friend, and the powerful mages that just smile all the time because of their confidence in their ability. Show unfolds in a pretty predictable manner in which will proves himself through various battles in front of his classmates, but the pacing isn't bad. What really disappointed me was the drop off in animation from the first couple of episodes. It started off with this beautiful animation, stuff on par with black clover and takt op destiny, and then it drops down to basically average animation. That was the main draw of this show for me because the art looked amazing at first. Overall just an average shonen, entertaining, but nothing of substance here really.
giffey6
09/29/2024, 05:09 PM
There is something to be said about an anime that isn’t particularly original, but does everything is so well that it really doesn’t matter anyway. Such is the case with this one. A story much like Mashle or many of the other similar ideas that are becoming popular today. This particular one does focus more on the drama and overcoming the odds in a more dramatic way, instead of focusing on the comedy. This gives it that iconic anime underdog feeling on this one, without ever feeling too much like the competition. What this has better than most is the animation quality. There is nounderselling that this has some of the best animation of the season. Even during the down moments, this show has better animation quality than most. It looks fantastic. I can see for some viewers the hyper movement in the action sequences can become a bit of a blur, but it does add to the action sequences for me making them look extremely fluid and interesting. Overall, I am so happy to hear that this one is getting another season. I have enjoyed this one pretty well from the start. If you are looking for some of the best action you will find this season, look no further. Also shout out to this being my 200th completed anime on here, and what a fantastic way to round out that number.
Infinite
09/29/2024, 12:12 PM
Not every show you watch has to be a masterpiece. Sometimes you don't want to be challenged, and you instead want to watch something completely predictable and unchallenging, where every story beat is as familiar and well trodden as your journey home. You've had a long day, and so you want to relax and just have some easy entertainment. This is what this show is. You watch this show because it has well animated and choreographed fights, because it won't let you down in delivering on bullies getting their recompense, the underdog getting their victory and prejudice being defeated. If you really value likeable and interesting characters, awell fleshed out world with a robust power system, an intriguing story or even a bit of nuance, then unfortunately this show just isn't for you. The characters are generic and shallow, Will (the protagonist) is just a nice person, which is great and all but that's it. Generally speaking, the male characters all hate Will and bully him to the point of parody. At some point Will will prove himself to them and they will to various degrees accept him as a minor act of redemption, which I assume is an attempt of nuance. The main female characters of this show love Will. They didn't fall in love with him, it was merely assumed from the beginning. This is because they (like us the intelligent viewer) know that Will, despite being seen as completely worthless by the very specific standard his society values, is in fact very powerful and brave and cool and brave again. If (God forbid) you're a background character? Disposable fodder that the viewer doesn't need to feel bad about getting ruthlessly killed. You get the gist. I mention the characters only because it was a limiting factor to my enjoyment even when I had done my best to turn my brain off. My eyes still rolled when characters went after Will at their own heavy detriment because actually they were only bullying Will because they felt ignored. However, with that said, characters are very important to me, and maybe they aren't for you. Maybe this is your first anime and the tropes don't annoy you as much. To conclude, a bit of story, power systems and nuance aren't going to elevate what is inherently a popcorn show into anything more, so don't worry about it. Just sit down, vegetate out and enjoy some easy fun to give your brain some time to relax.
vonroy-kun
09/29/2024, 04:10 AM
The animation quality was really good for the first few eps but that was about it. When it comes to the story, it never really does anything new. The best description I could give the series is that it's "baby's first shounen". Any new anime fan would love this series but as someone who has watched his fair share of shounen, it just doesn't hit for me. Not to mention the villains which admittedly don't have a lot of sauce due to some of their actions unfortunately not being as graphic as they could've been. Will himself is a pretty heroic person and he doesn'treally have a lot of flaws. He has some intrusive thoughts leak out here and there but it's not big enough to make a dent in his character.
slavemaster_1991
09/29/2024, 03:18 AM
Do authors even try at this point, or is an empty self insert story the best they can produce? World. The most generic magic system with heavily discriminated non-magic users. You will find nothing new or exciting here. Mandatory magic academy and dungeon diving just to fill all the checkboxes. Plot. Reunite with the love of your life, simple stuff. What happens in this plot? Tournament arc, dungeon arc, all the most blandest and most boring things. No unexpected turns or reveals here. Characters. “Underdog” MC, yeah. The problem is that the underdog must be someone who isn’t really expected to be good and/or his abilities are unknown.Here we have an honorary student in a school of magic who can’t use magic, so logically he is so good he can make up for it in other disciplines, right? Also he goes solo into dungeons, so one more sign of him obviously not being underpowered or “abilities unknown”. And yet he is bullied by people for being erm… better than them? Oh, sorry, “not being able to use magic”. Don’t worry tho, cause we also have a 10/10 waifu who is in the highest position possible in that world but can’t just bring her boyfriend with her, we have a 9/10 side waifu who has no chances but doesn’t stop following our MC, we even have a rival who bullied MC cause he wanted MC’s respect. So yes, our “underdog” is, in fact, a usual all mighty OP MC Visuals/music. Will not argue, the show looks nice, if you just stop thinking about how typical the fights go (enemies show off their fireworks, make a surprised face and get defeated) - it is surely nice. The problem is that all those efforts were used on an underwhelming source. The music on the other hand - I can’t even recall if it was there. Conclusion: I watched this whole thing without feeling any thrill or being entertained once and the reason is simple: I have seen everything this show has to offer a number of times, and many of those times were much, MUCH better. It doesn’t try to be original, it doesn’t try to be a good copy, it just uses the most simple and lazy tropes and calls it a day. This show has nothing but good visuals to offer.
Marinate1016
09/29/2024, 02:21 AM
Have you ever imagined what Black Clover with consistently good animation would be like? Well, look no further. Wistoria:Sword and Magic is unapologetically inspired by the popular Jump series and Oomori’s other work Danmachi. It’s an underdog story featuring a protagonist who has all the odds stacked against him and finds a way to persevere, refusing to settle or compromise on his ambitions. Everyone loves a good underdog story and this is one of the best ones you’ll see. If you liked the idea of Black Clover, but maybe couldn’t get into Asta screaming so much at the start or the God awful production valuesfrom Pierrot for most of the season, Wistoria is a great option. Conversely, if like me you loved Black Clover and Danmachi and just want more of both of those worlds mixed together with great characters and amazing fights, this is the way to go. Wistoria’s episode 1 is hands down one of the best episodes of anime I’ve ever seen. Directed by Yoshihara Tatsuya who worked on you guessed it, Black Clover, it is truly a feast for the eyes and a visual spectacle that perfectly sets up the magic and wonder of this world and makes you want more. Wistoria takes place in a world where magic is everything and those without it are looked down upon. Will’s journey to follow after his childhood friend and ascend the tower as a magia vander is compelling and you can’t help but root for him in the face of all the discrimination he endures. As usual in these sorts of shows, the MC gets bullied at the start and then ends up saving everyone who doubted him’s asses and that trope will never get old to me. The idea that people treat you poorly and look down on you just for being different and then next thing you know, they need your help. Will and other MC’s are better than I because I’d have left all of them to die in those dungeons, but I digress. Will is an incredibly kind person, at times to his detriment but he’s faithful to his values and determined to get to his friend’s side at the top of the magical world. There’s the obvious Black Clover and Danmachi shades, but Wistoria also has a lot in common with another of my faves, Nanatsuma or reign of the seven Spellblades. Taking place in a magical school with a dungeon underneath where students often go to explore and push themselves, underdog MC, emphasis on the importance of teamwork, etc. When watching this I couldn’t help but wonder how Nanatsuma would’ve faired with this sort of animation quality. The studio really did bring this magical world alive and make you want to know more and more about it each week. A big part of the appeal of this show is how good the animation is and it really is great. the action scenes all have film quality, they’re fluid, weighty and convey the sheer scale of power that’s used in this world. Episodes 1, 5 and 11 being my favourites with 11 being on par with 1 if not surpassing it thanks to the incredible OST. The standard art and designs of the show also look great though. Even when characters are just hanging out and doing mundane stuff it feels like you’re watching a movie. Staff did an incredible job here and I can’t wait for the second season. Wistoria’s not the most original story, like I said it’s got shades of a few existing shows, but it frankly looks and handles a lot better than them which gives it an advantage. Let’s face it. This is ANIME, so animation quality is just as important as storytelling in this medium. Artistically, this is one of the best shows of the year and pushes the envelope on what we can expect from seasonal adaptations. Even with that though, I like the story as well, generic as it may be. Will, Colette, Sion and the others grew on me a lot as the season went on and by the end I found myself desperately wanting to know more about the antagonists and who was behind certain events in the show. It’s definitely got a lot of story left to tell and I’m looking forward to season 2! Wistoria gets 9 wands out of 10.
KANLen09
09/29/2024, 01:04 AM
Wistoria: Wand and Sword — An infusion of many battle Shonens that both impresses and disappoints, I'm having a ridiculously hard time trying to mix those elements together. Ever since the release of mangaka Yuki Tabata's Black Clover onto the anime scene in Fall 2017, that has since become the NEW de facto standard of the once-Weekly Shonen Jump juggernaut that grew into the big franchise as it is today, it was the camel that broke the straw's back to set expectations for new Shonen works from that point forward. And from that point on, the Shonen genre market has been flourishing all the more, forbetter or for worse, with series like Shingeki no Kyojin a.k.a Attack on Titan reaching its conclusion, Jujutsu Kaisen still raking its fame (though at this point is nothing but the butt of jokes on mangaka Gege Akutami), and the lil' ones like mangaka Hajime Komoto's Mashle: Magic and Muscles having its parody take on the Shonen formula. And if you need any reason to doubt that the Shonen genre is on its way to death and beyond because of its tried-and-true tropes that authors didn't want to reinvent that formula too much, look no further than Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria a.k.a Wistoria: Wand and Sword, serialised in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shonen magazine, and written by one of AniManga's most successful authors: Fujino Omori of Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka a.k.a Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? fame. DanMachi, like Black Clover, has cemented its own success as a long-running franchise since the anime came out back in Spring 2015, and is easily one of the best Shonen series that I've ever experienced for the past decade (regardless of its different AniManga mediums from the LN, manga and the anime), and the masses would agree despite its stumbles along the way. So, before the anime series returns this Fall for its long-awaited Season 5, let's take a gander at this side project that he and illustrator Toshi Aoi have cooked for us, that is the bonding of Black Clover and Mashle: Magic and Muscles to become Wistoria: Wand and Sword, which started its serialisation after both series in December 2020. If you're not one to get invested into its story and world-building too much, all you need to know is that the world of the series is essentially Mashle, with its Divine Visionaries plot being the full authority of its school to protect the peace in the land, and that its world is defined by magic and magic alone; nothing else could replace the system as it is. For if someone has the qualities of Mash Burnedead, who's all strength and no magic, or even Asta, who's got the bad luck of a five-clover magic sword that only imbues masses of evil, that person would be immediately singled out, chastised, tormented, and bullied for all their life. And said person is yet another of VA Kohei Amasaki's MC trifactor maestro mainstay for the Summer season, Will Serfort. His lack of magical aptitude (much like Mash and Asta) made him the butt of all jokes within the magic school that he attends: Rigarden Magical Academy, even going as far as his infamy around the academy for wielding not magic wands, but swords instead. The academy that pretty much functions like Mashle's Easton Magic Academy, serves to train, develop and harness future Divine Visionaries called Magia Vander to succeed those who've gone before them and continue that legacy of prior generations. And Will is one of the many in the myriad of its 6-year-generational students who hope to become the next Magia Vander, more so for the fact that one of his childhood friends, Elfaria Albis Serfort, is one such Divine Visionary for being the youngest Magia Vander who specialises in ice magic and created a dozen original spells that's unheard of, thereby labelling her as a prodigal musician and leading the Ice faction of said group. It's a cliche plot for crying out loud, but at least it's a unique and very good setting, if a touch too safe for its own good. And what's the goal between the two childhood friends? Will must rise above the ranks to become a Magia Vander, all while Elfaria (or Elfie as nicknamed) just sits at her high throne in the Tower, doing nothing but slack as her responsibilities gets pushed to her subordinates, awaiting the day when she can be reunited together with Will as not just her foster brother, but of a very clear love interest. One thing's for sure, these two characters were certainly made for each other, like DanMachi's inseparable hero-deity-duo of Bell Cranel and goddess Hestia. Alas, this is where I find most of my problems with the series: it's just stereotypical cliches and tropes done time and time again, that nothing is ever done to feel it being unique outside of the Shonen formula. At first, I thought that Fujino Omori, after gaining the experience to write a compelling MC like Bell Cranel, would do the same for Will Serfort, but it turns out that he, more than the inklings to Mash Burnedead, or more similarly with Asta for that matter, is just written like a stereotypical Shonen character, with nothing that truly makes him stand out other than his "justice righteous" character of note that his hard work precedes even the strongest magic. I was actually hoping that Will would have more of a brethren in comparison to Bell Cranel, but I was completely fooled at that thought as Fujino Omori didn't really leverage anything to show him as the underdog that while could defy expectations, just did not have a hint of personality (other than his awkwardness and strive under pressure that's just like Bell) that could get us to root for him, even in the worst of adversaries, while in his ultimate goal to ascend the Tower and reach Elfie, thus making them a bona-fide power couple. Will's just a flawed character, but a REALLY flawed character, who WILL throw hands if he needs to bring down the people who underestimated him. And as if this offending easy mistake couldn't get any worse, just look at the supporting characters around him, which is just things that you CAN do in a Shonen series, but that you CANNOT remain the status quo in a Shonen series as well. Even series like Black Clover and Mashle had this recurring issue, but at least the sum of their problems isn't this egregious enough to cause a rift in the enjoyment factor of their series. You have the usual characters ranging from the usual love interest of classmate and close friend of Colette Loire who takes care of Will when everyone shuns him; to the various infighting of egoistical, one-dimensional "villany" students the likes of classmates Sion Ulster (specializing in fire magic), Julius Reinberg (specialising in ice magic, just like Elfaria), as well as Wignall Lindor (specialising in wind and illusion magic). I'd argue that Wignall at least has a character standout moment as someone like Will who is shunned by his elf dwarvens because of his weak magic, and he too mirrors his relationship with Elfaria with one of the fellow Magia Vander, so there's that. Even with the teacher professors that both recognised and hated Will's prowess to do the near impossible, they still see a potential to push him and oversee his progress in the magic amalgamation that is not just all about wands, but a lone sword as well that makes Will different from the rest. For sure, Will carries the series along its tug of plot devices in the big picture, and that act of justice and righteousness to accept "the enemy of my enemies" as they are, proves to the masses that Will Serfort is someone not to be underestimated nor trifled with, using the Power of Friendship to rally his cause forward, just like any other Shonen series. I'd always see the day when the known adage of "animation carries the show" will come to strike many Shonen series that has come and gone, the likes of Jujutsu Kaisen, and Wistoria has done this trope, but to perfection. And you can thank the person who made all of this possible: Tatsuya Yoshihara. The director now famous for his work on Black Clover, he's the reason why this show works in the production department, with slick animation and bombastic Sakuga to boot, even if he hard carries the show both in its directorial input and series composition with his staff team, with the collab between Bandai Namco Pictures alongside one of the many subsidiary studios of Actas. And it wouldn't be a mistake to say that Wistoria definitely needed someone the likes of Tatsuya Yoshihara to even out the playing field with what J.C.Staff has been doing for DanMachi for years now, and what can I say? It's great and shows how the famed director has come thus far since his days directing Black Clover. If you need a music composer who can execute the Shonen feels, look no further than Yuki Hayashi. The music composer famous for his work on Boku no Hero Academia a.k.a My Hero Academia's OST, and a fair few others the likes of Haikyuu!! to Gundam Build Fighters, he's your go-to when it comes to understanding what makes a Shonen series stand out regardless of their content, and he did Wistoria justice with a captivating OST that just feels oh-so-similar to Black Clover. I have nothing but the biggest praise for Yuki Hayashi, because like animation, music also does help provide the atmosphere for the series they are stemmed upon, and he just nailed the anime like he so does with prior series and franchises under his belt. But what I can't say aptly is the choice of the OP/ED songs. Penguin Research's OP song is just typical Shonen standard fare, and is honestly quite forgettable, as much as TRUE's ED is alright but nothing noteworthy. In the end, I find myself conflicted at what Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria a.k.a Wistoria: Wand and Sword want to achieve being part of the now oversaturated Shonen AniManga playing field. On the one hand, while its animation prowess cannot be denied, everything else is just cookie-cutter standard Shonen things that you've seen time and time again. And honestly, IMO, it just gets boring of new seasonal shows doing the same-in, same-out, and Wistoria is one of the many shows bucking the trend that it ends up being the victim of its own success. It's either for you if you're the type to like stereotypical Shonen shows, or it's just not for you if the standard Shonen trope isn't to your tastes.

Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria 杖と剣のウィストリア

Second Season of 'Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria' Announced

Summer 2024 Simulcast List [Update 6/6]

Summer 2024 Preview

'Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria' Reveals More Cast, Theme Songs, First Promo

'Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria' Unveils Additional Pair of Cast

Additional Cast of 'Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria' Announced

'Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria' Announces Additional Cast

Manga 'Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria' Receives TV Anime in Summer 2024

Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria 杖と剣のウィストリア

Second Season of 'Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria' Announced

Summer 2024 Simulcast List [Update 6/6]

Summer 2024 Preview

'Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria' Reveals More Cast, Theme Songs, First Promo

'Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria' Unveils Additional Pair of Cast

Additional Cast of 'Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria' Announced

'Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria' Announces Additional Cast

Manga 'Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria' Receives TV Anime in Summer 2024