I think it’s finally time that I did a deep dive into the Wistoria: Wand and Sword anime. A few years ago, it was recommended to me after watching Kaiju No. 8, and it defied all my expectations. I wrote a little snippet last year as part of a recommendation article I did, but I wanted to talk more about it now that the second season is airing because it’s one of my favorite fantasy anime of all time.
I wasn’t even planning on watching it in the first place. I don’t really care much for all the big and flashy animations and fight sequences that people hype up every season. It’s why I still haven’t watched Jujutsu Kaisen or Solo Leveling yet. But people said I would like it, and that ended up being an understatement. I thought the first season was amazing, and the second season is even better.
Wistoria follows a boy named Will Serfort, a student at a premiere magic academy. Students and faculty alike generally look down on him because he has no aptitude for magic at all. He’s like Mash from Mashle and Asta from Black Clover. Like those two, he uses his incredible physical strength to prove everyone wrong. Despite being so young, he literally looks like a skilled ninja when he’s leaping through the air with his sword.
Why does he put himself through this? Because he wants to climb the ranks and join his childhood friend Elfaria at the top of the magic world. When they were young, he made a promise that he would reunite with her one day, something that she’s really looking forward to as well. There’s just one small problem, Elfaria happens to be one of the greatest magicians in the world. She’s created many of her own original spells and is viewed as a celebrity within the magic world.
The animation is one thing. Fights look majestic, and there’s never a lack of cool moments. But the story and characters are phenomenal as well. Elfaria is shown to the world as a dedicated student and magician who’s serious and great at everything. But in reality, she’s way more laid back and silly, something that Will personally knows. The first season didn’t really show much of Elfaria because the focus was on Will and his classmates, but she became my favorite character by the end of the season.
The rest of the supporting cast are great as well. Behind Elfaria, my next two favorite characters are Sion and Julius. At the start of the anime, Sion bullies Will a lot, but after being saved multiple times, he sort of becomes Wills rival. Julius is one of the top students and bullies Will even harder. Despite being borderline antagonists, both are really cool. A few of the teachers are cool as well. The last of the main supporting cast is Colette. I didn’t really care too much for her though.
In order for me to like a fantasy anime, there usually has to be a decent bit of humor. It’s why my favorites include stuff like Konosuba and Welcome To Demon School Iruma-Kun. Wistoria doesn’t have that level of humor, but there’s so much quality in the animation, story, and characters that I can never get enough. I loved the first season to the point where it was immediately one of my top 10 fantasy anime of all time, and I’m fully captivated through the first few episodes of the second season.
10/10