Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria (Summer 2024)

It came upon me while I was scrolling through Anime News Network, and the title Wistoria: Wand and Sword, or Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria, in Japanese, caught my attention. The art style, voice acting choice for the main cast, and character designs by Sayaka Ono (who is infamous for her work in Cross Ange) all gave me reasons to learn more and delve into what this series had to offer.

The following includes minor spoilers from the anime.

Wistoria is an action/fantasy anime based on a manga by Fujino Omori (the author of DanMachi) that takes place in a magical academy, and Will, our main lead, is a student who can’t use magic, yet makes up for it with swordsmanship and analysis of his enemies. However, due to Will’s lack of magic, he is ostracized by nearly every student and faculty in the academy. In other words, if someone doesn’t fit into the in-world academy’s definition of “normal,” then they are an outcast. What keeps Will going, despite all this pressure, is his desire to be with his childhood friend Elfie and become a “Magia Vander.”

To be fair, I expected Wistoria to fly under the radar for many viewers, but my first impressions of the trailer blew me away. Fantastic visual direction, compositing, fluid animation, stellar Fate-esque fight sequences, charm, and appropriately powerful OST made me look forward to the anime even more. When I actually started the first episode of the anime, it was stunning to see how much love and care that studios Actas and BN Pictures put into the premiere, and it delivered with everything the trailer had promised. As the series went on, I was also impressed by how consistent the animation and visuals were, giving me more incentive to pay attention to what Wistoria had to offer. (The fourth episode’s first couple of minutes were an exception though, as that specific episode’s quality was a blatant downgrade in comparison to the first three episodes, but it recovers quickly after that.) Regardless of whether Wistoria was at its weakest or at its finest, Tatsuya Yoshihara carried his solid direction skills over from Black Clover to make the viewing experience of Wistoria feel cinematic, especially in flashbacks and in exposition. And as previously mentioned, Sayaka Ono’s character designs also made each character a treat to look at. With all those aspects taken into consideration, it made even the episodes which weren't action-heavy still look gorgeous!

In terms of plot and setting, Wistoria does have some predictability at the beginning, and plot beats and magic systems may have been inspired from other anime of similar genres. But what makes Wistoria stand out isn’t just its dependence on the visuals. (Takt op. Destiny is a good example of an anime where despite solid visuals, the characters ended up leaving very little impression and the plot was, let’s face it, half-baked.) Unlike Takt, Wistoria both shows and tells by combining familiar elements and lush production values with suave narrative execution. It manages to be character-driven and delivers exposition in a way that doesn’t overstay or understay its welcome. This leads me to the series’ overall pacing, as it felt perfectly paced. There were very few moments where the anime felt rushed or sluggish. And as someone who has read the manga beforehand, they adapted the flow of the original source material accurately even to the point of enhancing it and bringing it to life. For those familiar with the source material, myself included, it was very satisfying to see some anime-original moments incorporated into the adaptation.

Will, throughout the series, proves himself to be a memorable protagonist, not just because of his swordsmanship, battle analysis, and overall nerdiness, but with the way he demonstrates genuine kindness and relatability towards his classmates even when they scorn him. Those moments made me look forward to each episode, and his fresh personality traits are reminiscent of that of Midoriya from Boku no Hero Academia. I have made many connections between the two anime, in which for the purpose of this review, I will not list all of them, but know both have a school setting with an underdog of a protagonist. Another resemblance is with Sion, who resembles Bakugo – starting out as a bully primarily made to antagonize Will, but after every conflict he has with Will, he slowly becomes more nuanced and human. The series does cover topics such as racism between humans, dwarves, and elves, which is a nod to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, in which both Wistoria and LOTR both share in common.

In terms of what the sound department had to offer, Yuki Hayashi, most noted for his OST for Boku no Hero Academia, delivered a solid OST that perfectly encapsulated every fight sequence, complimenting the series’ already breathtaking visuals. The opening, “Fire and Fear” by PENGUIN RESEARCH, is a brilliantly solid, upbeat, and uplifting tune with lyrics depicting Will’s mental state and a beat reminiscent of Black Clover's high-octane openings. The ending “Frozen” by TRUE, focuses on Elfie, but its tone is too bright and somewhat off-putting. The voice acting is also quite solid, with Kohei Amasaki fluctuating layers of Will from being cute and timid to determined and serious. Masaaki Mizunaka’s Sion is also noteworthy, and Tetsuya Kakihara succeeds at making Julius sound like the cocky brat that he is.

Overall, I am proud to say that I am blessed to be alive to witness Wistoria. I have never been so pumped up for an anime like this in a long time. In an already oversaturated anime industry filled with isekai, villainesses, reincarnation and hordes of female leads, Wistoria is a refreshing sight for sore eyes. On that note, I'm impressed how it has very little time for unnecessary filler or fanservice! Yeah, that’s another win. Sure, at the end of the day, Wistoria’s world-building shows that it has a lot to offer, and while it does not explain everything the world has to offer in this season, it will leave you hanging for more. Throughout the Summer season of 2024, this is one that I looked forward to the most. Yes, it can be argued that Wistoria is generic. Burgers are also generic - but if prepared with fresh ingredients under the hands of a skilled chef, even familiar cuisine can prove delicious. The same I can say with Wistoria. Put together by the hands of a solid production team, firing on all cylinders, in terms of narrative, visuals, and sound, Wistoria’s positives wholly outweigh any negatives it may have.

Pros: As a manga reader, this adaptation has been a dream come true. Proves to be faithful and adds original moments that add depth while not taking away from the source material's energy; cinematic direction, otherworldly, godly fight scenes and amazing art make Wistoria a visual feast for the eyes that surpasses its source material and brings it to life; Yuki Hayashi's OST is appropriately epic; Will's character as a whole is memorable
Cons: The beginning of episode 4 is a drop in quality, but compared to the rest of the series, it's a small gripe; plot beats can be somewhat familiar; the ending song is too cutesy-poo for my taste.

__Story: A+
Animation: A
Art: A+
Music: A-
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