Let me start the review with this:
This is my first time ever writing a "proper" review. If there is anything I missed or something like that, though I don't know if people can reply to reviews, please let me know.
I tried to write this review without real spoilers, though I did mention some stuff here and there. Be aware.
I watched this anime because a friend recommended it to me. And finally, after my 4th attempt to get over the first rough 5 minutes of the first episode, I finally got around to just...finishing it. Did it feel good? Hell no. And while it did intrigue me at some points, the good points are overshadowed by a lot...and I mean, a LOT of flaws that I simply can't ignore.
The story starts with Will, a boy who is like a doormat- gets bullied by both teachers and students, doesn't raise his voice and simply does what he is told to do. Yes, he does clap back at times and yes, he does get angry- but those few moments are either for the sake of others or because the situation..."demanded" for it, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
He isn't capable of using magic, but it's revealed in the first episode that he is more than capable of handling his enemies- provided he has a sword.
Sounds like a certain young wizard heading off to magic academy, just with a big ass sword instead of a wand. Funny enough.
And that in general, while not that unique of a concept, is still a solid foundation for a story.
What I like about him is that he has a clear goal- an aspiration, which currently a lot of protagonists lack. It's to become a "Magia Vander"- which are the 5 strongest mages in the world. Because his adorable childhood friend is one of them and he himself made a promise with her to become a Magia Vander with her. (Or something along those lines).
It is also probably the reason why he puts up with that much bullshit, because he himself is aware that he has 0 talent in magic and that he is thankful to be given an opportunity at all- but the way it is done in this anime is just...so damn over the top.
Before I talk about other flaws, please mind that I didn't read the source material- which is why I can only speak as somebody who got around to watching the anime and, as is typical, MAY lack the knowledge you would gain from the source material.
That said, while I think that the story and Will has a lot of flaws, I still at least don't mind Will as a character- he's frustrating at best. But at least he DOES get his cool moments and scenes. The first episode showed that the story and anime at least got something cooking.
But from the second episode on, everything simply goes...downhill.
The academy hypes people up that manage to create a new spell or magic- the achievement is so grand, you're granted access to the "Upper Institute", which is one of the first steps in order to become a Magia Vander, no questions asked.
A certain character manages to create multiple new spells, which is lauded as such an unthinkable achievement... but I'll be real-
I cannot understand how "difficult" it is to create a new spell in that universe.
How does the magic operate? What are the principles?
In most cases, my questions would be...too much, because at the end of the day, just turn your head off and enjoy the stuff.
But in this instance, the anime is clearly trying to tell you a story- they wish to show you an epic regarding a sworld-wielding boy who beats up his enemies with good battle instincts. And when they try to tell you a story, the world building needs to be consistent- but I fail to see how they achieved that in this case.
How hard is it truly to create a new spell? I wished to understand, but I couldn't.
And while I'm talking about inconsistencies, I wish to talk about the world itself now.
Which I know almost next to nothing about- what I do know is, that I feel sorry for the dwarves, there is some kind of big threat looming behind the barrier covering the sky and that other races, like the dwarves or elves, come from other...worlds? Would have loved to see how and why, but maybe this is set-up for the latter part of the story.
There were some inconsistencies in the way the world history was built up to the current state of the world, but I'll wait for the other seasons for now that can maybe shed some light on that stuff.
And now finally...the characters.
So many pieces of shit, you could mistake the academy for a garbage dump.
Except the parents dumped their kids in that school.
I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to spoil anybody, but long story short- I've yet to see a single decent character who is actually intriguing. Elfaria, who is the childhood friend of the protagonist, is adorable, but at the same time I ask myself- why the fuck does she ignore all the bullying? Or does she simply not see that? I could imagine that Will told her to stay out of it, but I don't even think she is aware of his bullying, which I thought to be unrealistic, considering that she still cares very much about him. I think the Magia Vanders need to stay inside the tower and can be too busy with stuff and nobody reported to her about Will is about the only reason I can think of for now. But I wished the anime would actually address this- I thought that Elfaria stopped caring about Will because he is "weak"- but she adores him. I wished to see something that could justify a Magia Vander not caring about her friend and helping him out.
In that regard, Collette is one of the few decent characters, though she is...well, nothing to write home about.
And I won't even indulge the other characters.
So many scenes just didn't feel good, and the payback is lacking. The story sets up for redemption arcs and stuff like that, but I would have LOVED to see the protagonist not putting up with THIS much bullshit, only to still think "yeah he's not a meanie!!!". (Though, as I mentioned, he did tell somebody in a heated argument that he was of course frustrated about that stuff.)
My final point is just questioning the dumbest thing ever. Who could have thought, that a certain character, who hates on the protagonist LITERALLY every episode would screw them up if they invited him to the team for a certain event?
I don't want to spoil too many things so I'll just say one final thing.
Despite ALL that I said- the last 2 episodes felt like a set up for the proper beginning of the story. The designs of monsters and villains are actually very awesome, the animation and fights itself are very good and one thing I found to be lacking was...kind of resolved in the last fight of the first season, though it's more of a hint of growth instead of actual proper growth.
3.8/10, but with intrigue for the second season. Maybe it will finally be a good story.
Thanks for reading, though I'm not sure if you got this far in the first place. Have fun.