Wistoria: Wand and Sword is Good BUT…

Article at a glance:

• The anime frequently ends episodes on cliffhangers, which can be frustrating for weekly viewers and affects the pacing.
• The anime’s high-quality character designs, fight sequences, and dynamic visuals are standout features.
• Despite minor issues with side character development, the main cast and storyline are well-crafted, enhancing the overall experience.

Okay, so I know that I was quite harsh on this anime back when I wrote my first impressions article on it. But if you’ve been reading my Best Episodes of the Week articles, I have grown to really like this anime. And yes, Wistoria: Wand and Sword is a really enjoyable anime. It has good characters, a decent plot/world, and awesome animations and designs to boot. However, I do have certain issues that I would like to address in this article.

Again, before I start, I would once again like to make it clear that I do love this anime. It is just that there is one particular issue about it that really bothers me. So let’s talk about it. Welcome to another mid-season review. And today we are talking about Wistoria: Wand and Sword. Let’s get into it.

What do I think of Wistoria: Sword and Magic so far?

So my major issue is the anime’s over-reliance on cliffhangers. I don’t know if it is like this in the manga too but in the anime, the past few episodes have been ending the moment we get to something big. They build all this hype and tension only for the episode to end on a cliffhanger. This is fine for a few episodes, but after a while, it kind of gets annoying. Episode 6 was the third time in a row that they pulled this off. And I am pretty sure that out of the 6 episodes, 5 of them end with cliffhangers overall.

I am aware that this won’t be an issue if you are binge-watching but when you are watching weekly episodes like me, this does hurt the pacing a bit. But yeah, that was my major issue. Other than that, I mostly just have praise for the show. If I had to nitpick a little more, I wish the side cast was just a little more developed but we just got an episode showcasing Sion’s side of things and Will’s character is decently written too so I am sure that they will fix this issue as the anime goes on.

The animations and the art style are just amazing. Everything from the character, outfit, and monster designs to how the art style shifts when something serious happens and how good the magic looks is amazing. When Will fights, you get a genuine feeling of momentum and weight behind his sword swings. Yeah, the animations and the fights alone are good enough to make this anime worth it. But we have some decent characters and plot on top of it all to enhance it further.

That is all for now!

So yeah, as things stand, those were my thoughts on Wistoria: Wand and Sword. As of now, I’d give this anime about an 8/10 the score will most likely shift by the final review but we will see. With that said, I will take my leave here. See ya!

Also, check out my thoughts on The Elusive Samurai so far here!