English Dub Review: Wistoria: Wand and Sword “Like a Lone Sword”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Driven by a childhood promise, Will Serfort is determined to rise to the top of Magical Academy Rigarden and become one of the greatest mages the world has ever seen.  There’s just one problem… Will can’t use magic.

Our Take:

Mashle: Magic and Muscles introduced us to a protagonist who uses other skills to survive a world filled with magic.  It was a unique approach to the magic academy element that benefitted from its fun humor and likable characters.  This year, we have another magic academy anime that happens to take several blueprints from Mashle, including its magic-less protagonist and even the title.  Reading the show’s synopsis immediately reminded me of Mashle and even Little Witch Academia regarding its world-building and protagonist’s lack of magic, but the real test is whether it’s just as entertaining as the series it “inspired” from.

“Like a Lone Sword” introduces viewers to Will Serfort, a sixth-year student at Rigarden Magical Academy eager to reunite with his childhood friend, Elfaria Albis Serfort, who became the youngest magician to become a Magia Vander.  Magia Vander are sworn to maintain a barrier protecting the kingdom from invaders.  Will hopes to become one himself, but his only setback is that he can’t use magic despite his knowledge of the topic.  As a result, he is shunned and berated by the other students and even his teachers, including Professor Edward Serfence, who constantly tells him he’ll never become a Magia Vander without magic.  Will must also meet the credit requirements from dungeon raids to avoid expulsion.  Fortunately, Will has something others don’t have: his swordsmanship, which he uses to defeat a ten-credit monster known as a Sentinel.

Regarding its first episode, Wistoria: Wand and Sword does happen to borrow several elements from other magic academy anime shows, especially Mashle.  However, “Like a Lone Sword” offers enough merits to increase my curiosity for the show’s remaining episodes.  One of them is the animation by the studios Actas and Bandai Namco Pictures, which looked surprisingly better than I anticipated.  With enough fluidity and style in its action scenes and character movements, the presentation is as magical as Will’s immaculate sword skills, indicating that the series may be well known for its invigorating fight sequences.  Of course, the other test is whether it’ll be known for its narrative substance.