Summary
- Hard work triumphs over talent: Will's message is reinforced by another character, Wignall Lindor.
- Never give up, and never underestimate: Will's perseverance against powerful foes.
- Season 2 teaser: New enemies Marze and Headless hint at a larger threat in the upcoming season.
We are already two episodes into the All-Students Praxis story arc and it’s not an exaggeration to say that this arc is on its way to becoming the best arc in Wistoria: Wand and Sword. The simple yet thrilling premise of going into the depths of a monster-filled dungeon itself is already so exciting, but then we get to see fast-paced fighting scenes that keep us on the edge of our seats, and a decent amount of character development as well. This arc is great.
So now the only challenge that remains for this series is to keep the momentum going so that Wistoria: Wand and Sword can end with a bang. So can episode 10 continue this remarkable momentum? The answer is yes it can. In fact, not only does episode 10 prove to be another highly entertaining episode, but it also manages to drop some interesting nuggets of wisdom here and there.
Wistoria: Wand and Sword - The Truth About the Prideful Elf
In this episode, Will gets to know the truth about Wignall, the prideful elf, while trying his best to slay bloodthirsty monsters.
Core Message
From the get-go, Wistoria: Wand and Sword has a clear message that it wants to convey through its main character, Will Serfort. Hard work will triumph over natural-born talent. This series already established this message back in the early episodes of this season. Interestingly enough, even though we are already so close to the end of the first season, this series throws another character who echoes the same message as Will.
Hard Work Beat Talent
In episodes 9 and 10, a supporting character appeared to reaffirm Will’s message. He is the prideful elf named Wignall Lindor who is considered a failure by his people despite being one of the top three students in the academy. He lives his life believing that he is a laggard, but when he sees Will in action, it makes him realize that talent is not everything. At the end of the day, hard work can triumph over natural-born talent.
This is the core message of Wistoria: Wand and Sword that has been carried and proven by the protagonist, Will Serfort, since the start of the series. Having another character reaffirm this message near the end of this series is a great way to remind the viewers of the overarching theme of Wistoria and what it tries to convey without having to rely solely on Will as the messenger.
Never Give Up, Never Underestimate
Be it a duel with skillful mages or a battle against powerful monsters, Will never gives up and always tries to find a way to win, or at least survive to fight another day. On the contrary, his opponents often underestimate Will due to his inability to cast any magic spells. The result is always the same. Will Serfort wins and his supposedly more powerful adversaries are defeated.
Just like the value of hard work, this principle to never give up and never underestimate is another core message that Wistoria: Wand and Sword tries to convey throughout the series. The story may have its ups and downs, but we will always appreciate the positive messages that it tries to convey to its viewers.
A Menagerie of Monsters
On a less serious note, one of the most exciting things about a fantasy story, especially one that includes dungeon exploration, is the monsters. After all, the monsters not only represent an obstacle that the protagonist has to overcome but also as a tool for worldbuilding.
The World in the Dungeon
Appearance-wise, the world inside the dungeon thus far has been relatively the same — some massive cliffs and open areas but mostly long corridors of reddish caves. It’s pretty much impossible to tell the difference between each floor unless the characters explicitly mention it.
One thing that the viewers can easily distinguish, however, is the monster. From a slow-moving monster who packs a ton of punch to a ruthless monster with intangible bodies that are immune to physical attacks, this episode has all sorts of monsters in store. It makes the gloomy dungeon feel like an actual real place where these monsters freely roam around minding their own business until some pesky mages come to disturb them.
Monster Spawn
There’s one particular part in this episode that is truly fascinating. It only happens for less than a second but it is easily the most interesting part of the entire episode, at least for us. The moment that we rave about so much is the Monster Spawn. This is the moment when the dungeon spawns new monsters to replace the dead ones.
The Monster Spawn moment might seem trivial to some, but it is actually a lot more important than you might think. These few extra seconds make the story even more immersive than it already is simply because we get to see the cycle of life within the dungeon. Now we know that the dungeon is not just an easy setting for the story. It is a true ecosystem in which monsters are born, live, and die all the time.
Wistoria: Wand And Sword - Strongest Characters Shown In The Anime, Ranked
These are the people who stand head and shoulders above the other mages in the world where magic reigns supreme
All-Time High
Wistoria: Wand and Sword is at its all-time high right now, there’s no question about it. Both in terms of the quality and the excitement that each episode brings to the viewers. That being said, there’s something special about episode 10. This is the first time this series teased something about the second season of this series.
New Enemies
Although the title said New Enemies, this is actually not the first time we see the assassin duo called Marze and Headless. We’ve seen them briefly before in the previous episode. What’s interesting, however, is the important information that Headless accidentally let out before he summons the Evil Grand Duke.
That seemingly trivial information is the key to hooking the viewers and making us excited for the second season of Wistoria: Wand and Sword. Furthermore, since it is highly unlikely for our heroes to beat these two enemies in the remaining episodes, it’s safe to assume that Marze and Headless will be the enemies for the second season.
"We're just your average villains. We want to destroy the false sky."
– Headless, Episode 10
Road to Season 2
So what is the information that helps build the hype for the second season? Well, it’s about the main objective of these new enemies. According to Headless, their goal is to destroy the barrier that has been protecting the country for centuries. Since this is such a larger-than-life goal, we can assume that these assassins are not working alone. They might even belong to some sort of evil organization that has been working from the shadows all this time.
This first season has done quite a wonderful job of making the viewers feel attached to the characters and wanting to know more about their journey. While this is usually good enough to entice the viewers to stick around for the second season, knowing something exciting will happen in the upcoming season will make us feel so much more excited for the second season. So in that regard, this episode has done a great job of paving the road to the upcoming Wistoria: Wand and Sword.
Wistoria: Wand and Sword is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Wistoria: Wand and Sword
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- July 7, 2024
Based on a manga by Fujino Ōmori, Wistoria: Wand and Sword envisions a world ruled by magic users. Will Serfort attends Rigarden Magical Academy in the hopes of becoming a Magia Vander, an honor reserved for only the most exceptional mages. However, he is a warrior who cannot use magic.
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Seasons
- 1
- Japanese Title
- Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria
- Based On
- Manga
- Number of Episodes
- 12
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