The grading-system bug and the sword-route problem in Wistoria: Wand and Sword
Watching Wistoria: Wand and Sword, I sometimes can't tell whether the hero, Will, is supposed to be strong or weak.
On paper, the setup is simple. Will is a student at a magic academy who can't use magic. He wants to become one of the "Magia Vende," the five supreme mages at the top of the magic world, because of a promise he made to a childhood friend. He can't use a wand, so he picks up a sword and fights in a world that worships magic.
I get the premise.
A boy with no magic in a world where magic is everything, taking it on with a sword.
Treated like a failure, but still climbing because of a promise that matters to him.
As a setup, it's pretty exciting.
But something keeps nagging at me.
Will keeps proving himself, and yet the people around him barely update their opinion of him.
He can't use magic.
So they call him useless.
Fine, up to here.
But he gets results in real fights.
He wins with a sword.
He breaks through on raw physical ability.
Sometimes people are right there watching.
And they still keep treating him as the "useless guy who can't use magic." At that point I can't help thinking:
Come on, are they all just a bunch of monkeys?
Not Being Able to Use Magic Is a Weakness, but It Doesn't Mean You're Not Capable
First, yes, not being able to use magic is a big weakness for Will.
In this world, magic is the yardstick for social standing.
Everyone is expected to use magic, and not being able to is seen as a fatal flaw.
So it makes sense, as a setting, that the school and the people around him rate him low.
But "can't use magic" and "isn't capable" are two different things.
He can't use magic.
But he's strong with a sword.
His physical ability is high.
He can win real fights.
He delivers when things get dangerous.
If that's the case, the people around him have to revise their opinion, or it just doesn't add up.
Even if they started out thinking "no magic, so he's a nobody," after seeing what he can do a few times, they should get to something like:
"He can't use magic, but he's a strong fighter."
"He's an oddball as a mage, but pretty useful on the front line."
"We'd better change how we measure people, or we'll misjudge him."
If they keep saying "he can't use magic, so he's useless" no matter what, their awareness looks frozen in place.
So the problem isn't that the hero is hard to read. It's that the people around him are terrible at updating their opinions.
The Academy Starts to Look Like a School With a Broken Grading System
Will gets a low rating because he can't use magic.
That part I can still accept.
But he produces results with a sword and still isn't recognized.
He gets results in real combat, yet the grading standard is locked to magic alone.
No matter how many times they see him, everyone shuts their brains off with "but he can't use magic, though."
At that point the whole school starts to look pretty broken.
It's like
an academy with a broken grading system that only rewards magic.
I'm sure the show wants to depict a society where magic comes first.
I think it wants to show how a world where magic is everything treats a foreign object like the sword.
But as a viewer, every time Will shows what he can do, I end up thinking:
Hey, look at the results!
Because the yardstick is locked to magic, nobody can see the results happening right in front of them.
You see this in real organizations sometimes, too.
"You don't have the certification, so we won't rate you."
"You don't have the title, so we won't rate you."
"You don't fit the standard format, so we won't rate you."
But in reality, you're delivering results.
When that happens, it's really frustrating to watch.
If the people around Will have seen what he can do over and over, I'd at least like them to revise their opinion.
If they can't, then they really are monkeys.
The Problem Isn't That the Sword Is Strong
Don't get me wrong: a hero who fights with a sword isn't the problem.
If anything, a hero who wields a sword in a magic society is easy to love and just plain cool.
Because he can't use magic, he fights another way.
He carves out his path with a sword instead of a wand.
He punches a hole in a magic-dominated world with a different skill.
That's the classic hero's path.
The problem isn't that he can win with a sword.
The problem is that it's hard to see, from the fight scenes, why he needs to be at a magic academy.
If the show clearly turned what Will learned at the academy into swordsmanship, it would be much easier to buy. For example:
- He understands magic circles from his classroom lessons, so he can spot an enemy's weak point
- He knows elemental matchups, so he can decide which way to dodge and when to strike
- He reads the chanting and the flow of magic power to predict the next attack
- He knows magic theory, so he can break magic with his sword
- He understands his allies' magic and uses it to coordinate with his sword
If we saw a lot of that, we'd feel:
"He can't use magic, but what he learned at the academy is riding on his sword."
But when what we see leans toward
dodging with pure physical ability, whoosh
cutting with the sword, slash
we end up thinking:
Couldn't he do that without a magic academy?
Goal, Method, and Organization Don't Seem to Fit Together
Break the story down and it looks like this:
Goal: keep a promise to a childhood friend and climb higher.
Method: aim to become one of the Magia Vende, the five supreme mages.
Affiliation: the magic academy.
Flaw: he can't use magic.
How he actually wins: sword and physical strength.
This is where viewers get stuck.
If the goal is "see my childhood friend" or "get to the top of the tower," couldn't he just get strong with a sword and go alone?
Couldn't he skip becoming a Magia Vende, prove himself with a sword, and make people accept him?
If he can't use magic, why not open a different route as a swordsman instead of chasing the top of the mage ranks?
Of course, the show has its official route, its systems, the tower, and the Magia Vende structure.
But to convince viewers, it has to show strongly
"why he has to go through that system."
If that looks weak, you get
the "if you can win with a sword, just go to the tower yourself" problem.
Put even more bluntly,
the "just dive in on your own, like in Made in Abyss" problem. (Made in Abyss is an anime where people explore a giant pit on their own.)
What It Takes to Stop Viewers From Thinking "Why Not Just Go on Your Own?"
In this type of story, what matters is blocking off the routes.
If the hero looks like he could take another route, the story has to show why that route won't work.
For example:
- Entering the tower requires academy credits or a recommendation
- Without becoming a Magia Vende, you physically can't reach the area where the childhood friend is
- Even if you're strong with a sword, you can't go up without an official pass under the system
- There are magic barriers, authentication, or rituals that a sword alone can't break through
- Without the connections, knowledge, and qualifications you get at the academy, you get stuck partway
- Going solo comes with rules or risks that would kill you instantly
- Only by going through the academy route can you change society as a whole
If conditions like these are shown early, it's easy to accept.
Nobody would say "if you're strong with a sword, just go on your own."
Instead we'd understand:
"A sword alone isn't enough, so he has to be at the magic academy."
But if that part is thin, the stronger the hero is with a sword, the less reason there seems to be for him to be at the academy.
The "Why Not Just Do Everything With Magic Tools?" Problem
There's another complaint, too: if his inability to use magic can be made up for with tools.
If this world has magic tools that even people who can't use magic can operate, I can't help thinking:
If he can't use magic, why not just do everything with magic tools?
Of course, it's a different story if the show sets limits on magic tools.
For example:
- Using a magic tool still requires the user's own magic power
- The tools are expensive and not easy to use
- Tools can't break through high-level magic or the tower's authentication
- Tools can assist, but they can't make you a Magia Vende
- Using tools isn't allowed under the system
- Tools aren't counted as the user's own magical aptitude
If conditions like those exist, fine.
But if the explanation is weak, viewers start to think:
"If he can't use magic, why not go the engineering route and build magic tools?"
"If he can put magic into a sword, why not conquer the tower with a magic sword?"
"If the problem is that he can't use magic himself, why not make up for it with an outside device?"
In a fantasy world, this is a pretty important requirement.
Is this a world where magic depends on talent?
Or one where tools can substitute for it?
How far do the rules accept swords and tools?
If tools can get him through, why doesn't the hero make that his main route?
If this is left vague, his handicap of not being able to use magic starts to look a little thinner.
"Just Conquer the Tower With a Magic Sword" Problem
Part of Will's appeal is that he fights with a sword even though he can't use magic.
That's exactly why viewers end up thinking:
Then go conquer the tower with a magic sword.
He can't use magic.
But he can use a sword.
He could make up for it with magic tools, his allies' magic, magic theory, or something like a magic-blade element.
So I'd like to see the story go all the way as a tale of reaching the top by the sword route.
That would be very easy to follow.
Then his reason to be at the magic academy would be
not "to use magic,"
but "to understand magic and turn it into swordsmanship,"
"to beat the magic society's system,"
"to team up with mages and build a different kind of summit as a swordsman."
That direction would feel great.
But for that, the show needs to show more of the link between the sword and magic knowledge.
If he only dodges and slashes, it looks less like a magic sword and more like plain physical dominance.
If he's going to conquer the tower with a magic sword, I want to see scenes that say:
"He can't use magic, but he understands it, so he can cut it."
The Magic Academy Route Lacks a Proper Requirements Spec
If I had to put this nagging feeling in one phrase, it would be this:
The magic academy route lacks a requirements spec. (In software, that's the document where you spell out what you're building and why, before you start building.)
Why the magic academy?
Why the Magia Vende?
Why can't he go the swordsman route?
Why can't he head for the tower solo?
Why can't magic tools take his place?
Why does a hero who can't use magic need to be recognized inside the magic system?
If these were clearer, it would be so much more satisfying.
I think the story wants to be a hot one: a boy who can't use magic aims for the top of a world where magic comes first.
But from a viewer's side, it's easy to think:
"If he isn't using even 1 millimeter of magic, why cling to the magic society's official qualification route?"
This isn't so much a bad setting as a problem with how the pieces connect.
When the link between goal, method, and organization looks weak, viewers want to poke holes.
A Show Can Be Fun and Still Feel Off
After all this, it may sound like I'm trashing the show.
I'm not.
The action looks cool.
The setup of taking on magic with a sword is easy to grasp.
The story where a hero treated as a failure proves himself and shows everyone up feels great.
But because it feels that good, the gaps bother me all the more.
If he's this strong with a sword, why the magic academy?
Why stick to the official route?
Why don't people update their opinion of him even after he shows what he can do?
Why don't we see more of the value of his classroom study and magic knowledge?
Why can't the magic-tool or magic-sword route work?
Why isn't there a route to the top that he can take solo?
If the show made these a little clearer, it would be much easier to accept.
So the problem isn't "it's boring."
It's fun, but I can't stop thinking about the requirements spec behind the setting.
That's pretty much it.
Wrap-Up: If He Wins by the Sword, Update the Ratings and the Route Too
Will, the hero of Wistoria: Wand and Sword, is treated as a weakling by the magic society's yardstick.
But with a sword and physical ability, he's quite strong.
That gap is part of what makes the show appealing.
But from a viewer's side, questions come up:
"He's shown what he can do, so why don't the people around him update their opinion?"
"If he can win with a sword, what's the point of being at a magic academy?"
"Why not aim for the tower with a sword, even without becoming a Magia Vende?"
"If he isn't using magic, why does he need to aim for the top of the mage ranks?"
"If magic tools can fill the gap, why not do everything with them?"
"Where does the knowledge he learned at the academy actually pay off?"
To clear up these questions, the show needs to make the necessity of the magic academy more visible.
Why a sword alone can't get him there.
Why he has to take the academy route.
Scenes where classroom study and magic knowledge turn into combat.
Limits that stop magic tools from replacing him.
Scenes where the people around him, having seen what he can do, gradually update their opinion.
With things like these, it would feel much cleaner.
As it looks now, I can't help thinking:
If you can dominate with a sword, just go to the tower yourself. If there are magic tools, just do it all with them. If you see his strength and still can't update your opinion, you're all monkeys.
And the fact that I feel like saying all this means the hero genuinely looks strong.
That's why I want to see more of why he needs to be at the magic academy, and more of the people around him updating their opinion.
If that shows up, "a hero who can't use magic but fights at a magic academy" would click into place and feel so much better.
