Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts
Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 03 – Quick Summary
In Wistoria: Want and Sword episode 3, “Order & Watcher,” Will got exciting news: Elfaria, in her role as Magia Vander, has just created her twelfth spell. That meant she was officially one of the most power mages in history. Will felt excited for her! But he was even more excited when he got news that Elfia had asked the magic academy to gather materials for her – materials that Will thought he could get! That meant he could actually help her! But things got complicated as soon as he got into the dungeon!
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 03
This show is really pretty to look at. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
You know, it’s pretty easy to fool most of us. Actually, it can be stupefyingly easy: behave in a way we expect, flatter us a little bit, and you can evade all but the most strict surveillance. My favorite quote was a perfect example.
Will had just saved Iris Churchill from three very large and very hungry creatures that she had somehow let surround her. She was, of course, really grateful. Which you’d expect, right? In other words, her acting that way would arouse no suspicion.
As they moved on through the dungeon, Iris asked if he was the “completely unprecedented no-talent” she had heard about. Again, Will expected that attitude from most mages, so he wasn’t suspicious. But she said it in such a pleasant tone that she left the door open for the capstone to her performance.
He’s a decent sort, so he asked if associating with him bothered her. The question seemed to perplex her, and she acted just as I would expect a sweet, unbiased young human to act. Still acting confused, she asked (10:16), “How could I look down on the person who saved me?”
Will was fooled. So was I – until about 18:46. I really wanted to believe a mage was going to befriend him – a mage who wasn’t Colette. But shortly after that, my favorite moment happened.
Favorite Moment from Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 03
She’s subtle, she’s wise – and she might be the key to this world’s survival. I love this shot, by the way – so much beauty, so much danger just beneath the surface. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: Fooling Someone Can Be Easy
I just mentioned that sometimes, we’re easy to fool. That even applies to cynical old security professionals like me. I think I’ve mentioned that my son is deaf. This weekend, one of my son’s friends messaged me on Facebook and asked if I’d do him a favor.
Is that unusual? Well, yes – most of my son’s friends are independent and self-sufficient. But it’s not uncommon within the deaf community for employers to have sudden changes of heart, so to speak. Audism is, unfortunately, a thing.
I got busy and could not respond until that evening. I asked what was up, and the friend (let’s call him John) asked if I could send him some money. $100 US to be specific. Now, I respect my son’s friends – they’re good people, and if they needed help, I wanted to do what I could. I had half-formed the idea to ask my son to contact them via Video Relay Service (VRS) when John attempted to call me.
Using audio. On Facebook Messenger.
Iris would never make the kind of mistake that John made. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Hint: Deaf folks don’t make audio calls. John messaged me again, and this time, I said I was going to check with my son first. I asked my son to text John. Later, when John messaged me again to ask if he could send me the money app info, I asked if he got the text. Why, no, he said. His phone had broken.
By this point, I’m 99.95% certain this is a scam. But I wanted to be sure. Deaf folks do fall on hard times; John is one of my son’s best friends. So I asked my son to contact him via Video Relay Services (VRS). When John asked again if he could send me the cash app info, I asked if he had received the VRS message.
No response.
Delivery: Elfaria Isn’t Sitting Back Doing Nothing
John screwed up. He didn’t know the profile of the individual whose account he had stolen; he didn’t know he had contacted a security professional. A security professional who, I fully admit, should have been more suspicious earlier in the process.
Just like in today’s episode. I should have been suspicious earlier. Only my general suspicious about everyone who’s not Elfie, Colette, or Will himself made me think twice about Iris’ motives. But then 18:46 happened: “I see. So this is the no-talent.” In my notes, I wrote, “Damn it. I’d hoped Iris was cool.”
This show could be subtitled Fun with Tropes. They’re executing tropes with precision. This time, they tweaked one. My favorite moment was after Iris had reported to the Magia Vander. Cariott Incindia Wiseman and Ellenor Ljos Alf had just left the meeting in a huff. Zeo Torzeus Reinbolt left, too, but not before giving me some hope: dude’s stupidly powerful, but he seems practical, as well. I can work with practical.
Only Elfia remained. Iris, her pigtails undone to make her look much older, said (23:11), “The young man you told me about is quite interesting, isn’t he, Lady Elfaria?”
Elfaria really seems to love Will – at least, I hope she does! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
In response, Elfaria just smiled. After a moment, she said (23:24), “Will… I’ll be waiting.”
And she seemed like she genuinely wanted to see him again. Look, I love intrigue. I love suspense. But sometimes, I just want to see two people fight hard to be together again – and actually end up together again. HEA. Not HFN – and no, I’m don’t even read the romance genre! I’m just old, and I’m tired, and I freaking want to see two people happy together.
There. That’s my aspiration for the world today. And this show might just give it to me.
What did you think of Will’s fight with the Ice Rex? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to share in the comments!
Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 03: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria • Wistoria: Wand and Sword – Episode 3 discussion
- Anime Corner: Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 3 Review – The Magia Vander
- Animehouse: Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 3: Order & Watcher
- Otaku Sinh – How to Anime: The LOVE TRIANGLE Begins!
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 01 – Like a Lone Sword
- Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 02 – As Though Undaunted
- Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 03 – Order & Watcher
- Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 04: The Eve of the Grand Festival
- Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 05: Raise the Starting Pistol
- Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 06: Between Pride and Passion
- Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 07: Twelve Secret Ice Magics, El Glace Frosse
- Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 08: Shall We Date?
- Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 09: Praxis Begins
- Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 10: Our Dream
- Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 11: The True Name of Cowards
- Wistoria: Want and Sword Episode 12: Wand and Sword
You know, I missed the post-credits scene and had to go back after reading your post. It certainly makes sense why they keep him on the academy now. (And your theory in last week’s threads reply-section also makes sense with this in mind: they have been talking about innovating magic, and if his physical prowess makes use of some, but binds it in the body in some way so it can’t get out, for example, that would be unfamiliar magic. But even if none of that is magical in any way, he could still be useful, just through comprehension of situation and strategising.)
For what it’s worth, the Magia Vander seem an interesting bunch.
“For what it’s worth, the Magia Vander seem an interesting bunch.”
I like how they’re hovering on the edge of insanity! Their personalities are excessive in a way that seems like it’s intentional, from the perspective of the narrative. I think Merlin’s comment contains some interesting ideas in that regard.
I got a little suspicious of Iris when she talked about being saved by Elfaria. Or maybe not “suspicious,” exactly. I mean, between needing to be rescued in both situations and especially meeting Elfaria, specifically, *after* she’d already gone up to be a Magia Vander, there was something here which certainly seemed contrived. I was wondering about that, but they let us in on the secret before things could really percolate.
Now… I do want things to be all good and above board and such, but we have now met four Magia Vander (I am wondering where the fifth one is, assuming nothing has happened to them). Three of them don’t seem to be entirely stable in one form or another, and, really, Iris is also a bit unnerving. That leaves Elfaria, who may be still be all right, but may also be going a little crazy. She basically sent one of their choice servants down just to check on Will. That’s not just waiting for him; there’s something obsessive there which sets off my alarm bells in an anime. Don’t get me wrong, I can understand missing him, but in the isolation of her exalted station, she might be losing a bit of herself and her sanity, making Will, her strongest connection to times before, her personal light of salvation. Remember how crazy Uta went in that last One Piece movie?
I could be wrong. I actually hope I am wrong.
“I got a little suspicious of Iris when she talked about being saved by Elfaria.
You know, I did, too. I wondered how she came down from the tower. And if she did so with any regularity, why doesn’t she ask Will to meet her for coffee or something? It was just suspicious.
“Now… I do want things to be all good and above board and such,”
Yeah, I do, too! But you know what? The suggestion that the Magia Vander aren’t quite right is intriguing. I hope that the show explores that.
Elfaria might be on the edge of losing her sanity, and you might be right — Will might be her beacon. I’d be cool with that. About the only thing I’d really, really hate is if she’s playing him. That would _seriously_ tick me off.
I’d really like to see Will join Elfaria, put her mind at ease, and together face whatever is imprisoning their world. Like, her awesome magic + his zero-magic combine to be super cool.
I like power couples!