Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts
Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 04 – Quick Summary
In Wistoria: Want and Sword episode 4, “The Eve of the Grand Festival,” Will received another reminder of his status in class during a test. He was about to punch one of the golems when other students ridiculed him for using physical force instead of magic. In particular, Will drew the scorn of Julius Reinberg, one of the leading candidates to ascend into the tower. Why does Will allow their verbal attacks to affect him so? Is there actually a reason? And how much longer will Colette Loire put up with that nonsense?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 04
Rosti knows something that Julius doesn’t. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
I almost chose my favorite quote as my favorite moment. But I changed my mind, and you’ll see why in a moment.
It’s Julius’ turn to be jerk-of-the-week. Will won’t stand up for himself. Why not? Not quite sure – yet. But my favorite moment gives us a hint. In any event, Julius and his friends came into the tavern run by Will’s friends who were dwarfs. And being arrogant mages, they loudly disparate everyone and everything.
The dwarfs present could do nothing. If they raise a hand against a mage, they might still be evicted from that world. Will, though – his patience finally snapped. He slammed Julius’ two odious friends face first into the ground and demanded Julius apologize.
Being a physically wimpy mage, Julius unleashed ice attacks against Will. Despite Will’s athleticism, Julius finally shackled him to the wall with ice. The mage slowly advanced, expecting to see despair or fear in Will’s eyes.
He saw rage. I think Will shrugging out of the ice manacles also came as an unexpected development, from Julius’ perspective.
“It’s no good,” his friend Rosti Nauman from behind the bar (21:42). The shot changed to show Will’s eyes, which confirmed Rosti’s next thought. “He’s seriously angry.”
Now, let’s talk about why this was my favorite quote – because Will just dismissing Julius’ ice imprisonment was very cool.
Favorite Moment from Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 04
I’m glad Will seems to appreciate Colette. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: More Psychology Than Meets the Eye
Seeing Will perform so poorly in a magic test at the beginning of the show made me feel annoyed. I wanted him to perform better; I didn’t want to see him constantly humiliated. It bugged me.
And then I saw my favorite moment, which was only favorite in retrospect.
To set the context, instead of me blathering on, let me point you to the Reddit user kumpaop posted on this topic. I thought this part of kumapop’s comment said it all:
People are having a hard time grasping the world of the show it seems.
From: The Reddit discussion of this episode.
The world doesn’t want the kid. They want him gone. They do not care if he shows he’s worth anything. Even if he shows he did something they’ll just scoff at it. Yes we know this kind of setting already right? But this series takes it to the extreme.
Imagine being that kid, getting traumatized on your past tournament experiences, and now feeling that you should hold back because you just don’t want to endure the stupid stuff more than you already experience.
As far as friends go, she’s a treasure. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
My favorite moment had to do with Colette. First, this is one of those series that I hope transform into a harem romance. There’s no doubt in my mind that Will’s true to Elfaria, and she to him. She might actually be on the far side of obsessed, but that’s another whole topic. My point is, Colette clearly loves the guy, and I’d like to see her happy at the end of this series.
Anyway. She said he should enter the grand tournament because scouts might be there. Apparently, in this world, regardless of the number of credits you’ve earned, a scout can recruit you directly to the tower. I got the impression that Iris has that authority. Even if she doesn’t, this is a way Will could rejoin Elfaira, if he can’t get there through school Point is, this was another case where Colette was looking out for him. She wanted him to put himself out there, because she knew what he can do under combat conditions – as opposed to controlled test conditions for mages.
Delivery: Will Puts Up with a Lot; Until He Doesn’t
That’s when Will dropped this rhetorical bomb. “Thank you, Colette,” he said (08:09). “But if I entered, it would turn into a regular sports event.”
Before I could unpack what he meant, he explained that when he was a second year, he had tried using his physical abilities. The other students lambasted him for cheating.
To me, this explained all of his self-effacement. And it made the scene of my favorite quote all the more impactful. Do you remember high school? I was six feet two inches, even as a freshman. I grew up on a farm, so all summer, I’d toss eighty pound (about thirty-five kilogram) bales of hay around for exercise, so I was by no means weak. I was also fiercely independent of most forms of peer pressure, not because of some virtue, but because I just didn’t understand why I would want to care about anyone else’s opinion of me. But even me – someone who’s wired quite differently than neurotypical folks, still tried to keep my head down.
This had to be tough for an insecure kid like Will. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Someone like Will is, as Redit user kumapop said, already on the outside looking in. He’s a nice guy; he wants to fit in. Being called a cheater for using your only strength had to hurt like hell. Enough to make him who he is now? I’m not sure – but I know I liked seeing Will draw the line when Julius threatened Will’s friends among the dwarfs. That dynamic made his explanation to Colette my favorite moment.
What did you think of Will forcibly face-planting Julius’ sycophants? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 04: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Tsue to Tsurugi no Wistoria • Wistoria: Wand and Sword – Episode 4 discussion
- Otaku Sinh – How to Anime: What STANDS OUT in Wistoria Wand and Sword!
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
