Wistoria: Wand and Sword

Episode 8

I don't know if forum user “Andrew Cunningham” was cheating with source-material knowledge when they predicted that Rosty was a sneaky ice-homunculus that Elfaria is using to keep tabs on her man but I'm stealing that theory right now; it is too perfect to not to be true, at this point. For one, it took me until this episode to even realize that Rosty was supposed to be a boy because their overtly feminine features and voice had me assuming that this was the one anime in history that wasn't trying to make a big deal out of its main character co-habiting with a young woman who is ravenous for a taste of Will's big sword. However, given that we now know how ice clones come as a part of Elfaria's wintry magic package, Rosty's aggressive counter-maneuvers against poor Collette's attempts to get into Will's scabbard become an incredibly obvious tell.

Also: “[F]Rosty [S]Nowman”? You can only imagine my anguished cry of, “Oh, goddamn it!” when I figured that one out. I never said I was an especially smart man, okay!? I'm here to write too many words about the silly plot contrivances of cartoon “homages” to infamous children's books about wizard school. I expected Wistoria to borrow the typical trappings of YA love triangles and magic-fueled rivalries. I am shocked that the show would go so far as to trade in propaganda about people manipulating their perception of their gender identity to prey on people in the bath…

To be clear, that is a joke at the expense of Joanne “Transphobed Herself All the Way Into a Lawsuit Against an Olympic Gold Medalist” Rowling, not Wistoria itself. If he really is just an extension of Elfaria, then Rosty is bragging about some sort of crime when he flaunts his nightly bathtime sessions to Collette. I don't think Wistoria is being malicious about it, though. The show isn't even raising too many of the “gay panic” flags, since Collette's problem is more about being jealous than being freaked out that Will could hold hands with a b-b-b-boy. There's also always the chance that Rosty is truly just Will's horny male roommate, too, though that would make me mad since it would mean that the “Frosty the Snowman” joke is just the world's worst red herring.

I had a lot of fun with this episode of Wistoria, despite how much it continues to trade in familiar cliches. After all of the Wizard Fortnight drama from the last few weeks, it was refreshing to see the show take some time to give its characters more to do than simply throw spells at each other and monologue about how obsessed they are with finding out whether Will's sword is as hefty as it seems when you feel it up close. Granted, the whole joke is that every student in this school is just obsessed with Will. Still, the story changes up the pacing and gives the likes of Sion and Julius more time to talk to each other instead of scream fighting. It's a small but appreciable difference.

If the end-credit stinger is anything to go by, we might get a Psycho Wizard Serial Killer on the loose. This will do Wistoria no favors regarding the accusations of ripping off The Franchise That Shall Not Be Named. Then again, I will also be forced to give Wistoria credit where it is due if it ends up improving upon its (technically alleged but incredibly obvious) source of inspiration by having the stones to let a real mass murderer loose in the sacred halls of Regarden Magical Academy. I always said that Those Other Books would have been better if the Big Scary Murder Spells straight up exploded those kids' heads instead of just making them crumple over in a ball like they lost a game of tag…

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Wistoria: Wand and Sword is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on Twitter, his blog, and his podcast.