Wistoria: Wand and Sword – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review

The Eve of the Grand Festival

Episode 4 of Wistoria: Wand and Sword begins with Sion, Colette, and others participating in a magic exam to earn credits. Will is also participating in the event. However, Will is struggling to keep up with the others. Then, we see three prolific students named Lihanna, Wignall, and Julius earn themselves credits during this exam.

Julius confronts Wignall and Lihanna and hopes to challenge them one day. Wignall and Lihanna look forward to it and depart. Next, Julius and his buddies stumble upon Will and ridicule him. One of them mentions the Grand Magic Festival and Will remembers its existence. Later, Colette joins Will at the cafeteria.

Colette tells Will he needs someone to scout him at the Grand Magic Festival. Will understands and explains what the Grand Magic Festival is to the audience. Then, Colette informs Will about the four Tower Factions and their connections to the Magia Vander. Colette tells Will if one of the factions chooses him, he’ll get closer to achieving his goals.

She also brings up Watchers who occasionally give students another opportunity to reach the Tower. Will understands but lists why he doesn’t want to go through with Colette’s suggestion. Then, Colette and Will head to their lockers. Colette senses something amiss and investigates. She informs Will about an inhibitor and a sound-dampening barrier that’s nearby.

Colette uses Kiki’s magic to break it. The three notice a hidden stairway that leads to an underground location. They head down the stairs, only to discover several students gambling on who’ll claim victory in the Grand Magic Festival. Will and Colette spot Sion and discuss people like Lihanna, Wignall, and others with him. Some time passes.

Before Will leaves class, Colette stops Will. She wants to go to the dungeon with him but Will says he’s working at Gina’s tavern tonight. We cut away to Will working at Gina’s tavern. He’s serving the dwarven customers beverages. One of the customers discusses the Grand Magic Festival with Will. Will says he may not participate in it.

Gina tells Will to stay focused like Rosti. Rosti is also working for Gina. Later, Will and Rosti discuss Will’s wages and why it’d be better for him to find a new job. Will understands but argues that he likes chatting with the dwarven customers. Then, Julius and his buddies arrive. They share cruel words about Gina’s Tavern’s environment and its customers.

Julius demands the workers bring him food and refreshments. Will informs the audience about the dwarves’ status in this world. He argues if dwarves were to lay hands on mages, it’d only make things worse for their race.  Will confronts Julius and his buddies and tells them to apologize. Julius and his allies refuse. Will knocks Julius’s companions out.

Julius uses his ice magic to intimidate Will. Before Julius harms Will, Julius notices Will’s resolve. This persuades Julius to leave Will alone. Julius orders Will to enter the Grand Magic Festival. He wants to humiliate Will at the competition. Will accepts. The episode ends with Will wanting Julius to apologize to the dwarves if Will wins. 

The Episode Review

Much like previous episodes, this was another fine outing from Wistoria: Wand and Sword. Again, the series hasn’t done much to differentiate itself from other magic academy shows. Additionally, the newly introduced characters aren’t unique, especially Julius. Julius is essentially Sion 2.0. He has his rude qualities but is more magically talented, at least from what we’ve seen (so far). 

Hopefully, the Grand Magic Festival will give us more information about Julius’s past. Otherwise, his character feels pointless and forgettable. That aside, it was remarkable seeing Will stand up for the dwarves at the shop. Given what we’ve learned about the dwarves’ history in prior chapters, it’s great to have someone stand up for them. It also fits in line with Will’s character, given the fact that he’s someone who’s endured a lot of internal pain since the first episode.

Moreover, this chapter gives us neat information about the Grand Magic Festival, its activities, and what it can help Will and other students achieve. It’s no different from other magic academy stories, but fans will appreciate receiving data about it. 

All in all, Wistoria: Wand and Sword has been a decent experience so far. However, there’s a slim chance that it can produce something noteworthy by the end of its run. Let’s hope that happens sooner than later.