Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 2: As Though Undaunted

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Continuing the trend of its debut episode, Wistoria: Wand and Sword episode 2 excels in a few key areas while remaining questionably deficient in others. Thankfully, the series opts for confidence in its narrative by sticking to its guns and keeping viewers away from excessive exposition. Belayed by continued solid animation effort, and a curiously put together creative cell, this second episode solidifies the Yoshihara effect- turning something passable into something exceptional.

But how exactly does that happen? In the case of this second episode, it requires a pair of duos for storyboarding and episode direction. While the latter doesn’t mean much, the former is surprisingly interesting. The two staff credited are Takahiko Usui, an Actas product, and Isuta, a longtime friend of Yoshihara’s. The curious part about this pairing is that there’s no distinction between who has done which sections for boarding- but the prevailing theory is that Isuta worked on the action sequences while Usui focused on everything else. It’s hard to imagine anything else when you see Isuta’s most recent credits as a storyboarder, really.

Even still, Usui isn’t slacking off in comparison or anything. Instead, they lean very heavily into a few key ideas. First on the docket is their use of reflections. Taking a page out of Yoshihara’s book, Usui subtracts the ability to view eyes from many character closeups, leaving acting to be done through secondary features to express emotion and intent. Unlike Yoshihara however, this is used to complement their focus on reflections in the episode. Primarily through Will’s glasses, but also through other various objects, Usui tells a story to the viewer from a subjective perspective- one that allows for the interpretation of a character to be imposed over the objective experience within the moments.

The damage and frailness during an uphill battle, the inscrutable nature of the school’s headmaster, the frustration and shame of a rival- these are all emotions and experiences that are taken in through a secondary lens, provided to the viewer through something other than a literal view. It’s a really creative piece that provides some well needed complexity to the emotions and reactions of characters in the episode, while also providing a strong and distinct sense of style.

Two of the most interesting uses of reflections come from scenes that subvert these expectations of experiences through another lens. One such example is a reflection of Will in an ink bottle. I find this one incredibly interesting because while it plays to the subjective experience of this visual storytelling, it’s the first of many scenes to liken Will to the historic race of dwarves that were unable to use magic. Connecting the dots between the ink bottle, and the very words that Will is writing down, Usui is able to convey a very unique suggestion to the viewer in a way that I really didn’t expect to see.

The second example of this subversion is when Usui does away with hiding expressions. Towards the end of the episode in his make-or-break fight against Edward, Will finds the truth in himself once handed his sword. With it in his hand, the uncertainty and subjective nature of his existence is eradicated, replaced with the objective truth of his unparalleled ability with a sword, bearing a reflection of his unwavering visage.

Getting back towards the school of Yoshihara, Isuta pulls out all the stops during the fight between Edward and Will. While the 3D environments can’t quite keep pace with the incredible 2D work, they provide Isuta and co with the ability to maximize the use of rotation to a near hilarious degree. It absolutely works, but it’s just rather funny that this is the destination the team found themselves at.

Much like how Usui’s work extends on Yoshihara’s base style though, Isuta does the same with their action in Wistoria: Wand and Sword episode 2. Rotations, a big empty space… there’s a few ideas that spring to mind. The end result though is the marriage of a dance and a symphony, pairing Edward’s conductor-like use of his wand with the traditional rotation featured in ballroom dancing, Isuta produces an unmistakably intentional vision. What I love about this idea is how Isuta reflects it upon Will. Where we get a top down view of Edward dancing around in a circle, we follow it up with Will spiralling through the air towards the ground. It’s a very effective way to assert who is in control at all moments in the battle, and just how “powerless” Will is against Edward’s magic.

My only real complaint, much like many other series, is how they’re able to convey Will’s speed. It’s hard when you’re dealing with superhuman versus human, but some of the running cycles really just don’t sell his pace enough. His strength is well delivered on, but there’s just not enough that can explain to a viewer how quickly Will is moving. There’s no smearing, there’s no stretching, no additional effects applied in many cases. It ends up rather flat and “normal”, which can be a little jarring with some of the insane power he can put on display.

Though almost like my complaint there, this is about as much as I can praise in the episode- bar one person (read as: two people). Naomi Nakano (and Ayako Ootsuki) . Their effort in regards to color design remains incredibly strong, and is what allows Usui and Isuta to get away with a great deal in the episode. Take, for example, a walking sequence that is largely headshots. It’s a little lazy, yes, but with Nakano’s color design, the changes expressed when in shade and in light add enough dynamism to the sequence that it can remain quite engaging. Another example is with Isuta’s work in the big fight for the episode. Edward’s darkness (in the form of a purplish pink) dominates the color scheme of combat- until Will gains his sword, figuratively cutting through Edward’s darkness and allowing normal colors to shine through.

Without efforts like Nakano’s, Wistoria: Wand and Sword episode 2 wouldn’t stand where it finds itself currently. Brought together under Yoshihara’s intense gaze, this team is firing on all cylinders to deliver something very tight and action-packed. It will never be the creative wonderseries that The Elusive Samurai is angling for, but it can certainly be Yoshihara’s seasonal love child. Beneath the action auteur, this pet project continues to prove what a tight-knit mix of in-house animators and connections can manage, and though the story can bog down that effort, the work remains at the minimum an entertaining Yoshihara affair.


One response to “Wistoria: Wand and Sword Episode 2: As Though Undaunted”

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