Wistoria: Wand and Sword was an incredible anime that took the world by surprise with its unique take on fantasy. Adapted from a manga by Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? creator Fujino Ōmori, was an already anticipated anime, but blew fans away when it premiered in July. Wistoria's anime scratched the itch left by series like Naruto and Hunter x Hunter while offering up something new with its setting and characters. The series follows a young man named Will Serfort who wants to become a top magician despite his lack of magical ability.
In addition to series creator Fujino Ōmori, two other key figures in the series' success are anime producer Katsuki Aoyama and manga editor Shiro Yamano. Wistoria's animation has been praised for looking gorgeous, and no doubt part of that is due to Aoyama's work as a producer. On the other hand, Yamano has been equally influential with his editing of Ōmori's work like Wistoria and Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (often simply referred to as Danmachi).
We were lucky to sit down with these two influential creators to discuss Wistoria and what makes the series so special.
Screen Rant: Thank you so much for sitting down to talk with me. I'm very excited to talk about Wistoria. So there's never really been a better time for fantasy, anime, manga, and light novels. Given the crowded pack, what do you think sets Wistoria apart from many of its contemporaries?
Shiro Yamano:
Sword and magic is a very traditional genre, and, but we have I've always been a fan of Ōmori sensei, and knowing from Danmachi, I can tell this is going to have a lot of stories, a lot of deep stories with lots of surprises, because that's characteristic of Ōmori sensei's stories. So that's one, that Aoi sensei has amazing art that's just full of impact and lots of action, and that just carries it up a notch.
What was the moment from the series that made you a fan? Was there one specific moment in the series where you were like, "Oh wow, this is really something special?"
Katsuki Aoyama:
For me, it's the action scenes in the battles because they're just so awesome. To see Ōmori sensei's art, it's just a league above all the battle scenes and titles in other works from the same genre. It packs so much of a punch. As I read, I kept on asking myself what will it look like in an anime? So it got me thinking.
So episode one is really fun and full of action. In the second chapter of the manga, we have a kind of mean teacher, Edward, and he launches this giant barrage of magic. So seeing the characters weaving through this magic assault is like an awesome action scene.
The series uses immersive sound design that pulls fans in and keeps them focused on the action. Did the production put extra effort into the sound direction to enhance the fight scenes?
Katsuki Aoyama:
We have the soundtrack that's composed by Yuki Hayashi. And Hayashi has been doing both anime and live action, and is very prolific and popular right now. And, he created such an awesome song called Will's Theme, just to say the main theme for the main character. And it was just the perfect song and a perfect match for this particular promotional video. Now they have a full version of PV that's separate from this, which will feature the opening theme from Penguin Research. And I'm at a loss for words. I can only say it's awesome because the song just matches all of the action. So basically both the opening theme and the soundtrack were composed with the thought that yes, Will equals action, and so it just matches well with the sound in such a perfect way.
Wistoria: Wand and Sword is the hot new adaptation of the Kodansha manga, but people can't help but compare it to Harry Potter.
Will is a hardworking protagonist who doesn't let himself get down despite his situation and how people treat him. Do you think fans will be able to identify themselves with his perseverance? Is perseverance is a core theme of the series?
Shiro Yamano:
A protagonist who perseveres through things and never gives up is a very traditional shonen stereotype. And it's also Ōmori sensei's forte. I'm pretty sure that fans are just going to love it because it's what they expect and it's part of the genre. It's what they've known from both Ōmori's work and from the shonen genre in general.
As both of you have mentioned several times the manga has amazing artwork and specifically a lot of amazing backgrounds. What was the hardest part of bringing that to life?
Shiro Yamano:
There are a lot of elements in the manga that aren't disclosed yet. Take the sky, the sun, and various details of the tower. There's going to be a lot of settings that are still in Ōmori san's head and nowhere else. So I feel that Ōmori sensei had a very hard time drawing it without getting it wrong.
Given the high quality of the artwork though, was that particularly difficult for adapting into an anime?
Katsuki Aoyama:
So basically, you have all the images in Ōmori sensei's head. Then, Ōmori sensei materializes that in art form. And then there's the transition to anime, which is where they have a person in charge of backgrounds. That person goes through Yamano san to ask,"Hey, am I getting this detail right? Can you confirm that this is actually how it should look?" And it's been very hard for them with lots of back and forth. Because, for example, if you're gonna take one pin at the tip of a necktie. What color is it? Can you tell me? So it's like the attention to detail is so great.
Thank you so much to Katsuki Aoyama and Shiro Yamano for speaking to us. Wistoria: Wand and Sword is streaming now on Crunchyroll!
Will Serfort, unable to cast even basic spells in a world dominated by magic, dreams of becoming a Magia Vander to fulfill a promise to his childhood friend. As he navigates the challenges of Regarden Magical Academy, he must rely on his sword skills rather than magic, battling monsters and overcoming obstacles to prove his worth in a society that values magical prowess above all else.
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