[Magnugiga]

Almost halfway through with Wizard. Just in time when the ‘hope vs. despair of the week’ formula started losing steam, we got a couple of interesting developments here. Mayo Boy was someone I initially assumed as yet another comic relief character (with a running gag that already got old the second time I saw it), so the reveal of him being the secondary Rider genuinely surprised me! The suit itself is so-so, but I like the idea of ancient beastly magic and chimera-based Rider. He’s also a much-needed foil to Haruto, making the battle scenes way more interesting and dynamic. Just an overall endearing presence and quickly became my favorite member of the cast.

I also like the sub-plot with Rinko and Phoenix, mainly because it shook up the status quo with the Phantoms’ group, and gave Rinko something interesting to do. Wish she would’ve gotten a final chance to interact with him and contribute something to the battle, though. Also not a fan of the whole thing when the main character is being guilt-tripped for not being able to prevent the supporting characters being hurt by the bad guy, as if these people aren’t mature adults who can make informed decision and be responsible for their own actions.

One other thing that bothered me: they tend to gloss over the darker part of the story, as in the Phantoms’ victims and people being left behind without proper closure about these dead guys (such as Phoenix’ human host, who is completely forgotten by the end of Phoenix arc). Hopefully that will be addressed more in future episodes.