[DreamSword]

I finished episode 51 of Wizard, which as I understand it is the finale proper, with episodes 52 and 53 being a sort of crossover special sort of deal. As such, here are my final thoughts!

THE BAD

-Douchebag Haruto. This is something that's really only prevalent in the first act of the show(though it does crop up a couple other times), but there are times when Haruto comes across as an uncaring dick. He'll sometimes make the situation worse only to shrug it off. I think what the show was going for was him having a nearly unshakeable resolve; Keeping forward despite missteps, but it would be nice to atleast have him actively acknowledge the mistakes he makes.

Which, granted, he does so more and more as the show goes on. It's not a deal breaker or anything, but I definitely prefer his characterization the majority of the show gives him; That of a more traditional, if level-headed, hero. He kinda reminds me of Superman in that aspect.

-The Finale. Again, not a huge deal breaker, as rather thinking the finale was outright terrible, it's more that I have some rather mixed feelings on it. For starters, the entire plot surrounds Koyomi, in order to fulfill the "best friend who must die" trope that every entry in Neo-Heisei has played up to this point.

And you know, I'd be down for that, but the problem is that up until the last leg of the show, Koyomi barely exists in the story at all. She's has almost no screen time, and when she does everyone else just kinda ignores her(never forget when Douchebag Haruto felt it'd be a good idea to let her wander the woods alone during a Phantom attack).

Atleast in terms of Kengo, he was an active character who we grew to know, even if his spot did disappear for a small stretch in the middle of Fourze. Atleast with Philip and Ankh, they outright shared the protagonist spots with Shotaro and Eiji. Koyomi though? We know next to nothing about her, making the emotional weight of the situation fall a bit flat. Add onto that the whole ordeal with Gremlin and Kosuke, and... yeah, it fell short.

-Redundancy. Originally I was going to make separate spots for Kosuke and Gremlin, but then it hit me that the root of the issues I have with them stems from the same thing, and it's something that I feel is Wizard's' biggest weakness. Alot of what it has to offer is really redundant.

I've already gone on about how I dislike Kosuke, both in terms of personality as well as his role in the story, and that anything he did could've easily been filled by Shunpei. And as the show went on, I realized my biggest issue with Gremlin was mainly the same.

Not only is he too invincible, but everything he does could've easily been done by Phoenix, a villain I liked alot more. Heck, as cool as the finisher against Gremlin is, the incredibly cruel way Phoenix goes out would've made for a fantastic ending to a final battle.

And then of course there's what everyone's' biggest complaint about Wizard is; That it follows too closely to the Neo-Heisei formula. And yeah, it certainly does follow alot of the same beats, but I'd personally argue that it does alot more to distinguish itself than what Fourze did, and even if it is a bit formulaic, Wizard does do just enough in order to not only have its own little twists, but most of what it does adhere to is atleast executed competently.

Overall, it feels like the greater scope of the show could've used maybe one more pass through the editing room.

THE GOOD

-The Special Effects and Fight Choreography. Even now, nearly 10 years later, both of these are incredibly top notch and look great! Sure, the CGI Monsters are dated, but in terms of the spells and how they work into the action scenes? Fantastic. They made not just the actions scenes, but even the transformations and the times when Haruto is using magic to goof around incredibly fun to watch.

When your show is focused around magic, the style, flow, and graphical design are all incredibly important, and Wizard nailed it.

-Fueki. He's a really good main antagonist! Not only does his actor do a great job portraying him, but his backstory, his fighting style, and his ties into the overall motif of the show really help to make one of my favorite Big Bads of the franchise so far.

They managed to do a great job in making him incredibly sympathetic while at the same highlighting exactly why he needed to be stopped. Believe me, I've seen other stories try to do the same thing only to fumble it horribly(mainly in terms of videogames), so Fueki was overall a great surprise.

If there was one thing that I wish had been different with Fueki's' story, it's that Haruto would've managed to talk him down, and the two then work together to kill off Gremlin. If Fueki had to die though, I'd've preferred he be THE final battle, rather than the rather lackluster one we ended up getting with Gremlin.

He was a wonderful example in just how far people can fall once despair takes hold, and that those in desperation are willing to do anything to cling onto their final hope.

-The Atmosphere. You can thank me currently suffering through Blassreiter for bringing this one up. Wizard, even with that incredibly funny Henshin sound, never once truly fumbles the mood and direction that it's gunning for. While not the best I've seen, Wizard knows what it's doing in terms of mood, lighting, and music.

Heck, even with my complaints about the finale; The actors, the soundtrack, and the general flow do a wonderful job in helping carry the emotional weight that those episodes were gunning for. Never once was I taken entirely out of the show nor found myself bored.

So no, I definitely cannot find myself agreeing with those who claim that Wizard is a bland and forgettable season.

MY FAVORITE THINGS

-Shunpei. Apologies to Die, but Shunpei is hands down my favorite character in Wizard. He's just a constant source of joy! He's likeable, he's funny, he's always there for his friends, and he's an absolute fashion icon(don't even @ me). He's the kinda guy anyone would be lucky to have.

Whereas Kosuke would nearly kill the mood whenever he showed up, Shunpei would only enhance it. Not just in terms of comedy, but he had some really great serious moments too! Like towards the end when he tells off Haruto and Kosuke for being stupid? Absolutely legendary.

His arc and character might be simplistic, but it was executed wonderfully, and as such he's become the second non-Rider character to be one of my favorites(the first being Joe the Haze).

-The Theme and Message of Hope. I've read that alot of the decisions made on Fourze were due to the earthquake that had rocked Japan at the time, and if someone told me that Wizard was the same way, I'd believe them without a second thought.

Wizard's' overall message of not giving into despair and living for a brighter day is one that I feel is not only timeless, but one that is arguably needed even moreso today than it was nearly 10 years ago. Instead of wallowing in misery, we should be focusing on the positive aspects of our lives, and how to make them ever stronger.

Not to mention, as someone who's not only known others who either are or have gone through some serious lows in life(myself included), the message that sometimes, what people really need is just one person who continues to have faith in and support them, is incredibly powerful and absolutely true.

It's also why I really liked whenever Haruto was portrayed as heroic. He was not only there for everyone at their lowest point, but his kindness wasn't wasted. All of his friends were there for him in return, and lemme tell ya, that is a wonderful, beautiful feeling to have.

Is it done absolutely perfectly? No, it does fumble a little bit depending on some episodes, but in alot of ways, it felt to me like Wizard did the themes of compassion and friendship better than what Fourze did. This leads into what I think was my absolute favorite aspect of the show.

-Character Interactions. While not as prevalent as, say, Kuuga or OOO, whenever Wizard had scenes of the cast just kinda hanging out and playing off of eachother, those were the biggest highlights for me. From Haruto's' more mellow attitude playing off of Shunpei's' antics, to Rinko's' conversations with Phoenix, to the constant running gags with the Donut Stand, I really did enjoy alot of the cast, even if I felt some of them could've really used more screen time(Koyomi).

Because really, it wasn't just the aspect of Haruto, Rinko, and Shunpei being hope bringers that I felt really shined, but also the bonds they all made and reinforced along the way. Heck, I think even the writing staff finally realized this towards the end, what with them finally giving Kosuke a friend after like 30 episodes of him being a loner.

So yeah, major props to the actors and their natural chemistry with one another. It really did alot to carry things.

OVERALL RATING AND FINAL THOUGHTS

In the end, I give Wizard a rating of 4/6. Is it one of the best entries in the franchise? No, but I feel it does its main aspects rather well, and is a season I don't at all regret watching. While there's certainly alot you could critique, it's the type of show that I really feel needs to exist, especially given the time we live in now, and I'm glad I watched it when I did.

I guess when it comes down to it, the thing I liked most about Wizard was just how much it embraced life. And I'm always down for that.