English Dub Review: Wistoria: Wand and Sword “Teachings of the Witch”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Wors Oozes can only be defeated with magic.  With the Second Bloom in just one week’s time, Will seeks Julius’s help and concentrates his efforts on training to anchor magical energy in his sword.  Meanwhile, Kreutz wants Will and Will’s Wis power in his grasp, so he dispatches assassins.  As high mages from the Upper Institute close in on Will and Julius, a mysterious witch appears to save them.

Our Take:
It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Julius is only assisting Will to benefit his own goal.  But as much as I would want Julius to be frozen in ice, I would hold off on any judgment towards him, especially given the fact that he was once a kind person when he was young.  So, there could be a chance for Julius to redeem himself for the torment he gave to Will back in season one, based on that flashback.  This is another moment that highlights Julius beyond his cold-hearted persona, with a payoff that could make his development worth tolerating.  Given Will’s kindness in moving on from the past, there may be a chance that could happen, though it could also serve as his weakness going forward.
Additionally, the episode shows that the one character who may be as heartless as, if not more so than, Julius is Kreutz, who seeks to gain Will’s power to develop a weapon similar to the Mage Slayer.  He’s pretty much akin to a mad scientist who will stop at nothing to capture an extraordinary being for their experiments.  When Kreutz is identified as one, he is indeed a heartless villain that Will should watch out for, especially when the director sends out the high mages after him.  Fortunately, Will and Julius have received some extra help from a witch named Cerridwen, who appeared in the last episode.
With season two almost reaching its end, there’s no doubt that things will get more exciting for Will’s journey.  He not only has to evade capture from Kreutz, but also prepare for his chance at redemption through the Second Bloom.  Unsurprisingly, he still has to channel his own magical energy to do so, with Cerridwen being his only key to success.  However, the question worth asking is whether she can actually be trusted.  Considering that Will may have a connection with the witch, we can hope that his alliance with her will pay off well.  Overall, “Teachings of the Witch” still contains enough spells to develop Will’s cooperation with Julius further, as well as the latter’s gradual development and Aaron Michael’s decent efforts in conveying Julius’s vocal range.