[DVD] Anime Review: Sky Wizards Academy

Welcome to a world where Humanity has been driven off the land by the threat of magical insects called ‘Devil Beetles’. Adjusting to the invasion, humans are now living in floating cities with sky-wizards being tasked to fend off enemies with magic. 

With a history of zero wins and 100% rate of losing future matches, Fireteam E601 is best known as the worst performing team at Sky Wizards Academy. On the brink of disbandment, the infamous ‘Black Master Swordsman’ Kanata Age has been delegated as their instructor in the hopes of improving the team. Despite being once part of the elite S128 special team, Kanata has been branded a ‘traitor’ ever since he fled his battle with the Devil Beetles. Together, Kanata and Fireteam E601 form the ultimate outcast team at Sky Wizards Academy. Can they overcome this bad reputation and prove everyone wrong?

This harem-style story complete with fantasy and action sees SKY WIZARDS ACADEMY as another light-novel series with little potential. With its appealing character design, eye-catching animation, and cliche narrative, Sky Wizards Academy is set to be either a hit or miss for anime viewers. However, to our amusement, Sky Wizards Academy is surprisingly quite an enjoyable series — thanks to its likeable female leads and girl-power spirit.

Meet the underdogs: Lecty Eisenaach is cautiously timid; Misora Whitale is overtly loud and reckless; and Rico Flamel is simply in love with her reflection. With this combination of incompatible personalities, it is no wonder that their team keeps failing. How could Kanata possibly improve their skills on the battlefield if they don’t even have trust or communication skills in the first place?

Unlike other series that demonstrate physical training sessions to improve one’s powers, we witness an opposite approach in Sky Wizards Academy. From waitressing in cosplay to stalking their teammates’ activities, Kanata’s training sessions are extraordinarily average and bizarre. And it certainly does not help when Devil Beetles occasionally invade their realm and begins targeting innocent students one by one. 

While Kanata exudes a mysterious background and personality, Sky Wizards Academy refreshingly places the spotlight on Lecty, Misora and Rico than the male lead of a female harem story. Not only does each girl offer a unique personality but their magic powers also proves to be great asset — individually and as a team. To witness female students being fearless in the face of danger confirms that nothing can stop a woman’s willpower and fighting spirit. If this positive demonstration of girl-power doesn’t arouse your interest as a viewer, we don’t know what will! 

Overall: SKY WIZARDS ACADEMY might be a cliche harem story but this action-fantasy series is worth having a go. With so much potential under its belt, it is disappointing that this light-novel story couldn’t exceed more than twelve episodes. After all, there are still many unanswered questions: How did the Devil Beetles invade the world? What kind of background story does Kanata, Lecty, and Rico have? Can Humanity ever take back the land and skies? We can only wonder …