By
Hannah Diffey
Published 24 minutes ago
Hannah is a senior writer and self-publisher for the anime section at ScreenRant. There, she focuses on writing news, features, and list-style articles about all things anime and manga. She works as a freelance writer in the entertainment industry, focusing on video games, anime, and literature.
Her published works can be found on ScreenRant, FinanceBuzz, She Reads, and She Writes.
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The hype was real, maybe too real, when Crunchyroll crowned The Water Magician its top isekai of 2025. Fans expected a bold evolution of the genre. The opening showcased stunning animation, a catchy theme song, and just enough originality to stand out in a crowded field of overpowered fantasy series. For a moment, it felt like the next big thing had arrived.
But as the weeks rolled on, it became painfully clear that the anime’s strong first impression was fool’s gold. What started with promise quickly spiraled into one of the most uneven seasons in recent isekai history. It was not unwatchable, and it certainly was not the worst of the year, yet the disappointment stung precisely because The Water Magician hinted at greatness before collapsing into mediocrity.
The Water Magician Had a Gorgeous Start That Set Expectations Too High
The early episodes of The Water Magician were a visual flex, drawing viewers in with fluid action and striking backgrounds that made the world feel alive. The vibrant opening theme only strengthened the illusion that the season would deliver a polished, cohesive journey. Those first chapters didn’t reinvent the genre, but they at least suggested something beyond the usual conveyor-belt isekai formula.
As the story progressed, though, the cracks became impossible to ignore. The polished animation vanished almost overnight, replaced by long stretches of static frames and choppy action sequences. It felt as if the production burned half its budget on Episode 1 and hoped fans would not notice the drop-off. For a series built on spectacle, the sudden inconsistency was a gut punch.
The narrative fared no better. Pacing issues quickly eroded the early momentum, as the show struggled to decide whether it wanted to focus on character development, worldbuilding, or showcasing its overpowered protagonist. Instead of choosing, it tried to juggle everything and dropped most of it in the process.
The Water Magician's Downfall from Momentum-Killing Detours and a Vanishing Protagonist
Midseason is when the series officially lost its way. Rather than expanding on its most compelling characters, The Water Magician abruptly shifted to full episodes dedicated to side characters who barely mattered. Instead of enhancing the story, these detours drained the tension and diverted attention from the central cast viewers actually cared about.
Worse still, the show sidelined its titular hero for baffling stretches of time. Despite being the supposed core of the narrative, he vanished for multiple episodes, leaving the plot to drift between half-baked subplots and underdeveloped worldbuilding. When he did reappear, his overwhelming strength only flattened the stakes further.
The show attempted to inject mystery through teasers involving secretive villains and ominous new factions, but none of these threads paid off. Major events were brushed aside with anticlimactic resolutions, and the narrative ultimately failed to build toward anything meaningful. By the finale, it felt like The Water Magician anime had speedrun its own potential and was just another mid and forgettable isekai.
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9.3/10
The Water Magician
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed Animation Action & Adventure Sci-Fi & Fantasy Release Date 2025 - 2025-00-00 Network TBS
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Ayumu Murase
Ryou (voice)
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Kazuki Ura
Abel (voice)
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The Water Magician
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The Water Magician - Season 1
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