One thing's for sure: this is in no hurry to propel the core narrative, or at least the 'hook' of the tournament. I don't see how this can play out in 12 episodes when we've only been introduced to about 3 participants in as many episodes unless this is two cour.

Quote Originally Posted by MFauli View Post
it's just not very creative and the episodic nature of the stories makes me not care a whole lot about the characters.
I get the opposite. Yes, we have some isekais here as well as isekai items of questionable balance, but the wyvern's story and non human perspective got much more interesting this episode with the regimental culling and blind hime. If all of the commotion about this city-state's secession and intrigue with the bigger nation play into the tournament at all, this could get really interesting... but that is asking a lot of viewer's patience.