The Ancient Magus’ Bride is an anime based upon the manga series. There was a three episode OVA before a 24 episode season. It follows Chise, and to understand her background and her abilities, you need to watch the OVA first. That said, both the OVA and the beginning of the season are really slow paced, and lacking that something to hook you into its story. Nevertheless, in this anime, magic exists, and Chise has become the apprentice of the magus Elias Ainsworth.
The first half’s plot is out of focus. We know Chise has some sort of rare special ability that’s desirable to others (particularly mages and sorcerers) and that obviously Elias is not human. There is a world out there hidden that’s full of fantasy creatures from faeries to dragons to darker eviler spirits and monsters. However, the constant subtle suggestions of something else going on the background without actually stating anything makes the episodes drag out and boring. There is just enough there to pull you along, but there is definitely plenty of room for improvement.
Chise’s background is sad yes, and Elias is the only one who had ever given her any sort of affection, or just in general, be nice to her as a person. However, Chise quickly has unconditional and unwavering loyalty towards Elias, as well as romantic feelings. Chise’s a bit too much of a damsel in distress at times, with Elias willing to let her get into trouble before stepping in to save her. The fact that the pair have some sort of predetermined fate of being lovers is kind of weird due to how it was presented. What this means is that instead of showing how the bond grew, we’re just shown and told the end result, so it is not as believable or natural.
Elias is an enigma and he is extremely hard to read. There’s a reason for this, but initially, he is so mysterious and feels so wise, until you realize that there are plenty of things he is clueless about. He seems cold and distant at first, making you think he’s just a cool character, when it’s really that he struggles with expressing, or even feeling, emotions. This makes Elias hard to warm up to as you just cannot relate much to the character.
The anime feels like it is suppression its atmosphere. Just like Chise’s personality, everything is purposely subdued. As a result, scenes can be flat, and everything has a tinge of lethargy associated with it. Even with the gags, they feel out of place and don’t have as much impact as their normally would, given that they clash tonally with everything else in the episode.
The lethargic pacing continues for the rest of the season. It has a fondness for flashbacks, as it shows off the backstories of not only the main characters, but most of the supporting characters too. Sometimes these are fine, other times they feel like the are bloating the episode. When it’s done to characters that have shown up for a short period of time and will not show up much more afterwards, it’s hard to have the heavy hitting sympathy that the anime wants you to have.
The whole season is consistent in its delivery. Even the season finale, where the characters tackle the “villain”, is done in an unusual way, such that it’s anti-climactic compared to a lot of other anime. It’s definitely it’s own flavor, and it is steadfast in focusing on Chise and Elias’s growth as they learn to accept their past and move on with their lives. Although in Elias’s case, it’s more so that he gets more humanity as we’re constantly shown again and again that despite appearances, he still has much to learn.
Overall, The Ancient Magus’ Bride is average. It has a very distinctive tone, helped with its music which matches perfectly with what the anime is trying to achieve. The storytelling isn’t vague or unclear to the point of being disjointed, it just meanders in its own way, without bearing any peaks or troughs in its delivery.
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