Mahoutsukai no Yome

The worst thing about this show by far is the direction. It is a nice example of how good artistic intentions can fall flat without the proper understanding of the art. And I say that's the issue here - lack of understanding - because of the nature of the mistakes made in animating this: They are all childish. The show is full of obvious, and therefore, simple and superficial notions on aesthethic appeal and emotional conveying, which lead to shallow scenes carrying the "hooks" to what you should be feeling, but nothing for you to actually feel for. It's easy to imagine what I'm describing ... here espacially when you know this is a fantasy. Lots of sparkles, flowers, big scenary shots, shiny particles, dancing faries and a soundtrack so cheesy it makes you feel embaressed. The key moments in the anime are all showcased in this manner: cue in the corny ost! Let in the rose petals! It's all so unnecessarily grandiose you're gonna find yourself wondering if you missed something. I haven't read the manga so I don't know how much of this comes from having to adapt childish imagination on the source material, but the director must be at fault here, at least at some level. All the visuals in this suffer from the overall immaturity of the production, including the ones that are beautiful in and of themselves. The gap between what you perceive and what they want you to perceive is ever present, and makes everything just feel so forced it ruins even the good stuff. It creates this most interesting irony where the conscious effort in making moments so awe-inspiring makes the awe-inspiring bland and unsubstantiated. The images they try to give life to also seem uncompatible with their animation capabilities, guess that's what happens when the studio budget goes to attack on titan. Well, I don't know, maybe if I hadn't seen Kyoani's latests budget burning productions this would be visually impressive to me, but I've seen them so it's not.

Now on to the show itself:

My initial impression of Mahoutsukai no Yome was very good. It's world is immediately interesting and it captures you very quickily. The characters seem intriguing at first - especially Elias - and detached from the usual steriotypes dominating this industry. I will not talk much about the story here, because this is anime is about, first and foremost, the development of it's protagonists, so I think it's fair to say that the story is relevant only in how it creates the moments that trigger their growth. Thus, I don't wanna analyse it as a stand-alone narrative. Now, keeping this in mind, the second biggest problem I see in this show is the way in which the life-changing (or character-changing, for that matter) events proceed. For Chise, it normally occurs on the form of a reflection after some significant happening, however, this reflections are to the anime's character development as roses are to it's visuals: pompous but shallow. They are a collection of deep-sounding seemingly chin-stroking but actually meaningless quotes. This is not to say that Chise doesn't go trough meaningful change, she does, and it's good, but this changes are always accompanied by this vacuous grandiloquence that makes her progress seem like an endless parade of empty words. Here again we see childishness ruining the good stuff.
In the case of Elias, he grows by learning human emotions through his living with Chise. This dynamic, though, by it's constant focus on his jealousy and posessiveness, ends up creating this shoujo manga-twilight like relashionship that proves once and for all that this show has zero depth. This is Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun taken literally.

Boy was this a hard one to watch, being a bit unfair, the best review anyone could possibly give to this anime is that big red button that says: "That was easy"

Now being a bit fair I should praise the good, the show is extremely gorgeous to watch. The world building is great too, but it is nothing new, it just takes from existing mythology, which isn't bad, it is very well implemented and it really get across the way of thinking of non-human creatures.

But that is about it, it is like a window to a very pretty universe, but you are not going to ... get anything else from this, there is little to no conflict and the little conflict that ever arises gets quickly fixed, even though Mahoutsukai No Yome is great eye-candy, it is one of the most boring shows I have ever watched and it was extremely hard to finish because I was no invested at all in the story or the characters, they never gave me a single reason to.

This anime was so disappointing. I expected a good show as the ratings were quite high, however what I got from it were bland characters, and paediphila. A ancient demon that wants to marry a 15-year old girl? Disgusting.

In my opinion, the characters lack development especially Chise. The plot was quite boring and I tried to finish the series but it was also too slow paced. The music was pretty good though, and the art too.

Despite all the adventures and challenges they face, it's the same thing all over again, which makes the story mundane. Thumbs ... down, 5/10.

The concept of magic and its similar fantastical themes in the realm of anime have ended up turning into worlds with stats and RPG elements due to the constant stream and popularity of Isekai shows clogging up seasonal lists with various titles of the same type with small gimmicks in between each other to make them 'unique'.  But recently we've entered into a renaissance of series' involving magic as part of nature, venturing back to the roots of where the concept first originated; folklore.

Story:

Our story follows Hatori Chise, a girl who willingly sells herself at an auction in hopes to find a better home, now ... having been abandoned by her family and rejected by those that find her ability to see the fae and the mystical, terrifying.  It is here where a mysterious magus named Elias puts down a humongous sum of money for her, inviting her to his home in the countryside of England, now told that she was bought by him in order to become his mage apprentice, and perhaps in the future, his bride.

At its core, the Ancient Magus Bride is a story centered around its characters, particularly Chise, mixed in with a setting that gradually expands further and further into the world of magic and the fae with each new event and problem that our protagonists encounter.  Based on European folklore, we, along with Chise, embark on a journey that paces itself well and does a fantastic job at gradually feeding the information that we need to understand the show's whimsical characters and creatures, as well as the lines between humans and those in the magical realm, a topic that's so heavily discussed in the show that it serves as one of its core foundations for shaping the point of views and decisions that Chise especially makes now that she has made the plunge into the world of magic that she was previously scared to dip her toes in.

Despite that, the show is still primarily a character-based show, and sadly is not one worthy of praise for its impact.  Most if not all of the characterization featured in this show is funneled into the realm of backstory, which includes virtually everyone, especially recurring characters and those with problems our protagonists must resolve.  The problem from this stems from how in order to characterize the characters like this, the sacrifice of development at the present time, must be made.  Since all of the more harmful or character shaping events happen in the past, the character we're presented with in the series comes after the fact, and most of the impact from their past has already happened and we're only presented with the result, not the more worthwhile journey.

Another problem I find is the lack of emotion in this series despite the show trying to be character-driven.  The times that the show tries to create huge drama never feels very impactful due to the show's strangely monotonous manner of its protagonists, and the little impact that comes before and after the situation has happened.  Indeed subtleties are present, but personally, I expected a more drastic change if you're doing something like almost murdering the same character multiple times.  

This doesn't mean that the show doesn't have its shining moments.  While Chise's journey might have floundered at the end due to the show's mostly monotonous atmosphere and how by the point of her overcoming her trials, everything has been resolved for the most part, there are a numerous moments in the show that scream beauty and awe in many of the early episodes that make the show worth a look at.  These scenes really capture the beauty of a world enraptured by magic, and creates many an enchanting moment that drew me in and really had me thinking that I was going for a wild ride, which unfortunately was not one I wanted to get on coming towards the end.  

At the end of the day, the story of the Ancient Magus Bride is a well-paced show that makes up its lack of pure character impact with its expansive worldbuilding and choice moments that give it a magical air about it that feels genuine, rich, and very much alive.  Though try as it may to be a drama with how much emotional baggage Chise and the rest of the cast has, it isn't, and the times that it does try to do that feel very conflicting to how much of a slice of life series the show emulates during the rest of the show that isn't backstory.

Overview:
+  Fantastic worldbuilding
+  Great pacing
-  At times tries to be something it's not
-  Drama eventually takes over much of everything

Characters:

Baggage.  If I had to describe this cast in one word, it's baggage.  Chise is the prime culprit of this generalization because much of her character is surrounded in self-pity due to her making trouble for Elias and her new acquaintances, and the desire to help others because of this shortcoming with no thought on the repercussions her reckless behavior would have on both her and those around her, thus creating a vicious cycle that plagues this series.  I'll be honest, I'm annoyed by Chise.  While I do believe that she is a well-written character as her previously closed-off self gradually opens up as the episodes roll by in a somewhat sluggish, but acceptably paced way, the harmful and borderline suicidal cycle that she falls into gets exhausting to witness because at times it doesn't feel like she learns from the other seven times she's gotten herself or others killed, and instead dives headfirst in an admirable yet stupid attempt to save or help others despite the fact that literally EVERY other character tells her to 'think of herself first' before others.  Seriously, there is something wrong if everyone, even the villain, thinks you being too selfless is a problem.  Her backstory also comes around at the very end, and by the time that comes around, we're already aware of almost everything that's happened in it, so it loses most of its impact that way.

Elias on the other hand is almost an inverse of Chise.  An old mage with unknown origins, the 'Thorn Mage' is a character almost entirely characterized by his lack of understanding and desire to grasp the concept of emotion from the humans he's lived around for so long.  Being an amalgamation who's neither completely fae nor human that puts his own interests above others, his existence in the series creates many situations where traits of both come into play, portraying him as a monster that struggles with his plight, and a backstory detailing unknown origins that are never get resolved.  Together, the two create an interesting dynamic where the two supposedly use each other to fulfill their own desires, creating a strange bond that's weirdly heartwarming despite the implications that arise when you get down to brass tacks.

The side cast is focused entirely on those involved with magic, from sorcerers, denizens in the land of the fae, and various people who come into contact with the world of magic for various reasons, whether it'd be intentional or not.  Characterization for the side cast comes only for the human characters, and only through backstory, as their addition serves to expand Chise's view of the world of magic and provide more insight to how magic can impact people, both good and bad.  Sadly the characters that're part of the fae don't get the same treatment, but rather serve as an antithesis to the human world as they're amoral beings that help provide a duality to Chise's entire world view and generally cause the kind of mischief that fairies in folklore are typically known for.

Despite the show's diverse and expansive cast and the stories that each of these people carry, I found myself having a hard time attaching myself to them despite the series's attempts to throw so many characters a pity party and show that they've come far from the lowest point in their lives.  Personally, I feel like the show tried too hard to create conflict when there really was none, especially because this aspect of the storytelling really started to overshadow the beautiful and magical moments that the show previously had in its earlier episodes and soured the experience as a whole cause feeling depressed for a character all the time is quite exhausting.

Overview:
+ Interesting and well-made main characters
+ Involved side cast
-  Characterization almost entirely told through backstory (especially for side cast)
-  Chise's character at times runs in circles

Art:

Produced by Wit Studio, the quality that one can expect from the company who produced both Shingeki no Kyojin and Owari no Seraph is nothing less than consistent quality with beautiful backgrounds, something that the studio's track record can attest to.

While the standard art bears only a consistent quality and crisp, clear visuals to give it a baseline, the moments that the show really shines in quality are the landscape shots and the moments filled with light and color from the various scenes of magic being casted over the course of the series.  Combined with the OST's pension for flourishes, the combination of these two aesthetics create a beautiful and powerful whimsy that really make it feel like 'magic'.  (Also this series really likes flowers.  And they're fucking good.)

Overview:
+  Consistent quality
+  Beautiful backgrounds
+  Stellar scenes of magic

Sound:

As far as the OP's and ED's go, I feel as it's worth noting how each of them really needs to be listened to all the way to get a scope of what they really are, especially for the second OP and ED set for the second cour of the series.  Cause their beginnings are really weird in that they sound generic, but as you get into them, they start to sound more unique and more...I guess 'magical' is the way to put it.  (Cause you know, it fits with the show and everything.)  Personally, I'm not really a big fan of them?  I never really paid much attention to them, especially because the tone of them exudes the more drama/baggage-heavy parts of the series which isn't something that I would ever attribute the Ancient Magus Bride to because that aspect of the show only really happens towards the end of the series.

But more than that, the OST for the series beyond the title and credits sequences are what I feel to be the true MVP's of the series.  Full of harmonizing, wind instruments, bells, and flourishes, the OST bears the series's whimsical feel that captures the feelings of Chise exploring the realm of magic and the fae on her journey to become a mage.  It's a calming group of songs that really give the show its defining quality of being a true fantasy with magical creatures and magic in the air set in our world.

Overview:
+ Good title tracks (though I'm not too fond of them personally)
+ Fantastic OST

Personal Enjoyment:

I guess this is the part where I say that I say that I don't like 'The Ancient Magus Bride', huh?  There was a time when I was intrigued at the potential the show had with what it could do with European folklore, its interpretation of the Fae, and what kind of magic could be done in this magic show; what would become of Chise's journey and perhaps solve the mystery of the mysterious Thorn Mage, Elias.

But what I thought would be a light series with darker elements eventually became a dark series with lighter elements, an inverse that I was not particularly fond of because I feel like the show was too heavy-handed in its pity party and ended up shooting itself in the foot trying to make every character be pitiful in some way with a backstory that didn't impact anything in the end because the actual plot is focused on Chise's journey of becoming a mage, not how the side character came to be.  It's almost as if the story focused so much on filling the blanks on everything else that it kind of forgot what it was in the first place.  Cause there aren't many moments like what happens at the end of Episode 3, and that's really what I was really looking forward to more of that from the rest of the show as that never really came in the spades that I wanted it to.

By the end of it, I found myself not really caring for either Chise or Elias, and felt kind of cheated with the numerous plot holes and/or loose ends that happen at the end of the series.  Like what the fuck happened with the main villain?  I genuinely don't know if he's defeated or not, how things got resolved, or whatever.  Like seriously, what the actual fuck happened in the last episode?!

Despite all of my negativity, I still believe that The Ancient Magus Bride is a good show, but not without numerous flaws and a shifting plot focus that changes it from magic and characters to just characters and the advent of how questionably healthy the relationship between our main duo is.  It is still at its core a true magic fantasy, and has amazing worldbuilding that elevate it to become a target of interest if only for that.

To be honest, I like all the supporting characters but not the main characters. I'm fed up with Elias. Elias is a man-child who despite being thousands of years old treat others like scraps. Firstly, I dislike how he treated Chise. He bought her like a cargo and then brought her home and announced she was going to be his wife when he didn't even understand what marriage means... he treated her like dirt. The part where he shunned her and pushed her away after his true form was exposed? I don't think that was reasonable to do that to someone you call wife... Also, ... Chise is okay with being abandoned and exploited by Elias. She KNOWS she is just an experiment of his and she was totally fine with it. Also, she is really dependent on him... I don't think this is promoting healthy mindset to any viewer or reader. It irks me with her acceptance of someone treating her that low. Compared to other characters such as Naruto, this is very sad... Girl, please at least know your value. I like Linden in how he tried to help her understand what she was getting into and other supporting characters.. Literally, anyone else but Elias shows her affection and care and I don't think I could think what Elias does is caring her.. he shunned her just because she asked him a question that reminded him of his past. I'm giving the characters a 6 because of supporting characters like Ruth, Linden, Angelica, etc. but still, if Elias had more personality and Chise knowing her worth, it would be a 10/10.

-------------------------------- English / Español ----------------------------------
I had good eyes for Mahoutsukai no Yome , in fact , a pretty good visuals and a story more interesting, with an excellent production would be good signs to convert this series in the best of the season , but its judgments were more than their virtues and here I am going to explain what they are.

Story

In spite of the very beautiful scenes, let's start where it really matters in history, is interesting, but the way that was told I do not think it was correct, as it lacks pace ,making many story is undermined by the poor ... counted, for example: The Ruth (good story) is lost with a very fast and with little development , making it a story that you couldn't have come not to do so, you feel a bit forced and a bit lost in the ambiguity .

And so with all, try to put the separate with Chise history as the protagonist, where at the end it will be the most learn and develop throughout the chapter, which is not bad, but unlike other animes (Mushishi best example) These are more of a fund that serves as the act of transformation of the protagonist, where does not contribute to the plot if not in the progressive development of the protagonist and his relationship with the people.

Character.

Chise is the protagonist and owner by itself, because the others do not take much presence, Elijah is losing sanity depending on what does or does not do Chise, Ruth his faithful dog that just as much prominence does not have , Silky (Rei Ayanami with maid costume) and becomes practically all around you,the center is Chise don't let others develop properly and if it does, it is so fast and even forced that in truth we lose interest in them.

Elijah didn't get good development (only focusing on Chise), only seeing a progress of your person to the pair that progresses your student to wife. Cartaphilus in truth I don't even know that there is the worst of the program for me and the other almost forgettable.

Art.

The best of anime, I am not an expert in this section, but from what I can appreciate made everything very well and detailed, that it does not appreciate a lowering of animation in the entire series.

Sound.

none for the memory, while the opening and ending are quite good the first, the second I didn't like it.

Conclusión.

Is not the wonder that everyone thinks it was a total disappointment, a visually stunning , music that played as it should be and a history that has its errors , is well above what the anime industry offers us year after year and the faithful public consumed without stop ,does not reach the level of classic and much less of masterpiece, in order not to be in the best interests of the season, but if you have good moments that make good to enjoy it.


-------------------------------- Español ----------------------------------------------

Tuve buenos ojos para Mahoutsukai no Yome , de hecho , un apartado visual bastante bueno y una historia mas que interesante, con una excelente producción seria buenas señales para convertir esta serie en lo mejor de la temporada , pero sus fallos fueron mas que sus virtudes y aquí te voy a explicar un poco sus más evidentes.

Historia

A pesar de las muy bonitas escenas, empecemos donde en verdad importa en la historia; interesante, sí pero la forma que fue contada no creo que fue la correcta, como que le falta ritmo ,haciendo que muchas historia se vean socavadas por lo mal contadas, por ejemplo: la de Ruth (buena historia) se pierda con un ritmo muy rápido y con poco desarrollo , haciendo que una historia que te podía haber llegado no lo haga, se sienta un poco forzado y se pierda un poco en la ambigüedad .

Y así con todas, tratan de meter historia separadas con Chise como protagonista, donde al final ella será la que mas aprenda y desarrolle en todo el capítulo, lo cual no está mal, pero a diferencia de otros animes (Mushinshi mejor ejemplo) esas son mas bien un fondo que sirve como acto de transformación de la protagonista, donde no contribuye a la trama en si no a desarrollo progresivo de la protagonista y su relación con las personas.
Personajes.

Chise es la protagonista y dueña por si sola del espectáculo, ya que los otros no toman mucha presencia, Elias va perdiendo cordura según lo que haga o no haga Chise, Ruth su perro fiel que igual mucho protagonismo no tiene , Silky (Rei ayanami con traje de sirvienta) y todos prácticamente se vuelve en torno suyo , el centro es Chise no dejan que los otros se desarrollen adecuadamente y si lo hace, es tan rápido y hasta forzado que en verdad perdemos el interés en ellos.

Elias no obtiene buen desarrollo (solo centrándose en Chise), solo viendo un progreso de su persona a la par que progresa su relación de alumno a Esposa. Cartaphilus en verdad no se ni que hace hay lo peor del programa para mí y los demás prácticamente olvidables.

Animación.

Lo mejor del anime, no soy un experto en este apartado, pero de lo que puedo apreciar hicieron todo muy bien y detallado, además que no aprecie una bajada de animación en toda la serie.

Música.

Ninguna para el recuerdo, pero cumple en los momentos, mientras que el opening y el ending son bastantes buenos el primero, el segundo no me gusto.

Conclusión.

En si no es la maravilla que todo el mundo piensa, tampoco fue una decepción total, un apartado visual estupendo , música que cumplió como se debe y una historia que si bien tiene sus errores , está muy por arriba de lo que la industria del anime nos ofrece año tras año y el fiel publico consume sin parar ,no llega a nivel de clásico ni mucho menos de obra maestra, en fin no es lo mejor de la temporada pero si tiene bueno momentos que hacen que buena disfrutarla.

Well.... where to start....
This was an anime I was quite interested in judging by the prologue OVA they released before the full anime. I'll rate the good, the bad and the meh:

THE GOOD.
The artstyle is high quality, it is easy to see that a lot of work has been put in creating memorable characters and settings without going overboard, as a lot of fantasy anime tend to do. The series emphasizes a lot on atmosphere and strives to make the viewer feel the wonder of a child seeing something beautiful for the first time. In that regard the art does not disappoint, nor does the ... soundtrack. Staying quite loyal to a classic sound of a piano that can be distinguished in the majority of the tracks, it fits the "beautiful fantasy" aesthetic pretty well. The OPs and EDs are also quite appropriate for the themes of the anime, Lastly the story.... the IDEA of the story is not a bad one. There hasn't been a lot of fantasy anime in this fashion lately: heavily borrowing from folklore and mysticism instead of Levels, Hp gauges and XP grinding.

THE BAD.
Now i previously wrote that the idea of the story wasn't bad. However the feeling i had watching the series was of an anime that had a story that it had to tell and that sometimes characters and events were railroaded HARD to follow that story. something along the lines of:
-"I am going to kill you!"
-"I won't let it happen"
-"Oh, i guess you're not ok with that... as an apology i'm going to help you get from point a to b in the story, thing you could have never done without my help. i'm so awesome!"
Clearly that's not the impression you want your characters to convey to the viewer.
Another thing that wrecked my nerves quite a lot is the pacing of the anime. It is heavily episodic, with a lot of cliffhangers and 1-2 episode stories. My issue with this format is the nonexistant buildup to a beautiful or tearjerking scene, which leads it to being overdramatized or simply cringy in some cases. I'm sorry but i'm not going to cry for an X character that died and that i knew nothing about, no matter how many shining lights or crying people or sad songs you put in the scene. It's forced, it's rushed and it's comparable to a kid punching me, expecting me to fall over despite having no weight behind the blow. It will also not apper again in the whole series if not for a cameo in a random flashback in the last episode during the typical "I tried so hard, I've come so far," final boss time.
Lastly there is, in my opinion, an overuse of tropes and characters that have nothing different than a standard character, for example the innocent little anime girl, and the show never even tries to make them any different despite giving them an important role.

THE MEH.
Anything that is worth noting that's neither bad nor good:

There was a little bit of humor sprikled in for good measure and i admit it managed to get a chuckle out of me a few times, but it sometimes scales down actual problems of the series that are not dismissable with a simple chibi scene.
As said before it is very single-story based, not a continuous flow. some people like it, some do not. Personally i belong to the latter category.
The whole controversy about her being a slave of a pedo monster.... just no. It's never intended this way, his reasons are clear and she is a bride because they wanted to put romance in the tags of the anime. It's not a very well developed romance and sometimes has facepalming situations, but it doesn't get too much in my way.

FINAL THOUGHTS.
This show tries to tell a story of a girl suffering from serious depression that embarks on a journey through a fantasy adventure finding friends and purpose in life. While it is good to see an anime tackle such serious issues and bring out a positive message, it felt very fake and forced, simply because of the sheer amount of "plot adjustments" and rushed storylines it has. I did still enjoy it to an extent but it's sad seeing a series with such potential ending up mediocre.
Hopefully this helped
Cheers!

No Spoiler Review-

I watched the three episode prequel(Hoshi matsu hito) prior to watching this and I was hype thinking that Mahoutsukai no Yome was going to be the best anime for Fall 2017, but after watching a couple episodes my opinions quickly changed.

Pros: The music and artwork in this anime is amazing. Only reason why I did not drop this anime lol. The opening,ending,music scenes all phenomenal. Artwork is beautiful too, so smooth and beautiful.

Cons: Just like a hot girl with a b***chy personality, this anime only has the aesthetics to back it up, nothing else which doesn't make it a good anime. The ... anime turned out to be super boring because there really was no suspense/story throughout the episodes. It was just a full grown man beast creature and girl who looks like she is only thirteen having a owner-pet relationship yuck!. The fighting scenes were meh and were not good. All the characters are nothing special , not one character that is memorable for me. The only characters I liked in this anime were the dinosaurs, that's how much I didn't feel any connection with the characters... Only reason I am not dropping this is because the amazing artwork/music as well as It's not terrible... just not amazing, that's why i give it a solid 6/10.

Before I go into the review, I actually read the manga a long time ago. Since the chapter updates were rather slow, I stopped reading the manga completely and ended up forgetting the details and some arcs in the manga.

Story: 3/10
I found the plot alright. It's not too good nor too bad. The anime was pretty faithful adaptation from the parts I remembered. But, I felt that pacing was rather too fast. There was no time to breathe in the anime to calm down from the problems. Also, I noticed the anime went through a kind of formula for some of the episodes. The ... problems are usually dealt half way through the episode then there is a cliffhanger for the next episode. The next episode resolves the problem then moves on.

Art: 7/10
The art was pretty good. There were some moments where it shined especially when magic is being casted and when they were conveying the emotional and dark scenes. However, I had a problem with the art direction of the first OP. I have nothing against the visuals. It is really gorgeous and pleasing to the eyes. However, they were not subtle about a lot of the events. They pretty much shove it in your face for a few seconds and it may spoil the experience especially if you haven't read the manga.

Sound: 7/10
I really enjoyed the first OP. The first OP was powerful, catchy, and it pretty much set the tone for the show. The first ED was alright but I found myself mostly skipping it. The second OP felt rather lacking in comparison to the first OP. I found the second ED was better than the first ED. Aside from the OP and Ed, I was very fond of the BGM especially the song that would pop up every time magic is being casted. I watched the dub and found it pretty good. The voices suited the characters and I didn't find it cringey at all.

Character: 4/10
I really liked Elias and another character that joins the protagonists a bit later on in the show. I do wish they explored more of the later character aside from the introduction episode. Hatori Chise, the main protagonist, had an entertaining character development but I found it rather lacking. The supporting cast was rather bland and forgettable.

Enjoyment: 4/10
As I mentioned earlier in the story, the pacing was too fast and some episodes were rather episodic. It did affect my enjoyment of the show but the problems that were being dealt in each situation was rather interesting. I have to admit one of the situations dealt in the show made me tear up a bit. I had problems with the comedy. I do understand that it is to make light of the heavy atmosphere but it does ruin some of the situations especially when the characters are dealing with problems. Also, the resolution of the conflict in the last few episodes felt so lacking and it felt like there were so many things that should have been covered but weren't there. Even though the ending was cute, I was just like "That's it??"

Overall: 5/10
Mahoutsukai no Yome is an okay show. It's something I wouldn't recommend to other people unless they are into a kinda beauty and the beast or person and monster relationship with supernatural and edginess thrown in it. If you want a show that's worth your time, I don't think this show is for you.

Mahoutsukai no Yome, Is not a bad show, Neither is it a great show. The show itself is just a step above fine in my opinion.

First, maybe 10 episodes were fairly interesting and kept my attention. I even thought that this might just be a 9 rating episode.

As the show went on I felt that it lost its charm from the start and was more focused on depressing imagery.

The show exceeded when it was more colorful and was more about comedy and Slice of Life, Then when it was about showing us dark depressing moments. It got to the point that it just ... started becoming unfun for me at least.

Things like Chise's mother killing herself I didn't like and wasn't that interested in. I also found the reason as to why her mother killed herself to be eh and not that great. The same thing applies to the Father suddenly disappearing for no reason.

Really I would've liked it more if the Mother at least was still alive but suddenly disappeared.

Chise also selling herself into Slavery felt forced in my opinion. It could've easily been her being kidnapped and sold into Slavery and wouldn't make any difference and would probably better explain Chise's situation better.

I also was wanting Chise to return to Japan at some point. I think it might've been interesting to see all the Students and Guardians/ Teachers react to seeing Chise again after her suddenly disappearing. Even though we are told that she didn't have anyone that actually wanted to watch her, I do find it hard to believe that none of them would care for the Child suddenly disappearing.

The Art itself is pretty good. The times when they change the characters into very over the top cartoon characters for the comedic scene is what I found the funniest.

I remember really like the first OP that we got for the show. The rest I didn't think was that great but nothing bad.

I was watching the show as every episode came out every week. But when I got to Episode 22 I just couldn't find any want or interest in watching it right then. So I ended up having Episode 22 tabbed on my computer for over 2 months until today when I decided to finish it.

Overall I think that this was a show that could've been great but wasn't. The show seemed to focus more on the weak spots then the goods spots. Weak spots being the Overly dark and dramatic scenes while the good being the light-hearted side of the story.

The Ancient Magus’ Bride was one of the first anime I watched seasonally, picking it up when it was about halfway through its run. It’s also, short of Code Geass, the anime my opinion of which deteriorated the most in the weeks and months following its completion. Honesty, when I sat down to review it, I wasn’t even sure how I would properly contextualize my feelings towards it. It’s been so long since I watched the show, and my thoughts on it have shifted and faded so much, that I genuinely had no idea if it would be even possible for me to properly reflect ... on it. Thankfully, watching the prequel OVA Those Awaiting a Star ended up being the perfect refresher to reignite my complex feelings towards Magus Bride, as it's pretty much a perfect microcosm of the show, strengths and weaknesses alike. If you haven’t seen Magus Bride for yourself and are curious whether or not you’ll enjoy it, I suggest you watch said prequel OVA, which is three episodes long, and decide from there. It’ll pretty much tell you all you need to know about the kind of experience you’re gonna get.

The Ancient Magus’ Bride is a slow-burn fantasy slice-of-life set in modern day London, where magic has evolved alongside the normal world Harry Potter style. Although in this world’s case, magic is less witches and wizards and all things sorcerous and arcane, and far more classic fey inspired, with faeries, elves, pixies, nature spirits, and all manner of enchanting discoveries hiding around every shadowy corner and inside every thick shrubbery. It follows a depressed, magic-sensitive slave girl named Chise who gets sold to Elias Ainsworth, the titular ancient magus with a face of bone, who prompty frees her and makes her his proper mage’s apprentice because this is not Shield Hero, thank you very much, and even if he has the intention of making her his bride some day, he would rather their partnership be on equal terms. So the show follows their daily life as Chise explores the world of magic she’s been made privy to, meeting all sorts of whimsical characters and situations (and some much more threatening), while slowly overcoming her personal trauma and helping Elias overcome his own biases towards her so they can stand on increasingly even footing with each other.

And it's the kind of show that you really want to like just on principle, just by virtue of how confidently it charted its own, mature path through the often hellish waters of seasonal anime. It was real fantasy in a world dominated by isekai! It was slow-paced and contemplative! It was quiet and self-assured, rejecting all the overplayed anime tropes in favor of its much homier, grown-up aesthetic! Add to that a strong, full 2-cours production from Studio Wit, and it’s no wonder Magus Bride ended up dominating the Fall 2017 season so single-handedly. Unfortunately, while there was a lot to like, and even love, about Magus Bride, it also had its fair share of weakness that became harder and harder to ignore as it went on, especially in its second half. It's an ambitious, worthwhile, but frustratingly imperfect piece of art, and it's really up to you to decide whether or not the end result is worth your investment.

Magus Bride’s greatest strength is the charm and wonder of its magical worldbuilding. It captures that same Harry Potter excitement of seeing a perfectly realized magical concept come to life, making you feel the wonder of “I could imagine this actually existing and interacting with our world”. Every single magical creature we meet, every single enchanted locale we visit, is so instantly believable that you just want to leap through the screen and explore all they have to offer. Studio Wit’s production is lush and colorful without being oversaturated, like a warm summer’s day thick with just the right level of humidity. You feel like you could get lost in this world, with these people, teasing out every nuance of how its magical rules operate for hours on end. Through its slow slice-of-life pacing, it presents the kind of atmosphere that makes you just want to relax into the warmth of the library, read books under its librarian’s watchful eye. And Chise’s characterization provides a powerful central focus, painting an eminently sympathetic portrait of a lonely girl struggling with emotional baggage far greater than any person should have to deal with, least of all someone that young. Your heart can’t help but reach out to her and pray that she finds the same peace of mind in this magical world as you’ve found yourself.

But it’s here that the flaws start creeping in. Once Magus Bride gets past the inherent enchantment of its premise and ideas, it just doesn’t have that much else to offer. I know the point of this kind of iyashikei healing show is to reach a level of simplicity and warmth that allows you to just soak in the atmosphere, but once you properly relax into it, there’s just nothing for you to do there. It’s a vibrant world, but it’s also static, where not much changes and it takes ages for any meaningful evolution of its ideas and themes to occur. As a result, the pacing goes too far beyond the relaxing atmosphere it’s aiming for and ends up painfully slow. The charms of any one episode of Magus Bride only last so long as you’re able to maintain interest in its general atmosphere; once that interest fades, it becomes an exercise in checking the running time every few minutes and thinking with shock, “How the hell has so little time passed? It feels like an eternity!” I can’t help but think back to a show like Mushishi, which pulled this kind of relaxing tone off perfectly without ever sacrificing a second of narrative engagement. That show would’ve taken just one episode to tell the same story this show regularly tells in three, and nothing of emotional or atmospheric value would be lost in the translation.

The Ancient Magus Bride is a show that requires a great amount patience to appreciate its charms, patience that it doesn’t always earn. Which is a shame, because the moments where I was really, truly invested in this show were magical and engrossing like few anime have accomplished. If nothing else, I appreciate the prequel OVA for helping confirm my thoughts on the show as a whole, and I’m glad I got this second chance to process my complicated feelings towards this deeply flawed, but ambitious and honorable, anime series. If you have the patience to handle Magus Bride, I definitely think it’s worth a look. At its best, it’s something truly enchanting.

In general this series was alright, a little bit less exciting than I had expected. It started of great, like the first episode was very mysterious and a bit exciting but from the second episode onwards it went a little bit downhill for me. Still not a bad series though! It also had its good scenes and I definitely cannot complain about the animation quality.

Story 7:So let's start of with the story. Like I said before, it started of as really promising but soon became really slow and chill with here and there some more exciting moments. I suppose it's slice of life after all. ... Since the title was called "Ancient magus bride" I expected maybe a little bit more romance but also that I found a little bit lacking in the story.

Art 8: Then the art style. I also mentioned this before, but the art style was interesting and unique and in some scenes the animation was really beautiful. It really put emphasize on the scenery so you at least had well animated grass and trees..

Sound 7: The sound was also good. It wasn't very special or anything but it suited the concept of this series, which was fantasy, so it was really soothing and I also really liked the first opening (which was btw also the reason why I started watching this series).

Character 5: But then the characters.. In general I didn't feel really connected to the characters of this series. The character development of the main protagonist Chise was alright but I didn't feel any attachment to Elias and also the side characters' personalities weren't very interesting either. The designs were also... alright. It wasn't bad but it didn't have anything special, except for Elias then xp

Enjoyment 5: As I've mentioned a couple of times already, the beginning really made me anticipate a lot but it slowly became more boring the further we got into the story. The ending was good though, but overall the series didn't have a lot of humor in it, or even if it did, I didn't find it really funny... Nonetheless, it is a relaxed and chill series to watch to.

So, I wouldn't recommend this series if you want a lot of flashy action or romance. It's a slow-paced series which pretty animation style and a unique story.

I was wondering why I wasn't hooking onto this when it seemed everyone else was, and then I noticed it was classed as a "slice of life"-- my least favourite genre. I was anticipating its release, but unfortunately I've been watching anime that look great, only to disappoint me with poor plot writings and portrayals.

STORY: 6/10
As far as story goes, I liked the concept. But because it's a slice of life, there is little progression, which I can understand is the general nature of the genre. Still, this anime didn't feel like it should've been a slice of life, and could have had so ... much more added to the plot. There were things added that I didn't think were completely necessary, which actually led to me skipping some scenes that I knew I didn't have to worry about skipping through boredom.

ART: 6/10
There was nothing really distinct about the anime's art style compared to others for the season, but it was still nice. Colours were portrayed well, and usually I think magic-genre'd anime needs to use visual effects well to immerse the viewers into the world of surreal happenings. Don't have much to comment on art, but to summarise I didn't really have any issues with it.

SOUND: 4/10
Music variety is important. The show didn't have a lot of variety, and many tracks were played over and over. Some scenes I couldn't handle the music in the background-- not because of intensity, but because I don't think it needed to be there. Some tracks are quite beautiful, like the main theme and some piano renditions, alas it was not a key feature for me in this show.

CHARACTER: 5/10
There were a number of characters that were introduced that, in the end, didn't hold much important by the season's finale, especially in the second half. I was constantly thinking "so why did that person appear?", when they weren't contributing much to the story. However, I really did like Elias' character, as well as Chise and Ruth-- basically the main three. Chise was given a lot of character development, which I thoroughly enjoyed baring witness to, but Elias wasn't given enough. I feel like personal questions he had throughout the series weren't answered or catered towards, because the series was SO focused on Chise's change. If an anime is going to add characters, they have to either be important to plot progression or undergo some sort of development.
[b] To summarise: Not enough charac. development was shared around.[/b]

ENJOYMENT: 7/10
When you watch a certain number of episodes for an anime, you start to have an appreciation for it, because you learn about the characters and share their pain/happiness with them. Watching a 24-ep anime usually does this for me, and so I can't help but give my enjoyment score a higher number than the others. I like the world that was introduced to me in The Ancient Magus' Bride, and if more stuff was released for it I would probably watch it. But still, the other factors come into play and so they lower the score for my enjoyment because im nit-picky. but yeah.

OVERALL: 6/10
A score 5 or below for me means I didn't enjoy it at all-- I'd be lying if I said I didn't think this was a cool anime, despite the things I've picked out and said I don't like, so I gave this just above a 5. There will always be something we don't like in a show, but overall I really liked the show for its world. If this was portrayed in a different way, I can see its potential and how much better it could be.

But yeah.

This show, sadly, is uncannily similar to Twilight. Unlike Twilight, however, the people who worked on this clearly cared for the source material and put love and care into its adaptation, so it already comes out ahead in that regard.

Despite the good art and genuinely magical-feeling world, where this show falls flat is its basic premise. There is simply no getting around how hilariously abusive and manipulative the romance in this show is. The age and power gap, as well as Chise's "status" as a powerful magical item of sorts just kinda come across creepy, and this is all before taking into account that she's ... a slave bride of sorts. She gets a fair amount of freedom and the new life is surely better than what she had before, but it still gives me the heebie jeebies.

In addition to the abusive undertones, there is no dramatic tension whatsoever. A lot of allies introduce themselves in the worst possible way only to immediately apologize and reveal that no, I did not kidnap you, I was just... kidnapping you to mess around a bit. No, I'm not actually gonna drown you, it's part of the plan. That kind of thing. It would have been better to focus on the relationship instead of very contrived-feeling obstacles.

This show is well made. It really is. But it can't overcome its fundamental flaws. If you can overlook its flaws, it's almost kinda cleansing and cozy, but I could not. The best parts about this show are when there is no plot and magic things just happen.

I have been wanting to write this review for a long time but I was unsure want to write about this anime and then it hit me what is the problem with this anime
first I will say the concept is great and I mainly started watching because of it but then I understood what the people that work on this anime had in mind they want to tell numbers of story and it got confused and what I think was the problem is the number of the episode because of they had more they could invest in every storyline OR if they had less episode ... they could focus on one story and make him great

TL;DR there are numbers of stories in the anime and you can easily get confused with them but this is not bad anime after all

P.s I don't understand who this anime get such a high score I will pot her on the 8 ~7.5

I thought I would like this a lot more than I did. The story and the dynamic between the lead characters had so much promise. Sadly, it wasn't able to deliver. For a 24 episodes anime, the pacing was slow, and honestly, nothing much happened. It felt like most of the plot points were introduced, but they didn't play out well. Don't get me wrong, the build-ups and side stories were interesting to see, especially in the first few episodes. However, the conflict felt lacking, and I somewhat didn't care about them. I was disappointed because I liked the setting and the lore used. The ... fairies were intriguing creatures to know about, and I wish that more information about them was shown. The backstories of the lead characters weren't elaborated. We got some bits of information here and there, but it lacked coherency. The main thing I loved about this is the visuals. It was very pleasing to the eyes. There are also funny scenes and heartwarming scenes, so that helped. I think the source material would be better with dealing with all of the plot-wise stuff, so I think that it would be better to try that.

In terms of art, I loved everything about it. The character designs and the animation of the magical scenes were beautiful. I was able to appreciate everything about it. Also, there are times where Elias turns chibi, and I found that adorable.

In terms of characters, it was a bit lacking. Elias was a very intriguing character, yet sometimes he just served as comical relief. Also, I wanted to know more about how he became the magus that he is, but we didn't get that. We mostly just got angry and unreasonable, Elias. I get that he's still trying to understand human emotions, but it happened multiple times, and it pissed me off. Chise was the epitome of a self-sacrificing character I disliked the most. She had a hero complex, and she didn't care about how it would affect her and everyone around her. It's good that she wanted to help others, but I dislike it that sometimes it is at the cost of her life. It's like she forgets that she has a limited lifespan most of the time.

In terms of the relationship, sometimes it was a bit weird. I like the relationship between Elias and Chise, but sometimes I get confused. Are they father and daughter? Lovers? Friends? Family? Sometimes the distinction gets blurred, but hey, the title is bride, so I guess they are lovers (or soon to be at least). There are also some disturbing dynamics about their relationship, especially with Elias buying Chise. Still, their relationship with the other characters was adorable, funny, and great to watch. Sometimes it was also heartwarming, so there's that. This is true, especially with Silky.

SHOULD YOU WATCH IT: If you like fantasy, then yes. Still, I really suggest trying the source material instead because the anime would just give you more questions to ponder after watching it.

WOULD I WATCH IT AGAIN: Maybe if someone wanted to watch it with me. I think the animation is worth sticking for.

FULL THOUGHTS: booksequalhappiness.blogspot.com/2020/09/anime-ancient-magus-bride.html

A shounen that often feels like shoujo, SoL that loves cliffhangers. Mahoutsukai no Yome is really unique anime. It doesn't rely on cliches or limits itself by genres. Sounds great on paper, but it has its own share of problems.

Premise itself already sounds great. Very interesting and original idea, something fresh and with a lot of potential. I jumped into this anime expecting a great journey though a world of magic, where every day is something new and fascinating. Exploring different spells and kinds of magic. Mahoutsukai no Yome sure had that. But at the same time it didn't feel satisfying. For me, the whole ... fantasy/magic part of story got too overshadowed with conflicts. Despite being a Slice of Life title, this anime has a lot going on.
That is main, and IMHO devastating, flaw in its story: it's too slow for action or adventure title, but at the same time has too much action and conflicts, and too heavy atmosphere to fully enjoy it as a SoL.
Characters don't help here either. The cast is pretty large and, just as story, interesting and with a lot of potential. But yet again, this potential is not fully utilized. Majority of them are simple and one dimensional. Side characters play big role, but we don't learn enough about them.
Despite it being 24 episodes anime, there are still many questions that bother me after finishing, both about story and about characters.

What kind of saves Mahoutsukai no Yome is art and sound. Using word "magical" would be the right way to describe it.
Production values are really good. Not only are effects and music pretty - they are also used at the right times. There are many scenes that felt truly beautiful and magical thanks to good art. They exactly what I hoped to see: breathtaking moments that give this otherworldly feeling. If nothing else, this anime is worth watching just for them.

Overally, Mahoutsukai no Yome left me feeling not satisfied. Not because of being incomplete adaptation - ending itself is conclusive enough for me. My lack of satisfaction comes from all the things and little details that were never explored and from underwhelming story and characters, that, simply put, were below my expectations. Maybe I expected too much, maybe I wanted 2nd Mushishi.
Nevertheless I don't regret watching this anime and I don't think anyone would.

I'm new at Slice of Life genre. This anime is very slow paced, but has sudden 2 minute escalations or jumps in time where a lot happens. It's almost as if the other 18 minutes are just fillers, or "a build-up".

The main character has the biggest development, while the mysterious monster, Elias, gets more flawed as the anime progresses, more vulnerable. It all feels like a build up of numbness that ends with intense emotions and meanings, like how important it is to accept and leave the past and how important compromises or middle grounds in relationships are.

This ... "numbness" is accompanied by very beautiful nature shots and great music. It makes it so soothing and relaxing to watch.

It also tries to be episodic. One of the parts is about an elderly wise dragon, Nevin, and it's incredibly meaningful. However, some of the parts feature absolutely absurd side characters, that have no place in an anime like this: over-sexualized female characters.

This review might contain small spoilers but with the MAL score it got and all the reviews that have been done it might not ever see page1. ... TBH with u i watched this show bc of the 3 prequel OVAs. The art and sound were incredible and I had to know how she could be saved. Mentally and figuratively (her life). This show to me started out Ok but thats bc even though shes 15 and hes 400+, and he bought her from an auction, hes not anywhere close to human and therefore has no way of kissing or having sex with her so im not sure why everyone gets mad. Now heres the issue I had. After about episode 12, the show starts to become so dark and drama/somewhat tragic that I actually had to stop watching bc of the constant worry the MC would die in the worst way possible. So I had to wait till the show was over to read and make sure that wasnt the case before continuing. The problem is I was half right so I ended up skipping episode 17-22.
Now the show ended in a sweetish manner but ofc for the people who think hes a pedofile will just lose there mind bc she does end up in a wedding dress but noone else was there so its just between the 2 MCs as a bond. NOW I have to say that most people can make it through this show if your ok with heavy dark drama but after I started my anime benge with Mirai Nikki, Im extremely scarred for life. You can be mad at me for not liking that show if you want.
. So if youre ok with what ive said then feel free to watch it but dont say you werent warned.

I was very excited to watch this show I love magical genres, this is just awful it has it's good points sound voice acting the quality the whole production was amazing but it was highly let down by the characters, there was hardly any if at all bad guys that they truly had to fight each other all the characters, just had the nice personality honestly they might as well just been clones of each other.

They usually leave it on cliff hangers to maybe think that the character is going to be your bad guy that alias would have had to save chasie from but ... no it was just another good guy character that for some reason kidnaps chaise for no reason at all.

Barely any back story to most of these characters if any at all apart from the old sob story of I had a bad childhood I should suffer for this with the main bad guy and chaise and even then the bad guy you barely knew any of the story it was just bland and 0 thought into them , other than that there is just nothing about these characters that makes you want to care for them and you just forget about them in till they show again in another episode.

I find this overrated for what it gives when you look over the magical aspect of it all and the production the characters, it had so much potentional but was just let down by the writing.