Chise Hatori is 15. She, for some reason, sees otherworldly creatures and acts as a magnet for them. Because of that, her life is ruined and even her closest relatives, as the only thing she can rely on, are disappearing one after another. Chise, being absolutely alone, even thinks about ending her life. However, instead of resorting to suicide, she meets a person that suggests her selling her life to someone who would take her in. And Chise does find a person that wants to buy her--Elias. After some time, the two are teleported to Elias’ home. Warm, quite and extremely cozy--that home is everything Chise has ever dreamed of. Now Chise becomes Elias’ apprentice, who is a very respected mage.
As a mage, Chise will now have to find out more about the world she is afraid of, about the world that ruined her life and took everything, which was important to her. If you have not seen the OVA first, which you should do before watching the TV series, it might seem that The Ancient Magus’ Bride is somewhat light hearted and has no dark themes whatsoever. And that would be a big mistake. The story-line does a great job explaining the viewer about the world of this series and there is hardly anything you will not understand. The best thing about it, which is worth mentioning, is the fact that it is never boring. When it becomes boring, it immediately shows you something disturbing, or something you would never imagine.
The anime preview did not lie, the artwork, as it should be in any series that focuses on magic, is absolutely stunning. The colors are vibrant, glowing, and clean. What is more, the anime takes place in many different places, as well as countries: you will see the beauty of Iceland, which is the most beautiful place on our planet, and then you will be shown some quite disturbing pictures like Joseph’s laboratory. The series does not focus only on the beautiful, it also shows you some very dark elements, which is something you might find enjoyable and it will probably help you enjoy the series even more.
Music wise, it is extremely charming and exciting. Every piece of music fits this series and helps you dive in the world of magic and many secrets that surround the world of The Ancient Magus’ Bride. Surprisingly, both the English and Japanese dubbed versions are equally good, which is quite a rare thing to see. Feel free to watch it in whatever language you want.
The titular characters Chise and Elias are an incredibly strange duo. Right from the very beginning we find out that Elias wants make Chise not only his disciple, but also his bride. And it makes it pretty much obvious that romance will also play a very important part in this series. However, The Ancient Magus’ Bride approach to this genre is somewhat different from what you have seen in other anime. It is quite a challenge to describe their relations: I guess both of them are somewhat afraid of each other, they are afraid of making a mistake that might ruin their relations. And because of that there is actually no romance in this anime. Anyways, both Chise and Elias receive equal character developments and they both are very interesting to follow.
Enjoyments wise, The Ancient Magus’ Bride is quite a surprise. It does have a slow start and there is nothing unique about it. However, with every episode the series becomes more and more interesting: more characters are being introduced and you understand more about the series. And I must say this show is very enjoyable to watch.
Overall, it is worth watching – give it a shot! This anime feels like you are watching a fairy tale, which is sometimes very dark. The Ancient Magus’ Bride is touching, beautiful, and dark. It is definitely a show many anime fans will highly appreciate.
Grade:
Overall (sub): 10
Overall (dub): 10
Story: 9
Animation: 9
Art: 9
Music: 10
Voice acting: 10
Enjoyment: 10
