A truly enchanting journey to lose yourself in if you can work around it's pacing problems and other inconsistencies. · Waifora

/anime/98436/the-ancient-magus-bride

What catches the eyes of many bidders are not the fantastical creatures as mermaids or fairies, but a human, a frail girl for she has the eyes and body to witness and endure the magical, a sleigh beggy who contracted to sell herself just to have a place to return to, 'Chise Hatori', a bird yearning for a cage. Then appears a mysterious tall man in a black suit who bids five times higher than the original bid, a skull-faced creature who quickly alerts everyone, a lone mage, 'Elias Ainsworth', a mystery as bleak as the dark. While Chise ponders why someone of her demeanor was bought for such a hefty price, the man-monster casts a spell that quickly transports them from the gloomy auction house to a colorful flower garden in front of a country house. As he unbinds her from the chains around her neck, Elias welcomes his apprentice, his puppy to his home. What wonders will await Chise, and what mysterious relationship does Elias seek from her?

Fantasy and Wonder

Name: A truly enchanting journey to lose yourself in if you can work around it's pacing problems and other inconsistencies.
Item: The Ancient Magus' Bride
Rating: 70
Author: R2R

Thanks to the oversaturation of isekai and the magic elements, the fantasy setting became boring, like predictably boring. You need spells and spelled weapons like some sort of game, you need a demon lord or a villain to defeat, you need a harem to cock tease (bonus if it has a slavery tag), and of course, you need a generic, uninteresting, bland protagonist to project and escape the reality. Many fantasies Anime are using their fantastical elements to give a window to escape our reality, not a window to explore another. I think, this is where Magus Bride shines. "The Ancient Magus Bride" is a magical and spellbinding audiovisual work of art. Every episode will introduce you to something unfamiliar about the world, as you tag along with our protagonist gradually warming up to her new world and people. Every new 'neighbor' she interacts with and every place she visits, evokes a sense of wonder and mystery that begs for a separate episode. The show never holds back to showcase its colorful world and characters that you can just lose yourself in, thanks to the gorgeous animation, colorful backgrounds, and a perfectly fitting soundtrack. The soundtrack is definitely my favorite element of the Anime. And while the world and its depiction can be fairytale-like, it's still a fundamentally human story.

Chise's trauma derives from her mother's rejection of her birth and her mother's subsequent suicide. With this combined with her capacity 'to see' terrifying things, Chise is shunned by everyone around her and ultimately learns to despise herself. Her interactions with Elias, and everything and everyone else, will assist her in learning to love herself. As time passes, she gradually gains a better understanding of Elias. Similar goes for Elias, who initially displays of a dark and selfish attitude towards Chise, starts an inner conflict that, while haven't reached its complete arc yet, still adds an interesting element to his character. There are many mini episodes with their own distinct message, but they are missing something crucial to get generate a powerful emotional response. Time.

When the plot focuses on anyone other than the main characters, the emotional response intended becomes superficial. The human message it attempts to deliver only reaches the brain and not the heart, owing to pacing issues. It's directed well enough, and there are several scenes that I am absolutely amazed at how well they were shot, but none of it compensates for the drop in narrative quality. While the show understands its sensitive issue well enough not to misappropriate it, it frequently attempts to make things too sentimental. Another thing that often bothers me, is how easily Elias and many let Chise her own, despite the potential danger she is. Most conflicts around her, is simply the story using her instability as an advantage to throw her into problems, while also making giving the characters some convenient logic to keep away from her. The Anime heavily relies on its world building to engage but misses on its direction of story.

I would generally recommend watching the 2016 OVAs after watching 2017 Anime, because the OVA story, while a flashback, takes place in the middle of the 2017 Anime, and also spoils a little about Chise's found family.

##### My favorite quote from the show. ____ #Conclusion A must-watch for every fantasy fan. Granted the fantasy is more about the wonder than logic. It misses in having an engaging story or characters, but has an engaging fantasy world to experience, and not to escape.