Spoiler alert

Great visuals and soundtrack. Characterisation could do with some improvements. At times it seems unbelievable, especially since Chise apparently was abused, yet she seemed open to others, trusting. But it's forgivable, especially since it tries to provide some reasons for why this is so. Eventhough it doesnt come under scrunity in the context of normal human behaviour, I think it's safe to say Chise is far from normal. Mage dude's attitude was also more pleasant than expected, especially given his background. It would perhaps have made more sense to the viewer to provide these justifications for how and why the characters moved beyond their past to overcome their environment. As the viewer we miss these scenes, and it detracts away from the realism, and becomes a shoddy imitation of the human psyche.

I really liked the ending where Chise drew a moral equivalence between her self and others. Violence towards one self, in her so called self sacrifice that was inherently selfish, and the sudden realisation of it was a nice touch. However the major flaw was that it wasnt drawn out. Chise knew it was wrong, but how she would end this conundrum wasnt delved into. In fact the ending was lackluster. There were a lot of loose ends that needed tying up. It almost seems like there will have to be a 2nd season just to resolve everything. If there isnt, the score will have to be lower. I'd still give it a 8 however, because one of the greatest strengths of the anime is the wealth of research that has lovingly gone into the myths and legends. The animation and the music score are top tier as well, and I'm a sucker for atmosphere, regardless of the storyline.