Review of The Ancient Magus' Bride

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 wholefantasy/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.