Review of The Ancient Magus' Bride

Ah magic, that which inflames the imagination of mortals, that tempts us with a visage of what is beyond the natural, the sensible and even the possible. Us old human beings have always enjoyed tales of sorcery, magic and wonder, as perhaps a chance to step outside our usual world governed by physical laws and confounding limitations. With many stories like this its taken somewhat as a given that magic both exists and behaves in the way that it does. Rarely I find, does a work of fantasy delve into what magic really is, what it means, how exactly it works and what the rulesare. I had to give myself some time with this one, to really pinch my brain to see if it was deceiving me. I feel like the whole time I was watching this show I was having an absolute blast with it, it made me feel all kinds of conflicting emotions. I kept thinking that I must me mistaken, people don’t rave about this show that much anymore, I must be missing some huge flaw. As the show went on however, I became more and more unsure if I was.

Firstly, I have to mention that the series’ visual presentation is absolutely breathtaking. The character designs, if a little generic, are detailed and expressive. They have an pretty ‘anime’ aesthetic overall but in a charming way. What deserves a lot more praise however, is the background and environments. Wit really knocked it out of the park here, the rendering of a modern English setting is not only convincing, but also breathtakingly beautiful, especially as the show goes on and the seasons shift, generating a level of detail and wonder that environmental design does not often reach on its own. The animation is perhaps nothing special in light of this, but still measures up pretty well compared to a lot of modern anime. Also will briefly mention that the first opening is amazing, both music and animation wise, OST is fairly solid, and also that the voice acting, at least in Japanese, is absolutely top notch, cannot speak for the dub.

But I guess I have to get to the heart of the matter because I really loved this show, and I understand it's not the kind of thing that would appeal to everyone. It's pretty slow, can at times be kind of confusing and the core premise might turn some people off. Given a chance though I think this show is a highly unique experience. Firstly, it offers a very detailed and well researched take on magic, drawing from various sources, not only Japanese but from Europe and the British Isles as well. This creates a world of magic that is highly detailed, full of wonder but not fully detached from the familiar. I think in terms of tone this show could not be more perfect for what it is, its fantastical enough to be great escapism, but grounded enough in what we understand to create real drama, its serious enough to sell those moments, but is able to have moments of levity when it does and they feel appreciated.

I think what enables this show, and really any show, to pull this off, is a solid cast of characters and this show definitely delivers on that. Chise is, if you look at things trope wise, the classic audience surrogate apprentice archetype that stories about magic do tend to rely on. However, I think the fact that the show is very much told from her perspective helps to flesh this out a bit further. Her tragic backstory could have made her into a brooding and edgy character that no one likes, but it really didn't. Sure she’s somewhat shy and lacking self worth because of that but beneath that she also cares, has a sense of humour, makes lasting friendships, learns things about the world and herself that make her a more well rounded person.

On the other side of the coin is Elias, a man who knows everything about magic but nothing about himself. Having a non-human character in this kind of role is unusual, and the first few episodes can be a bit awkward at times because of it. Honestly though, by the end, I was totally invested in the relationship between him and Chise. Weird though it may be, it feels like they need each other in some deep sense, and while they may come from very different places, they have a lot to learn from each other. There was some very tender and honest moments between these two, better than a lot of anime romances i’ll tell you that. Both intimidating and kind, the tension that the very nature of his being creates throughout the series is a really interesting twist. You never fully trust him nor can fully hate him, a very interesting dynamic in my opinion.

The side characters all serve their purposes too, though they are numerous and one can get lost in all the different people and how exactly they fit into things. Some of my favourites are Chise’s church grim familiar and the goodest of all boys Ruth, and the Leanan Sidhe the vampire fairy, who both have roots in mythology that are nice little things that add to their characters and provide some reading to do after watching!

I think the main point where your mileage with this show may vary is in the plot itself. I think part of the reason it's not more talked about, now especially, is because its not a ‘hype’ show. Popular seasonal fare that has a lifespan to it tends to fit two qualities, a)interesting or unique premise and b)gripping week by week plot. Magus Bride doesn’t really have that, it spends more time exploring the daily lives of its main characters, how they work through various issues and how they develop as characters. Now I love slice of life anime, especially ones with a twist, so I enjoyed these segments greatly, but I could understand the frustration at this show not having a more concrete plot to it. The plot itself is essentially the story of Chise and her adjustment to this life, and some of the challenges that come with it. The problem is that as the show goes on more plot threads are introduced, things can get a bit complex and confusing, though I applaud the show from never letting these developments distract from the core relationship between the two mains and how this changes both of them, for better or worse.

I’m finding it hard to sell this show aren’t I? I don’t know what it is, I think somehow it all just...works. Not perfect by any means, but something about the combination between the calm rural setting, wholly unique and well researched take on magic and the surprisingly nuanced and touching relationship between the two main leads just made this a really charming watch for me. Well that’s the best I can do it seems, feel free to mock ol Dewayne for how bad his writing has gotten, peace out.

EDIT: Fixed a mistake where I said White Fox instead instead of Wit Studio, wow guys you can tell i totally spent time on this one