Review of The Ancient Magus' Bride

An interesting, emotionally charged story, set in a rich, carefully put together setting, 'Thr Ancient Magus' Bride' is definitely an impressive work. The key to this, I think, is it's world building. This show manages to pull off a magical work that feels incredibly real and lived it, and pulls from a huge variety of sources for its folklore inspiration. On top of that, it also manages to pull off one of the most authentic feeling depictions of modern England that I've seen in anime, with London especially feeling like a huge amount of care was taken with the details to make it feel likethe real thing, right down to the upholstery on the train seats and the designs of the buses.

But a good setting isn't enough on its own, so it's a relief that this world is inhabited by characters that feel just as real and fleshed out. While there's obviously plenty more to see, and plenty of room for a second season, the show manages to give it's cast just enough complexity to grow to care about them. This goes double for our protagonist, Chise, whose journey over the season kept the fantastical elements nicely grounded in a human experience.

That said, if there's one thing that does bring the show down somewhat, it is, ironically, in the romance aspects. While I certainly went into the show expecting them, I can't help but feel that the romantic aspects feel somewhat forced, and their presence makes the complex parental relationship feel deeply uncomfortable. I really do think that this show would work better if the romance was stripped away, allowing for the other, more thematically interesting aspects of their relationship to stay at the surface.

But, even with this, I really enjoyed this show, and hope I get the chance to explore more of this world in the future.