1st Episode Anime Impressions: The Ancient Magus' Bride

8 October
Run: 24 Episodes
Studio: Wit Studio
Simulcast: Crunchyroll
Anime Info Page

Summary

Chise Hatori is a 15-year-old girl. She doesn’t have a place to go home to, a reason to live or the skill to do either.
Except for one special power that she had since birth. The strange looking magus Elias takes her in as a student and a future bride. While living with the immortal magus, Chise regains important things she has lost.

Impressions

Martina

If one anime managed to take my breath away, it’s this one! The moment I first saw the poster, I was already head over heels, because Elias looks exactly like the character I would fall in love with. Add to that his great voice and then his amazing character and you have my perfect guy! He just makes my heart beat a bit fast by being really nice and tending but at the same time having all this great respect, which hints at amazing power and that he is using it in the right ways.

And aside from Elias, there is a good female main character. She seems like a good girl, but damaged thanks to the way people stayed away from her and maybe even bullied her because of the things she was able to see. The animation is beautiful, the characters are great and while it seems like it would be a very serious anime, there are great moments of comedy as well because Elias is perfect and can even be funny and laugh.

This will be a great series and I can’t wait for next week! This is warmly recommended to all girls who like a bit of romance and magic, mystery and fairies. If you are a guy who enjoys the mentioned above, please go ahead and watch it as well! So far, I can only say it made my heart beat but I am sure there is an amazing story hidden in this series and it will be fit for either gender.

Jennifer

First things first: I loved this. Absolutely adored it. Elias is bae.

The Ancient Magus Bride stars Chise, a girl who has nothing except a power that she despises. She is purchased by Elias Ainsworth, a powerful magician, who tells Chise that maybe she can think of that power as a blessing, not a curse. He offers her something she had only dreamed of… family. There is a scene in which Elias gets Chise ready to take a bath, and it was so funny and cute. Normally, an old man stripping a teenage girl and throwing her in the bath would set alarm bells ringing, but not so with Elias. Powerful yet gentle, Elias is a sweetie, despite his imposing looks. Ryota Takeuchi’s sweet but baritone voice is a perfect fit, and I want to learn more about him and what he can do.

I also have to admit that, as somebody from England, this anime already has a special place in my heart. First off, there has obviously been research done on the gardens of England, and Elias’ cottage made me feel right at home. The beautiful garden reminded me of my childhood, begging my family to take me to the local farms and national gardens, and it even reminded me of one of my most beloved childhood books, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The flowers, the birds, the trees, the hills. Everything was so charming and special. Of course, England is also the home of many fairies, and I grew up believing in all kinds of supernatural spirits, some local even just to my area. Of course, the most important influence on this work is Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and it seems to all fit together so well. Even the food looked much better than in other anime set in England, and it made me quite homesick.

The Ancient Magus Bride should appeal to many people, so this is definitely my top recommendation for the season, whatever your tastes.

Thanasis

I went into this without any prior knowledge of the story or the prequel movies and what I was expecting to see was a rendition of Beauty and the Beast. While some of the plot points are still there – we have a beasty-like sorcerer and a cutie who is destined to be his wife but doesn’t have any romantic feelings, yet – The Ancient Magus’ Bride is so much more than that. Taking the wise storytelling path that says that less is more, the series reveals only what we need to know to enjoy the story. Chise is a girl of her times. Even if her source of anxiety is supernatural, her character and the reason behind her weary eyes are both something many young men and women can relate to. Not many of us have the luxury or the incredible luck to have someone or something (a purpose, a calling, etc.) to call home, a place to belong to. Chise, however, will find such a place in the rural English house of Sorcerer Elias, a skull-face mage who lives in Engurando, west of London. She becomes his apprentice and, maybe, his future wife.

This anime is magical. I am very curious to see Chise’s and Elias’s backstories, and the incredibly moody soundtrack and colorful backgrounds will only make the experience more enjoyable. I suggest you give this series a chance.