The Ancient Magus' Bride Episode 12 Review: Better to ask the way than go astray.

Emotional? Check! Magical? Check! Relatable? A lot of checks! This episode of The Ancient Magus’ Bride was definitely perfect to watch right before (or even after) Christmas! I seriously had goosebumps in a lot of scenes, while some left my heart feeling bittersweet, but quite satisfied!

Plot

The wand is done! As promised, Lindel helped his ‘granddaughter‘ put the finishing touches on it. And as soon as he handed it to her, Chise’s mind was suddenly transported to the place where the realm of the living and the dead are able to meet! There she saw an old friend, the one who offered a branch of his tree to use for her wand. He gave her even more than that, now that they got a chance to talk again, something that Chise needed the most.

Episode Highlights

Elias’ thoughts: As Chise expected, Elias didn’t think anything of her, at first. It‘s like he just bought a pet dog for the sake of having one, but not really caring about it much. But now, what’s this? He’s starting to feel something for his puppy! It may not exactly be romantic love (yet?), but it’s affection and a certain longing for sure!

Chise’s wand: Oh wow, I wish I had Chise’s amount of focus and skill! She never even realized that her wand was already finished by the time she fell asleep, and it looked so lovely too! A small bird, it fits her really well! It was also so nice of Lindel to gift her the two gems an acquaintance gave him! That added touch, plus the color of her red hair made her wand look really pretty, just like the owner! But, the best part of all was that…

An old friend: The wand gave Chise a chance to speak with Nevin again, and in turn, they got to have a heart-to-heart talk! I actually loved their conversation a whole lot! It hit me home in more ways than one! We all know that Chise really needed those wise words. She was so traumatized by what her mother did to her, as well as when her relatives treated her like a bother, that she thought Elias would throw her away like they did! But I like how Nevin pointed out that the mage never gave her reason to think that way; he even said that he’ll never let her go no matter what, though it was (initially) because he bought her for a huge sum of money. Another bit that impressed me the most was when Nevin compared Chise’s view of her worth to the people she saved. Even if she didn’t really intend on helping them at all, it’s still a fact that she saved them. Her life has meaning, so she should treasure herself better! He even thanked her mother and father, which was such a nice gesture. Nevin indeed proves that most of the time, wisdom comes with age, and I hope Chise will become as wise as him through his advice.

Flight: Chise had a good expression on her face after speaking with Nevin. It’s safe to say that our protagonist grew, right? Even if it was just with small steps, it made her determined enough to use her own magic to get home! It was so fantastic! She became quite a huge flaming bird! Seeing her soar through the sky like that, it made me realize that it parallels her first conversation with Nevin about flying, and what he said now, that she’s free! It’s a wonderful symbolism! I also adored that Elias was there to welcome her home with a tight hug, realizing that it became warm when she arrived. She was on fire when she arrived, but surely that’s not the actual reason.

Family in the past and present: We got a chance to see Chise’s mama and papa!!! They were such a cute family!! I feel so sad that our girl’s last moments with them were filled with so much pain and suffering that she totally forgot they were once happy like that! It definitely makes you wonder what happened, huh? Could they really see the things she did? Or did they only play along with her imagination? Could her ability be the reason their family was ruined, just like how it was with the others? Ah well, satiating our curiosity is good, but at the moment, Chise’s surrounded by a loving family again, ones who can understand her, and that’s all that matters. I hope that she gets a chance to tell Elias what she wanted to say to him. (Extra comment: Ruth eating was so adorable!!! I’m glad he still ate so much so fast like he did in the OVA!!)

Themes & Trivia

Better to ask the way than go astray: This proverb means that it’s better to be humble and admit that you need advice than to act mighty but lose your way. Sadly, a lot of people are like this, thinking that they’d die first rather than asking for anyone’s help. I sure am glad that Chise easily accepted Nevin’s advice!

Phoenix: This popular mythological creature is a symbol of rebirth and regeneration. It lives for a long-time, and when it dies, it’s reborn again. It feels like another apt symbolism for Chise, huh? Let’s hope she lives a long time, though.

Comments

I thought this was incredibly beautiful, marking the end of the first cour, don’t you agree? Since it feels like Chise finally came to terms with her own ‘selfishness’ and Elias with his feelings, they can both face the new chapter better than before! An impeccable writing as always, matched with such a magical aesthetic! I guess my only complaint is that the scene where Lindel did the finishing touches to Chise’s wand, and when Chise was flying through the sky dragged on a bit too much for my liking. It’s obvious that they wanted to make the animation fit for the songs, but didn’t have anything else to put so they just looped cuts. It was still lovely though; I understand the hardship of making a lot of dynamic scenes.

A home to return to

I’m very excited to see what the next part of the story has in store for us, but I’m also quite curious on what those post-credit scenes are. They looked as ominous as they were intriguing! Was that a preview for what’s to come?

How did you guys like this episode? The comments section is always open to hear your thoughts! A lot of Fall 2017 series have ended as well, so check out our reviews on them! With that, I bid you guys a belated merry Christmas and an advance happy new year!