The Ancient Magus' Bride Episode 13 Review: East, West, Home's Best.

I was caught off-guard last week when I found out that The Ancient Magus’ Bride was taking a break, so I was very excited to watch this latest one once it came out! Definitely needed to get my weekly dose of magic, emotions, and beautiful writing! And, I’m glad to say that the second cour is off to a great start! As soon as the episode began, I was sucked into it once more!

Plot

Continuing from the previous scenario where Chise finds their house surrounded by a lot of those flying sheep, the task at hand was to shear off their fluffy wool. At the same time, our protagonist was still trying to find the chance to tell Elias what she wanted to say ever since she came home. Well, turned out that an accident was all it needed to give her that window of opportunity to have an open conversation with her teacher.

Episode Highlights

Shearing season: All this time I thought the sheep-looking fairy that kept hanging around Chise was one of a kind, but there was actually a lot of them! Plus, they were just like regular sheep, too, in that their wool could be put to good, magical use! I thought they were just really fluffy. Seeing Chise and Elias shaving the wooly bug, with Ruth acting like a sheepdog, gave me a whole lot of peaceful and fluffy feelings! But, that snow bug just had to butt in and ruin everything, huh? It seemed like they’re notorious for absorbing the heat from people, so it makes me wonder if they feed off of normal humans, too.

Heart-to-heart talk: Well, I did say the snow bug ruined everything, but it actually did some good, since it gave Chise the time she needed to talk to Elias! However, it started with suspense first! Elias was willing to go so far as to erase Chise’s memory of him attempting to eat her. I’m pretty sure that says a lot about how much he cares for the girl, even if he came off as selfish. You wouldn’t normally dread someone being afraid of you and leaving you if you didn’t care about them to some extent, right? Plus, he got lonely when she wasn’t there with him! In a way, Chise and Elias echoed each other’s wishes: that the other won’t leave them. Aahh, my heart! I’m weak to relationships like theirs! They even became each other’s teacher, giving them more reasons to walk forward and learn more together! We also finally got the info we’ve always wanted to know about Chise’s family! Turns out, both her parents were able to see the things she could! It’s just sad that, at first, they were her source of strength, but they themselves eventually couldn’t handle the strain, and so they left her. Chise’s reason why she has separation anxiety is even clearer to us now, and I hope that Elias understood it and got it through his thick skull! I wish he feels and learns more about emotions with Chise around.

Chise’s student life: We got another montage like with the second episode, but I actually enjoyed this one! Chise’s peaceful days were back again, but this time she was getting used to being surrounded by a lot of magical things, and learning more about how to be a mage! She’s truly adapting well to her new home, her new family, and her new life. I was also elated that they included tidbits from the 3-part OVA because it’s now officially part of Chise’s story! (If you haven’t watched it yet, seriously, go do it now, or maybe after reading this review.) Seeing Simon in this episode was also really nice, especially because we got a glimpse of how he and Elias were like 10 years ago, and we saw how kind Elias is, even in his own way.

A surprising gift: And just like that, the peaceful days are broken. Ashen Eyes’ stalking at the start of the episode, as well as his greeting and gift, somehow reminded me of Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty: he heard that a new mage was born and gave her a terrible gift! He even went on to say that it was due to the mages capturing and binding his kind! If he wanted to catch Elias off guard, he did it really well!

Themes & Trivia

East, west, home’s best: This idiom perfectly defines that, wherever your home is located, it’s the ideal place to be. Nothing beats being at home! For Chise, she may have lost her previous one, but the one she’s in now surely makes her feel warm.

Sheep wool: For those of you who don’t know yet, shearing sheep is incredibly important, so Chise and Elias’ task was just as necessary for the wooly bugs as it was for their advantage.

Comments

Like I mentioned, I was totally looking forward to the 2nd cour’s first episode, and it did not disappoint me in the least! Sure, I would’ve liked more info on the montages, but I also felt that the staff wanted to fit that cliffhanger as an ending. Probably my only concern is the opening sequence, as I was also excited to see what it would be like, but all we got were scenes from the first cour. They did arrange them in a meaningful way, but I would’ve liked to see something new, as well. Everything was still incredibly magical and wonderful, and it makes me super glad that this marvelous show is continuing this season.

Chise the Fox?

Just what purpose could Ashen Eyes have for doing that to Chise? Now we know why Elias told Chise to be careful. Going by the preview, though, it seems like everything will turn out fine, except for another problem regarding an old friend.

Well, don’t hesitate to comment on what you thought of this episode! Did you love how the story resumed, or do you wish there was something else? Also, it’s time to keep an eye out for our Winter 2018 reviews, and our first episode impressions! A lot of new shows are starting, so our articles will be quite handy to help you decide what to watch!