The Ancient Magus' Bride Episode 23 Review: Nothing seek, nothing find.

The Ancient Magus’ Bride is finally at the climax! If you’ve ever wondered what Joseph’s deal is, why he did all the horrible things he’s done, as well as what Elias is up to right now, this episode answers all these questions! It’s another wild ride, an appropriate one for the coming conclusion!

Plot

Chise’s sudden disappearance because of her anger for Elias left him in such despair. Resident parents Titania and Oberon offered to help find her and bring them both back to the land of the fae, so she won’t leave his side again. Meanwhile, Chise trespassed into Joseph’s memories and found out the start of his anguish, but the sorcerer didn’t like that all too much.

Episode Highlights

Help in despair: Gosh! That was the most terrible emotional and physical state we’ve seen Elias in! You could clearly hear the despair in his voice when he screamed Chise’s name! He was utterly devastated at her leaving him, so much that he unconsciously deteriorated the land around him, making Spriggan really angry! No wonder Titania couldn’t help but pity him. And yet, when he was offered a choice to take Chise away to the land of the faeries so she won’t leave him anymore, he finally decided to be properly selfless. He chose to put Chise’s interests before his own, even if it meant changing himself. While it’s not pleasant seeing them have such a huge fight, it certainly paved the way for their relationship to start becoming healthier. It also showed how much Titania and Oberon really cared for their halfling child, despite him rejecting their offer. Pitying someone means you care about them, right? The couple just really has to put to rest the whole ‘take the Sleigh Beggy to our kingdom and make her one of us’ bit.

Cursed life: Tadah! Joseph and Cartaphilus were initially two separate people! And good grief, Joseph and Chise are really alike in more ways than one! The poor boy was also shunned, just because he’s from a family of gravediggers and rumored to be a witch! He had to endure being an outcast for so long that when someone asked him for help, he was so enthusiastic! Then, his enthusiasm turned to desperation because the man he was trying to help didn’t get any better, nor die! But he couldn’t leave him alone since he was bound to his selfish promise. Poor, poor boy! He was forced to resort to carrying Cartaphilus with him, figuratively speaking, since they merged together. Come to think of it, does that mean the villagers were telling the truth about him being a witch since he was able to have that kind of power?

Continued suffering: Joseph’s tragedy doesn’t excuse all the horrid things he did after he and Cartaphilus became one, though. Yes, he suffered for such a long time trying to find a solution to their circumstances, and it really was so heartbreaking to watch. More so when you wonder if part of the reason why he merged themselves together was so he can live forever with a healthy body since he’s healthy while Cartaphilus is immortal. But alas, that didn’t happen as he hoped it would. He ended up just ruining a lot of people’s lives while searching. Then again, it all makes me feel so conflicted, as I’m always drawn to antagonists who have valid motivations but use the wrong methods.

Reinforcements: Good thing Titania alerted Chise’s friends through her literal connections, and that she and Elias found her when they did! Joseph caused quite a rampage because of Chise poking into his memories, even though it was partly so she’d figure out why he needs help! I was super scared he’d rip her arm off! There was also his army of chimera! If she was all alone, who knows what would’ve happened, right? But thanks to the friends she made along the way coming to her rescue, she was safe! Although she could’ve already gone with Titania to safety, she still couldn’t leave Joseph alone! Really, this girl. He already hurt her and her friends multiple times, but she was still so selfless, going as far as chasing after him instead of letting him suffer on his own. Don’t you think it’s another difference in how Chise and Joseph responded to their plights?

Themes & Trivia

Nothing seek, nothing find: A proverb that reminds us to take the initiative and work hard if we want something. Joseph definitely took the first steps to getting his and Cartaphilus’ freedom, both from the village and from their curse. Unfortunately, they were for a price.

Morrígan: Titania mentioned that her branches extend to the goddess Morrígan, who is known as the Phantom Queen or Great Queen in Irish mythology. She is linked with war and fate, as well as sovereignty, the land, and livestock.

Gravedigger: As you saw with Joseph’s status in their village, because of superstitions surrounding his work and its nature, being a gravedigger isn’t usually a job that’s wanted. Actually, in several societies worldwide, they belong to the lowest social class and are also deemed ‘untouchable’ or ‘unclean.’

Comments

This was another episode I’ve been looking forward to seeing ever since I caught up with the manga, and I can’t say I’m disappointed! There were definitely multiple things that I wish were elaborated on more, especially with Joseph’s past and his relationship with Cartaphilus. I feel like if they had more time to put them in, anime-only fans would feel more for the poor guy. Well anyway, given that anime adaptations tend to have constraints with time and the number of episodes, I think it was still handled nicely.

Suffering from suffering

The question now is, how will the ending fare? We have no source material to bank on anymore, so it’s going to be an all-out surprise for everyone! I actually love that they showed little to nothing for anyone to guess in the preview!

Do you have any expectations or wishes for the final episode? Let’s hear them in the comments! A lot of shows are also starting to end this season, so you better check out the Winter 2018 reviews for some of them!