Mahou Tsukai no Yome

Title:Mahou Tsukai no Yome
The Ancient Magus' Bride
魔法使いの嫁
Overall:Buy
Keywords: , , , , ,
Notables: Animation - Wit Studio
Hatori Chise is only 16, but she has lost far more than most. With neither family nor hope, it seems all doors are closed to her. But, a chance encounter began to turn the rusted wheels of fate. In her darkest hour, a mysterious magus appears before Chise, offering a chance she couldn't turn down. This magus who seems closer to demon than human, will he bring her the light she desperately seeks, or drown her in ever deeper shadows?
(Summary Courtesy of Anime News Network)


24-episode TV anime that premiered on October 7, 2017.
[edit] ↗The Ancient Magus' Bride franchise:

  1. (2017) Mahou Tsukai no Yome (first TV series, 24 episodes)
  2. (2022) Mahoutsukai no Yome: Nishi no Shounen to Seiran no Kishi (side story, 3 OVA episodes)
  3. (2022) Mahō Tsukai no Yome Season 2 (Part 1 of second TV series, 13 episodes)
  4. (2023) Mahō Tsukai no Yome Season 2, Part 2 (Part 2 of second TV series, 13 episodes)
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Buy 9 9 9 8 8 9 Ggultra2764 [series:3426#1552]
Ancient Magus Bride focuses on Chise, an orphaned teenage girl who is auctioned into the care of a magus named Elias who takes the girl on as his apprentice due to her powers as a Sleigh Buggy that let her draw magic from magical beings. As Chise learns more about magic, she learns more about the joys and pains it can bring to others.

Ancient Magus Bride juggles comedy and drama to explore the magical world that Chise is brought into by Elias. The two develop a charming, amusing, and serious relationship with one another as both come to learn more of one another and getting over their personal quirks and issues such as Elias' lack of understanding on human emotions and Chise's lack of self-preservation due to her tragic past and concern for the well-being of others. Outside of our leads, the series also takes time to explore other magical folk that Chise and Elias become acquainted with due to the various cases they take on that are magic-related. Some come to befriend and ally with the two in later episodes, while others become enemies that they would have to contend with at points throughout the series. But otherwise in the grand scheme of things, Ancient Magus Bride is about Chise learning to appreciate things in her life again with Elias and the various magical folk she grows to befriend. The series does some shortcomings in that not much is revealed on Elias' backstory which the series eluded to being a rather dark one and it ends open-ended with Chise's future still seemingly uncertain with her abilities as a Sleigh Buggy.

Still, Ancient Magus Bride made for one of the best titles I seen as of late thanks to its rich characterization on Chise and the various magical folk that her life centers around. A definite recommendation for those interested in fantasy-based anime titles.

Last updated Saturday, March 24 2018. Created Saturday, March 24 2018.
Unevaluated Stretch [series:3426#628]
(One episode watched):

It seems to me that about the first question(s) I would ask Elias, if, like Chise I was given the chance, is 'What are you? Is that really your face? How old are you?' etc. I am left kind of ambivalent after one episode. The premise of an abused girl who is taken in by a fearsome looking but apparently kind mage is sort of intriguing--as is his mention that he wants her to marry him. But the two characters will need thorough development in order for that to work, and so far the available time has spent on Chise getting tempted by fairies rather than getting to know Elias better (and asking the obvious questions). I also wonder what Chise got in return for signing the contract that essentially led to her being auctioned off. So, it's too soon to say whether I think this show will work and be worth watching. One thing which I was reminded of during episode one is that if ever a character--human or otherwise, here the 'Ariels'--is introduced who has a mean look on their face, but says kind, unthreatening things, thus sending mixed signals, don't ne fooled--the character almost certainly is mean. Facial expression is the easiest possible way to convey the personality of an animated character, and chances are that the artist won't throw the opportunity away. Anyway, I ultimately decided not to watch this show. I guess the problem was that nothing about it reached out and grabbed me; I couldn't think of any questions that I absolutely had to have answers to. I didn't care all that much if Elias and Chise would get married someday, since we barely know them at the end of episode one. It seemed that an intentional effort was being made to keep them mysterious and distant rather than letting us get to like them, which was frustrating. And no intriguing threat or problem had yet emerged.

Last updated Thursday, August 09 2018. Created Monday, October 30 2017.

Other Sites
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Official Japanese Series Web Site http://mahoyome.jp/

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