An episode of anime that you can watch standalone | The Ancient Magus Bride, Episode 3 (魔法使いの嫁 / Mahoutsukai no Yome)
An emotional whirlwind.
Original Writer: Kore Yamazaki
Publisher: Mag Garden
Anime adapted by: Wit Studio
Original run: October 7, 2017 – March 24, 2018
We meet our next handsome blonde as Chise collects ikemens and world-defining experiences like Dragon Balls. Snatched from Elias’ grip, Lindel doesn’t even check if she’s made of solid steel before his dragon bites into her, or if she can swim as he watches her sink. To his credit, regardless of whether Chise is a sponge pebble, which she is, I don’t think she would have let on much.
He didn’t even check if she was afraid of heights before he hijacks her.
If I was to give a theme of this episode, it would be experiences. Just like the episodes so far, it’s adding to Chise because she won’t say no. Why would she say no? She’s not even sure what’s tethering her to living. Black holes wouldn’t allow us to see this much colour, even while drowning, so it’s not that she’s empty. Japan, England, a dragon’s mouth, she’s done and seen so much that she’s even crossing off things on my bucket list.
He apologised, so we’re just going to move on from that?! Chise…where are you going?
I guess they’re all friends now. Chise manages to make friends with the dragons just as quickly. Uil, Gwee, Beana—Lindel is not a serious person. He walks off to have a secret conversation with Elias which leaves us to watch Chise join their little dragon pod. In all its easygoing humour, she’s dragged from place to place, learning what dragons get up to in their free time. Chise probably doesn’t recognise dragon snark, and wouldn’t let on if she did, but she did technically throw the first punch at the old uil as we’re properly introduced to Uncle Nevin.
She doesn’t recognise dragon stoicism, as cycles, dying and finding value in being useful to the next generation are all things she can’t quite wrap her head around. Recognising the implication of “You can’t fly, so it’s good you didn’t”, moving on past it in favour of showing the last dream, Uncle Nevin takes Chise for a ride.
Chise doesn’t understand dragons at all, and that was this episode in a nutshell.
She doesn’t understand their perspective on life, Uncle Nevin has had too many years to figure it out. Her repressed emotions oddly won’t stop her from extending her hand to all the things which have bastardised her. Spirits, magic and even death. It’s odd to the people that she meets, and without even meaning to, she makes people just want to add to her.
Sitting on these scenes, beautiful musical scores and colours to make up for what Chise lacks, the thought that her depression could be stemmed just by seeing this; how she was envious of how he chooses to die:
It was just beautiful.
That’s all there was to it. Truly, this was an episode you could know nothing about and come away feeling forever moved.
You can watch both seasons of The Ancient Magus Bride on Crunchyroll.
Final thoughts:
As always when we meet a new character, they seem to know something about Chise that we don’t. I’m curious about how her magic is taking a toll on her body.
This episode really was nice.
This post is the fourth in a series of reviews of The Ancient Magus Bride. If you’d like to be kept updated on any new reviews, please consider spicing up your inbox by clicking below.
It makes for a good change to “Is this you? IP: 192.168.0.1 has accessed your location from Tromsø, Norway.” Brighten things up with some anime instead.
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