The Ancient Magus' Bride

Episode 12

Right on schedule with the first cour's conclusion, Chise's wand is finally done, and it comes with a power-up of such magnitude that her fiery bird calls forth an extended version of the opening song. The immediate build-up to Chise taking flight is pretty neat; the rhythm kicks in along with her newfound determination, providing a sound very different from the usual score or even the insert songs. It's also different from the way power-ups usually prompt theme songs to kick in – Chise hasn't leveled up by mastering a secret technique or spell, she's merely made the decision to go home.

"Merely" is selling the significance of the moment short. Chise could have gone anywhere, yet she chooses to come home to the one she fears might leave her someday instead of closing herself off to avoid possible future pain. Her exchange of okaeri and tadaima with Elias is more significant than the usual ritual, and bonus points for JUNNA's "watashi wa koko", or "I am here" lining up with the moment the phoenix comes out of the clouds, as Chise lands back in Elias' arms. That's right, Chise reborn isn't just a robin, she's a giant phoenix. Sure, she relied on the fairies' help to take flight, but it's still a powerful image and a more than worthy goodbye to this cour's OP.

Chise chooses to embrace her connection to others, accepting the vulnerability that comes with it. And for now, it makes her stronger, unlocking childhood memories she apparently suppressed, protecting herself from the terrible feeling of loss. Now that she's accepting her new bonds, the memories of old ones slowly come back, and for the first time, we see her entire family, suggesting that Chise wasn't the only Hatori to be haunted by otherworldly creatures. But in spite of that, her family seemed happy and at peace with their gift/curse, so what happened between Chise about to become a big sister and her mother trying to murder her daughter before killing herself? The pace at which we discover more about both Chise and Elias has been great throughout these first 12 episodes. It's even greater how any instance we do learn something new is always motivated by the characters' journeys in the present.

Although The Ancient Magus' Bride is generally good at these kinds of reveals, I could have done with slightly less Nevin spelling the importance of connections out for us and Chise. The idea is nicely established with Lindel's explanation of how the stones that will become the eyes of Chise's bird wand shine just enough to light her way after absorbing a thousand years of light. He passes on this light, acquired through time, from his acquaintance to his apprentice's apprentice, who will use it and the power of her own bonds to create a new light so bright it knocks even Lindel's socks off.

After Chise reaches the border between worlds on a giant swing (given Nevin's comment on how the place looks different to everyone, I found this very cute) and has her heartfelt conversation, we cut back to the wand's now shimmering eyes that, just like Nevin, still see all the truth. Her wand isn't just made from Nevin's branch, forever linking her to the first soul she subconsciously helped after becoming Elias' apprentice. It's also part of something much greater, a connection through time to the mages that came before her. The idea of her wand as a physical representation of herself, her personal bonds, and her connection to the greater magical world is inspiring, and it's all there in those shimmering eyes, at which point Nevin could have stopped talking to give us the chance to let it sink in without rubbing in the fact that really everyone will arrive at that place eventually. I realize that's just me being extra sensitive to over-explanation, and if he had shut up, we'd not have been treated to his some words ripen with age, but some also lose their color line, so what was lost in subtlety was made up for in quotability.

Not everything this week is as satisfying as the phoenix's flight. The whole scene of Lindel and Chise preceding the grand finale is animated sparsely. Treating us to a reprise of Lindel's song unfortunately emphasizes rather than glosses over the visual shortcomings. The music is much too grand for random cuts between characters awkwardly standing around in long shots, and the discrepancy and repetition make the song lose its power.

Despite this, The Ancient Magus' Bride first cour has timed its ending well. Chise has risen from the ashes, even through she still falls asleep immediately after using magic, further stalling her much needed talk with Elias. But they have all the time they need to be honest about their feelings in the second cour, hopefully before what sounds like Jouji Nakata shows up to cause havoc. Let them be happy for a while. I want to see more of the expression Chise has in the bathtub: matured, beautiful, and so much more at peace with herself. And that axolotl creature riding one of those sheep dragonfly thingies has to be the cutest thing of the season.

Rating: B

The Ancient Magus' Bride is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Anne is a translator and fiction addict who writes about anime at Floating Words and on Twitter.