The Ancient Magus' Bride

It looked so beautiful, however, it was mostly just so… hollow and empty... 5.5/10. (02/27/2023)

What a pleasant surprise! After the initial season and subsequent OVA, I had nearly lost hope of reconnecting with this enchanting world, reminiscent of the magic I felt during the very first OVA episode. Yet, this series defied expectations in a way I deemed nearly impossible. It's astounding to think that to reignite my fascination with The Ancient Magus' Bride, all it took was the addition of a magical academy. But that's precisely what happened. What changed, you may ask? In the OVA series, I distinctly voiced my concerns about The Ancient Magus' Bride, noting how the authors fail to fully flesh out the world and construct a compelling narrative around it. Well, consider those concerns a thing of the past. The expansion and deepening of the world by introducing the magical academy worked wonders. Suddenly, the world gained newfound depth and dimension. No longer confined to a simple exploration of mythical creatures in the countryside, the story blossomed into a grander scale. It no longer revolved solely around a select few characters; instead, we were thrust into a vast magical realm where wizards attend a school , which is not just a lame imitation of Hogwarts like in Mashle, and has its own set of rules offering a captivating blend of the mundane and the mystical. This wider canvas introduced me to a plethora of new characters and storylines, branching out and converging in unexpected ways. Finally, I found myself fully engrossed, eagerly anticipating each new development. What's more, many of these storylines found satisfying resolutions, a testament to the series' adept handling of its characters. Well, maybe with Philomela it was also influenced by the fact that I had in mind the story of Chise and I saw various small parallels thanks to which I was able to feel sorry for the first one and admire the second one. It turns out that even that empty first season might not have been completely empty for me. An excellent story with a satisfying ending, the magical world is finally truly magical, but also deep and engaging, and I want to know more not only about its creatures but also about all the people who are in it. And while the change in studio did become apparent (I never noticed such a stark contrast in the OVA series), the visual quality, unfortunately, didn't quite match the excellence of the first season by WiT Studio. While commendable in their efforts, Studio Kafka seemed to be running out of breath towards the end of the second part. They occasionally relied heavily on computer effects and encountered minor hiccups, and it was slightly less visually captivating this time. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this season. I eagerly await what lies ahead (the continuation has been confirmed), and after seven years, I'm delighted to once again award The Ancient Magus' Bride with the highest rating. 8.7/10. (12/21/2023)