The Ancient Magus' Bride: Those Awaiting a Star

Spoiler free review So The Ancient Magus' Bride is a show I'm eagerly waiting for when Fall 2017 finally decides to arrive. I have not touched the manga so I knew little about it, but the synopsis and the magical elements piqued my interest enough to check out this prequel OVA that took a year to finish airing 3 eps. After finishing it, I'm not exactly sure why this was necessary. The plot is simply a back story to the main girl Chise Hatori, seeing what her life was like as a child way before she found the world of magic. The drama shown during these episodesare pretty standard, we've all seen the same type of scenario before. You have the struggles of a strange and lonely orphan trying to find a place to call home, (The Ugly Duckling) and the forsaken love of a mysterious librarian. (similar to The Little Mermaid, and no not the happy Disney version) To be honest, this didn't do much to get me invested into the main series, as it felt kinda pointless to see the past of these characters that I have never met before I've actually gotten to know more about them. There is not given much reason to actually care about Chise, you’re just suddenly given a character that you're supposed to like and feel sorry for. This may have been enough for some people to care about her, say they have read the source and/or are able to relate to her as a character, but I personally feel that I needed to see more from Chise before I could actually see her as someone I should harbour feelings towards. Maybe if I had read the manga I would have enjoyed it more, but as someone that's never watched or read anything else from the series, I'm just left with a lacklustre taste in my mouth. I'd recommend watching this after the main series is finished airing or at least reading a decent amount of the manga, it might have been more impactful if I had actually gotten to know who these people are before delving into their previous lives. As something to start off an anime adaptation, I enjoyed the experience but I'm not too impressed with this OVA. Send feedback if you have any, thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts on this!

It was a beautiful story although it only lasted for three episodes. Keep in mind that there's a full length series coming this October. I've never read the manga and I don't intend to read until the I've finished watching the upcoming anime series. So, in this review, I'll only be talking about what I think only from watching the OVA. Story(8/10) The story was beautiful. If you haven't read the manga, you'll be kinda confused at first but not that much. As far as I see, the OVA mainly focus on Chise's backstory. And I have to say, it was very good. From the first episode,it might seem like it's very slow paced but the main story kicks in starting from the second episode. And the pacing and the story matches very well. And at the of the 3rd episode, it might make some people teary. Art(9/10) There's nothing really I can say about it except it was amazing. The characters look good and sceneries are breath taking. But I can't help but feel that they could have done a little better considering this was made by the same studio which took part in production of Attack on Titan anime. Sound(7/10) The sound tracks did't stood out that much but I have to say, it matches the story and setting very well. And he sound track did make the anime more beautiful. Character(8/10) The characters are pretty awesome. You won't see any of the character archetypes that you often see in other animes. But each characters were charming in their own way. Enjoyment(10/10) What can I really say apart from that it was really awesome. I waited for 1 and a half years for these 3 episodes and I'd say it was worth the wait. It was everything I hoped it to be and even more. Overall (9/10) Overall, this is a kind of anime that you won't really find that often. And it's still just an OVA and there'll be a full length anime series coming October. It might take the anime fandom by a storm or it might become a hidden Ruby among the anime fandom. These 3 episodes were conducted really well and makes me hyped for the upcoming series.

*some spoilers for Mahoutsukai no Yome: Hoshi Matsu Hito* Literature is an interesting, often captivating medium, filled with immaculate descriptions, and exciting worlds to explore with your imagination as you read the carefully thought out words of an author who built that portal for your mind. Some may say that with the advent of animation and film becoming truly mainstream, that literature has become someone of an under-appreciated medium. The Mahoutsukai no Yome OVA, above all else, is a tragic yet pleasant reminder of the power of a story, especially the power it has on a child. Falling just shy of true greatness, it manages to stillachieve dramatic tension and absolute pleasantry, seeping into captivation. It's a major appeal of literature, especially for a child, in which this OVA captures greatly. As you know, this OVA is a prologue about the childhood of Chise, and it's a pretty tragic one, showing pretty well how Chise became the more reserved and quiet girl we knew today. She’s a decently strong protagonist facing a ton of childhood hardship due to what she sees and the isolation and scorn that comes of it, and it's tough to see her become so melancholy to the point where it seems like she may snap into tears at any moment, which she only does when something happy occurs in her life. Unfortunately, it doesn't show how she came into her current residence or how she began the study of magic, and given that this is a world in which magic still exists despite many people living without seeing magic or magical creatures, we never actually see any magic. Regardless, it's still a decently bittersweet tale, especially when Chise meets Riichi, a decent character/man who still struggles with guilt and anxiety over his promise and always wants the door closed to keep certain dark creatures away. You can tell how this ends. None of the other characters get a chance to really shine thanks to the time limitations of this OVA, but for what they were, they were decently pleasant additions (especially the ever-wise Elias and Silky, who keeps an annoyed state when her food is neglected), though as you’ll see soon, I find the best partly these characters to be the lovely character designs. Still, Chise carries this narrative on her unfortunate shoulders, as we see things from her perspective given that she narrates the bulk of the story to the cast. Yet we see some things from when she is asleep at some points, which is odd. I do have a few other minor gripes. Riichi saying his last words after being bitten borderline in half wrings hollow in this scene due to the fact that it’s insanely convenient. I heard someone say that this means he died a long time ago given the current age of the person he made a promise to, so his spirit was trapped in the library. However things are so unclear that he may as well have just gained immortality (the kind that can be revoked by being killed), and given that he interacts with the physical realm still, that seems more plausible, if still unclear. Also, how come Riichi’s and Chise’s eyes grow red when reading? If it's meant to be conveyed that they're emotionally unstable, not only was that already cleared up beforehand, but it is in and of itself a bit hamfisted, especially thanks to that. If no, we don't know why. There are a few other minor ones but I forgot them, so meh. Again, let me make it clear that none of these are major gripes but they do add up and prevent this story from truly reaching the greatness it could've had. It's still an emotionally resonant narrative with a nice protagonist and an ability to captivate us, so don't try to make it out to be that I find the story bad, but even with the very limited time it had, it could've done more. I can definitely forgive a few things thanks to this insanely limited run and the fact that it is ultimately a prologue. So, what else made the narrative captivating other than the protagonist and emotional resonance? Well, that should be quite obvious, dear viewers… WIT Studio was the main team in charge of this production and it looks really nice. The character designs are fantastic, with special mention going to the designs of Elias, Angelica, and Chise. The visuals are certainly captivating not due to the admittedly solid animation or the CGI furniture that only looks ok, but for the designs of everything from the creatures to the characters. The water fairies, in particular, are wonderful designs and again the actual character designs adapted by Hitotaka Hatou and done by Kore Yamazaki look lovely as well. The environments are also very pleasant to look at, especially in the scene where Riichi reads the picture book Chise treasures and we see all sorts of stars and galaxies in the sky. This, above all else really drew me in when watching, making an already sort of nice viewing experience that much better. The background OST is a pretty nice one that has decently pleasant, sometimes softly melancholic music, all of which fit rather well with the scenarios at hand, even if none of them are inherently standout tracks. There is also no OP theme, which felt weird, but the ED theme, “CLOCKWORK QUICK AND LIGHTNING SLOW" by Julia Shortreed, fits this exact same description as the rest of the tracks, so it's not very memorable, but it's decently melancholic. Like a good book, this anime drew me in. While it regrettably falls short from true greatness, even taking its inherent nature into account, it was a very relaxing and enjoyable anime to watch. As per its role, it made me eagerly anticipate the main body title that would follow this work. For doing it so gracefully, I commend this short series.

魔法使いの嫁 星待つひと - Mahoutsukai no Yome: Hoshi Matsu Hito, the OVA gives a touching insight into the world of protagonist Hatori, Chise. Although this slice of life begins tragically, you will be deeply moved by the depiction of her childhood as an orphan. Story: tragic but beautiful and well paced, allowing the viewer to easily follow the plot (9/10) Whether you know the manga by Yamazaki, Kore or not, if you approach this OVA with an open mind, you will definitely enjoy it, if only because of the beautiful parallels to famous novels such as "Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens, "The Neverending Story" by Michael Ende orthe play "Pygmalion" (better known as "My Fair Lady") by George Bernard Shaw. The story begins in foggy London and the first character we meet is Angelica Barley. She runs a workshop for magical tools and is a technician for the Magus Craft. Her little helper, Hugo, belongs to the genus of the Vodyanoi, or water fairies. The parcel that the two of them are preparing contains a very special gift. When it arrives at its destination, the estate of sorcerer Elias Ainsworth, somewhere in the west of London, it triggers a flashback that reveals Chise's forgotten memories. This is the world into which these three episodes seek to take us. Character: Good, but too short to develop every personality (8/10) The characters' behaviour is reasonably, self-contained and understandable, even if you don't know how it came about. Chise as a little orphan is a good example. She behaves like someone who is alone and gets no help from anyone because no one understands her or even wants to listen to her. But Chise's world changes when she meets Riichi Miura. He is the librarian and the one who welcomes Chise to the library of the forest. Miura has a gentle personality, a bit awkward, but kind and honest. Incidentally, as Elias points out, the Library of the Forest is based on real Japanese folklore called Mayoiga. It can be read in "Legends of Tono" by Kunio Yanagita. You may need a little patience, but your reward will be a wonderful and touching story. Three episodes are not enough to fully flesh out all the characters, but the description of Chise and Elias does a good job of making them both understandable and sympathetic. It also makes you want to know more about their relationship and the other characters. The TV series "Mahoutsukai no Yome" will certainly satisfy that wish, and you might also be interested in reading my review of the TV series. Visuals: Art and animation quality are simply beautiful and enjoyable (9/10). Both the art and the animation are very pleasing to the eye. The experienced staff in the art department is certainly one reason for that. Directed by Takeda, Yusuke (other works: Shirobako, Eden of the East), the art impresses with beautifully detailed backgrounds, such as the forest library, as well as expressive character designs. It may seem like a small thing, but the increase in colour and brightness in situations where the plot takes Chise to a more beautiful setting is very pleasing. It reflects her emotional state very well. Certainly there are similarities with many other famous anime. I was reminded of Studio Ghibli's qualities by some of the aspects I noticed. For one, Tamura, Seiki is one of the art designers. He was also a background artist for the anime "Princess Mononoke". Then there is the mysterious creature with a shadowy body (in this case made of mice) that wears a mask. A similar creature called "No Face" also appears in the anime "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi - Spiriting Away". CGI is not usually my cup of tea, but here it was used very attractively. What matters is not whether CG has been used, but how. There are ways to use CG very well. The art and animation of this show is just beautiful to look at. Sounds: Beautiful, supportive, accentuating and appealing (9/10). The music underlines the atmosphere very well. For example, I liked the scene where Angelica starts to prepare the parcel, and as she talks to Hugo, the orchestral symphonic BGM begins gently. The music slowly increases and is complemented by some sound effects - in this case bubbles and water splashing. Anglica's own intervention stops the BGM, which makes this scenario even funnier. Just a small thing, but I like this kind of thing, and also that the speech performance is not disturbed by the music, but rather emphasises each other. The voice acting leaves nothing to be desired. I especially liked the voice of Angelica, which was given to the character by Kaida Yuuko. Her voice is a little deeper and beautifully clear. A beautiful and very rare case of a great realisation that combines the professionalism of understanding the story, its characters and a carefully imaginative adaptation of the very beautiful source material. Overall, a wonderful introduction to the world of "The Ancient Magus Bride". Thank you for reading, and have fun watching!