The Ancient Magus' Bride

This anime series is centred on fifteen year old Chise Hatori, a girl who can see supernatural beings. After a childhood full of sadness she allows herself to be sold to Elias Ainsworth, a mage with an animal skull for a head who later intends to marry her. She moves into his house in England. Here she is treated as his apprentice; learning more about herself and the supernatural world that interacts with ours. Some of the beings she encounters are friendly, others are mischievous and some are malicious. They are all drawn to her because of what she is; a Sleigh Beggy... a magus capable of drawing on the magic of her surroundings at the cost of her health.

This is one of the best anime series I've seen in some time; the story is interesting from start to finish and provokes a range of emotions from sorrow to joy. The characters have real depth with Chise making a great protagonist. Elias Ainsworth is an interesting character; sympathetic yet slightly ambiguous. The world shown beautifully combines the fantastical and the real; the creators perfectly capture the feel of the part of England in which it is set; when they go to town it isn't an imaginary place but a realistic view of the village of Bourton on the Water that anybody who has been there will instantly recognise. This doesn't mean there is no ugliness in this world; there is often a real sense of threat and even some gore that is likely to disturb more sensitive viewers. Overall I'd definitely recommend this beautifully rendered modern fairy tale.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

Defo recomendable. Art music story etc all really good imo the calm atompshoere at times really makes the series good

There are so many stunning scenes in this anime, it has elements of old english mythology and has very interesting characters and character designs, Elias in particuar I find to be a very interesting character . It has deep emotions and a great soundtrack which somehow balances celtic and japanease music wonderfully. I highly recommend this series, although warning it can get a little dark at times but it can also be very lighthearted and touching. There are OVAs too which I really recommend watching at some point too.

The show is very beautiful, I wasnt fond of one of the earlier episodes (cat lovers who have seen the show will know). But it was still a good anime, and it's a slice of life so theres not a lot of action but it's funny. I even started reading the manga which is even better. I would recommend watching it.

The Ancient Magus' Bride is a wonderfully weird anime series. Even though "the mage's apprentice" theme is a pretty common trope, the show feels unique and is unlike anything I've ever seen. I enjoyed it start to finish, even though it feels more like a setup for following seasons than a standalone. The main antagonist is introduced early on, and seems to pose a serious threat, but is then soon forgotten about to make place for world building and (side)character development. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but the first season of this show does lack plot and mainly focuses on the main characters bonding with each other, and meeting all kinds of different characters in all kinds of different places. Although present, exorbitant use of magic is rare, so don't expect a flashy action-packed experience.

As of now I rate TAMB 8/10 stars, but it could very well turn into a 9/10 rating if all the setup pays off in later seasons. The show is a breath of fresh air and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a pretty and relatively slow paced fantasy themed anime. It's beautifully drawn and benefits highly from hd quality.