English Dub Review: The Ancient Magus’ Bride ‘Lovers Ever Run Before the Clock’

Dance of the flowers.

Overview:

Lindel continues his tale of Elias’ past, including a worrisome surprise. Afterward, Chise begins to craft her wand.

Our Take:

We see more of Elias and Lindel’s past, where a misunderstanding causes the two of them to be cast out by an angry mob. Elias is quick to defend Lindel, and just barely stops short of killing the humans attacking them, Lindel describes Elias as having something fundamentally missing, and it’s beyond his not understanding of emotions. Altogether, Elias doesn’t understand himself. He can’t comprehend his emotions, he doesn’t understand his past, and he knows he’s somehow dangerous to humans. He’s previously eaten humans, and sometimes he falls back into the urge to do so again, so he restrains himself. While Elias may seem like an all-knowing figure when it comes to magic, it’s clear that he’s still figuring himself out as well.

Chise is given time to herself to sculpt her wand and experience the land of the dragons. Apart from Elias, she has the time to work for herself, but also reflect on their relationship. She realizes that in the end, she trusts Elias, and wants to stay by his side. While there’s still a lot to communicate, taking the steps to saying what they want and need going forward is a good step in the right direction.

The animation is absolutely gorgeous this time around. It’s truly lovely in every episode, but the flower dance scene was really beautiful. This show is a rarity in that even the off-panels are lovely to look at. The animators really take the time to make sure that the finished product is as beautiful as possible, and they really succeeded. Magus Bride seems to be a rarity in that the animation and the story are both well crafted and reflect each other well, making it a truly lovely experience.

Score
9.5/10