English Dub Review: The Ancient Magus’ Bride “Love Conquers All”

Death isn’t pain, but peace.

Overview:

Chise confronts the two sorcerers, and steels herself to purify the corruption. By touching it, she accidentally peers into the past and sees what jumpstarted the tragedy.

Our Take:

More of Chise’s loneliness is revealed this time around when she confronts the two sorcerers. Even if she’s being used, she doesn’t care, because Elias was the first person to treat her kindly. She is willing to stick with him regardless. Her determination comes from finding a place to be since she has a very thin identity, to begin with. To Chise, the strongest thing to have is a home and a support system, and she found that in Elias. That resolution whisks her doubts away and gives her the strength to go through the purification.

The truth behind the corruption is a tragedy. Matthew was driven to extremes after being enticed by a sorcerer. Mina’s body ended up being dissolved by the potion that he made, and Matthew went mad. All of this was because Matthew wanted to save his wife from a lifetime of being bedridden, not because he had any particular grudge against the cats. There’s a saying that people don’t need to commit atrocities because they’re insane- that all they need to do is believe that they’re right. Matthew murdered all the cats because Mina’s life mattered more to him than theirs did, and that was more than enough motivation.

After learning that, Chise is reluctant to banish them. To Chise, death is an escape. It’s not something wholly comforting, just a comfortable alternative to the suffering that would exist normally. To Mina, death and the afterlife aren’t terrifying, but where she was supposed to be all along. Unlike Chise when she was suicidal, it’s not that she doesn’t want to live, but this world isn’t where she belongs. In the end, Chise uses the fairies’ power to peacefully dissolve them and guide them to the afterlife in a gorgeously animated sequence.

This show is really shaping up to be a masterpiece, with strong but subtle character development and continued themes that echo across the series. It’s truly incredible how much is jam-packed in a single episode, without it being rushed or detracting from the story. I’d say that the animation is amazing in every review, but the flower sequence really shined this time around. What a great find of a series.