English Dub Review: The Ancient Magus’ Bride “Better bend than break.”

Overview:

Alice and Chise try to sort through their feelings about their complicated relationships with their respective masters.

Our Take:

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Alice’s yet but I liked getting to learn about her in this episode. She is Renfred’s apprentice, and what spurned the conflict of the episode. Elias was having a conversation with Renfred about potentially marrying Alice one day. Renfred proceeded to tell him that he views Alice as a daughter and Alice overheard. This lead to some confusing feelings for Alice. I’m not sure if she has romantic feelings for Renfred but she sure doesn’t see him as a father.

Since she was upset she decided to go stay the night with Chise which is when I learned that apparently, Chise and Elias sleep together. I don’t think anything sexual is happening but it was still interesting. Alice’s situation and previous discussion made Chise want to have a discussion with Elias. After their conversation, I would lean toward thinking that their relationship is more romantic than I previously thought. I know that this is a widely regarded romance anime but I never got that vibe until this episode. So I’m hoping that continues because I love a good romance.