English Dub Review: Once Upon a Witch’s Death “The Bells of Blessings Ring With the Sound of the Waves (Part One)”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Meg and Inori visit Aquamarine, a resort destination with a cutting-edge medical facility.

Our Take:
With the season already heading towards its conclusion, it’s fitting that the series would have to conjure up something magical to cap off the first chapter of Meg’s journey.  That “something” is a two-parter event that introduces viewers to another Sage named Jack, the Sage of Life and the only male member of the magical group who specializes in medical magic at a research city known as Aquamarine.  More importantly, it delves even further into Meg’s origin, as it’s revealed that she was infected with magical contamination at a young age due to a calamity that unfolded years ago.
Her magical contamination also explains how Meg can see things no other witch couldn’t in the previous episodes. It could also possibly be the cause of her Death Sentence curse, though that hasn’t been confirmed yet.  With her magic continuing to grow, this revelation gives Meg a renewed sense of determination to break her curse and remove the contamination from her, perhaps even uncovering more about her mysterious childhood.  But, of course, it’s not without a few setbacks that would disrupt her journey yet again.  One such case is Meg’s collaboration with Jack as they attempt to cure the fifth stage of magical contamination that has mutated a boy into a monster, similar to what happened with Serena.  There’s also a mysterious set of symbols left behind by the city’s guardian, Tethys, who created a barrier and the Bell of Blessings to protect Aquamarine from the tsunamis.
Rather than being another filler episode, “The Bell of Blessings” continues the elements introduced in the previous episode, including Meg’s injured leg caused by her rescue attempt and the purification magic that made her a household name.  The episode also features Meg reuniting with some familiar faces during her stay in Aquamarine, including Mary and Jill from episode eight and Sophie, with the latter possibly having a connection to Tethys’ magic scribbles.  With this latest venture being in two parts, it’s clear that these symbols may play a role in something dangerous for Meg to overcome while finding a medical breakthrough.  The first part of the season’s two-parter may not end on a thrilling note, but it still demonstrates the show’s laid-back slice-of-life tone, which remains as enjoyable as its magical world-building.