English Dub Review: The Ancient Magus’ Bride “Any port in a storm”

Back to the auction.

Overview:

A dragon has been taken, and the College is tasked to recover it.

Our Take:

Empathy is absolutely key this episode. Cartaphilus is behind the dragon kidnapping, and Chise uses her intuition to figure out where he is. While she has no place or reason to aid in the dragon recovery, she is still insistent on doing so. The dragons mean a lot to her, and so she does all in her power to make sure that they can come home safe. Elias points out that she’s in no position to put herself in more danger and

In the auction, Chise also expends herself. She isn’t putting herself on the line with magic, but she’s still pushing herself forward. The College only has a set budget, but Chise has some funding from her own sale. As both product and auctioneer, she is able to retain a percentage of the money Elias used to buy her, which puts her in a position of financial power. While she can only wait until the dragon is free, she still has some leverage, despite being in unfamiliar territory. Sure enough, without Chise’s financial backing, the College wouldn’t have been able to win the auction.

Chise is also attuned to the dragon’s feelings. While this is likely part of her abilities as a Sleigh Beggy, it also comes from her empathy. It’s not that the dragon is a rare creature, its kidnapping breaks magical laws, or that the request came from a person of power– Chise volunteered because she wants to save the dragon. So she becomes aware of its feelings; its fear, confusion, and helplessness, that ends up morphing into a curse. The episode ends with the dragon breaking free and starting to rampage, with Chise caught up in the middle of it. It’s empathy that allowed her to extend a hand, and hopefully, it will be her empathy that ends it.