English Dub Review: The Ancient Magus’ Bride “Better to ask the way than go astray”

Between the borders.

Overview:

Chise finishes constructing her wand, but when she interacts with it, she’s no longer in the Land of Dragons.

Our Take:

Lindel helps Chise construct her wand, and she wakes up to see Nevin once again. Because his branch became her wand, and to show his gratitude toward Chise helping him in his last moments, his fate is connected with hers. They meet on the precipice between life and death, but Chise’s depiction if it isn’t violent, but serene.

Chise confesses out loud that her parents both abandoning her left a mark on her heart. While she is fond of Elias, she purposefully makes herself more of a wallflower to seem more ‘palatable’. If she doesn’t speak up or talk about her desires, then Elias will have no reason to throw her out. Her emotionless facade is merely a self-defense mechanism.

Nevin counters with the idea that Elias has never once mentioned getting rid of her once she is no longer ‘useful’, and has never hinted at it either. If he hasn’t been inclined toward it, then it’s unlikely that it will happen- or that she needs to fear it. While her parents did abandon her, Nevin mentions that most parents in the wild will kill their young to ensure their own survival, but Chise’s mom chose to keep Chise alive. It doesn’t mean what they did was right, but they did allow Chise to survive and be where she is now.

Like the phoenix she temporarily transforms into, Chise is reborn. She flies to Elias, completely intent on making her feelings known. When she sleeps, she isn’t tormented by her mother’s suicide but remembers a time with her family when they were all happy. While this by no means erases the trauma she endured, it gives her a sense of hope that she doesn’t always have to be tormented by it.

Magus Bride is a quietly hopeful story, and this episode, in particular, brings up a point that I adore– that even if you loathe yourself, to write yourself off as nothing isn’t the right thing to do. After all, you have surely helped someone out there, made them feel better, do something that’s worth your existence. To frown on your life is to belittle the appreciation and thanks of those who have helped you. That’s honestly a pretty powerful thing, and with Chise’s layered self-loathing, it was an excellent wake-up call.

Score
9.5/10