English Dub Review: The Ancient Magus’ Bride “Nothing seek, nothing find”

Your worst enemy isn’t so different.

Overview:

Chise delves into Joseph’s mind and his past.

Our Take:

The last episode we got a glimpse into Chise’s past, and this time we encounter Joseph’s.

As it turns out, Joseph hasn’t always been Cartaphilus, but used to live as a gravedigger in medieval times. He could communicate with the dead, so he was always shunned by the townspeople and treated as sub-human. By chance, he encounters Cartaphilus, who asks him for help in a fit of desperation. Joseph then does everything he can to help Cartaphilus, to repay the immense gratitude he feels towards someone coming to him for help.

Turns out, Joseph was incredibly lonely. He didn’t think very highly of himself, and so was moved when someone finally trusted him enough to ask for help. Unfortunately, that same excitement slowly becomes frustration because Cartaphilus’ curse is so strong. He can’t be cured of it by normal means, and so he remains in a constant state of decay. There’s no getting better, and there’s no getting worse. Through a moment of insanity, Joseph comes to an impromptu conclusion- he and Cartaphilus fuse so that Cartaphilus can be free of his curse and Joseph can leave his small town.

Not everything is that simple, for even when switching bodies, the curse refuses to leave. Joseph begins to decay, and only by grafting body parts onto himself can he beat back the curse. He starts to forget who he is, even if Cartaphilus still recalls Joseph as a distinct person. When Joseph realizes who Cartaphilus is, he’s furious for being forced to suffer a sin that isn’t his own.

Joseph is terrified of his own curse and desperate to be free. The pain of decaying isn’t something he can tolerate anymore, and so he’s willing to do anything to be rid of it. This encompasses the homunculus experiments and rampant bodysnatching. Because they share body parts, Chise is able to understand him, and so she is in the best position to stop him. It’s unclear what she’s planning, but we’ll have to wait until next week to find out.

Overall, a clever look at Joseph’s motivations. Following Chise’s episode last week, having this one devoted to Joseph was a good call.

Score
10.0/10