A really whimsical, intriguing start of a story. I enjoyed the dragon part immensely. It’s just a little uncomfortable? Elias directly stated Chise has “no choice” in the matter of becoming a mage or becoming his wife...after her bought her...at a slave auction. 😐 so there’s that. I think I’ll check out the next volume, but I’m REALLY hoping those issues are addressed and not romanticized. ( )

*3.5 ( )

Story: 6.5 / 10
Characters: 7
Setting: 6.5
Prose: 7.5 ( )

Such a unique story and the world build is great ( )

This was really excellent. Great artwork, really interesting story, and well constructed world. I'm excited for the next volume. ( )

If I was given this when I was 12 or 13, this would have been my complete jam. A twist on a classic fairytale, romance, magic, mystery, dragons.

The pacing is breakneck, but it jumps from setting to setting, skipping around in a manner that maintains pace but feels disorganized and dizzying. I really enjoy the character design for Elias - the other art is solid but Elias really stands out from the bunch. Chise overall doesn't have much character yet beyond Tragic Personal History™, but I can at least appreciate her journey from a withdrawn and depressive state.

I really wanted to give this 3 stars, but was too squicked out. No, not from potential monster romance. She's 15! She was bought as a slave! He forcibly took off her clothes on day one! Again - if I was 12 or 13 I'd think nothing of it...but I am an adult, and can't ignore the issues with consent present here. ( )

a whole island of cats? who talk? sign me the fuck up ( )

I'm here because of the anime.

Plot: An eccentric magus purchases a girl at an auction. An auction. Why? So, she can be his apprentice. Turns out she's also a Slay Vega, a rare human who, not only has the Sight, but somewhat like a magical lightning rod and battery.

Volume 1 perfectly sets up what mysteries are there to be solved in the over-ARC: 1) Who is Chise and what is her background?; 2) What is a Slay Vega; 3) Who is Elias Ainsworth and why does he look like that?; 4) Are they master and apprentice or fiances? (Elias says both. You're weirder than the common bonehead, Elias); 5) What impact will this couple have on the magical world they live in (they are like the latest entertainment of fae reality TV). 6) Dragons that look like Disneyfied dinosaurs.

Art: I am a bit spoiled with Arina Tanemura with her full backgrounds, but Mahoutsukai no Yome's art is full-bodied and nuanced. Chibi characters are always A+.

Pacing: I want to say it's progressing at a normal pace; but like what I felt when I watched the anime, it was slow for me... well, not slow per se, but there's a sense of detachment that always comes with being otherworldly - a quietness.

Overall: If I'm going to describe and compare this with other materials I've read, the words I will use are: whimsical, otherworldly, nostalgic. ( )

This was an excellent start to this fantasy/steampunk manga series. I really loved all the wonderful world-building, magic, characters, and the intriguing story.

Chise has been purchased by the Thorn Mage and he wants to make her his apprentice. Chise goes from being a slave to suddenly being immersed in a world of faeries, dragons, and magic that she could never have imagined existed.

This manga was beautifully illustrated and full of amazing characters. I loved the world and the intricacy of the plot. A ton happens in this volume and I found it all really intriguing.

Overall I thought this was one of the best opening volumes to a manga that I have ever read. I loved the intricate story, world-building, characters, and magical creatures. I definitely plan to continue the series and can’t wait to see what happens next! ( )

This is a gentle romance about an arranged marriage of sorts. An inhuman mage with little understanding of emotions purchases a woman with great magic potential who has been beaten down by life. He takes her as his first apprentice and intended bride and, having no other prospects, she goes along. Together they fight magic crimes and slowly discover ways to fix each other. It's a little too slow and gentle at times, but this is the sort of series I could enjoy reading for years. ( )

4 out of 5 stars on Looking Glass Reads.

I am very late to the party on this one. Usually I keep up with each season’s anime releases, but alas, I’ve fallen behind. But a new anime usually means amazon discounts on its corresponding manga, so I picked up the first volume of The Ancient Magus’ Bride by Kore Yamazaki.

Chise Hatori is the main character, a Japanese girl who was orphaned at a young age. She has long since gave up on everything, entering the realms of magical beings and was previously sold into slavery. When she is purchased at auction by an ancient, inhuman magus, Elias Ainsworth, Chise is given a new lease on life. Suddenly she finds herself freed and apprenticed to a mage. Now she has the ability to move forward – to learn about magic, her potential, and to heal.

Despite being slow paced, the manga wastes no time in introducing the characters and the situation. There isn’t any superfluous chapters introducing the world, the characters, or their circumstances. Instead it opens with Chise being auctioned off and immediately delves into thick of things. The background of Chise is introduced slowly throughout the course of the novel, never having flashbacks that are too long or slow the momentum of the story.

The majority of the volume takes place in rural England. This is a place where magic abounds. Each chapter explores some new magical place or aspect. Elias is often called away to other places, usually throughout England but to other places as well, to assist in magic related conundrums. As his new assistant, Chise follows him on these missions and learns about the magical world. Sometimes she assists directly. Other times she takes the role of an observer.

The magical world portrayed in this manga has a sort of addicting quality. I haven’t wanted to read something solely to see how the magical world evolves for a very long time. This is a manga that captures that same elusive magic, that feeling of pure otherworldliness, as Harry Potter. Is it anything like Harry Potter in any other aspect? As far as I can tell, no. But the world the story is set in feels absolutely magical, and is one I want to linger in.

One of the only things that felt just a little out of place was the ‘you will be my bride’ aspect. This isn’t something that’s really spoken of much in the manga. Elias merely states that Chise will be his fiancé and that is that. I’m not sure at this point if this is done for some kind of plot reason, if it’s done for laughs, or if it’s used to show how out of touch with social norms Elias is, as he is shown to not go out or interact with people (human’s at least) very often. When looking at the volume as a whole there were some scenes in chapter one which felt a little bit out of place in tone, but didn’t really bother me. I know some readers don’t like an early scene where Elias tells Chise to take a bath and that he’ll scrub her clean. Elias doesn’t seem to understand why Chise says no and that she’ll do it herself. I can see why some people don’t like this, but I took the events as Elias trying to care for the girl, and overstepping human social norms. After all, what does he know about human social norms? He’s one of the last magic users, someone with immense power, who doesn’t have a flesh body, or at least a flesh head.

Either way, the rest of this volume doesn’t feature other scenarios like this, making it stand out and feel a bit odd in concept.

The art in this book is quite clean. Characters are well designed. Eyes, particularly those of Chise, are extremely expressive. The sense of magic comes through clearly. There are some wonderful spreads throughout the manga. Backgrounds tend to have a good amount of detail, showing off the magical aspect or else the light and beauty of the natural world.

This is definitely a series I will be continuing with. The world the story is set in is filled with magic and fascinating creatures. Honestly, I would continue reading just to experience more of this world. If you like rich fantasy worlds you will definitely want to check out this manga.
( )

This was really excellent. Great artwork, really interesting story, and well constructed world. I'm excited for the next volume.

Well-done, psychological. ( )

This starts with the heroine, Chise Hatori, being sold in an auction. Her new owner is Elias Ainsworth, a mage with some kind of animal skull (bull?) for a head. Elias tells Chise that she’s to be his new apprentice. He removes her chains and even gives her her own room. It’s hard to believe that all of this doesn’t come with strings attached - and then Elias tells Chise that he also plans to make her his bride.

You’d think that’d be the start of something awful and creepy, except Elias doesn’t actually do anything. He takes Chise to town, where she meets Angelica Purley, an artificer and one of the world’s last witches. Chise also meets other acquaintances of Elias, including Simon Cullum, a priest, and Lindel, caretaker of dragons, and learns more about what Elias meant when he called her a “sleigh beggy.”

So far, so good. I’m crossing my fingers that this is going to turn out to be a sweet “found family” story, because Chise could certainly use it, poor girl. Elias’s sudden “oh, by the way, I also brought you here to make you my bride” revelation was a bit creepy, but it helped that he didn’t seem particularly inclined to do anything about it after that. I’d really like to know more details about his plans for Chise, but the tone of this volume tells me that there probably isn’t anything to worry about. I hope?

My favorite of Elias’ acquaintances so far is Angelica. I realized later on that she reminded me strongly of Fullmetal Alchemist’s Izumi. I’m also interested in Lindel, although that character’s introduction was a bit off-putting.

As far as the ending of the volume goes, the stuff with the cats reminds me of something, but I can’t remember what. A short story? Folktale? I’m not sure.

My primary complaints about this series, at this point, are that it’s unclear when this is set (I thought it was historical, but characters kept referencing computers whenever they tried to explain how magic worked), and the more action-filled moments are occasionally a bit hard to follow. Also, Chise has mostly just been dragged around by Elias so far. No questions, no testing the boundaries of her current life with Elias - she just goes along with Elias and gets rescued when things go awry. Granted, she’s had a hard life so far, was only just recently considered a thing to be sold, and wouldn’t have anywhere else to go even if she did try to leave. I look forward to seeing how she acts after she’s had more time to adjust to her new life.

Extras:

- A picture of the layout of the living room in Elias' house.

- "Silky's Diary," a four-panel comic from Silky's POV shortly after Chise joined the household.

- Two full-color illustrations.

- A one-page comic-style afterword from the author. This first volume of The Ancient Magus' Bride is apparently only Yamazaki's third published volume.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) ( )

I love this new series! Fairies, magic, witches, dragons, humor, strangeness! All rolled into one volume. Can't wait to read the next book! ( )

A pleasantly weird supernatural story; probably a romance, but it's hard to tell so far. The pace is gentle but not dragging, and I like the peculiar world of magic and its creatures that's slowly building up (including a nice Lovecraft shout-out). There's still plenty I don't really understand, but I don't mind. The characters are intriguing and rather guarded so far, and I look forward to find out more about them. ( )

Interesting to see how Japanese culture views British Folklore.
Excellent art and well paced story. ( )