LogFAQs > #967285121

225. The Ancient Magus Bride
https://myanimelist.net/anime/35062/Mahoutsukai_no_Yome
Fall 2017 (24 episodes), plus 2 OVAs
My Score: 3/10, MAL Score: 8.07/10
Best Character: Ruth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuZbmLLv1vM

Premise: Hatori Chise, a depressed young woman, sells herself at an auction to Elias Ainsworth, a powerful magus. As his apprentice, she learns magic and explores a whole new world.

The Good: The two OVA episodes were great. They were whimsical and fun, and they left me with high expectations for the series. The series itself often had nice locations and situations.

The Bad: Chise was such a boring protagonist. It was fine early on, I understand that she was depressed, but I dont recall her ever improving. She stumbled from one situation to the next with a bland expression on her face, always looking like she had no opinion about what was happening around her. She would encounter the most beautiful or fantastical situations and just not react. Elias was a far more interesting character due to having little understanding of human norms. The relationship between him and Chise was never explored in an interesting way, though. I blame Chise for that too. Even when Elias did something that really shouldve changed things, Chise effectively shrugged her shoulders and status quo remained.

Overall: The Ancient Magus Bride did some interesting things, but they never felt interesting when ultra-bland protagonist Chise was the one reacting to them. The OVAs were really good, and while I havent rewatched them in awhile Im betting its because theyre set further into the timeline after Chise finds a personality. The anime itself, set when she just stared at things and didnt care about anything, didnt appeal to me at all. I think some new OVA episodes have come out recently but I havent watched them yet.