Admirable film.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

I really didn't expect an anime to be like this but anyways, it worked out well for me anyways! I liked the fact this series is different because we have never seen a human having a buffalo skeleton as a face before and the fact a young teenage girl like Chise would accept him for who he is. It kinda reminds me of "Beauty and the Beast" but except the beast was way rougher then Elias, when he first met Belle. Whereas Elias was like such a gent even when he bought Chise out of the auction. I tell ya, I wish he was my knight and shining armour if my family didn't look after me. I felt so sorry for Chise like she experienced so much s*it in her life. Her mother killing herself in front of her and the fact, she doesn't know where her father and brother, makes it sadder. What was even more sad is when she was trying to get of that dark thing on the island of cats(?), we experience a spirit of a woman who was killed by a mage and her husband from using cat blood when she was sick with a flu. I warn ya, if you are a cat/animal lover and don't want to see cats being slaughtered, this one is not for you folks!Trying to get into a positive note here, I thought Elias and Chise were so cute together like Elias really didn't need lips to be the kind of guy any girl/guy would like to have. I loved how he always nuzzled Chise with his skeleton buffalo head whenever they want to be close together. I'm so glad that they found each other and became husband & wife <3 It literally does melt your heart if you ask me!Really good romantic anime and nicely strange, I give this a 8/10!

The Ancient Magus' Bride is a wonderfully weird anime series. Even though "the mage's apprentice" theme is a pretty common trope, the show feels unique and is unlike anything I've ever seen. I enjoyed it start to finish, even though it feels more like a setup for following seasons than a standalone. The main antagonist is introduced early on, and seems to pose a serious threat, but is then soon forgotten about to make place for world building and (side)character development. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but the first season of this show does lack plot and mainly focuses on the main characters bonding with each other, and meeting all kinds of different characters in all kinds of different places. Although present, exorbitant use of magic is rare, so don't expect a flashy action-packed experience.As of now I rate TAMB 8/10 stars, but it could very well turn into a 9/10 rating if all the setup pays off in later seasons. The show is a breath of fresh air and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a pretty and relatively slow paced fantasy themed anime. It's beautifully drawn and benefits highly from hd quality.

So far it sticks really close to the manga, which I am also reading and I love it. The characters are all so individually important you don't notice until you final something new about them and then you fall in love with them all over again. The relationship between Elias and Chise is very interesting to watch because its not your traditional roles but you can still see those moments in them. The only way to describe the visual effects is breath taking. Despite being so very colorful this anime really touches on sensitive subjects and raw emotions to a new level that I've never seen an anime or a manga do before. So that is why I give it and its OVAs 10 stars and I can't wait to see what happens next!!

The Ancient Magus' Bride is a Japanese fantasy shounen manga series written and illustrated by Kore Yamazaki. (Frau Faust, Futari no Renai Shoka). The series is published in Japan by Mag Garden in its Monthly Comic Garden magazine. The manga is also licensed in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment. Wit Studio produced a three-part prequel OVA of the manga, and an anime television series is currently airing. Mahoutsukai no Yome: Hoshi Matsu Hito follows Chise Hatori, a 15 years old girl. Being absolutely alone and having no place to go, the girl is bought for money by a non-human mage named Elias. Having seen the unpleasant part of life, the girl finds herself in a new family. To her big surprise, she is now Elias' apprentice, as well as his future wife. Chise enjoys her new peaceful life, when she suddenly receives a book from her past, which introduces us to her tragic backstory. This piece is a prequel to Chise's encounter with the Thorn Sorcerer.Having read plot's summary it might be too difficult for one to understand the anime's main idea and it is close to impossible to do so, because Mahoutsukai no Yome: Hoshi Matsu Hito is a backstory and shows only Chise's childhood. You will be shown her tragic childhood and you will not get an idea of what is going to happen in the anime's TV series, which is currently airing. Anyways, enough with that long introduction. This OAV did a good job explaining most of the needed for Chise's story things; yet, there is still a great deal of questions that should be answered. But let us give the TV series an opportunity to answer these questions.The real magic of this anime, of course, is its visuals and soundtrack. Do not get me wrong, it is not the only gem of this anime. Anyways, the anime's visuals amazingly help the viewer find themselves in a very beautiful, but also in very dramatic fairytale. I would describe Mahoutsukai no Yome: Hoshi Matsu Hito as an anime somewhat similar to Ghibli pieces, but more realistic and perhaps even more dramatic. Sound wise, the anime also does its job introducing the viewer to this piece. Not only the OST, but also characters did simply an amazing job. Character wise, the OAV focuses on Chise's backstory. She is the main character and the titular character of the story. Her existence can be described as an unwanted child that should just have stopped its existence. Yet, Chise is not just a child, because she is able to see what other humans cannot; this supernatural power does not give her happiness only grief and harm. That said, taking into consideration the fact that this OAV only introduces us to the story of the main series, I have to say that it does its job pretty well. Please do not think that this anime is a pure romance, harem, or anything else. (It has nothing to do with harem, though). Indeed, the anime's synopsis screams that there should be romance, but everything is not that easy. The Ancient Magus' Bride OAV is an excellent prequel to the TV anime's series that will introduce you to a heartbreaking story of a future sorcerer Chise. Overall, I give this prequel a very weak 10/10. As a prequel, it is simply near-flawless. It has been awhile since I last saw such beautiful and tragic fairytale, with a grain of realism, too. I highly recommend this masterpiece for all anime fans. It might be; however, boring, but, please, do be patient and you will be rewarded.