Discussion: The Ancient Magus Bride season 2, episode 1

 The Ancient Magus Bride is a very recent favorite for me, even though it was released in Fall of 2017. I binged season one in the middle of March, because I wanted to find out whether I would be interested in discussing season 2 when I started my channel. If you want a quick recap on how I feel about season 1, I’ll put it like this. The Ancient Magus Bride went from being something I was considering discussing, to being the series I am most eager to watch and discuss with you guys this spring.

The show wastes zero time in reminding me of all the reasons that I love it. The opening music is catchy, and the visuals shown with it shift and flow as if the viewer is free falling. 

Then, we are inside Elias and Chise’s home; as if very little time has passed between the end of the last episode of season one, and the beginning of season 2. We are immediately greeted by someone from the College striving to get Chise to attend. And, as in season 1, Elias wants no part of it.

But the thing that distinguishes this from season one is that, despite his hesitation, he is much more keen to hear how Chise feels about it, and what her desires are. This show of growth from him, right out of the gate, is satisfying. Many series have their characters take one step forward and two steps back on personal development, yet we are getting it from word go here.

And that’s not where it stops. When the man visiting Elias and Chise steps out to give them privacy to talk, Chise explains to Elias that one of the major reasons she wishes to attend is because she wants to learn solutions that can help people, which will not involve bringing harm for herself. 

This means it’s not only Elias who is aware of a major flaw of his personality. Chise is also aware of something she does that drives those around her up the wall. It’s really important to see both of them evolving and maturing, rather than having a situation where it seems like one of them is fine, but the other must change. If they want to have any form of relationship, both must be willing to put in the effort to see to the other’s happiness.

I’ll openly admit that I’m equal parts excited and nervous about the setup for this arc. On one hand, I love magic school settings. The joy of discovering a new place, of making friends, and of seeing a character go through an arc of personal growth. These are all things that tend to resonate with me, as a viewer or a reader. 

Yet Elias, Chise, and the many friends they made during season one, already had an interesting tapestry of connections. Will the College setting be used as a good backdrop to further nurture the bond between them? Or will it overshadow them? That waits to be seen. 

Liza picking a rose off of herself to give to Chise, the Alice in Wonderland esque caterpillar as a school nurse, and the ominous presence of someone listening to Chise and the nurse talking, were all very on point for the kind of storytelling I expect from this series. 

I also found a bit of humor in the idea that Chise got to choose a cat as part of getting settled into the dorms. I’m still a bit confused on what the deal with that was. Is it a mascot? A dorm representative? Something akin to choosing a house in Harry Potter? Time will tell.

And of course we must also remember the key question: what is Ruth gonna think about it?

I’ve got to admit he put me a bit off in this episode. Chise was thinking things, possibly to herself, and he kept going “I don’t know.”. Maybe it’s a me thing, but if I had something doing that inside of me, over and over, as I tried to adjust to a new set of surroundings, that would get on my last nerve. 

Speaking of things putting people on edge, neither Chise nor Elias got away unscathed within the episode. Elias got a lesson on how it feels to be afraid. He was also rather pleased with himself for not wanting to kill Mikhail when they crossed paths, despite Mikhail being his usual, sullen self. 

As for Chise, she had quite an encounter with her new room mate. Recalling trauma from her old school, it hurt my heart to see her frozen with fear in front of the door. Only to open it and send her new roommate butt first to the floor. The girl seemed to take it in stride, despite her declaration that she’s not a people person. I hope this girl doesn’t give Chise too much trouble. I doubt Elias would put up with that for long. 

Overall, I’d say that season two of The Ancient Magus Bride is off to a lovely start. It will be interesting to see how Elias and Chise will handle having others around on a regular basis, rather than being able to retreat from the world at a moment’s notice.

Who was spying on Chise and the nurse? Just what kind of information will the College be able to collect from examining Chise? Will we reach a point where Elias will have to make good on his promise to rescue her if they try to dissect her? They’ve done a good job at making me ask questions. Now, let’s see how well they will answer them.

If you want to watch season two of The Ancient Magus Bride, or haven’t watched season one yet, you can find the show on Crunchyroll. Please leave any thoughts you have about this series in the comments. I’ll catch you in the next video.