The Ancient Magus’ Bride Episode 11

By: EyeSpyeAlexWith the fall season of anime winding down, we only have a couple of more episodes left of The Ancient Magus’ Bride! Need to catch up? Check out my previous review here.Lindel tells Chise more of his past adventures with Elias, including a time when Elias saved his life. Elias defended Lindel from angry villagers who thought he was evil, guiding the pair to safety using techniques Lindel taught him. Later on when Lindel was feeling better, Elias admitted that he may have eaten humans in the past. This is news Chise wasn’t expecting, but surprisingly doesn’t change how she feels about Elias. At Lindel’s behest, Chise makes a note to remind Elias that she cares for him unconditionally.With the beginnings of an understanding of Elias, Chise focuses on crafting her wand. She carves a rough design out of one of Nevin’s branches, with Lindel promising to add the finishing touches. Deciding that Chise needs some more magic in her life, Lindel casts a spell which causes the flowers to bloom. Lindel’s spells are sung, and the melody entrances Chise and the dragons, and even summons some elves. The magic in the air causes Chise to accidentally cast a mirror spell, through which she sees Elias. The two promise to tell each other how they really feel when Chise returns home with her wand.When it comes to animation, The Ancient Magus’ Bride continues to capture an amazing attention to detail. The panoramic shots are stunning, and the characters and creatures have are all unique and vividly animated. One thing that really stuck out to me was Elias’ face in Lindel’s flashback. As the two are sitting around the fire, you can see the shadows dancing across Elias’ face. It was stunning, and I commend Wit Studio on their beautiful work.While the animation is great, it feels like the storyline is dragging along. It’s taking a long time for this story to be told, and I find myself struggling a little to stay focused on the episode. While the animation is beautiful and the show feels pretty accurate to the source material, this isn’t a story that requires a one to one adaptation. I feel like there was time for Chise to finish making her wand and head home in this episode, thus progressing her relationship with Elias. Unfortunately, it seems like we have to wait until next week to see what the two have to say to each other.New episodes of The Ancient Magus’ Bride stream on Saturdays on the Crunchyroll and VRV platforms.