The Ancient Magus' Bride (2014)

[魔法使いの嫁]

Volume 1

Author/Artist: Kore Yamazaki
Publisher: Blade Comics

Synopsis:
A suicidal girl with supernatural abilities puts herself up for auction and is purchased by a mage who intends to make her his apprentice.

Story/Characters:
As I so thoroughly enjoyed the anime adaptation of this series, it was little surprise that I would start collecting the manga. As I said in my review of that, I love the rich world of British folklore that sets the stage for the story. The stark visual contrast between Chise and Elias immediately intrigues you and it only gets better from there. Neither truly human nor Fae, Elias purchases Chise to learn more about humanity, but Chise herself—due to being tormented by her powers as a Sleih Beggey and all the conflict and isolation that goes with it—is disconnected from humanity and begins the slow road to recovery after being taken under Elias' wing. We quickly learn the inherent danger Chise's nature brings because of how she attracts the Fae and other supernatural entities. It's not that the Fae are necessarily malicious, but their interests and human interests don't necessarily align. Elias' own nature is similar, with him being able to intellectually understand human emotions but lacking the empathy to truly connect to those feelings (or so he thinks). And then we get to the part where the title comes from, where Elias intends for Chise to not only be his apprentice but also his bride. However, this being Elias, we're hardly looking at a conventional romance. We've got to start with apprentice part first, which leads us to fellow mage Angelica, who provides some much-needed exposition on the magic system and equipment to get Chise started.

We're then introduced to Simon, a priest assigned by the Church to be Elias' minder, who delivers some cases for Elias to deal with that helps further acquaint us with the world. We first go to Iceland, the last refuge of the dragons, and meet the dragons' caretaker Lindel, Elias' "father", the mage who originally took him in and taught him the ways of magic. Chise's interactions with the dragons are interesting, especially with the dying Niven (which provides us with another opportunity for a perspective that's different from the conventional human way of thinking). Next we go a bit Lovecraftian with a story inspired by "The Cats of Ulthar". Chise and Elias have to help the cats of a town purify an old evil, but trouble appears in the form of a pair of sorcerers with their own designs for the curse. (And I should clarify the difference between mages and sorcerers in this setting, with mages borrowing the power of the spirits while sorcerers using more of a scientific approach to magic.) We close on a cliffhanger of Chise being held hostage by said sorcerers as she was beginning the ritual to purify the curse.

Art:
The art can be a bit wonky with faces and general proportions at times, but it's appealing on the whole. I'm guessing it's mostly a time thing, as the chapter covers tend to be more precise and elaborate. The striking contrast between Elias and Chise is a big draw and I have to credit Yamazaki for making a largely immovable skull head so expressive (though we do occasionally see SD used for comedic takes with a little more flexibility than the main art style). The camera usually sticks rather close to characters, but we occasionally get some really effective longer shots, as when Chise is approaching the curse in Ulthar.

Other:
At the end of each chapter are a couple sketches, usually one with a bit of trivia and another that's a simple gag panel. We get an afterword comic talking about the publication of this volume and the creation of the series. It would figure that Yamazaki has a particular interest in British folklore and the concept humans interacting with non-humans as these elements are so fundamental to the series and so well-executed.

Conclusion:
This story paints a rich world of magic filled with compelling inhabitants. The core relationship between Elias and Chise is strong and it's fun to explore the ins and outs of the world and the magic system. We move at a decent clip without rushing through the different plot points. Similarly, we're drip-fed information at a rate that keeps you interested and wanting more without overwhelming you. If you have any interest in folklore, magic and such, I highly recommend adding this to your collection.

Rating:
Own It