The Ancient Magus' Bride

The Ancient Magus' Bride

The cover of the first volume.
魔法使いの嫁
(Mahō Tsukai no Yome)
Genre Supernatural,[1] fantasy, mystery[2]
Manga
Written by Kore Yamazaki
Published by Mag Garden
English publisher
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Monthly Comic Blade
(2013 – September 1, 2014)
Monthly Comic Garden
(September 2014 – present)
Original run 2013 – ongoing
Volumes 4

The Ancient Magus' Bride (魔法使いの嫁 Mahō Tsukai no Yome) is a Japanese fantasy shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Kore Yamazaki. The series is published in Japan by Mag Garden in its Monthly Comic Garden magazine. The manga licensed is in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment.

Characters

Chise Hatori (羽鳥チセ Hatori Chise)
Voiced by: Atsumi Tanezaki (drama CD)[3]
The protagonist and titular character of the story. She is the apprentice and future bride to Elias Ainsworth.
Elias Ainsworth (エリアス・エインズワース Eriasu Einzuwāsu)
Voiced by: Ryota Takeuchi (drama CD)[3]
The Child of Thorns, Chise's master and fiancee, once apprenticed to Master Lindenbaum. A being with both fae and human elements. His origins are a mystery.
Lindenbaum (リンデル Rinderu)
Elias's magician Master, commonly referred as Lindel, lives in the Land of Dragons, the last sanctuary of dragons. His title is Echoes, Song of Flowers.
Ruth (ルツ Rutsu)
Voiced by: Kōki Uchiyama (drama CD)[3]
Chise's familiar, a black grim who was originally a church guard dog who chased away grave robbers and evil spirits. He shares a mental link with Chise and considers her a sister.
Nevin (ネヴィン Nevin)
An Elder Dragon from the Land of Dragons who used his body as a seedbed for a tree when he passed, from which a branch was used to make Chise's staff.
Silver (シルキー Shirukī)
Voiced by: Aya Endō (drama CD)[3]
The fae landlady of the house where Elias and Chise reside. She is silent and takes care of the housekeeping duties in the household.
Simon (サイモン Saimon)
Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (drama CD)[3]
The priest of the local church in the town in England where Elias and Chise live. He has a breathing condition that is treated by Elias's medicine.

Release

Kore Yamazaki began publishing the series in Mag Garden's Monthly Comic Blade magazine in 2013.[1] The magazine ceased publication on September 1, 2014,[4] at which point the series was moved to the new Monthly Comic Garden magazine, while also continuing to be released on the Monthly Comic Blade website.[1][4] Seven Seas Entertainment licensed the series for publication in North America in October 2014.[1][5]

A drama CD will be bundled with the limited edition of the fifth volume, released in March 2016.[2]

Volumes

The series has been collected into four tankōbon volumes,[6] three of which have been republished in English.[7]

No.Japanese release dateJapanese ISBNEnglish release dateEnglish ISBN
1 April 10, 2014[8]ISBN 978-4800002846[8]May 12, 2015[7]ISBN 978-1-626921-87-0[7]
  1. "April showers bring May flowers."
  2. "One today is worth two tomorrows."
  3. "The scale distinguishes not between gold and lead."
  1. "Everything must have a beginning."
  2. "Misfortunes seldom come singly."
2 September 10, 2014 (regular edition)[9]
September 10, 2014 (limited edition)[10]		ISBN 978-4800003614[9]
ISBN 978-4800003546[10]		September 1, 2015[7]ISBN 978-1-626921-92-4[7]
  1. "Curiosity killed the cat."
  2. "Love conquers all."
  3. "The Faerie Queene."
  1. "When one door closes, another opens."
  2. "Speak of the devil, and he is sure to appear."
3 March 10, 2015 (regular edition)[11]
March 9, 2015 (limited edition)[12]		ISBN 978-4800004222[11]
ISBN 978-4800004208[12]		December 1, 2015[7]ISBN 978-1-626922-24-2[7]
  1. "Seeing is believing."
  2. "Let sleeping dogs lie."
  3. "None so deaf as those who will not hear."
  1. "Little pitchers have long ears."
  2. "We live and learn."
4 September 10, 2015 (regular edition)[13]
September 10, 2015 (limited edition)[14]		ISBN 978-4800004987[13]
ISBN 978-4800004840[14]		April 12, 2016[7]ISBN 978-1-626922-55-6[7]
  1. "Once bitten, twice shy"
  2. "Lovers ever run before the clock."
  3. "Better to ask the way than go astray."
  1. "It is a long lane that has no turning."
  2. "East, west, home's best."
5 March 10, 2016 (limited edition)[15]ISBN 978-4800005106[15]July 5, 2016[7]ISBN 978-1-626922-84-6[7]

Chapters not yet in tankōbon format

  1. "Looks breed love."
  2. "A Contented mind is a perpetual feast."
  3. "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
  4. "There is no place like home."
  5. "The longest day has an end."

Reception

Volume 2 reached the 9th place on the weekly Oricon manga chart[16] and, as of September 21, 2014, had sold 104,518 copies.[17]

The series had sold half a million copies as of June 2015.[18]

The series was number two on the 2015 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Top 20 Manga for Male Readers survey.[19][20] It was number 36 on the 15th annual "Book of the Year" list by the Da Vinci magazine in 2014.[21] Da Vinci readers also ranked it at number two in a poll to determine the series most likely to "make their big break" in 2015.[22] The series ranked number one on a poll of 2,360 bookstore employees to determine 2015's top 15 manga series of under five volumes.[23][24] It was one of fourteen titles nominated for the eighth Manga Taishō awards in 2015.[25]

Volume two appeared on The New York Times manga bestsellers list for four weeks, rising to third place for two.[26] Volume three debuted on the list at second place.[27]

Reviewing the first volume for Anime News Network, Nick Creamer gave it a grade of A-. He praised the series art, noting that it "does great work in impressing upon the audience the same sense of wonder Chise experiences throughout. The character designs are expressive and backgrounds ornate". Commenting on the relationship between Chise and Elias, he wrote that "having this story go in a legitimately romantic direction would likely raise thorny issues of power dynamics and consent", but remarked that, as it was, the story "does a commendable job of making both Chise and Elias understandable and likable characters." He concluded his review by writing: "What conflict all these lovely details might be leading towards is a mystery so far, but the execution is so strong that I'm ready to follow wherever it leads."[28] In his review of the second volume, he admitted to coming to an appreciation of the main characters' relationship, writing that "the ambiguities of their relationship actually seem like one more fitting piece of a world where every relationship is ambiguous". He called the series' magic "classic but still refreshing". He also commented that the series art "remains gorgeous and well-suited to the story all throughout this volume ... the backgrounds are lush and faces expressive, and the whole style has an ornate looseness to it that works perfectly for this kind of fantasy storytelling." He concluded by saying "If you have any appreciation for this style of classic fantasy storytelling, Ancient Magus' Bride is a can't-miss production."[29]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Seven Seas Adds The Ancient Magus' Bride Supernatural Manga". Anime News Network. October 2, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Green, Scott (September 12, 2015). ""Ancient Magus' Bride" Manga to Get Drama CD". Crunchyroll. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Green, Scott (27 December 2015). "VIDEO: "The Ancient Magus' Bride" Drama CD Previewed". Crunchyroll. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Comic Blade Ceases Publication, Replaced with Comic Garden Magazine". Anime News Network. July 30, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  5. ↑ Green, Scott (October 3, 2014). "Seven Seas Announces "The Ancient Magus' Bride" Manga License". Crunchyroll. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  6. ↑ 魔法使いの嫁 [The Ancient Magus' Bride]. Mag Garden (in Japanese). Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Ancient Magus' Bride, The". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  8. 1 2 魔法使いの嫁 1 (BLADE COMICS) [The Ancient Magus' Bride 1 (Blade Comics)]. Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  9. 1 2 魔法使いの嫁 2 (BLADE COMICS) [The Ancient Magus' Bride 2 (Blade Comics)]. Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  10. 1 2 初回限定版 魔法使いの嫁(2) 【描き下ろし漫画小冊子付き】 (ブレイドコミックススペシャル) [The Ancient Magus' Bride (2) Limited edition with booklet]. Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  11. 1 2 魔法使いの嫁 通常版 3 (BLADE COMICS) [The Ancient Magus' Bride 3 (Blade Comics)]. Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  12. 1 2 初回限定版 魔法使いの嫁 3 (BLADE COMICS) [The Ancient Magus' Bride 3 limited edition (Blade Comics)]. Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  13. 1 2 魔法使いの嫁 通常版 4 (BLADE COMICS) [The Ancient Magus' Bride 4 (Blade Comics)]. Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  14. 1 2 初回限定版　魔法使いの嫁　4巻 (BLADE COMICS　SP) [The Ancient Magus' Bride 4 limited edition (Blade Comics SP)]. Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  15. 1 2 初回限定版 魔法使いの嫁 5巻 (BLADE COMICS SP) [The Ancient Magus' Bride 5 limited edition (Blade Comics SP)]. Amazon.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, September 8–14". Anime News Network. September 17, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, September 15–21". Anime News Network. September 24, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  18. ↑ Green, Scott (June 5, 2015). "VIDEO: Promo Spotlights "Ancient Magus' Bride" Manga". Crunchyroll. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2015's Series Ranking for Male Readers". Anime News Network. December 8, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  20. ↑ Saabedra, Humberto (December 11, 2015). ""A Silent Voice" and More Land on 2015 Top 20 Manga List For Male Readers In Japan". Crunchyroll. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Attack on Titan Tops Da Vinci Magazine's Ranking for 2nd Year". Anime News Network. December 8, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  22. ↑ Green, Scott (February 7, 2015). "Japanese Readers Pick the Manga Series Set to Make Their Big Break in 2015". Crunchyroll. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Japanese Bookstores Recommend 15 Top Manga for 2015". Anime News Network. February 4, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  24. ↑ Green, Scott (February 5, 2015). "Bookstore Workers Pick Top Manga to Read in 2015". Crunchyroll. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  25. ↑ "8th Manga Taisho Awards Nominates 14 Titles". Anime News Network. January 18, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  26. ↑
  27. ↑ "Best Seller - Manga". The New York Times. December 20, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  28. ↑ Creamer, Nick (June 9, 2015). "The Ancient Magus' Bride GN 1". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  29. ↑ Creamer, Nick (October 16, 2015). "The Ancient Magus' Bride GN 2". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2015.

External links

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