#it reminds me of elias from the ancient magus bride | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mae-i-scribble · 11 months

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Since I am entirely too unwell about Ancient Magus Bride at all times of the day I have decided to break down the latest opening because I cannot do so for the friend I am watching season 2 with since she hasn't read the manga. Hands down this latest opening, Nemurasareta Lineage by Junna, is the best in the series to me. And I don't make that claim lightly, the first opening is iconic on so many levels from the visual to the lyrics, we ignore the 2nd opening bc it sucked (sorry to the fans out there I just do my best to pretend this one doesn't exist, no i have not moved on from my bitterness at its reused animation since 2016 next question), and season 2's first opening is also incredible.

However, what this latest opening brings to the table is some of the most spectacular visuals I've seen in a hot minute- and I don't mean from purely visual, I mean thematically, this opening is fucking spectacular. Every single moment has purpose and meaning behind it.

I will be putting the rest under a read more as to not clog anyone's dash bc this is gonna be l o n g

Starting off from the very first shot we already have so much thematic meaning crammed into this.

Firstly, the shot of Elias opening the book has many connotations, alluding to how he has read the Testament of Carnamagos while also alluding to the fact that him reading that book is ultimately what lead to this story happening at all. If Elias had never read it to try and transfer Chise's curse, Chise would not have done what she did and Elias wouldn't have learned how to let Chise be independent, and then Chise never would have gone to the college. In that respect it's a perfect opener for this "play," as it was the prelude to this act.

Then we have the next shot of Elias hanging like a puppet, showing us an empty vessel-like appearance before being pulled upwards. There are a lot of different ways to interpret this, personally it drew me back to how the Wil O' Wisp described a magus as "someone bound to their fate." Elias, a tried and true magus, is bound to his fate like a puppet on a string while Chise, someone who is not yet fully a magus is free to walk around the stage as herself. Elias' removal from the set, and subsequently the way he claps to bring forth the next "acts" in the show, I think speaks to the way he is largely removed from this arc. Of course he is there, watching over Chise and pushing her along as best he can, but he has very much taken more of a spectator role in this arc. He guides his pupil the best he can but lets her make her own choices.

Now, onto Chise's entrance.

With the college/the sorcerer's society as our stage, the protagonist enters. Chise walks in and looks around confused, just as she did when first entering the college and when she first learned of the dark politics lying underneath it. She is the only one not a part of the performance, the one factor that ultimately destroys the narrative the Sargent and the Rickenbacker families were trying to create.

At first, I thought these cardboard figures were a representation of the 7 powerful sorcerer families we are introduced to, but then I realized there were actually 8 figures so that theory is thrown out the window. This is something I'm not actually that confident in so if anyone else has interpretations I am so down to hear it. Obviously the woman in red holding the spider alludes to Lucy. The wolf next to her is most likely then the werewolf mother. The hooded man with the hammer I think can reasonably represent Isaac. While the knight beside him I honestly see as Rian (his sort of knight in shining armor attitude when it comes to Philomela, his very straight-laced straightforward view of things). The nun-like figure with the owl is mostly likely representing Philomela/Lizabeth Sargent. I can see the jester with the snake wrapped around him to be Zoey. For the last two figures though, I am absolutely stumped. The two women with the songbird remind me of Veronica, from the way she was raised up by her family to be a bird in a cage while simultaneously holding Philomela in an even smaller cage. For the family on the far right though I have absolutely nothing. However, I know there is some meaning behidn it, this opening is too packed with symbolism for it not to.

Speaking of symbolism, the sequence that follows is chalked full of it.

Elias ushers in the entrance of Philomela, trapped in her cage. The design of the cage and the flowers around it make it seem extravagant, exactly what Philomela's life might look like to someone not aware of what's really going on. But a cage is still a cage, and this one comes with a guardian owl, keeping watch over Philomela in place of actually showing Lizabeth. The toys lining the bottom are representative of one of the key moments that made Philomela realize just how tight the bars around her were- that she would never have her grandmother's love, no matter what she did.

Then we cut to moments of Philomela's childhood, again deceptively happy with what we know of Veronica and how she treated Philomela. The baby bird hatching from the egg, Philomela when she was still young and innocent and far too fragile. This association of the baby bird with Philomela also comes back later in a heartbreaking way so :')

Then Chise reaches out with the potpourri, and Philomela becomes alive. It's so fitting, in that Chise's kindness to Philomela, the understanding she has to exactly the pain Philomela is going through, is what touches Philomela so deeply, reminds her of the time where her life was not structured in this way. Chise gives her hope that it doesn't have to be, Chise pulls her out of it and gives her a perch to stand on, and it all began with one fateful meeting.

The shot we get of Chise smiling and swaying in the breeze is all too perfect, in showing that this desire for connection is mutual.

Fittingly, we then see Chise reach out to her friends one by one. Lucy and Zoe's each have a bit more meaning behind them, as we're still somewhat in the dark when it comes to Rian and Isaac's histories, but it still examplifies the ways in which Chise tries to help those around her as best she can. It also makes it abundantly clear why Philomela, and subsequently everyone else, are presented as children in this sequence: a direct reference to chapters 86-87 in which they all are mixed up due to Chise's influence and Chise goes around helping them regain themselves. It marks the turning point in which Philomela tries to take a stand against her grandmother and start believing in the people who have come to try and save her.

There is one gaping hole in this in that Zoey is in fact, not present at all in the whole mind melding thing, but I'm taking that as the animators/directors wanting to include him in this sequence as another main player. Plus the shot we get of him is very cheeking in showing a broken shell- in the way Chise figurative helped him break out of his shell and very literally revealed him to be a gorgon/human mix by accident.

In that interpretation it is also crucial to think about why Chise was kept as her teenage self and not also scaled down to baby form as in the original chapter. But overall keeping her as a teenager flows with the story of the opening itself better while still keeping those same allusions and thematics.

The next big shot to talk about is this one right here.

Many have already pointed out how it is an homage to the classical painting "The School in Athens." Which is very fitting for the college setting of this arc. More so than the reference itself, the way in which the characters are placed is so meaningful.

We have Chise in the center of it all as the catalyst of course. But we once more get that repetition of Elias as a bystander, observing the situation while remaining more in the background when it comes to Chise. Parallel to him is Lizabeth, who is similarly an outsider but with none of Elias' good nature, she is an outsider in that she wants to watch this scene burn to the ground (and probably why the choice was to then introduce a werewolf who leaps forwards on the attack, still under Lizabeth's control.)

Ruth and Alcyone are also parallel to one another, highlighted in a shot mirroring the two of them. This is interesting in that Alcyone is far more often paired with Elias when being given a point of comparison. While she is quite literally an artificial familiar, her presence is what sparks the idea that Elias might be something similar to her, and yet here she is paired with Ruth. They do have their similarities in the way they would do anything for the person they live for. A thought that struck me was in this mirroring there is also a contrast, Ruth shares his life with Chise, if he dies she is to die as well. However Alcyone's death was meant to be a way for Philomela to live- it was crucial in ensuring Philomela's freedom from her grandmother.

Also notably, Veronica is given a long, lingering shot. As a child, she is far more innocent looking, but the shot stays just a moment too long, as if trying to confirm the suspicions surrounding her (which manga readers will know are true). We also have Jasmine and Violet prominently featured, a very interesting choice considering how little a role they play in this arc, but I feel that current suspicions about how they will have a large role in the upcoming arc might be supported by their presence here. There actually isn't much to say about the shots with the werewolf and our first glimpse of how the show portrays the Testament as it gains a physical form.

While gorgeous there's just not much to say about them from an analytical standpoint. Besides for the way in which everyone is turned back into their play forms upon being killed, as if that was their original fate before Chise's interference with the story.

We then see Chise look devastated, the carnage of her dead friends behind her on the stage. It truly captures just how terrified she is of losing people she cares for. But then she looks at the thorn rune- plot relevant in the way her rune charms protected her friends from being killed. But it's also Elias' symbol, and yet another reminder of how he is still watching over and protecting her throughout all of this. It's only after she activates the magic that she looks up, determined to carry on and change this fate.

The start of our final action sequence for this opening is a bang, giving us this chaotic shot.

We see both bits of the classical painting and of our original stage figures being tossed around in the background referencing how the Testament literally rips its way through both the college itself and the students/teachers there. It also, notably, is not contained within the story, instead existing on the same plane as Chise. It's a being far too powerful to be contained in such a way, so it makes perfect sense for it not to be confined to the theatrical setting of this opening.

The next flash of shots is perhaps one of the most hearbreaking ones in this entire opening. First we're shown Philomela and her grandmother, then we cut to this:

Y'all the layers to this, the l a y e r s. We've already seen this bird represent Philomela in the opening itself as a hatchling. However the adult form of this bird is exactly the same as what Alcyone's base is, it is the only thing remaining once Alcyone dies. However we see all 3 stages of life here, lying dead on the ground. The Sargent family is a family of abusive cycles. Lizabeth passes down her abuse to her son, having been doomed to this path from the moment she was born. It's Adam who tries to break the cycle but ultimately fails, choosing to end his own life rather than return. This dooms his baby daughter to the same fate, nearly killing her as well. It's Alcyone, the last remaining gift Philomela has from her father and the one way he thought of to keep her safe even if he was gone. It's both about the cycles and about how they are broken and how Philomela will never truly escape the violence of the family she was born into, even after her grandmother is gone. This is then followed by the 1 picture of her parents that Philomela tries so hard to remember but cannot. Anyways I am going to be physically ill, next.

While the last sequence is just a build up to the final fight (cool as fuck but again, not much to say analytically), I do want to point out that when the Testament pulls in all the surrounding settings, it pulls in both the theatrical characters and the actual representations of Chise's friends with them. Which is such a cool little detail my jaw in on the fucking floor.

And after a brilliantly animated scene of Chise running to try and save Philomela from the jaws of this monster, everything abruptly comes to a close. Leaving us unsure of whether or not Philomela was truly saved, as the last set piece to fall away is that gilded cage, the angle making it unclear if Philomela is still inside before our title card appears. The quiet, peaceful shot of the classroom the title lingers over in favor of the chilling set pieces of the opening before it is an excellent place to end, leaving that sense of urgency and notions of the sinister lying in wait at the college.

All of this, and I haven't even touched on the lyrics- which I won't do so here. I am not a qualified translator and frankly this post is long enough as it is. It isn't as if this opening needs anything else to explain how fucking fantastic it is- the visuals themselves are stunning on a level few openings are these days. Not only does it tie into already existing thematics of the show, not only does it go through plot points we have seen and those yet to come in unique and engaging ways, the opening *itself* brings forth its own thematic reading of the college arc and Chise's place in it while telling its own story of events. Truly a masterclass piece of animation all around.

#ancient magus bride #mahoutsukai no yome #chise hatori #elias ainsworth #philomela sargant #lucy webster #anyways this has been your episode of mae is going feral(tm)#thank you for coming to my ted talk #this is the opening of the season everyone else sit down and come back when you are on its level #<- has only watched like 3 animes this season

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444lpblue · 1 year

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Ancient Magus Bride S2 #1 - Live and let live. II

Ancient Magus Bride S2 #1 Screenplay: Aya Takaha Storyboard: Kazuaki Terasawa Episode Director: Kazuaki Terasawa Animation Director: Kouhei Tokuoka, Miho Nagisa, Yukiko Watabe

Ancient Magus Bride finally has a new season in the hands of a new studio, Kafka, which directed the side stories earlier last year. With a new studio, director, sub-character designers, and art director, how did they do?

They did a pretty great job if you ask me. I recently rewatched the entire Ancient Magus Bride, and while there are definitely some differences, like in the composition, which looks a bit brighter than usual in some shots, with a larger contrast between light and shadow however the show's atmosphere and designs feel overwhelmingly the same as the last season, which is great. I was super excited about this season, and I was not disappointed.

The beginning shot of the episode was incredibly mesmerizing and a great representation and reminder to fans of all the curious, dark, yet whimsical magic world the story takes place in, taking us from beautiful color crystals to the deep underwater, and eventually through the mysterious hallways of a magical school.

Kazuaki Terasawa's direction in the episode heavily relied on the control of lighting and shadows. Throughout the episode, windows were utilized at various points to create a contrast between light and dark rooms, resulting in meticulously intertwined lighting that helped create a sense of space and emphasize the impact of the situation without the need to show the room or the characters' full expressions. As a result, every scene felt like it had a significant sense of importance.

Additionally, the direction in the episode also focuses on close-ups of the eyes and reflection, which creates a slightly unnerving vibe. Despite the world of Ancient Magus Bride being beautiful, this technique serves as a subtle reminder of how this world can also be frightening at times.

The episode had all the elements of why people love Ancient Magus Bride in the first place, and I believe moving the story from Elias's home to the new environment of magic college is a great change of pace and I can't wait to see where it goes from here.

#ancient magus bride #Mahoutsukai no Yome #まほよめ #mahoyome #spring 2023 #anime

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animehouse-moe · 1 year

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The Ancient Magus' Bride S2 Episode 2: Birds Of A Feather Flock Together II

A newer studio taking on an established product is a fickle thing. The slightest changes create ripples as you go. Whether those turn into waves or die out before they can reach land I couldn't say, but I think so far this second season under Kafka has been subject to turbulence through these early episodes.

I think the largest culprits are ability and direction. The second episode was far weaker than today's in terms of direction, but today's isn't without its shortcomings. There's a large presence of CGI today, but the direction can really help with it given how its used. That said, I still stand by my earlier statement on a prior episode - Kafka is overzealous with their limited production capabilities, and the CGI is the easiest way to see that.

The cafeteria scene is an odd but good example of it. CGI pervades almost the entirety of it through the background students. In most scenes (like this one) you won't really notice it. The trick they use is that the first layer of the background is 2D students, but past that you get into 3D. Take a look at the brown haired student on the right edge of the screen, they're 2D. Then, look at the student just slightly to their left in the background with the blonde hair, they're CGI. In moments like this it's not bad at all, but the issue lies in its introduction.

Ambition outweighs experience and they aim for an excessive cut of showing the life of the cafeteria, where you get a good look at the fact that everybody is CGI. It leaves a somewhat bitter taste in your mouth since it wasn't something that was required, and their 3D work is not up to par.

Moving on from complaints, there's also a lot of good direction this episode, most of which centers around perspective and Terasawa's penchant for odd angles. I really like how they approach it because it changes rather static conversation and interaction into very strong perspective pieces that focus on scale.

And then there's pieces like this that take perspective as a literal sentiment. There's quite a few of them throughout the episode and it's quite enjoyable that they express the emotions and thoughts of characters like Chise and Elias without showing their faces. In a way, it reminds me of how Visual Novels approach their layouts, making sure the user feels immersed and engaged in the content, though in this case it's putting us in Chise's position.

Now, one thing I really wish they stuck longer with was this camera angle. I'm a sucker for wide and full shots, so I was really hoping to see the table engage in dinner and interaction through a single cut. I also think it would have worked really well in concert with Chise's experience with it. Plenty going on, almost too much to follow as you find out what everyone's like. But, I do understand the limitations that are in place with Kafka, so I don't really mind that much.

Moving on once more, Kafka's work and interest in intense lighting through highlights and shadows is really great, it adds a lot of drama and emotion to scenes like this. Plus, the character posing and work is really great to create a sort of disturbing feel to the scene despite the character featured being the one afraid of Chise and Elias (saying that they're "not human", even though their character design features snake eyes).

I guess to put a bow on the technical side of things, there's a lot more creativity with this episode than the prior (though there's also more potential for it). Regardless of that though, Kafka and Terasawa are reaching for concepts beyond their means, which is a commendable thing as they attempt to push their creative ability, but I don't think the place to do so is on the continuation of a series. And just before I move on, I just want to share some of the great shots and symbolism that stipple the episode.

They use birds rather frequently in an outdoor sequence to represent Chise and Elias and I think it's pretty cute/well done.

And this cut of Narcisse reaching out to touch Chise on her shoulder is really well done. The best animated work on this episode is absolutely the character expression. In that sense, I'd love to see Kafka go for a slice of life as a follow up to their work on Maho Yome.

Alright, with that out of the way it's time for the story. I really like this episode for what it establishes with both sides of Chise. I think one of my favorite pieces is the obsession with her eyes. The episode frequently makes use of that and separates Chise into herself and Joseph. Really great work in that regard that produces scenes like this.

Of course, the whole episode isn't just Chise, Elias is there as well. And what I really like about this is that they examine the relationship between the world's two rarest mages by giving us the stories of other pairings within the world. We've been getting stuff about Alice and Renfred, but today we get the beginnings of Rian and Tory's relationship. It makes it far easier to understand the workings of our main pairing by cross-examining them through others, like we get to do in this scene where Alice and Chise visit (or rather, find) Renfred and Elias.

It's really great to see them explore Chise and Elias' relationship in this fashion because it helps give a frame of reference. Mages and magic make for a mysterious world, so giving viewers more detail really puts into perspective the idiosyncrasies you might not otherwise pick up on, and that the characters themselves are most certainly unable to express.

Saying that, I really enjoy listening to the ways that Elias comes up with expressing emotions. Always odd but definitely understandable in their own fashion.

Getting going again, just a little piece that I left out, but I really enjoy how Chise views the world, and within the context of this season, school. She's always looking for out for people that she can relate to, and you can tell from the story that she feels empathetic for Lucy and Philomela. It's a nice piece to keep in so that we don't get too absorbed in the more uppity and passive nature that Chise expressed this episode. Sure, she can make friends and be happy and things can go smoothly, but that doesn't erase her personality and desire to reach out a hand to those in need.

Also, forgive me if it's already been stated, but are Lucy and Philomela sisters? The resemblance is very strong I feel.

And I guess that brings me to the end of my train of thought. I vastly preferred this to the prior episode, but it's clear to see why with how much more digestible content there is within. There's more for viewers to take in, and there's more for the staff to be creative with. I think if this is the level of quality that MahoYome rests around for the rest of the season I'll be pretty happy, but I'd be somewhat concerned if we begin to sink into the not-so-great work on episode 2.

#ancient magus bride #ancient magus' bride #mahoyome #magus bride #mahoutsukai no yome #chise hatori #elias ainsworth #studio kafka #wit studio #魔法使いの嫁 #anime recommendation #anime review #anime and manga #anime

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aotopmha · 1 year

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Ancient Magus' Bride season 2 is off to a fantastic start.

I also watched the OVA episodes, but I have very little to say about those other than their purpose being to basically show how much Chise has grown via having her save the version of herself she was at the start of the story.

It was to reiterate and remind us of the character arc she went through and where her mindset is at the point in the narrative where the OVAs take place. (End of season 1.)

Turning to the season 2 premiere, what I love about Magus Bride is that it's basically dark fantasy shoujo Evangelion with less abstraction and more cool ass mythology and fantasy elements.

At this point Chise's baggage is rivaling that of any of your standard guy protagonist, from involuntary immortality to memory manipulation, but the great part to this is that those details alone could probably fill enough material for this season alone.

Also, roses now give me Utena PTSD, especially when mentioned in the same sentence with those two concepts I listed above and the idea of going to school, also in conjunction with her becoming a potential test subject.

Her thoughts when just standing there in front of her new dorm room were fantastic.

Magus' Bride's wierd premise frustrates me so much because the story itself ends up being about so much more (and being much less creepy than it seems) and just this first episode of season 2 laid it all on the table.

(I'm still hoping that the whole thing ends up with her and Elias going their separate ways because to me that seems like the natural end point to that healthy growth.)

I'm so happy Elias has remained a wierd Eldrich creature with the arc to learn how to be a person, too. There are points where he takes a human form, but I like that the story treats his "real" form, well, like his actual real form and his human forms are always a little "off".

Finally, the one thing that did bother me about the first episode of season 2 were the production values. Even the opening was super inconsistent, switching between fairly simple shots and super-detailed and extremely beautiful shots.

This is why I'll probably strive to get this in manga form, too. Not only to see the differences, but also to probably get a more "consistent" version art-wise.

Can't wait to see Chise take care of the other versions of herself while wierd fantasy stuff happens in the background.

Naturally, as with a lot of stories, this series could get worse, but for now this premier only reaffirmed my like.

#Ancient Magus' Bride #The Ancient Magus' Bride #Ancient Magus Bride #The Ancient Magus Bride

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sakuraryomen01 · 2 years

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Hi!! I wanna say that I love your Lost Lamb series and the way you describe the slow changes in Sukuna and reader's feelings. It's so beautiful!

Also the bath scene in chapter 3 reminds me a bit of The Ancient Magus Bride when Elias bathes Chise 🤣 Did you take any inspiration from it?

Thanks for the love for the Lost Lamb series!! I'm actually really surprised that you guys love it as much as you do, and I hope that this slow burn will appeal everyone; thanks for your support!!

And no actually (i haven't watched that in a while but omg i didn't notice until now!! 🤣) When I started the series, I haven't watched Magus Bride in a month or two, but I might've been inspired just a lil bit 😗

Lots of Love, thanks for the ask!! <33

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blackkatmagic · 3 years

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I FINALLY now what Jaster in light-eater reminded me of: Elias from Ancient Magus Bride! Just, you know, ten times bigger. It has been bugging me for days

I do not know what that is but I'm glad you figured it out. xD

#kat answers

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skyhetalian · 4 years

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Warlock's Blood Lineage set (minus helmet) with The Stag just oddly reminds me of Elias Ainsworth from Ancient Magus' Bride. -shrugs-

#Destiny 2 #Elias Ainsworth #ancient magus bride #Destiny Warlock #skull head and formal looking outfit #destiny the game

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kuramirocket · 4 years

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I had a sort of freaky dream. It started off with me in a school setting, which I always dream about tbh. It was after school and I had somehow completely forgotten to bring with me my backpack and phone or something. But seeing as school was over, the classroom doors were locked. I had to ask the people who clean if they could accompany me to get my stuff since they had keys. After asking some guy where the cleaning peoole were, a lady was nice enough to go with me. I was like, I'm sorry to the lady as it was sort of a long walk, I felt. So, I got my stuff and had to hurry up since my mom was waiting on me.

The dream then shifted as dreams always do. This one I don't remember to clearly, but I had been walking along side a girl in a small hallway. The girl was taller than me, had purple hair, and wore black and purple clothing. I also remember her having some sort of symbol on her head. She sorta reminded me of Raven from Teen Titans, tbh lol. On both ends of the hallway where people walked through, were rows of seat. The atmosphere of the place was heavy, to say the least. Idk, it was really uncomfortable.

It was obvious that people or something were going to come through the closed doors in front of us. I also remember feeling some level of fear. The girl quickly drew a sigil on a piece of paper or an item, I can't remember. She said it would protect and keep me invisible from the people or things that were about to pass through the closed doors. So, both me and the purple haired girl, quickly took seats and kept our heads slightly down to not draw attention to ourselves.

As the door opened rows of demons passed walking, dancing, and talking it seems. I knew I couldn't directly look at them, so I just kept my head and eyes down. I remember being afraid and knowing that if I looked up I would see awful and grusesome looking things. I just held the paper or item of the sigil in front of me, and silently hoped or prayed that I would not be seen. I don't know what would happen if I was.

From there came a more terrifying figre standing before me. Speaking, with an arm raised as the demons continued walking by. I don't know what he was saying or really remember what he looked like. But I sorta remember the feeling of this being, being someone important, I think. Maybe having an aura of authoriy. Idk if he was supposed to be Lucifer, but definitely someone very high ranking.

Then, once again, the dream changed. These next scenes are even harder to remember, much less in order.

I remember being in the bedroom of my sibling. Various people were there with me, but I can't remember if I knew them from my real life or only within the dream or not. We were talking about something, I don't recall. But it felt serious. It's kinda frusterating how much I can't remember from this sequence. Right now that I'm awake, trying to think back on the dream; it's if I feel a looming presence from the dream.

In the dream, what I can remember standing out was the Witch Father. I believe he was there, perhaps. I vauguely remember me having or maybe trying to establish, idk some sort of relationship with this being. A sort of relationship like Chise and Elias from The Ancient Magus' Bride. So, a teacher student relationship. But it's so unclear and muddy if this was actually with the Witch Father or some other being. I feel like maybe I was being offered protection? Idk if knowledge or anything else too. Again, it's all very muddy.

Then I woke up, but I awoke with a feeling of fear. But as with any dream or nightmare that I wake with fear, I just shrugged it off and went back to sleep. Though the Witch Father was very present and in the forefront of my mind for some reason.

Idk, if it was just a weird dream or something deeper? That's why if u guys read all this, I wanted to ask the witchblr community what they think? Could Lucifer, the Witch Father, idk be trying to contact me? Though, tbh, I am very much a 'baby witch.' Idk a lot about the Witch Father or anything related to that regard. Maybe it was a warning of some kind?

I say this because literally like 20 min ago, my mom told me that apparently my nephew's brother was tested positive for coronavirus. And this is very worrying because my nephew is more vulnerable, as he has asthma. I told my mom my dream, but well, she is studying with the Jehovah's Witnesses. So, she believes demons and the devil are evil and out to destroy mankind. Thus, she simply said maybe the devil wants to kill one of us or something. I knew she'd say something like that, but just wanted her input.

And I'm pretty sure she would be against witchcraft of any sort too. I am in the broomcloset. Only one of my best friends knows. I've actually secretly renounced the Jehovah's Witness and any other Christian faith (which this too my friend knows).

So yeah. This was my dream and news that we got. Do you guys think it means anything, am I being contacted by the Witch Father or Lucifer, or it was just a dream and an unlucky event with the corona?

@wolfofantimonyoccultism @scarletarosa I hope you guys mind the tag. Wasn't sure who to ask. Btw, love both your blogs!

#witchblr #dreams #dream meanings #dream interpretation #witchcraft #lucifer #satan #witch father #my posts #personal #demons #traditional witchcraft

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alias-sqbr · 5 years

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hoidn replied to your photo: A daguerreotype-ish picture of a man in a suit,...

i typed a reply and it went away?? trying again. this is lovely! it reminds me of The Ancient Magus’ Bride art.

*shakes fist at tumblr*

Thank you! And yes, it ended up looking a bit like a Rule 63 version of The Ancient Magus Bride.

Side note: I was initially going to try and work from real world myths about deer-skull headed figures, except it turns out there don’t seem to be any! There’s deer antlered people with human or animal faces, and people wearing skull masks etc. But afaict deer-skull-as-head mostly just comes up in fantasy fiction that draws on myth. Elias from The Ancient Magus Bride doesn’t have a deer skull head, he has a wolf-y skull with horns, but afaict that’s not based on anything specific either, it just looks cool :)

If anyone knows of myths I missed during my brief wikipedia-and-google exploration I’d love to hear about it though!

#hoidn #replies #also all of these figures tend to be male #because horns

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animebw · 5 years

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Short Reflection: The Ancient Magus’ Bride OVA (Those Awaiting a Star)

The Ancient Magus’ Bride was one of the first anime I watched seasonally, picking it up when it was about halfway through its run. It’s also, short of Code Geass, the anime my opinion of which deteriorated the most in the weeks and months following its completion. Honesty, going into these prequel OVAs, I wasn’t even sure how I would properly contextualize my feelings towards the franchise at large when it came time to write about them. It’s been so long since I watched the show, and my thoughts on it have shifted and faded so much, that I genuinely had no idea if it would be even possible for me to connect my feelings towards this OVA, whatever those feelings might be, to my feelings regarding Magus Bride as a whole. Thankfully, that turned out not to be the case, because Those Awaiting a Star is pretty much a perfect microcosm of the show at large, strengths and weaknesses alike. If you haven’t seen Magus Bride for yourself and are curious whether or not you’ll enjoy it, I suggest you watch these three episodes and decide from there. They’ll pretty much tell you all you need to know about the kind of experience you’re gonna get.

So, to briefly remind you all what the show proper was about, The Ancient Magus’ Bride a slow-burn fantasy slice-of-life set in modern day London, where magic has evolved alongside the normal world Harry Potter style, although this world’s magic is less witches and wizards and far more classic fey inspired, with faeries, elves, pixies, nature spirits, and all manner of enchanting discoveries hiding around every shadowy corner and inside every thick shrubbery. It follows a depressed, magic-sensitive slave girl named Chise who gets sold to Elias Ainsworth, the titular ancient magus with a face of bone, who prompty frees her and makes her his proper mage’s apprentice because this is not Shield Hero, thank you very much, and even if he has the intention of making her his bride some day, he would rather their partnership be on equal terms. So the show follows their daily life as Chise explores the world of magic she’s been made privy to, meeting all sorts of whimsical characters and situations (and some much more threatening), while slowly overcoming her personal trauma and helping Elias overcome his own biases towards her so they can stand on increasingly even footing with each other.

And it was the kind of show that you really wanted to like just on principle, just by virtue of how confidently it charted its own, mature path through the often hellish waters of seasonal anime. It was real fantasy in a world dominated by isekai! It was slow-paced and contemplative! It was quiet and self-assured, rejecting all the overplayed anime tropes in favor of its much homier, grown-up aesthetic! Add to that a strong, full 2-cours production from Studio Wit, and it’s no wonder Magus Bride ended up dominating the Fall 2017 season so single-handedly. Unfortunately, while there was a lot to like, and even love, about Magus Bride, it also had its fair share of weakness that became harder and harder to ignore as it went on, especially in its second half. And this prequel OVA, technically set right around the show’s midway point and using the framing device of Chise telling a story about her past to Elias, is a perfect example of all those complex feelings.

Magus Bride’s greatest strength has always been the charm and wonder of its magical worldbuilding. It captures that same Harry Potter excitement of seeing a perfectly realized magical concept come to life, making you feel the wonder of “I could imagine this actually existing and interacting with our world”. The magical library around which Chise’s story centers is an instantly believable enchanted locale, with so much unspoken history dripping from every banister that you just want to leap through the screen and explore the place for yourself. Studio Wit’s production is lush and colorful without being oversaturated, like a warm summer’s day thick with just the right level of humidity. You feel like you could get lost in this world, with these people, teasing out every nuance of how its magical rules operate for hours on end. Through its slow slice-of-life pacing, it presents the kind of atmosphere that makes you just want to relax into the warmth of the library, read books under its librarian’s watchful eye. And Chise’s characterization is strong as ever, painting an eminently sympathetic portrait of a lonely girl struggling with emotional baggage far greater than any person should have to deal with, least of all someone that young. Your heart can’t help but reach out to her and pray that she finds the same peace of mind in this magical world as you’ve found yourself.

But it’s here that the flaws start creeping in. Once Magus Bride gets past the inherent enchantment of its premise and ideas, it just doesn’t have that much else to offer. I know the point of this kind of iyashikei healing show is to reach a level of simplicity and warmth that allows you to just soak in the atmosphere, but once you properly relax into it, there’s just nothing for you to do there. It’s a vibrant world, but it’s also static, where not much changes and it takes ages for any meaningful evolution of its ideas and themes to occur. As a result, the pacing goes too far beyond the relaxing atmosphere it’s aiming for and ends up painfully slow. The charms of any one episode of Magus Bride only last so long as you’re able to maintain interest in its general atmosphere; once that interest fades, it becomes an exercise in checking the running time every few minutes and thinking with shock, “How the hell has so little time passed? It feels like an eternity!” I can’t help but think back to a show like Mushishi, which pulled this kind of relaxing tone off perfectly without ever sacrificing a second of narrative engagement. That show would’ve taken just one episode to tell the same story this OVA tells in three, and nothing of emotional or atmospheric value would be lost in the translation.

The Ancient Magus Bride is a show that requires a great amount patience to appreciate its charms, patience that it doesn’t always earn. Which is a shame, because the moments where I was really, truly invested in this show were magical and engrossing like few anime have accomplished. If nothing else, I appreciate Those Awaiting a Star for helping confirm my thoughts on the show as a whole, and I’m glad I got this second chance to process my complicated feelings towards this deeply flawed, but ambitious and honorable, anime series. Honestly, this was more of a review of the original show than a review of this OVA, but considering how well it embodies the show, I suppose that’s justified. If you have the patience to handle Magus Bride, I definitely think it’s worth a look. At its best, it’s something truly enchanting. Just don’t be surprised if it’s a little to lethargic for comfort. And I give this OVA the same score I gave the show itself:

6/10

Welcome to the Summer of Suggestions, everyone. See you tomorrow for the start of Parasyte: the Maxim.

#anime #tabw #the anime binge-watcher #the ancient magus bride #mahoutsukai no yome #magus bride sr

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