The Ancient Magus' Bride, Vol. 6

魔法使いの嫁 [Mahōtsukai no Yome] #6

by Kore Yamazaki

The New York Times bestselling series about a gifted young girl and the demonic sorcerer who takes her in. The Ancient Magus' Bride is a supernatural romance manga series that features a fascinating relationship between a troubled teenage girl and an inhuman wizard. Kore Yamazaki combines a fantastical shoujo style with a darker, brooding tone that is reminiscent of shonen hits like Pandora Hearts and Blue Exorcist. The Ancient Magus' Bride is an ongoing manga series that includes captivating artwork and color inserts in each volume.Hatori Chise has lived a life full of neglect and abuse, devoid of anything resembling love. Far from the warmth of family, she has had her share of troubles and pitfalls. Just when all hope seems lost, a fated encounter awaits her. When a man with the head of a beast, wielding strange powers, obtains her through a slave auction, Chise's life will never be the same again.The man is a "magus," a sorcerer of great power, who decides to free Chise from the bonds of captivity. The magus then makes a bold Chise will become his apprentice-and his wife!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Romance, Magic, Comics, Young Adult

180 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2016

About the author

Name (in native language) : ヤマザキコレ

Born in Hokkaido. Also known as Yamao Mitsu.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just thought of something. This series would be perfect for someone that likes Anne Bishop's The Others series. Especially this volume when a girl is warned by a creature that there are worse things lurking and watching in the darkness. Kind of a similar feel with Chise/Elias and Meg/Simon. I'm surprised I've never made that connection before.

Also there are fairies and shapeshifters and lots of fun stuff like that.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this volume - it focused more on character development (especially Elias and Chise’s relationship, and Alice’s friendship with Chise) which was satisfying to read. The artwork remains stunning and I’m looking forward to reading volume 7!

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out more manga and graphic novel reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

This is a review of volumes 3-6 which I read together back to back. See the plot section for my thoughts on the individual volumes.

We first meet Chise, chained by the neck and wrists being passed over to her new owner, a bone-headed mage whose name she learns later is Elias. A penniless orphan sold on the black market she learns about herself, the magical world filled with fairies and other fantastical creatures as well as what it means to be a part of a family. Her new life as a mage's apprentice is just the beginning as it comes with the secondary title of Ancient Magus' Bride...

To be honest the title is what first drew me to this series... but once I opened the first volume I was totally hooked!! It is crafted lovingly in my favorite type if manga art style. A modern, crisp and clean version of the big-eye style with a subtle ornateness that makes the entire style stand out. The humor is a little more subtle than other shonen series with the stark style rounding out into the cute Chibi style when emo moments happen. It's the best of both worlds! The creatures and magic are visually quite cool and add so much to what is a 2D world.

There is this lovely balance of fae, magic and the supernatural that works so well with the slice of life nature of the manga. We regularly start or end with quiet moments for regular life. The celebration of a holiday, the success in some studies and a chat with a new friend! Whatever is happening is a part of the fabric of Chise's life and helps us to understand her better and experience a little of what her life with Elias is like. I LOVE IT!! Chise is finally at home in the world, and as a result she is making friends and forming bonds... (and I love every one of those moments!) Most of all though I love Chise with Elias. He is awkward in the best of ways, doesn't understand the feelings that are arising and Chise herself only barely understands!

In volume 3, we see Elias get vulnerable protecting Chise and she has to reassure him. And then in volume 4, along with Chise, we learn some of his history with Lindel and what he has experienced with humans. Then in volume 5 we learn how Silky came to take care of Elias' home! And in volume 6 a friendship develops with a most unlikely alchemist apprentice! It's lovely and you never know when the dastardly Cartaphilus will appear or if it will simply be one of the dangerously amoral and beautiful fae who will threaten someone this time. It could be fae culture we're learning about or a deeply poignant moment between Chise and Elias we are experiencing. Whatever it is I'm engaged and loving it!

Over our head like an axe is always the knowledge that Chise is NOT safe. Not from the fae denizens, though Elias will protect her, not from the magic she is able to absorb. That tension runs through every single moment of the manga. You wonder when the next blood spurting moment will happen... if this time she won't be able to come back to herself... It makes the sweet moments sweeter and the dangerous moments more harrowing... Always the question lingers will Chise and Elias be able to reach the pinnacle of their relationship before her time is up?! That makes for a beautiful and emotional journey, of which I enjoy every second!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tension
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Art

______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my manga and graphic novel reviews in a special feature called Saturday Morning Cartoons...

[Angela (Angel's Book Nook) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ancient Magus’ Bride Vol. 6 focuses more on character development then anything else.

This one was a bit slower then the others. We see Alice return and Chise has made a friendship with her. We see Elias have a reaction to Chise having friends. And, we get the Ashen Eye story which was nice. Last, our evil villein makes an appearance at the end of the book.

As always the artwork remains stunning.

The Ancient Magus’ Bride Vol. 6 was enjoyable enough.

Rated: 3 Stars

[Dana Cristiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ✨

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect holiday volume! Gift shopping and a storyline that feels inspired by It's a Wonderful Life sort of. Love the vibes.

[Iryna *Book and Sword* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silky's part of the story just killed me dead.
Is this now one of my favorite manga? Yes. Yes it is.

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[Sara Saif · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost exactly like the episodes.

[Ioana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuând seria Mireasa Străvechiului Mag, zilele acestea am citit cel de-al șaselea volum.
Încă de la primele cadre am fost imediat transportată în mijlocul Londrei, în timpul cumpărăturilor de Crăciun. Chise o ajută pe o altă ucenică a unui alchimist în capitala Angliei, în același timp formându-și o primă prietenă. Elias normal că nu știe nimic de plecarea fetei, așa că se folosește de o bilă zburătoare pentru a o urmări.
"Mireasa Străvechiului Mag 6" are multă atmosferă festivă, dar spiritul Crăciunului nu stă prea mult în jurul lui Chise și a lui Elias, un spirit amenințând străzile pașnice. Finalul volumului deschide portița spre noi aventuri, ce cu siguranță vor clădi și mai mult relația celor doi protagoniști.
Volumul 7 tocmai ce a fost lansat, așa că acum sunt pregătită să îl descopăr, mai ales că povestea îmi este atât de proaspătă în minte.

[Lexie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah guys I'm going to find it hard to ever rate this series otherwise.

Anyhow let me start with a short review of the special booklet that came with the volume!

Chise is afraid of lightening and Elias finds out! What is the source and how can he comfort her? (spoiler: apparently by terrifying her differently). Super adorable short with them two, illustrates their deepening bond quite well.

As to the volume itself - this was a bit slower than normal, but hey Alice returns and Ashen Eye plays tricks so I'm not upset. As an older sister the Ashen Eye story hit home (gods how many times did I wish myself an only child?) and later I understood Elias' reaction to Chise having friends. it's disquieting at first right?

Now that I'm caught up again I have to wait til I think July ;.;

[Mary ♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 stars

It was the Christmas one, and I loved how festive it made me feel :D

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautifully drawn manga is mysterious and keeps getting better each volume. i can't wait for #7.

[Adriana Merry · Rating 4 out of 5]

🪄 În acest volum nu a fost foarte multă acțiune, ci mai mult interacțiunea dintre personaje. Am aflat cine e Alice, despre trecutul său, dar am văzut și evoluția pe care o are în prietenia cu Chise.

🪄 Deși a avut câteva scene care m-au pierdut puțin și mă făceau să gândesc ”ce se întâmplă????”, într-un final a fost totul ok (zic eu). De asemenea, nu am înțeles exact finalul. Oare totul o să se lămureasca în volumul următor? Sper că da.

🪄 Mi-a plăcut și momentul în care a fost plasată acțiunea: de Crăciun. Deși e aproape vară, tot am simțit puțin spiritul sărbătorilor. Fie vorba între noi, urăsc tot ce ține de iarnă și sărbători, dar când vine vorba de cărți îmi place să descopăr noi tradiții din perioada Crăciunului, de exemplu.

🪄 Aștept următorul volum cu nerăbdare și abia aștept să văd cum evoluează toată situația dintre Elias & Chase, de asemenea să aflu mai multe și despre Alice.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still Christmas!

I was expecting the characters Stella and Ethan to be only for this one story, but looks like they're being kept around for a bit.

I forget, where did Chise get the shapechanging pelt?

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another installment in a story that I find interesting but lacking a certain je ne sais quoi. Each volume grows on me a bit more, but I feel as if I need to read them all a second time to truly understand what the author is trying to impart upon the reader.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love these books. My favourite manga. Highly recommended.

[DonutKnow · Rating 4 out of 5]

About finding your happiness and watching what you say to others; as well as expressing how you feel.

I love this manga ❤️

[Vendea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alici mám hodně ráda. Stellu sice až tak ne, ale pořád to bylo ňuňu :3

4/5*

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este tomo me ha gustado muchísimo gracias a que tiene un ritmo más acelerado que los anteriores sin quitar la magia y frescura que desprende esta obra. Aparecen nuevos personajes, nuevas relaciones y los sentimientos están a flor de piel de los protagonista, dando a pie a situaciones muy interesantes.

Y sin duda... el final te deja con la miel en los labios.

[Sammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone loves a Christmas special! Why aren’t these books longer! On to the next one! 4.8/5

[Alice4170 🌙 · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️

[Darien Springer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featuring an illuminating flashback about Alice and a nice little story about a feuding sister and brother, this volume's winter solstice vibe only amplifies the feeling of coziness. We also get more slow burn development of Chise becoming more independent little by little. Regarding an aspect I am not a huge fan of: Elias's possessiveness has always been somewhat problematic and worrisome but it gets a little overbearing in this volume.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another beautiful volume in this wonderful series. My copy also came with a cute little special booklet.

Chise and Elias's friendship grows stronger - this volume was more about character development than plot progression.

I love this series, but I hate the long wait between volumes.

[Loz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remain entranced. An interesting focus on what it means to be family, whether chosen or blood. Gorgeous art, endearing characters, just enough menace and danger and trickery and resolution to pay appropriate homage to the fae.

[Marius Paulsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manga series is my favorite for sure!

[Alyson Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book: The Ancient Magus Bride, Volume 6
Author: Kore Yamazaki
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I do think this is probably the slowest volume in terms of plot, but that was fine with me. It’s Christmas time and we spend a good chunk of the volume with the characters celebrating the holiday. I don’t know about you, but this is something I rather enjoy. I like getting to see how different people just celebrate Christmas and spend a rather quieter day. We see Chise go Christmas shopping with Alice, experience the quietness of the holiday, gift giving, and just being around each other. It brings about a more human side to the series. It also allows us to see a more softer and gentler side to some of the characters.

We also get Alice’s backstory, which I rather enjoyed. To me, Alice is one of those characters who I really haven’t latched onto yet. She was just kind of there hovering in the background. Like with the Silver Lady, once I got to know her story, I found myself pulled into her character. We find out that life hasn’t been kind to Alice and it really does make you feel kind of sorry for her.

We also see Chise start to form friendships and go out and do more on her own. This often happens without running it by Elias. Elias, of course, takes this rather hard. It’s almost like he’s afraid that Chise is going to make all of these amazing friends and not want to be with him. He’s jealous. However, I do really like the idea of Chise getting out on her own. She’s becoming her own character and person. Having these friendships makes her seem normal and relatable. I like getting to see more and more people being pulled into the story. Plus, seeing Elias’s reaction just added more to his character. He comes across as this all knowing and almost unemotional being when it comes to certain things. By seeing his reaction, it shows us that there is more to him-that he is capable of feeling threatened by mere humans.

Again, I really enjoyed this one. I know the revies is kind of short, but there’s just not a lot to talk about other than the things I mentioned. Anyway, on to volume seven.

[Brigitte Alouqua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ce tome marque clairement une évolution pour Chisé. Pour Elias également qui voit son apprentie prendre son envol, même si celui-ci reste discret et qu’il ne peut s’empêcher de la surveiller de loin. Il est responsable d’elle et prend son rôle au sérieux.

Nous sommes en période de Noël, Alice, l’apprentie de Renfred, demande de l’aide à Chisé pour trouver le cadeau qui fer plaisir à son maître. Ce qui fera prendre conscience à Chisé, qu’elle n’avait même pas pensé à offrir un cadeau à Elias. Les voilà donc dans Londres afin de trouver leurs cadeaux respectifs.

Ce ne sera pas une journée des plus calmes pour autant, les jeunes filles vont tomber sur d’anciennes connaissances d’Alice, pas spécialement très recommandables d’ailleurs. Ce qui nous vaudra quelques confidences de la jeune femme qui va ouvrir une porte sur son passé, sur sa rencontre avec Renfred, sur la manière dont elle a pu s’en sortir grâce à lui. C’est un passage émouvant, qui nous fait prendre conscience que si elle n’avait pas eu la chance de rencontrer Renfred, elle ne serait peut-être plus de ce monde.

Mais cela ne s’arrête pas là, par la suite, Chisé va croiser le chemin d’une jeune fille qui a perdu son petit frère. Pourtant, personne d’autre qu’elle ne semble se souvenir du garçon. Après avoir demandé l’accord d’Elias, Chisé va tenter d’aider la jeune fille. Ce qui ne sera pas une affaire des plus simples. Chisé elle-même va se retrouver en danger, heureusement que Elias n’est jamais vraiment très loin de sa protégée.

Beaucoup d’émotions dans ce tome qui marque l’évolution de Chisé.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is my favorite so far! Chise and Alice go shopping for their Masters for the perfect Christmas gift. Then young siblings get into a spat that leads to the brother being kidnapped by an ancient being. Chise must help the girl locate her brother or face losing him forever. She relies on the pelt to sniff out Elias and the boy and it’s truly a happy reunion...Chise has made her first real friend. But Elias is upset for some reason at the two and runs away for Chise to chase him. The Alchemist is seen scheming and Chise’s new friend may be his next target.

[Kelsey (Bookishly Nerdy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

TW: drug abuse

This volume kinda got lost for me. There were some chapters that were very specific to deal with a mystery element. And we had a few call back moments. But it ended and I’m honestly not sure what happened. Elias is figuring out how to deal with human emotions, so he’s doing that and Chise is explaining what he’s feeling. So that is an interesting element to cover.

I’m discovering the more volumes I read, that I am very interested in the world and the magic system of this series. But I’m not really attached per se to any of the characters anymore.

[Claudia Torkan · Rating 4 out of 5]

možno tak 3.75*, ale bolo to dobré

Zistila som, že sa mi veľmi páčia časti, v ktorých je Čise odkázaná na seba. Ukazuje čitateľom, že ako postava má čo ponúknuť a v skutočnosti je od Eliasa závislejšia oveľa menej ako on od nej, čoho bol koniec jasným dôkazom.
Som zvedavá, kam sa autorka rozhodne v ich vzťahu ďalej pohnúť, pretože mám čím ďalej tým väčší pocit, že hoci je Elias neviem koľko ročný čarodejník, Čise dokáže byť dospelejšia a samostatnejšia (aj keď sa ešte má čo učiť).