The Ancient Magus' Bride, Vol. 11

魔法使いの嫁 [Mahōtsukai no Yome] #11

by Kore Yamazaki

Chise Hatori ha solo quindici anni ma ha già perso tutto: non ha più una famiglia né speranze per il futuro. Un giorno, però, le compare davanti un misterioso mago che le offre un'allettante opportunità di riscatto: diventare sua discepola e futura sposa... Chise sta frequentando il College come uditrice. Elias ha accettato i cambiamenti della ragazza e ha cominciato ad accorgersi che anche lui non è più quello di un tempo. I due hanno a che fare con un sempre maggior numero di persone: gli stravaganti compagni di scuola di Chise, i "sette scudi", la Chiesa, e infine Rahab... Che influenza avranno su di loro le nuove conoscenze?

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

180 pages, Paperback

First published March 9, 2019

About the author

Name (in native language) : ヤマザキコレ

Born in Hokkaido. Also known as Yamao Mitsu.

Reviews

[Mir]

The alchemist college story arc continues to be interesting and different, but a little heavy on the new characters and info dumping. Like that explanation of the eight houses and their qualities? Um, I hope we weren't meant to retain that.

p.s.
My library system doesn't have this and suggested as an alternative a book from 1979 called "Utopian thought in the Western World".

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last volume doubled the cast size as a new college setting was introduced. This volume tries to touch on all the side characters, old and new, to the detriment of moving the story along very much. I preferred the second half of the book, at the college, as the storytelling seemed more focused. The new characters could be pretty interesting if they weren't competing for screen time with EVERYONE WHO HAS APPEARED IN THE STORY EVER.

[Shayshkers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume is similar to the last few in my opinion. Which means there was a whole lot of talking in the first half, but really picked up in the second. I don't mind talking and conversations in stories, but by now this is feeling formulaic. That said, the movement of the second half always makes me want to read the next one.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Troppo felice di star leggendo il manga perché ho notato parti che non ci sono nell'anime e in questo caso sono stata sorpresa di vedere la backstory di Simon, non mi sarei mai immaginata una cosa del genere.

[Sammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awww we’ve learnt so much about some of the new characters introduced last volume! Looking forward to seeing what else they get up too! 👍 4.5/5

[Niina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luin Velhon morsiamen osat 9-11 putkeen. Onpas tosi kiehtova paikka tämä Akatemia, täynnä mielenkiintoisia uusia hahmoja. Lisäksi vanhojen tuttujen menneisyydestä paljastuu hämmentäviä ja odottamattomia asioita. Myös syy Chisen morsiuteen avautuu.

[Donna Hutt Stapfer Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth waiting for!

This series just keeps getting better. A university for alchemists that doesn't smack of Hogwarts, students with back stories of their own, lushly drawn. Marvelous.

[Alyson Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book: The Ancient Magus Bride, Vol 11
Author: Kore Yamazaki
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

Here we are at Volume 11 already! I really can’t believe just how far this series has come. I really have enjoyed seeing how the plot and the characters have evolved into this. It really makes the slower start worth it. Now, we are seeing just how everything has came together and how that slower start was worth it in the end.

This is the second volume in the collage arc. I must say that I really am enjoying this new and exciting arc. We are getting to meet so many new characters and learning so much about the magic system. We get to see Chise really step out on her own and start to form her own story. We are also seeing Elias really struggle with this. it’s like Chise is forming her own life without him and he doesn’t really know what to do about it. Although he is still there in the background, it’s almost like he has now taken on the role of a secondary character. In the earlier volumes, this was a story of Elias teaching Chise; now, it’s become one of Chise going out and becoming her own person.

I know I keep saying that, but it’s true. In the early volumes of the series, we see Chise as a passive and completely dependent character. Now, she is out and learning on her own. She’s making her own friends and seems to be fully in charge of her own life. Now, we still have some of that meekness and dependency there, but it’s not as bad as it was in the first books. She is taking charge and deciding what her fate is going to be. In fact, we kind of see her take on a teaching role when it comes to Elias. She is pretty much teaching him how to be human. She’s showing him about human emotions and how to use them. How the times have changed!

The Church also plays a big role in this one. It has always been there in the background, but now we are starting to see how it is going to play a big role in what is to come. We find out how the Church came to be involved in this role and I must say that I find it rather interesting. Now, we see this is all falling apart and I think this is going to have a major impact on what is to come. I could be wrong, but I feel like this is going to be the grand finale for this arc. I guess I’m just really interested to see where this storyline is going to go.

I need more, but sadly, this is the last volume that I own-besides the guidebook. I’m going to have to track down the next volume. Is it even out yet? I haven’t seen it around anywhere.

[Alex Sarll]

After reading something where Americans kept getting Britain wrong, I turned to the next in a series where a Japanese creator generally gets everything but the haircuts spot on. Although there was a bit of a wobble early on here: "As an organization, the Church is far from the unified monolith it once was. It's been fracturing into sects and factions for some time. In fact, most call it the 'Church Coalition' nowadays." Which leaves one wondering whether she knows about denominations - though it's not as if plenty of Western writers haven't done much the same when they fancied chucking in a bit of Buddhism. But this is very much the anomaly in what's otherwise another delightful installment of Chise trying to teach Elias about human emotions, and him trying to find adorably devious ways to get her to look after herself. One long-standing supporting character is revealed to have a power/curse straight out of Chew, and for obvious reasons I am always charmed when a story uses the idea of travel by telephone booth. The new magic school set-up, about which I was unsure last volume, starts to bear fruit, such as a kid who needs goggles and earmuffs, and asks Chise "How are you so good at pretending to be human?" - it's not a story about autism, but it doubles beautifully as one. And a flashback not only gives us some more glimpses of Elias back when he was an endearingly tiny monster, but also doubles as a welcome to some who've gone off a certain other magic school story lately: "I guess that if you have a gender, you're male? Although someday that won't particularly matter anymore anyway, so it's not terribly important."

[Pflanzis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Der Band hat mir wieder super gut gefallen! Ich habe mehr über Simon, über die Schülerinnen und Schüler an der Zaubererakademie und noch weitere Charaktere gelernt. Insbesondere mochte ich die Einflechtung der Gorgonenmythen in die Geschichte. Auch die Anspielungen auf die Kurzgeschichtensammlung Das Goldene Garn war toll! Ich muss schnell den zweiten Band davon lesen, damit mir im weiteren Verlauf der Mangareihe auch nichts entgeht. <3

[Raechel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of nothing happens in this volume: we get some backstory on alchemist families, we learn about the whole "bride" thing (finally), and at the very end we get to see more of the students in a setting beyond "sit down and eat lunch today" which was my favorite part.

[DonutKnow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the human truths that I get from reading this series. ❤️❤️❤️

[Alice4170 &#x1f319; · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 ⭐️

[Jesus Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magus Bride 11

Lo del cura Simon, suena interesante.
En la escuela, pues lo del pelos de serpiente fue interesante pero no le veo mucho mas desarrollo (igual y me equivoco), el resto del volumen, normalito

3 stars

[Nicoฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ · Rating 4 out of 5]

乁 ˘ o ˘ ㄏ

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the last volume I have to read of AMB before I’m all caught up. It’s definitely bitter sweet. I love reading manga as they come out but this series has a 9 month gap in between volumes unfortunately. I loved seeing more of the not entirely human characters in this volume and I’m so hyped for more.

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this volume again a lot but I think I said regarding the previous volume, and it applies here too, it feels slightly less mystically magical with the school arc. And Yamazaki does write in the post-script strip that she want to draw more fairy folk again soon and I hope that's the case!

But first there's the backstory of Father Simon and hoo boy, was that dark too! The series doesn't feel very bleak as a whole but there sure are a lot of heavy subjects and stories there. I tip my hat to Yamazaki and her writing and art and how she keeps it in balance.
It was nice to get to know more about Simon too and the parallel scenes with Chise and Rahab were good character building too. But the one thing that remained burning in my mind most about the first half of this volume: what's happening to Stella?!? I'm worried!
I especially liked what Simon said about sharing thoughts etc. with other and how respecting the other person's choice to keep some things private is important. I know some people who should read that and learn from it...

Back at school a lot of new information is revealed and it was all interesting world-building, however, I do prefer the non-school parts of the series. There are good scenes in the latter half of this volume too. I was surprised to find I liked how Lucy was written. She seems like the usual bully-ish queen brat but very soon she's shown to have compassion too, she just can't articulate it at all. Yeah, she will probably still be mean, it's not like she did 180 in a chapter but I think she'll be interesting character in the future too. Zoey and Chise will probably get support from each other and that's really nice. But I don't have solid opinions on the other students yet.

I feel a strong theme running through the chapters in this volume was affection. It's of course something that Yamazaki has been writing all along, especially with Elias and Chise, but here many of the characters spoke about different kinds of attachments and feelings relating to those attachments: parents, friends, partners, guardians... Many good conversations between characters and even something a little bit surprising like the scene with Renfred and Elias.

Absolutely one of my favourite manga series, can't wait for the next volume!

[Kevin Yee]

I'm really liking the new characters. Also we get much more about the relationship between Chise and Elias. The new setting provides a lot of fun things to work with, it defintely takes on shonen elements like competing group from within the college, and forces outside of it. I thought the distinction of it being an alchemist's college was communicated very well. I want to know more about the war that happened. The more I read the more I feel that I gain from other perspectives in the story with side characters taking on a much more active role while Chise is reflecting on herself and making progress on her own growth. It is excellent. I'm caught up with the English translations at this moment in time but I'm very excited to continue reading as more volumes are published. This is an amazing series, up in my top tier in fantasy and all stories. I think that the anime does an incredible job adapting the first major arc. It is great to see Chise's continued adventures in the manga.

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the eleventh volume in the Ancient Magus Brid series. While I enjoyed this, it definitely wasn't one of the stronger books in this series. The story jumps around a ton and I spent the first part of the book mostly confused. There are just way too many new characters introduced at once and way too much jumping between past and present and different storylines.

I really really hope that Yamazaki starts doing either a quick synopsis of previous books in the front or at least having a list of characters and their pictures at the beginning. Suddenly the number of characters is overwhelming to the point of obnoxiousness.

I still really enjoyed the illustration style. I also really loved learning more about Elias's past and loved seeing Chise interact with her new classmates.

Overall this is one of my favorite manga series and I hope that the next volume is put together in a bit more of a cohesive way!

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad I stuck it out after the last volume (even though I stand by my opinion that the massive number of introductions was unnecessary). Big reveals in this volume regarding Gabriella (chick that looks like a nun) and Ivey (earmuffs dude) as well as significant glimpses into both Simon and Elias's backstories. Chise meets Rahab. Stella and Ashen Eye have a confrontation of sorts. Lucy (Chise's grumpy roommate) displays character development. (That was quick.) Renfred tells Elias plainly how he feels about Alice.

There was a recurring theme in this volume: you don't have to tell your friends all of your secrets. I'm interested in seeing where the author goes with it.

[lili.darknight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Po prečítaní jedenástich zväzkov som konečne zistila, čo ma na tejto mange podvedome stále rozčuľuje - teda to, aká príšerne epizódna v skutočnosti je. Jej autorka doslova varí z vody a viac ako nejaká postupnosť v príbehu ju zaujíma, aby mi ukázala, aké úžasné veci a postavy dokáže vymyslieť. Lenže to robí bez toho, aby sa vôbec zamýšľala nad tým, čo to robí s celkovou dynamikou príbehu a hlavne aké príšerne otravné je, keď mi polovicu každej knihy trvá len zorientovanie sa, o kom to čítam a čo to má spoločné s doterajšími udalosťami.

[Moriah Venable · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this way more than the previous volume.

Chise meets Rahab who gave Lindel and Elias their names. Stella sees Ashen Eyes and make some kind of deal with him. We do not know what that yet.

Elias asks people questions about marriage.

Chise understand that her roommate does not like her much but confronts Ivey as to why they always run away when they see her. The revelation and their secret was really good.

I hope we get to know more about Philomela since they were eavesdropping on some people conversations.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
This volume of 'The Ancient Magus Bride' gives the reader a further peek into Elias' backstory. These pieces explain a lot more about how he approaches humans and how he views his relationships. In both this volume and the next, Yamazaki discusses more about Elias and Chise's relationship and how they each define it. This is a particularly crucial piece considering their personal as well as shared history. I continue to be fascinated by this story and the wonderful, complex characters paired with mythology are a big part of that. I can't wait to read more.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have liked the pace of the previous one or two volumes this will fit right into your groove. I am still in shock over all the new characters and the ability to juggle them is something credit needs to be given out for. I do believe if you were entering a university this number of additional characters would make sense, but I cannot remember another book that introduced so many... (other than Naruto and the exams). The volume feels slightly shorter trying to cram so many in, but one needs to remember Kore Yamazaki has done a great job so far, so believe in the process.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I'm just now finding out that this is a much longer series than I anticipated. It's wonderful and slightly obnoxious at the same time. I'm happy to see that there is much more to these characters, that as an audience we will possibly get to understand more about them. However, because it is a series still being published in Japan there is always the chance that American audiences won't see the end of the series. (works by Clamp come to mind). Fingers crossed. Bring on the next book

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone's complaining about the new cast of characters, but you know what? I like them and find their stories interesting. This volume also goes into Father Simon's story and how he ended up as Elias's observer, as well as into a little more of Elias's past, as he was first learning to be human, when Chise meets his teacher. As always, I wanted more Ruth (sorry, Ruth's my fave), but I am still really enjoying this series and am eagerly looking forward to the next volume!

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a bit more uneven for me than other chapters in the series. I guess I'd forgotten how volume 10 left off, because I was super confused about what was going on when I first started reading. But I did really love the bit where Chise meets another of Elias's mentors and realizes more about his limited understanding of humans and what "bride" might mean to him.

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume and the previous one have a slightly different feel. Not bad, just different. Elias and Chise are settling into their roles at college. There is Father Simon's backstory in this volume. It's pretty dark and I honestly feel bad for him. I liked that Chise got to meet another of Elias' mentors.

Good volume. I can't wait for the next one.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the College Arc just begun in the previous volume, Yamazaki is still introducing characters, backstories, and the overarching plot of this arc. Those looking for a lot of plot or drama may be disappointed in this volume, but those willing to slow down and engage with the characters will find a lot to enjoy.

3.5/5

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 3.5 star read for me.
This volume picks up from the last one as we were introduced to a new set and more characters.
The beginning was a bit of a rough start for me with the setup of being introduced to yet another character but the second half got my interest as the story goes back to the alchemy college and Chise with her new friends so I'm definitely going to pick up the next volume.