Review by Frank Plowright
At fifteen the only life Chise Hatori had known since her parents died was being passed from relative to relative. However, the affinity for the supernatural causing her so much trouble in the outside world reveals her as a Sleigh Beggy to the experienced mystic, making her extremely rare among humans and worth Magus Elias Ainsworth taking her on as his apprentice. As seen in The Ancient Magus’ Bride 1, though, he doesn’t seem to be joking about an intention to marry her, which is more than a little creepy, as is her determination to remain a victim despite the opening chapter’s revelations.
Kore Yamazaki surprises with that opening chapter. It resolves a cliffhanger and reveals a little more about Chise’s potential, but it’s predominantly a horrific story about how love can push someone into acting. There’s also a revelation about the effects of storing magic.
An overwhelming air of melancholy lies over Chise and her acceptance of anything that happens to her, yet she also has a refined sense of humanity and a desire to help others. The sadness comes out in the art, where Yamazaki emphasises it by picturing Chise from above and for the most part having her looking toward the ground. There’s a decorative richness to the illustration, often supplied by the beauty of nature despite being evoked in black and white, and the same applies to the alluring Titania and the playful Oberon when faerie royalty appear.
Although there are several detours, this book predominantly deals with the Magus completing the three tasks he agreed to in the first volume, but it has a nice symmetry in coming full circle to the problems of the people seen at the start. Yamazaki introduces his characters in a way designed to have readers make up their minds as to their nature, and then reveals how matters aren’t as clear cut as might have been assumed. The peeling back of layers makes for intriguing storytelling, and this is an even stronger book than the opener for that. Another cliffhanger leads into The Ancient Magus’ Bride 3.
