The Ancient Magus’ Bride – Season 2 Episode 24 Recap & Review

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Episode 24 of The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 begins with Philomela attempting to use the magic book to get rid of the false deity. However, a strange organism appears from the book and causes Philomela to stop casting the spell. Chise and the others question what’s wrong and turn to Lizbeth, realizing she’s preventing Philomela from casting it. At the same time, Philomela’s battling Lizbeth’s harsh remarks toward her in her head. 

Despite these cruel statements, Philomela stands up to Lizbet. Philomela claims she’s no longer going to follow Lizbeth’s orders and has learned why it’s important to act on her own accord from her friends. With Chise’s rune gift, Philomela tells Lizbeth she undoes the curse she bestowed on her. Philomela snaps out of her wandering state and asks the others to grab ahold of her. She casts the spell and sends the false deity away.

Elsewhere, all the College students awaken from their slumber with Alexandra and other staff tending to them. Morrigan praises Philomela and the others for their effort and thanks them for allowing her to experience a thrilling battle. She promises not to demand any more compensation from Chise and disappears. Philomela rushes over to the bird that remained after Alcyone’s departure and cries when it turns to dust in her hands. 

Adam’s clone approaches Lizbeth and she asks him why he didn’t kill her. In response, Adam’s clone wonders why Lizbeth didn’t murder Philomela since she despised Adam’s wife. Lizbeth says she thought she could make use of Philomela someday. Adam’s clone departs. Philomela approaches Lizbeth and asks her why she attacked the Webster family. After giving a vague response, a random familiar beheads Lizbeth, steals the magic book, and departs. 

Fabio arrives with Zoe in his arms. Chise asks Ruth to track the familiar down, but the female werewolf stops them because the familiar happens to be her child. Elias stops Chise from going after the book and suggests they return home. Philomela wakes up inside Elias and Chise’s home. Silky helps her get dressed and forces her outside. Philomela meets Chise and she explains everything to her. The two discuss what they should do during winter break, and Philomela suggests they make potpourri together. 

The two run into Tory, Rian, and Elias. Chise departs with Elias and Elias asks Tory to take Philomela and Rian home. Chise and Elias deliver snowdrop branches to Morrigan. After taking some snowdrops for himself, the two return home. Then, everyone from Zoe to Philomela arrives at Elias and Chise’s home to make potpourri and partake in Christmas-like festivities. During this heartfelt event, we cut to Veronica, who seems to be in cahoots with the female werewolf’s offspring. She praises the child for obtaining the magic book.

Elsewhere, Chise visits Cartaphilus/Joseph and hands him some goods from the Christmas party. The two discuss matters for a bit as we cut to Philomela and the others. Philomela’s having a tough time deciding on something, leading to a humorous and wholesome exchange between her and her friends. Then we receive a teaser shot of Elias, Chise, and Lindel. Lindel says he can no longer be friends with them. 

The season closes with a title card indicating that the next season will be dedicated to the “Fiendbane/Beast” story arc. 

The Episode Review

The Ancient Magus Bride’s College story arc has finished and it was an interesting endeavor, to say the least. From Philomela smiling with her friends at the Christmas party to Lizbeth receiving her comeuppance, this was a nice way to wrap things up. On the other hand, this episode provides fans with more questions than answers, which could leave some folks mildly disappointed. 

Whether it has to do with Veronica’s plans for the magic book or Lizbeth’s vague answer about the Webster Family Tragedy, many won’t be satisfied with this conclusion. While season 3 could address these issues easily, it appears the story’s creator, Kore Yamazaki, has other plans. Nonetheless, we’re hopeful that Yamazaki will shed light on Veronica’s character in season 3 if it happens.

Besides that, this was a compelling way to end this season and part of The Ancient Magus’ Bride. While this arc had its slow and dull moments, there was a lot of good to take away from it. Considering the studio was confident enough to end things with a thrilling teaser image and a snippet of dialogue, we can expect the Beast Arc to be just as great, if not, better than this season. Only time will tell though.