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

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Episode 2 of The Ancient Magus Bride Season 2 begins with some students greeting Elias. He’s currently in his human form. Meanwhile, Chise assists the girl from the previous episode’s conclusion with her mental problems. Chise hands her some chamomile and other herbs and departs. We learn the girl’s name is Philomela after another female named Veronica tells her that class is about to start.

Chise finds the training room and reunites with Alice and her companion Will-o’-the-Wisp. Alice shows Chise to her class and realizes she’s more confident than she used to be. Alice departs. Chise enters the class and spots Philomela. Before she talks with her, their teacher Narcisse walks in, so she quickly rushes to find a vacant seat. Narcisse starts class with a lesson on sorcery. He argues to master sorcery–a person must heighten all of their senses. After sharing his speech, Narcisse declares that they’ll be studying Latin.

Narcisse calls out Chise and says she won’t need to learn sorcery since she’s a mage and visiting student. However, he expects her to produce outstanding grades in her general courses. Meanwhile, Elias teaches the first years some magic–while in his human form. Chise spots Renfred and asks Alice if he’s here to keep an eye on Alice. Chise asks Alice why she’s in the magic class, and Alice responds that she was asked to attend the class. Elias assigns the class the task of establishing a tight connection with some fire creatures. They must communicate with the beasts and ask them to light the candles on specific tables. Elias asks Chise and Alice to demonstrate.

Alice goes overboard while Chise performs well. Elias reminds the students to give up if they can’t persuade the creatures to do their bidding. The students give it a try, and a few show promise. However, one boy gets fussy with a creature causing it to act chaotic. It tries to harm the boy, but Elias protects him. The students are bewildered by Elias’s true form. He asks those with an aptitude to raise their hands. He suggests those who don’t have this trait quit.

Afterward, Chise and Elias bump into a classmate named Rian. Rian asks Chise if he can teach her magic. The episode concludes with two people with briefcases entertaining a mysterious room in the academy.

The Episode Review

This was a quick episode of The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2. It introduces some students and gives us a glimpse at Elias’s capability of teaching students he’s never met before. It was nice seeing Chise demonstrate her powers in front of these novice sorcerers. It shows how far she’s come as a mage since her sleigh beggy days. I can see her becoming a great role model for the students at this school.

On the other hand, Chise’s not perfect. While she’s stronger and more confident than she used to be, she still suffers from doubt which is visualized in her hesitance to enter her Latin class. It’ll be great to have these side characters boost Chise’s confidence alongside Chise helping them attain a better understanding of magic. The episode provides some enjoyable comedic dialogue and visual humor too.

There were subtle animated moments that looked astonishing. From impressive camera work to great uses of CGI, many will feel immersed in this magical school environment. Although this anime will be competing with Konosuba and Mashle: Magic and Muscles, The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 feels more dramatic and serious, which is appreciated.

Overall, this was a fine episode of the anime. It doesn’t offer anything groundbreaking, but many will like the new characters it introduces. It also introduces some mysteries involving its cliffhanger between those mysterious people. Hopefully, this season can maintain the elegance and secrecy of the first season.