Title | : | The Ancient Magus' Bride, Vol. 2 |
Author | : | |
Rating | : | |
ISBN | : | 162692192X |
ISBN-10 | : | 9781626921924 |
Language | : | English |
Format Type | : | Paperback |
Number of Pages | : | 176 |
Publication | : | First published September 10, 2014 |
Chise Hatori's life has recently undergone shocking change. As a sleigh beggy--a person capable of generating and wielding tremendous magical power--she has transformed from an unwanted child to a magician's apprentice who has been introduced to fae royalty. But Chise's newly discovered abilities also mean a cruel fate awaits her.
The Ancient Magus' Bride, Vol. 2 Reviews
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B-b-but it can't end there!!!!!!
It just can't!
And I have to wait until December for the next volume?! -
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As the second volume of a manga this volume completes the storyline started in the first and continues a new one. I have similar feelings toward it as I did for the first volume. See
my review of volume one...
The art is even better in this volume if you can believe it! The next story has some incredible art and we meet some new people! Spriggan is incredibly drawn and the woolly bugs are so cute I MUST HAVE ONE!
We see Elias coming through on some of the promises he's made about why he bought Chise. She isn't in a hurry for him to prove himself to her, she trusts that he will come through or he won't. She hopes he does and you hope for her sake he does too! I loved the moment they had between them at the end of the first arc. I could see that he was touched and I wonder if at some point he will realize that it was a beginning...? Chise shows us that though she started as a slave she is a hardworking and industrious girl who will fight her battles in her own way too! I loved this especially in the ending storyarc...
We meet Titania who was cutely drawn and rather as I imagine a queen would be. Oberon though was quite odd, lol! Manga pull in characters like him all the time, sexuality vague and a lover of pain. They always make me giggle, almost without fail and he was no different. Spriggan though captured my imagination with his spell and his properness! And our church grim!! AWWWWWW, YOU ARE SO CUTE, SO LOVABLE! CAN WE KEEP YOU?!
I enjoyed the plot immensely. The revealing of the world was more subtle, we still gathered details but they were nuances. We learned this time that Elias is a Pilum Murale and we get a hint of what that means. we learn about Chise's circumstances and the tension is definitely ratcheted up a 1000%! She's so blessed to have been found by Elias... we learn just how much this is true! The chapter endings were so natural, this manga has so much going that there is NO NEED for a twist or cliffhanger.
Development is spot on! I was not disappointed FOR A SECOND in this volume... The villain has come out to play and he is quite horrible. Villain development has been kept really tight in the story so far... it'll be fascinating to see how that changes now he's out in the open. I'm glad that Alice is not nearly the blackheart she was shown to be in the first volume.
Overall, I have already put on hold the next volumes I can get... I've got to read this and quick! They are so good. I'm hoping the quality remains true to these first two volumes!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Art
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Leads
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Others
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tension
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Development
BOTTOM LINE: GAH! I have to wait for the next volume to come!!?!
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Perspective of a Writer. See my manga and graphic novel reviews in a special feature called Saturday Morning Cartoons... -
Ack! That's quite a cliffhanger. Did the first book end in a cliffhanger? Maybe, this seems to open in medias res, with a pretty strong, sad, horror story. Warning: .*
I read volume one a couple years ago and don't remember much about the details. I'm not sure if I was in the wrong mood or the first volume was weak, but this is way better than I recalled, both in terms of art and plot clarity.
I was reminded of this series by my recent read
which has a main character that not only looks a lot like Elias but has a very similar personality as well. Even his relationship with the girl is kind of similar, although Shiva is much younger than Chise.
The two even have the same translator, wonder what she thought of the similarities?
Anyway, glad I came back to this series after all. New characters are introduced in the second book, more info is revealed, Chise finally gets to learn some magic of her own.
*I think this story is supposed to be Lovecraft's "Cats of Ulthar" told from the point of view of the couple and the cats rather than reported from a distance by the villagers. That's kind of brilliant!
(I suspect if I had read two right away it would be obvious that this was the case.) -
This second volume continues the storyline from the first.
We see Elias coming through on some of the promises he made about why he bought Chise. Chise shows us that though she started as a slave she is a hard worker and determined to fight her battles in her own way.
We also meet some new characters and more of the world is revealed to us. We learn a little about what Elias is and what it means. We also learn about Chile’s circumstances and that she is blessed that Elias found her.
Overall it was an enjoyable read and the artwork is incredible.
Rated: 3 Stars
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A magnificent 5 stars! I prefer this to the first volume which was a little confusing at times. The second volume is superb and full of surprises.
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5/5 stars
Woah, this was SO good! -
Ešte o čosi lepšie ako predchádzajúci zväzok. Na môj vkus sa tam len trošku príliš rýchlo menia scény, ale predpokladám, že na to si čoskoro tiež zvyknem.
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I'm enjoying this atmospheric supernatural story, and I like the magic system and folklore feel. It seems as though the big "villain" has been introduced, so I anticipate that the plot will start to move more in the third volume, and the side-characters will become more developed.
My opinion about the romance (?) is still up in the air. I find the relationship between Chise as slave/guinea pig/student/daughter/eventual wife to Elias's master/scholar/teacher/father/love interest to be intriguing, and I'm wondering where it's going. In a way, it seems like the author is, in some ways, making this a deconstruction of the "fairy tale romance" (the series's tagline) manga genre, since the relationship is so weird. Elias straight up admits that he bought Chise because she's an interesting experiment, and because she'd never be able to run away, since she'd be bound by both gratitude and practical concerns (food and shelter), and Chise herself acknowledges this. Yet, the whimsical art and script combine to communicate and make me believe that, despite this, there's genuine emotion binding the two main characters together, which I find impressive.
While I would normally want to scream at a low self-esteem, frail (because of her magic), passive female character, Chise is smart, hardworking, and comes off as an abused young girl who's finally in a safe and stable enough environment that she can even begin to work on figuring out who she is and self-improvement, even if that safe and stable environment comes with weird creepy strings since it's in the power of a skull-headed mage. (Stockholm syndrome?) -
RTC
TW for animal abuse, death, -
I freaking love this Manga!!!!
Amazing progression of the plot in this one + so many cats. -
I am continuing to enjoy this fantasy manga series. We get a bit more world-building, and the start of a larger story arc involving a creepy alchemist who looks like a boy and does disturbing and violent things for the sake of "research". This also means that there are big content warnings for disturbing violence even edging on torture toward humans and animals.
The relationship between Chise and the mage is sweet, although I don't know quite how to feel about the age gap and knowledge that this will probably transition from a more parental relationship to a romantic one? If I can suspend disbelief a bit, it's a fun story, but there are certainly some problematic real-life ramifications. Apparently this is a common trope in manga, but I'm very new to it!
I'm enjoying the characters, the world, the magic, and the humor. Will definitely continue. -
It dragged a little but I liked the blight storyline with the cats and the art is great! And I like the black dog/chimera plot so far. I hope we get to see a little more development of the characters - maybe Chise and Elias’s strange relationship? - in the next volume.
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4 stars.
Volume 2 in the Ancient Magus' Bride series by Kore Yamazaki was even more exciting than the first book, but stilll the dialogue was a bit confusing, hence the fact that I took down half a star.
This one starts right where the first one ended and we found out more about our protagonist and Elias.
I started liking Elias more and I can't wait to find out more secrets in the next volumes.
The intensity of this one grew with each page and the ending was pretty epic!
And I laughed so hard when meeting Oberon! Such a stupid but funny character. :D
I decided I'll also watch the anime so I can understand things clearly, even though I'm not a fan. -
I loveeeeee how dark this is getting!
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I could live in these mangas forever. Thank the old gods I own them AND the complete anime! Also, I forgot just how much I Loved Ruth’s first appearance! 🐺
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Ohhh things are getting interesting! Following on from my review of volume one, volume one was the builder, getting the foundations laid and volume two things are starting to make more sense and happen! I’ll be order volume three soon, I have a feeling that this will be a great series and I look forward to seeing the plot unfold. Recommend 4.5/5
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Read #1
Started on August 1, 2018
Finished on August 1, 2018
2018 BookTube-A-Thon Read #1 -
Ok rude place to end, JS
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Mi-a plăcut și acest volum 2, a fost o continuare firească, dar totuși plină de surprize, cu personaje ce cresc și se dezvoltă armonios, iar firul narativ se înalță și mai mult pe aripile fantasticului.
https://ciobanuldeazi.home.blog/2022/... -
Wait! That cannot end like this! I need to read the next one now!
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Aún más oscuro que el primer tomo, nos adentramos aún más en el mágico mundo que se presenta ante Chise, conociendo una nueva historia un tanto siniestra para lo que uno espera ante la portada. Koré Yamazaki nos lleva de la mano a conocer el lado más retorcido y siniestro que puede llegar a tener un humano... aunque sea por una buena causa.
Además, empezamos a ver pinceladas de la trama principal... que promete ser aún más retorcida. -
4.5/5 stars
The 1st vol. was good, but this one is great. Despite being quite dark, it's also so soft.
I cannot get over how pretty everything is, very atmospheric too. There's lots of things I don't understand yet, but I'm sure all is coming in due time.
This is becoming a favorite, for sure.
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This sequel progresses well from the first volume, keeping up the same clever writing and enjoyable plot. The characters continue to be engaging, even as we're introduced to more in this volume. I'm really enjoying this manga! (Also, I didn't see anything problematic in this one, so my previous worries were unfounded.)
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OMG! This volume was even better than the first one! I am so mad that it ends on a cliffhanger like this one (no spoilers I promise)! I was a bit sad that the relationship between Chise and Elias was not getting a bit more developped but it was good also to see Chise discover her new powers and the world behind them.
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*Read as part of the 25 Days of Manga challenge for December 2020.*
HHHHHNNNNNGGGGHHHH WTF THIS IS SO GOOD ALREADY, WHY. WHY DID I SLEEP ON THIS FOR SO LONG.
You're not getting an intelligent review right now, so put up with this nonsense of mine, okay? That's half of why you're here anyway and you know it. -
I really like this series. I feel like it's supposed to be romantic but it comes off as more mystery as the main character learns more about becoming a mage and solving problems.
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Damnit. I was suckered into the pretty cover art for the series. But the story? Just not holding my interest. Chise is BORING. Elias is BORING.
I'm bored. -
Go Chise go! I’m rooting for you! ✊😁 I hope you become a great mage someday!
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Hey man...you got anymore of that lore? *furiously scratching like a coke addict*
Awwwwww yeah, that's the stuff. -
wow i loved this
the graphics, the content, everything about this volume was amazing. every chapter kept me on edge & i was so eager to find out what happened next.