is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kore Yamazaki. It is serialized in Bushiroad Works' Comic Growl manga website and is licensed in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment. Wit Studio produced a three-part prequel original animation DVD (OAD) series which was bundled with volumes of the manga from September 2016 to September 2017 and an anime television series that aired from October 2017 to March 2018. Studio Kafka produced a second three-part OAD series which was bundled with the manga from September 2021 to September 2022, along with the second season of the anime, which aired in two parts from April to July 2023 and October to December of the same year.
Plot Having been ostracized by both her relatives and partially by society, orphaned Japanese high school student Chise Hatori decides to sell herself at an auction in order for somebody else to take her in and have a new place to call home. At the auction in London, she is sold for five million pounds to Elias Ainsworth, a seven-foot-tall humanoid with an animal skull for a head. The magus, who seems closer to a demon than human, either brings her the light she desperately seeks or drowns her in ever deeper shadows in her new country, Great Britain. The series deals with a romantic slice-of-life storyline in a surreal and supernatural light.
Characters
A teenage apprentice and future bride of Elias Ainsworth. Her father took her brother and abandoned the family when she was young, and her mother committed suicide in front of her causing her to feel unwanted by her relatives and bullied by her schoolmates. She sold herself to slavery, in order for someone to take her in. She is sold for five million Pounds to Elias. He tells her she is a Sleigh Beggy, a special magus who can draw magic from her surroundings and from within herself. However, this severely strains their bodies, making Sleigh Beggys very weak, and fated to die prematurely. Hence, Elias bought her with hopes of preventing her early death in about three years. Her small and fragile state has led others to give her the nicknames of Robin, and Little Bird Mage. She frequently receives gifts that suppress her magic to maintain her health. After being taken in by Elias she starts practicing magic, and finds she has a talent for sleep magic, but can also perform any type of magic at the cost of tremendous strain. She is also capable of seeing magical creatures which are normally invisible to people.
Also known as "Pilum Muralis" (lit. "Wall Spear"), the Child of Thorns, and the Thorn Mage. He is Chise's master and fiancé, once apprenticed to Master Lindenbaum. A being with both fae and human elements, his origins are a mystery. It is hinted that he was born from the shadows of the forest, but his humanlike traits imply he was a mage who dabbled in black magic, consequently losing his humanity and memories. The other faeries see him as an abomination, something he does not mind. Occasionally, he uses glamour spells to hide his animalistic appearance taking on a similar look to people he knows or sees, his true form being that of a tall man with the skull of a sharp-toothed horned beast with glowing red lights in the sockets. He also wears a red veil on the back of his head which he sometimes covers his face with when speaking to others. In the series he first resembles Simon, then Chise, and then an unknown woman. He can summon and control thorns, and transform into shadows. When angry enough, he adopts a more monstrous form consisting of various animal parts, such as a fish tail, wings or a snake body. Lindenbaum calls him a child in regards to Elias' limited understanding and sensations of human emotions. To this end, Elias purchases Chise partially because she is a rare Sleigh Beggy, but also with hope she can teach him about human feelings and behavior. He dislikes children, because they often see through his shadow magic and fear him. The ones that do not fear him ask many questions about him he cannot answer.
Chise's familiar and a Church grim. He was originally a graveyard guard dog, who chased away grave robbers and evil spirits. He was formerly called and used to be owned by Isabel. He initially thinks of himself as a human, keeping a human form until he later recalls his true identity. He shares a mental link with Chise and considers her a sister. Ruth's dog form resembles an Irish Wolfdog, although this form can change much like Elias, and he sometimes travels in Chise's shadow.
A fairy landlady of the house where Elias and Chise reside. Originally a banshee, she is now a silent silkie and takes care of the housekeeping duties in the household. While protecting Chise, she dislikes Simon Kalm the village priest, glaring at him when he enters Elias' house and wrapping her arms around Chise.
An old acquaintance of Elias. She is a mage and a technician of the Magus Craft. Her father was a technician of the Magus Craft. Even though her father was a magician, Angelica, who only had the quality of a sorcerer, could not directly learn the ways of her father. She worked hard to find her own method of performing magic. She later married, and had a daughter Althea.
Commonly called Lindel, he is Elias's magician master. He lives in the Land of Dragons. Guarding the last sanctuary of dragons, he is the caretaker of the dragon's nest. His title is Echoes: Song of Flowers, and is many centuries old.
A beautiful vampiric faerie who loves men and gives them talent at the cost of dying young. She had strong feelings for an old man named Joel Garland, but denied that they were in love as love would mean his inevitable death. Unfortunately, her presence was already killing him unintentionally at a slow rate. After learning this, Chise created a remedy that allowed them to see each other one last time. After Joel's passing, she tells Chise she will be living in Joel's garden and will not look for more lovers anymore. She later received the name, Redcurrant (レッドカラント Reddokaranto), as Joel and Chise noted her eyes were the same color as the flower in Joel's Garden.
A priest of the local church in the English town occupied by Elias and Chise, and was assigned the task of observing Elias. He has a breathing condition that is treated by Elias's medicine.
He is an alchemist who apparently hates Magi and magicians, but still cares for his apprentice Alice. He was scarred in the face while protecting Alice, and later allowed Cartaphilus to take his left arm as material for an experiment in place of Alice. He later rebels against Cartaphilus, and becomes interested in finding a way to prevent Chise's premature death.
She is Renfred's highly devoted apprentice. A former street urchin, drug abuser and drug seller, Renfred discovered her innate magic potential, and took her in as an apprentice. Despite a few rough meetings with Chise, because of their similar circumstances and having been saved by her, she ends up befriending Chise.
His true identity is "Cartaphilus", but prefers the name after the young gravedigger he fused with. He is known also as the Wandering Jew, or the "Magician of the Flow". He is a mysterious being that looks like a young boy, but has been around longer than even Elias. He is so old that he even refers to Ainsworth as a "little boy". Long ago, people said that "God's Son" cast an immortal curse on him for mocking him during the crucifixion, (much like Gestas); it's said his immortality will last until Judgement Day. Through this curse he is unable to die, yet his body continuously rots causing perpetual pain and suffering. While he appears mostly human, he uses the body parts of other creatures and often collects fresh pieces for his body. He travels around the world performing gruesome experiments on both living and dead creatures as well as both humans and fae in hopes of creating a body that will not decay or will give him the ability to finally die. He has persisted for so long at this that he has forgotten why he does experiments causing him to bring nothing but suffering and carnage. His one true desire is to be forgiven and live without suffering.
A kind boy rumored to be the son of a witch. He is in charge of digging graves at the village. The villagers disliked him, calling him strange and creepy because of his ability to see fae and speak with the dead. One day, he hears a voice calling for help. He follows the voice and finds Cartaphilus (voiced by Jerry Jewell), who looks like a shriveled up corpse. He brings Cartaphilus to his house and attempts to nurse him back to health. Cartaphilus makes Joseph feel needed causing Joseph to grow attached and he asks Cartaphilus to take him away once he is healed. Upon learning Cartaphilus cannot be cured in order to take him away to a better place, a strange fusion is made between the two giving Cartaphilus Joseph's body in order to take him away from his misery. After the fusion however, both enter a state of temporary amnesia. This fusion does not stop the curse from slowly consuming both of them, rotting them from the inside out. Joseph then regains some memory after hearing about Cartaphilus' past. He gets angry for suffering for something he did not do and Cartaphilus forgets what he did.
A mischievous Faerie King and Titania's husband. He resembles a satyr, with hooves and deer antlers.
The Faerie Queen and Oberon's wife. She looks like a beautiful woman riding a donkey, but can temporarily possess other faeries. She is a proud and very kind motherly figure to Ainsworth and frequently requests he come to live with her in the faerie kingdom. She still considers Ainsworth her child as he is the shadow of nature even though he is mostly a beast. Despite repeated requests from Ainsworth not to, she feels sorry for him and wishes for his happiness because she knows he is not accepted by humans or fae and may very well never find a place in the world.
Titania and Oberon's bodyguard, who dislikes Elias. He gave Silver a new purpose and name after finding her weeping in the ruins of the house of the family she cried for as a banshee.
Introduced by Lindel as his master and teacher. She is older than Lindel and is the person that gave both Lindel and Elias their names. She lives on an island that drifts through time and space.
A friend of Chise and the older sister of Ethan. While visiting her grandparents over Christmas she got into an argument with Ethan, in which afterwards, he goes to the woods. Stella frantically went around town looking for him, but she couldn't find him and strangely everybody but her forgot he existed. Then she ran into Chise and Elias, telling them what happened and begging for their help. They agreed to help, then found out that it was Ashen Eye that took Stella's brother. Once they saved Ethan, Stella repays Chise and Elias by baking sweets for them when she makes her monthly visit to her grandparents.
A librarian friend of Chise appeared in The Ancient Magus' Bride: Those Awaiting a Star OVA.
An ancient fae who gives Chise a magical fox skin that she can use to mutate into a were-animal of her choosing. Ashen Eye is spiteful towards humans to the point he will use them to amuse himself.
At first, Chise is the only one who sees or hears Mariel at Seth's auction house. Mariel later appears before Elias and Chise, revealing she's a witch, and that she may have a solution to Chise's curse.
Chise's father. Back in Japan, he kept their neighbors from spying on them until he and his youngest son Fumiki ran away together, leaving Chise and her mother to fend for themselves.