'The Ancient Magus' Bride' Episode 5 Spoilers: How Will the Kingdom of Cats Change Chise's Despairing Heart?
Now that a significant truth about Chise Hatori's impending fate has been revealed, how will this change the way she sees herself and her guardian, Elias Ainsworth, on the Japanese fantasy anime series, "Mahou Tsukai no Yome," also known as "The Ancient Magus' Bride"? Has Elias been keeping this truth for Chise's own good or for his own personal benefit?
The previous episode brought Chise and Elias to the cat kingdom of Ulthar, wherein the Cat King has been awaiting their arrival. This, in turn, led Chise to her first test; which is to cleanse the corrupted soul of Matthew, who has previously been killed by the cats in retaliation to his crime of mercilessly butchering their kind.
As it turned out, Matthew went mad after he lost his wife, Mina, whom Chise met as a deceased soul under the lake, where she and her husband are currently trapped. Mina pleaded for Chise to free her and her husband from their bondage, but before she could do anything, two villainous sorcerers appear.
In an earlier episode, Elias' acquaintance, Angela Burley explained the difference between a sorcerer and a magus or mage. According to her, sorcerers make use of a science called Sorcery in order to rewrite reality and change it to serve their own ends.
On the other hand, magi use magic that may more closely refer to miracles, and they do so with help from fairies and spirits, which, in turn, gives them the power to bend reality itself.
Now it seems that these differences will be further explored and ultimately be shown in action as the encounter between the sorcerers Renfred and the magus, Elias, continues.
Moreover, there is also the matter of what Renfred said about Chise's impending death, which seems to be coming anytime soon, as it should for a Sleigh Beggy like her.
The preview for the next episode titled "Love Conquers All" reveals that this revelation will cause much despair for Chise, whose eventual decision may or may not help bring an end to the tragic obsession that has been lurking at the very core of Ulthar.
What new lessons and perspectives will Chise learn and gain from this particular errand? Does Elias genuinely care for his apprentice and future bride, or is he only keeping her on a leash for his own benefit?
"The Ancient Magus' Bride" airs on Saturdays late night at 1:30 a.m. JST on Tokyo MX and late night at 3:38 a.m. JST on MBS. It also airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. JST on AT-X. A new episode of the mini-animation short companion series, "Maho-Yome" will be available on the following Tuesday on the series' official Twitter page.
Information on other broadcast schedules and online resources can be found on the series' official site. Episodes will also be available in selected regions outside Japan via Crunchyroll.
