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Review

by Theron Martin,

The Ancient Magus Bride: Wizard Blue

volume 1

Synopsis:
The Ancient Magus' Bride: Wizard Blue
Ao is an orphaned Japanese boy who was taken in by the commune of alchemists who live in the catacombs of Paris. However, he has never fit in there because he does not belong to any of the established racial groups. His alchemy manifests through his paintings, especially when he uses blue paint, but he also has keen mystical eyesight as well. That catches the attention of the visiting Giselle, a dragon-headed woman who is also a rare true mage. She has come to take a ceremonial groom as part of a long-standing ritual, and after seeing what young Ao can do, she opts to choose him over more established candidates. She cryptically tells him that she wants to see him become a strong alchemist, strong enough even to eventually kill her.
Review:

If this concept sounds like a gender-swapped version of the core story of The Ancient Magus' Bride, then you are understanding correctly; that is exactly how the concept was pitched to writer Makoto Sanda, who may be better-known for the anime-adapted novel series The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II and Rental Magica. This one has substantial foundational parallels to the original, with Giselle also being a non-human mage taking on a much younger opposite-gender child as a nominal spouse and Ao similarly being parentless and misunderstood (and misappreciated) for his abilities. Likewise, a shopkeeper who partly specializes in magic-related items also quickly gets introduced and Ao faces a steep learning curve. However, the parallels do not go much further than that. Wizard's Blue is its own story and has its own inherent appeal, enough so that it could easily stand on its own. In other words, readers do not need to be familiar with the original story to follow this one.

This story is set in the same world as the original, with one – but only one! – reference to Elias and Chise indicating that it takes place during or after volume 10 of the original manga. The dilemmas Ao faces have elements of danger to them about equivalent to what Chise faces, but the emotional baggage he packs is carry-on-sized compared to Chise's steamer trunk. He feels a little isolated by his race, and constrained by restrictions place on him, as he has difficulty controlling the magic which comes out when he uses the color blue in his paintings, but both of those are much more simple frustrations than self-loathing. Combine that with Giselle generally being more sociable and socially capable and the story manages a lighter and freer tone and more vivacious exchanges; as compelling as Elias and Chise's relationship is, it can also be rather dour. Giselle being a much livelier and well-adjusted spirit than Elias has a lot to do with this.

The story covered is divided into four “Leҫon” (French for “Lesson”). The first and longest is the introductory piece, which establishes both characters and how Ao ends up being chosen as Giselle's husband, though it also begins a thread of potential danger involving curses which will come up again later on. The second part introduces the shopkeeper and his daughter, who is close to Ao's age and temporarily winds up with him in a pocket dimension due to a jealous prank gone wrong. The third part returns to the curse theme and more firmly establishes that something bigger may be afoot as Giselle and Ao go to see an alchemist who believes his time has come to pass on, while the fourth part follows up on that by feeding into a more involved story concerning an individual dealing in curses – a much bigger story than can be resolved in this volume.

Although the storyline has potential and is in the spirit of the original, perhaps the most important comparison is that the magical presentation also mostly retains the style and spirit of the original. The spells that Giselle uses have a language and rhythm to them that is nearly identical in style to the ones Elias uses, and the spell effects are similar. The big differences are that faeries are not in any way involved and the presence of supernatural entities in general are much more limited; Ao's sight is more a magically-aided form of insight (which can achieve an x-ray-vision-like effect at one point) rather than an ability to see spirits, like Chise can. Together Sanda and artist Isuo Tsukumo (who is doing his first full serialization with this project) do not quite achieve the sense of wonder and earthiness to magic which made the original series such a draw, but it is not for lack of effort.

The most noticeable difference between Tsukumo's artistry and that of original manga-ka Kore Yamazaki is that Tsukumo's visual style is decidedly lighter; he uses dark clothing and shading much more sparingly, even in underground spaces. Yamazaki's arc is generally more strongly-defined and tends to use heavier lines, while Tsukumo is decidedly better at drawing human faces, especially noses. (If Yamazaki's art has a consistent weak point, it's that.) Overall, it captures enough of the visual feel of the original to maintain the visual connection while still being its own independent property.

Seven Seas Entertainment's release of the manga includes two bonus 4-koma manga at the end, as well as a written Afterword by Sanda and a pictorial “Understanding Tsukumo in Five Panels or Less” bonus page where the artist explains how he ended up with this assignment. Them picking up this title is to be expected, given the ongoing success of the franchise in English. Honestly, I would not be surprised if an anime adaptation of this eventually appears. It is well worth a look by any established franchise fan and might be of interest even to those who are not.

Grade:
Overall : B
Story : B
Art : B

+ Much more livelier protagonists, retains enough of the feel of the original
Doesn't quite capture the sense of wonder of the original

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Production Info:
Story: Makoto Sanda
Original creator: Kore Yamazaki
Art: Isuo Tsukumo
Licensed by: Seven Seas Entertainment

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Ancient Magus' Bride: Wizard's Blue (manga)

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