Welcome to another week of Mahoutsukai no Yome. This week continues Chise’s bad relationship with water, Elias’s with Fae and gives Silky a history. Lets jump in!
To start off, I want to talk about the best part of this episode, that being Silky’s history and alone time. For the longest time Silky was a pointless background character, and she largely still is. But now she is a character with a backstory and relationships outside of our leads. Silky’s solo time is spent well, with her cleaning the entire house and demonstrating her loneliness as time passes. Mahoutsukai even uses the chibi are they have been shoving down our throats in the perfect manner, since Silky cant talk. Mahoutsukai is much more successful at making me care about Silky here than say, Joel. Most likely because of the lack of speech, forcing the artists and the watched to pay more attention to Silky’s movements and expressions. It’s a great buildup to her backstory and the better half of the episode.
As for Silky’s backstory, there is some interesting if unexplained bits here. Her start as a banshee, with the family she watched over having died out, explains both why she cannot talk and why she is so protective about Chise. There is a cute little callback to Leannan Sidhe, but considering we just finished up her side story I didn’t really care for it. The most interesting part for me was that as Silky wanders she meets Spriggan, everyone’s favorite surly Fae. We get to see her transformation into Silky, a brownie which is a sort of protective spirit, and we get to see some of her life before Elias. It looks like she was living in this house long before Elias got possession of it. There was even a cute little thank you for Spriggan, which I liked a good bit. A good second half for a terrible first.
Now however, we get to the disappointing part of the episode. We pick up with Chise vomiting blood outside the house. Its interesting seeing how it affects Ruth, and the trip to the land of the Fae had some pretty scenes. However that is all this first part really had. Pretty scenes and pointless talks. Oh Chise just overused magic? Well she has a history of that. Titania wants Elias and Chise to stay in Fairy Land? Well we know that’s not happening, Elias is sort of hated there. Oh Shannon the Fae doctor is strangling Chise because her lack of will is keeping her wounds opens? The last one is the most egregious. There are so many issues with it, I have to give it its own little paragraph. Suffice to say, nothing important happened in this first half, and another dull cliff-hanger got resolved. Yaaay…
In regards to the Shannon and pong scene though, I have a lot of problems. First, where did Chise’s wounds come from? She had none 5 minutes ago when she was vomiting blood, but now shes wounded up and down her body? Alright lets ignore that, how about the depth of this pond? First Shannon is wading through waist deep water, next shes kneeling down drowning Chise, and finally they are both sitting in maybe 6 inches of water. Theres ZERO consistency in this scene. Lastly we have Shannon drowning Chise for no reason, as Chise continues her habit of drowning. Its like the “boy who cried wolf” except its “the Chise who cried bubble bubble gasp“. I don’t care anymore, she is in trouble every episode. So much so there is no drama or stakes in it any longer. Its just… tedium. A terrible shame Mahoutsukai, you had potential.
All in all, my opinion on this episode should be quite clear. Every episode goes a little further down hill in terms of story, even with occasional spikes like Silky. The main pair are simply not interesting and Chise is so danger prone, the plot is bending over backwards to drown her at every puddle in the road. The good aspects of Mahoutsukai, not counting the beautiful visuals, are the magic and the lore of the world, and are largely left by the wayside in favor of melodrama. How many times must we see Chise’s serene face underwater before she stops trusting people near lakes? The only hope I have left is the flash-forward in episode 13, promising plot to come. Until it does, this is the disappointing stuff were left with.
See you next week folks. Here’s hoping for something more soon.
I did like this episode. Like other ideas brought in this series, this one was about changing the outlook of someone. Be it having a different look like the doctor and husband that it felt like it change also their outlook in life, and the choice of keeping their humanity by Elias and Chise shows a willingness to confront the limitations that lifestyle has, but also how that lifestyle develops internally.
I’ll admit its kind of ridiculous we’re introduced yet to another couple in a very superfluous manner. Kinda like how J.K. Rowling also insisted every character in her books got married and with kids. Also since I’m bringing other authors, the treatment gave me flashbacks to Return of the Sith about someone being healthy but not having the will to live or something like that. That’s the only reasoning I came when the doctor told her wounds didn’t heal because she wasn’t caring about living.
I agree with the issue of a lack of major conflict. Chise continues to be afflicted by the nature of being a Sleigh Beggy, yet it’s not so much of a ticking clock than a continuous nuisance.
The Silky part was ok to know. But since she hasn’t brought much to the story it felt unimportant.
All in all, I agree it has been losing steam, and makes me wonder if the manga also stretched itself as the anime seemingly has.
I understand the message, finally directly confronting Chise’s apathy. I just dont think this was a good way to do it. I am glad it finally happened, it just wasnt good.
Im still confused where she got the wounds from. She vomitted blood, then wakes up in a bed covered in wounds.
I think I liked the Silky part more, because the first note I wrote when starting this episode was “Silky is still here? Why is she in this show at all?”, so I was very happily surprised she got some attention this episode.
Checking out this review because I’ve fallen behind on this series & I was curious whether the latest episodes were good or not. Looks like I have my answer… Anyways, thanks for the episode review!