REVIEW: ‘The Ancient Magus Bride,’ Season 2 Episode 3 — “Birds of a Feather Flock Together II”

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In last week’s episode, The Ancient Magus Bride Season 2 continued to explore and expand on the world the series inhabits through a lesson from Elias that had rather explosive results. Throughout the episode, a variety of new characters were shown but there was little time for Chise to get to know her new classmates at The Mage’s College. Thankfully, The Ancient Magus Bride Season 2 Episode 3 continues to build out characterization for Chise’s counterparts this season in “Birds of a Feather Flock Together II”.

The Ancient Magus Bride Season 2 Episode 3 picks up immediately where its predecessor left off. Rian, a classmate of Chise’s who seems to lack magic aptitude, requests that Chise teach him how to use magic. Before Chise can answer, we are introduced to yet another character at The Mage’s College: Tory, Rian’s mentor. Given the hushed conversations that the faculty at the college have had since Chise’s and Elias’s arrival, it is hard to say who they can trust and who has nefarious intentions. While Rian and Tory appear to be on the up and up, the same can’t be said for other individuals at the college as the episode progresses.

During a trip to the cafeteria, Chise and Elias get a formal introduction to more of the students at The Mage’s College. To this point in the series, there haven’t been many full fledge human characters. One of the most interesting things that The Ancient Magus Bride does is provide a wide variety of creature designs. It is very rare that two creatures look the same in this fantastical world of magic and spirits. With London as the show’s primary location, it could have been very easy to have a homogenous cohort of students with Chise being the outlier. That is certainly not the case as Chise and Elias sit around the lunch table.

Every character is unique in appearance ranging from different skin colors, body types, and genders. It’s a great continuation of the series’s intentionality of using inclusive language and leaning on queer subtext. While little is revealed about them outside of a few quips during their introductions, it is clear this will be a colorful cast of characters for viewers to enjoy. Not every interaction that Chise and Elias have at the lunch table beam with the same level of positivity though. While some of the students are obsessed with Elias’s appearance as his natural state, others are weary of the duo setting up potential conflicts later in the season.

The back half of The Ancient Magus Bride Season 2 Episode 3 shifts back to the Elias homestead. With so many introductions and worldbuilding done over the last three episodes, the return to just Chise, Elias, Silver, and Ruth is a welcome reprieve. The small family of four has been through so much together so something as simple as harvesting pumpkins hits right in the feels. Season 1 ended with Chise’s and Elias’s romance finally starting to bloom and they share a few moments in “Birds of a Feather Flock Together II” that remind fans that this series is more than just about mages, sorcerers, and alchemists.

The Ancient Magus Bride Season 2 Episode 3 continues to lay the groundwork for the unique cast of characters that will present this season. The conflict for the season has yet to reveal itself, but the seeds of something insidious are certainly beginning to make themselves known to the viewer. The whispers between faculty members and flashes of visions for Chise indicate there is something bigger at play at The Mage’s College. Only time will tell when the president’s true intentions will come to light.

The Ancient Magus Bride Season 2 Episode 3 is available now on Crunchyroll, with new episodes every Thursday.