- Mangaka : Makoto Sanda, Isuo Tsukumo, Kore Yamazaki
- Publisher : Seven Seas Entertainment
- Genre : Fantasy, Supernatural
- Published : September 2020
Elias, also known as Thorn, and Chise, the Sleigh Beggy, have captured our hearts with their quite unusual romance stories. The story progresses with both Elias and Chise developing in terms of character and love. However, we’re not going to talk about them today. Instead, we’ll be discussing the first volume of a spin-off of that series, The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Wizard’s Blue. Will this series do justice to the original? Is it just perhaps an imitation? Without further ado, let’s start.
Contains Spoilers
Discussion Time
Ao, the protagonist of this story, has been taken in by an alchemist commune. He was, however, not really taken care of. His only talent, which is painting, has also been limited. For whatever reason, he is not allowed to use the color blue. When one important person gets her portrait done, he goes full “I don’t care what you say.” and used blue. His painting then became alive, and he met our heroine, Giselle, who happens to be getting married as part of a ceremony. After another visit, Giselle fancied him and decides to take him in as her groom.
1. Seeing What Lies Beneath
Despite how he is being raised by the commune, Ao is actually quite talented. Even for someone as young as him, his workmanship is already at par with professionals. Another interesting thing about him is that he can see more than others. Part of that other is Giselle, who is a really really strong mage. It’s even said that Giselle is as strong as Thorn, so that just speaks levels to how great Ao skill actually is. Partnering that with his painting creates an almost invincible combination.
2. The Protagonist is Not a Pushover
Another good thing about Ao is that he’s not our typical beta protagonist. He doesn’t get shy on using his skill and is not afraid to raise his hand if needed. In fact, he even took on a dangerous undercover mission to unveil the identity of the hex merchant. That said, his character development is leaning towards a faster pace, skipping the boring parts. We just can’t wait to see how he’s going to turn out.
3. Interesting Storyline
The premise might seem something similar to The Ancient Magus Bride, but reality is far from that. Admittedly, both series kind of started with the same foot, but everything else similar ended there. Ao is actually quite talented with magic and wields it at will. More so, he’s an indispensable part of the team and not just some dead weight. With him in the cast, the gang is bound to get into more interesting troubles. That is the Hex Merchant,
Final Thoughts
To be honest, we initially thought that Wizard’s Blue is basically just like The Ancient Magus’ Bride but with the roles reversed. However, we were pleasantly surprised. Although it may give that kind of vibe at first, don’t drop the book just yet. Read through it and witness how Ao discover and harness his talent in both magic and painting. If you like The Ancient Magus’ Bride, then we’re sure you’ll love this too.
Author: Christian Markle
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