Disclaimer: This review covers the 2017 24-episode series "The Ancient Magus' Bride" and the 2016 3-episode OVA "Those Awaiting a Star." It's rare to get excited about anime anymore: there's simply too much of it to keep track of. In the past, we've had "Fullmetal Alchemist," "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," "Attack on Titan," and perhaps a handful of others that had hype and excitement around them before the first episode aired... but this only occurs for a fraction of the series that get produced. "The Ancient Magus' Bride" was set to be one of these rare shows, a modern classic among few others in the late 2010's decade. Based on a recent best-selling manga, this fantasy-romance would best be described as a mix between the aforementioned "Fullmetal Alchemist," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Harry Potter," animated by the new Studio Wit after their fantastic debut with "Titan." I've never seen such a sure combination for success.After finally getting around to it, I can say 'yes,' "The Ancient Magus' Bride" is as much a modern anime classic as we can get. But there is a lot to talk about.Firstly, viewers have a choice about what to watch first. They can start with the 3-episode OVA "Those Awaiting a Star," released theatrically in Japan before the series, even though it's set sometime after episode 12. There's nothing wrong with this, but I'd recommend waiting and viewing it as a sweet side story after finishing at least half of the television season. It features main character Chise recalling a story from her past as a child to her friends, giving us a better glimpse of her depression and misfortune after her mother's death, while also getting a taste of the magic and wonder that will feature in the series."Those Awaiting a Star" is a sweet tale, although stretched a little thin to fit three full episodes (a large portion of the final episode is just a recap of the first two as well). Its strength is the display of fantastical monsters that haunt Chise: the are well designed and well animated, and the OVA gives better focus to them then the series does. If you still had any reservations about the series, this is a quick thing to watch to get hooked to the setting and characters.Unfortunately, Funimation didn't give the OVA great treatment for North America. Included as a free bonus feature, it's only on the Bluray, and is subtitled only, no English dub to match the main series. By comparison, Crunchyroll makes it easy to find these OVA dubbed in virtually every other language. It seems like a massive missed opportunity for something that would have sold well as a standalone package, yet another fault in a continuously out-of-tune licensor. Moving on to the main series. The story is about Chise Hatori, a red-haired Japanese girl. Her mother abandoned her long ago, killing herself shortly after exclaiming how she wished Chise had never been born. Living for years without a family, and with a troubling ability to see invisible spirits that haunt and torment her, Chise planned to kill herself too, but is stopped by a stranger who suggests: "If don't want your life, why not give it to someone who can make use of it?" Chise agrees to sell herself for auction as a slave in an underground society for magical folk. Not realizing she is a "Sleigh Beggy," a being born with multiple rare abilities, she'll fetch a high price. She's bought by a tall dark man with a deer skull on his face, who whisks her back to his cottage on the outskirts of London, England. He exclaims that he is an old mage, and Chise will become his apprentice. Also, she is now his bride. Uncertain of how to think, Chise follows along, seeing Elias the mage as a kind man, and making the most of her first real home.There are potentially a few problems with this premise that will turn off viewers. Chise suffers from depression and a low opinion of herself. It's her own decision to become a "slave," but even afterwards, makes her decisions knowing that she is Elias' property. Kind as he is to her, when others warn Chise that he might mean her harm, she smiles and accepts that he can do as he pleases. It's the type of attitude and excuse someone in an abusive relationship might give. One of the biggest plot points is of Chise finally learning to think for herself, and to value herself more, regardless of others. Thankfully, by the end, she's in a much better state of mind. It's rare to come across entertainment that tries at all to talk about depression, and while "Magus' Bride" simplifies it a bit, I can relate and understand well enough with Chise and with what the show is trying to say. 
Elias makes for an interesting and mysterious character. He isn't quite human... but what is he, exactly? Normally a well-spoken gentleman, he sometimes shifts into a black monster when out of control, and his past and alternate names ("Thorn" is a cool one) suggest there's more to uncover. Ultimately, he wishes to learn to live as a human, not fully understanding simple human emotions or how to handle them, and relies on Chise to guide him. His mystery is never really resolved in the show, but it adds a layer of suspense to what otherwise would make for a sweet, if unorthadox, romance.We haven't even talked about the magical setting. While Chise was able to see monsters for as long as she could remember, this is her first real exposure to the world of mages, alchemists, witches, and fairies. And the audience comes along for the ride. In the first few episodes, Elias conveniently gets called to complete three favors, and Chise learns about the existence of dragons, ghosts and more. These creatures range from adorably cute, to wickedly dangerous: "The Ancient Magus' Bride" is most certainly a dark fantasy, not a family-friendly one, with some story arcs rivaling the darkest in "Fullmetal Alchemist." The show manages to mix this feeling of fear, mystery, wonder, love, and comedy to create its own unique atmosphere. The comedy often comes from slice-of-life moments or character conversations, poking fun at Chise as a teenager and Elias' misunderstandings of human culture, shifting the art to chibi-art styles. This occurs a bit too often, but is refreshing against some of the darker themes. Even though I felt story threads being piled on simply to introduce another cool magical element, I never felt bored with the setting and the larger mysteries behind each character and their intentions.Visually, the show is beautiful. It has a wide color palette, and settings and beings inspired by British and Irish myths and imagery. It's a shame the animation can't quite match that quality. The motion is the one major flaw of the production, coming off as simply servicable, reducing the show to be not much more than other anime shows from 2017. It's such a shame, since Wit Studio managed such a great job with "Attack on Titan"... just a little more care could have put this on the same level of a Ghibli production, something the material really deserved. The music is melancholic and lovely, standing out all the more because of the show's heavy reliance on it, where most other shows would simply have it in the background. The first opening theme, titled "Here," is especially beautiful, even moreso with Funimation's subtitled lyrics (subtlely but meaningfully different from early translations, it was frustrating to be unable to find a English cover that uses the right words). The English dub is fine, with high praise for the actors behind Chise and Elias, but unfortunately, no effort was made to de-Americanize voices for the European setting, despite the occasional use of words like "lass." You could switch to the Japanese dub... but that would make even less sense for the setting. The end of "The Ancient Magus' Bride" in its first season is satisfying, but leaves a few major threads loose, and doesn't hint at where the series would likely go next if the anime were to continue. The manga stalled a little, so it would be a while for more material to cover. Regardless, this is an impressive show, mostly thanks to that source material, and it covers a wider range of genres and viewers than most anime typically would.