History YMMV / TheAncientMagusBride

** The College Arc. Many in the fandom weren't keen on the idea of the series moving to a seemingly [[WizardingSchool cliche school setting]], and the bigger focus on the [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic alchemists]] (and the human characters overall), as they feel it detracts from the magical and whimsical feel from the early series. The sudden introduction of numerous new characters is also a point of contention, particularly since many memorable, well-established characters from the early series like Lindel, Simon, Oberon, Titania, and Mikhail are DemotedToExtra to make room for the College Arc characters. Others, however, enjoy the increased focus on WorldBuilding, Elias becoming more of a viewpoint character, and the CharacterDevelopment received by both the main couple, and the rest of the cast. They also point out that we are [[IntendedAudienceReaction meant]] to feel as overwhelmed as Chise is when she meets all these new people, and that the old characters are still getting focus, instead of being completely sidelined by the new characters.

** The College Arc. Many in the fandom weren't keen on the idea of the series moving to a seemingly [[WizardingSchool cliche school setting]], and the bigger focus on the [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic alchemists]] (and the human characters overall), as they feel it detracts from the magical and whimsical feel from the early series. The sudden introduction of numerous new characters is also a point of contention, particularly since many memorable, well-established characters from the early series like Lindel, Simon, Oberon, Titania, and Mikhail are DemotedToExtra to make room for for the College Arc characters. Others, however, enjoy the increased focus on WorldBuilding, Elias becoming more of a viewpoint character, and the CharacterDevelopment received by both the main couple, and the rest of the cast. They also point out that we are [[IntendedAudienceReaction meant]] to feel as overwhelmed as Chise is when she meets all these new people, and that the old characters are still getting focus, instead of being completely sidelined by the new characters.

** The College Arc. Many in the fandom weren't keen on the idea of the series moving to a seemingly [[WizardingSchool cliche school setting]], and the bigger focus on the [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic alchemists]] (and the human characters overall), as they feel it detracts from the magical and whimsical feel from the early series. The sudden introduction of numerous new characters is also a point of contention, particularly since many memorable, well-established characters from the early series like Lindel, Simon, and Mikhail are DemotedToExtra to make room for for the College Arc characters. Others, however, enjoy the increased focus on WorldBuilding, Elias becoming more of a viewpoint character, and the CharacterDevelopment received by both the main couple, and the rest of the cast. They also point out that we are [[IntendedAudienceReaction meant]] to feel as overwhelmed as Chise is when she meets all these new people, and that the old characters are still getting focus, instead of being completely sidelined by the new characters.

** The College Arc. Many in the fandom weren't keen on the idea of the series moving to a seemingly [[WizardingSchool cliche school setting]], and the bigger focus on the [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic alchemists]] (and the human characters overall), as they feel it detracts from the magical and whimsical feel from the early series. The sudden introduction of numerous new characters is also a point of contention. Others, however, enjoy the increased focus on WorldBuilding, Elias becoming more of a viewpoint character, and the CharacterDevelopment received by both the main couple, and the rest of the cast. They also point out that we are [[IntendedAudienceReaction meant]] to feel as overwhelmed as Chise is when she meets all these new people, and that the old characters are still getting focus, instead of being completely sidelined by the new characters.

* HarsherInHindsight: At Ulthar, the cat town, Elias avoids Molly's owner, mentioning that he doesn't like children because they can sometimes see past his disguise to what he really is. His backstory reveals [[spoiler: that when he was first living with Lindel, a child saw him in Lindel's shadow when they came to a village to offer aid. The scared child told her parents, which led to the people of the village chasing the two of them out of town after mistaking Elias for a demon, and nearly ended with Elias slaughtering the villagers in self defense]].

** Veronica Rickenbacker. It's clear there is more going on with her, despite being an ostensibly kind person looking out for her followers. And even if ultimately villainous, it is unclear how much of the kindness she displays is [[AffablyEvil genuine]], or [[FauxAffablyEvil fake]]. Her treatment of Philomela is puzzling, to say the least. Are her actions surrounding Philomela, such as forcing her to be her aide and having her participate in class activities, her attempts at letting her have a more fulfilling school life? Or is she just having fun by forcing the socially awkward Philomela to get involved in things she clearly doesn't feel comfortable being a part of? Even Philomela has no idea what Veronica is thinking, and actually finds her terrifying.[[spoiler:The reveal that she is the true mastermind behind the use of the Testament of Carnamagos raises more questions than answers. Was she aware of every step of Lizbeth's plan, and how Philomela would be sacrificed at the end of it? If so, was she okay with it? Or is the fact that it was her familiar the one that ultimately killed Lizbeth an indication that she meant to dispose of Lizbeth before she could sacrifice Philomela?]]

** All Alice's gestures of affection towards Renfred could easily be seen in a romantic light, [[spoiler:yet when she overhears Renfred calling her his daughter, and referring to her as still a child, she gets dejected, not because he doesn't see her as a suitable romantic partner, but because he doesn't think that she should be the one protecting him, [[DeclarationOfProtection despite Alice's main mission in life being exactly that]]]]. That being said, the whole thing came across in a very DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything sort of way.

* ViewerGenderConfusion: Due to Yamazaki's taste for drawing androgynous characters, this has happened quite a few times. The fact that said characters will also have {{Gender Blender Name}}s just adds more confusion to the mix.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Veronica Rickenbacker. Is she as nice as she presents herself? Or is she hiding a darker side? The answer seems to be somewhere in the middle.
** Her treatment of Philomela gets a special mention. Are her actions surrounding Philomela, such as forcing her to be her aide and having her participate in class activities, her attempts at letting her have a more fulfilling school life? Or is she just having fun by forcing the socially awkward Philomela to get involved in things she clearly doesn't feel comfortable being a part of? Even Philomela has no idea what Veronica is thinking, and actually finds her terrifying.

* CommonKnowledge: Most people describe the story as a "Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast type" with a young girl being sold into slavery, and her developing StockholmSyndrome for her buyer while becoming adjusted to her new circumstances. While the rest can be debated Chise sold herself into slavery because she was convinced that her presence was a detriment to those around her.

* BrokenBase: The ending of the anime split the fandom pretty hard between those who loved it and found it to be a natural conclusion, those who hated it because [[spoiler:Chise ends up reuniting with Elias and agreeing to become his bride so shortly after his stunt with Stella]], and those who found it mediocre for different reasons, such as feeling that the final showdown could have been much more impressive.

* CommonKnowledge: Most people describe the story as a "Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast type" with a young girl being sold into slavery, and her developing StockholmSyndrome for her buyer while becoming adjusted to her new circumstances. Except that's not what happened at ''all''; Chise sold ''herself'' into slavery because she was convinced that her presence was a detriment to those around her, and she even got half the money for it. For those wondering, Elias bought her at 5 ''million'' pounds sterling, meaning she got 2.5 million, which translates to just under ''3.5 million'' dollars. The fact that despite being bought as a slave, she is never really treated as one is just icing on the cake.

* CommonKnowledge: Most people describe the story as a "Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast type" with a young girl being sold into slavery, and her developing StockholmSyndrome for her buyer while becoming adjusted to her new circumstances. Except that's not what happened at ''all''; Chise sold ''herself'' into slavery because she was convinced that her presence was a detriment to those around her, and she even got half the money for it.
** For those wondering, Elias bought her at 5 ''million'' pounds sterling, meaning she got 2.5 million, which translates to just under ''3.5 million'' dollars. The fact that despite being bought as a slave, she is never really treated as one is just icing on the cake.

* UglyCute: Elias when he was young was kind of adorable.
** There are even some who find Elias himself attractive. There's a reason he's called "Bone Daddy".

* ViewerGenderConfusion: Due to Yamazaki's taste for drawing androgynous characters, this has happened quite a few times. The fact that said characters will also have GenderBlenderNames just adds more confusion to the mix.

* ViewerGenderConfusion: Due to Yamazaki's taste for drawing androgynous characters, this has happened quite a few times.

* AudienceAlienatingPremise: Some people tend to be put off by the story's premise of Elias buying Chise at a slave auction and then telling her that he intends to make her his bride. The fact that Elias admits that he mostly took Chise in out of curiosity rather than genuine kindness doesn't help either, nor does the fact that Chise is surprisingly okay with this, [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe simply because Elias was the first person to call her family]], even if it was a lie at the time.
** To a degree, this might be an IntendedAudienceReaction, as a number of characters point out how unhealthy Chise's mindset is in regards to Elias, and her CharacterDevelopment partially revolves around her growing out of it and asserting herself more.

** TAll Alice's gestures of affection towards Renfred could easily be seen in a romantic light, [[spoiler:yet when she overhears Renfred calling her his daughter, and referring to her as still a child, she gets dejected, not because he doesn't see her as a suitable romantic partner, but because he doesn't think that she should be the one protecting him, [[DeclarationOfProtection despite Alice's main mission in life being exactly that]]]]. That being said, the whole thing came across in a very DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything sort of way.

* RelationshipWritingFumble: With the parallels between Chise/Elias and Alice/Renfred, it wasn't hard for fans to read the latter relationship as also being intended to be romantic. [[spoiler:It came as a surprise for some, then, when Renfred emphatically says he sees Alice as his ''daughter'']].
** Then there's Alice herself. All her gestures of affection towards Renfred could easily be seen in a romantic light, [[spoiler:yet when she overhears Renfred calling her his daughter, and referring to her as still a child, she gets dejected, not because he doesn't see her as a suitable romantic partner, but because he doesn't think that she should be the one protecting him, [[DeclarationOfProtection despite Alice's main mission in life being exactly that]]]]. That being said, the whole thing came across in a very DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything sort of way.

** The College Arc. Many in the fandom weren't keen on the idea of the series moving to a seemingly [[WizardingSchool cliche school setting]], and the bigger focus on the [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic alchemists]] (and the human characters overall), as they feel it detracts from the magical and whimsical feel from the early series. The sudden introduction of [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters numerous new characters is also a point of contention]]. Others, however, enjoy the increased focus on WorldBuilding, Elias becoming more of a viewpoint character, and the CharacterDevelopment received by both the main couple, and the rest of the cast. They also point out that we are [[IntendedAudienceReaction meant]] to feel as overwhelmed as Chise is when she meets all these new people, and that the old characters are still getting focus, instead of being completely sidelined by the new characters.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Veronica. Is she as nice as she presents herself? Or is she hiding a darker side? The answer seems to be somewhere in the middle.

** Elias. Many fans enjoy him for his design and personality, finding his Fae side adds a unique perspective. However, his devotion to Chise splits between those who find it sweet and those who find it creepy and possessive. [[spoiler:The fact he was willing to sacrifice Stella to save Chise out of necessity and jealousy only further divided fans between those that find it understandable he'd make that choice and those who view him as little different than ''Joseph'' at that point.]]

** The plot once Chise and Elias start attending the College. A portion of the fandom doesn't enjoy a seemingly [[WizardingSchool cliche school setting]], and the bigger focus on the [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic alchemists]], as they feel it detracts from the magical and whimsical feel from the early series. The sudden introduction of [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters numerous new characters certainly doesn't help matters]]. Others, however, enjoy the increased focus on WorldBuilding, Elias becoming more of a viewpoint character, and the CharacterDevelopment received by both the main couple, and the rest of the cast. They also point out that we are [[IntendedAudienceReaction meant]] to feel as overwhelmed as Chise is when she meets all these new people, and that the old characters are still receiving focus, rather than being completely sidelined by the new characters.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Even before ''Anime/DevilmanCrybaby'' came out, Creator/AyumuMurase shows just how much range he has in his role as Joseph, especially when his voice turns from boyish and light to ominous and low to frantic and emotional in the blink of eye. It shines all the more in the scenes where Joseph loses his cool or exhibits other intense emotions.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Veronica. Particularly, her treatment of Philomela. Are her actions surrounding Philomela, such as forcing her to be her aide and having her participate in class activities, her attempts at letting her have a more fulfilling school life? Or is she just having fun by forcing the socially awkward Philomela to get involved in things she clearly doesn't feel comfortable being a part of? Even Philomela has no idea what Veronica is thinking, and is actually terrified of her.

** The plot once Chise and Elias start attending the College has been this for some. A portion of the fandom doesn't enjoy a seemingly [[WizardingSchool cliche school setting]], and the bigger focus on the [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic Wizards]], as they feel it detracts from the magical and whimsical feel from the early series. The sudden introduction of [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters plenty of new characters certainly doesn't help matters]]. Others, however, enjoy the increased focus on WorldBuilding, Elias becoming more of a viewpoint character, and the CharacterDevelopment received by both the main couple, and the rest of the cast. They also point out that we are [[IntendedAudienceReaction meant]] to feel as overwhelmed as Chise is when she meets all these new people, and that the old characters are still receiving focus, rather than being completely sidelined by the new characters.

* UglyCute: Elias when he was young is kinda adorable.

* VanillaProtagonist: While she is a main character, Chise's personality, in comparison to the other characters, can best be described as being "plain". Her role in the series seems to be to play off of the more unique and colorful creatures and characters she encounters. In that sense, she's just relatable enough that she can be a vessel for the audience members to put themselves in her shoes to be in awe of the world-building and magical creatures who could best be described as being the real stars of the show.

** Then there's Alice herself. All her gestures of affection toward Renfred could easily be seen in a romantic light, [[spoiler:yet when she overhears Renfred calling her his daughter, and referring to her as still a child, she gets dejected, not because he doesn't see her as a suitable romantic partner, but because he doesn't think that she should be the one protecting him, [[DeclarationOfProtection despite Alice's main mission in life being exactly that]]]]. That being said, the whole thing came across in a very DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything sort of way.

** The plot once Chise and Elias start attending the College has been this for some. A portion of the fandom doesn't enjoy a [[WizardingSchool cliche school setting]], and the bigger focus on the [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic Wizards]], as they think it detracts from the magical and whimsical feel from the early series. The sudden introduction of [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters plenty of new characters certainly doesn't help matters]]. Others, however, enjoy the increased focus on WorldBuilding, Elias becoming more of a viewpoint character, and the CharacterDevelopment received by both the main couple, and the rest of the cast. They also point out that we are [[IntendedAudienceReaction meant]] to feel as overwhelmed as Chise is when she meets all these new people, and that the old characters are still receiving focus, rather than being completely sidelined by the new characters.

** The story following the defeat of Cartaphilus has been this for some. A portion of the fandom doesn't enjoy a [[WizardingSchool cliche school setting]], and the bigger focus on the [[SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic Wizards]], as they think it detracts from the magical and whimsical feel from the early series. The sudden introduction of [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters plenty of new characters certainly doesn't help matters]]. Others, however, enjoy the increased focus on WorldBuilding, Elias becoming more of a viewpoint character, and the CharacterDevelopment received by both the main couple, and the rest of the cast. They also point out that we are [[IntendedAudienceReaction meant]] to feel as overwhelmed as Chise is when she meets all these new people, and that the old characters are still receiving focus, rather than being completely sidelined by the new characters.

** Then there's Alice. All her gestures of affection toward Renfred could easily be seen in a romantic light, [[spoiler:yet when she overhears Renfred calling her his daughter, and referring to her as still a child, she gets dejected, not because he doesn't see her as a suitable romantic partner, but because he doesn't think that she should be the one protecting him, [[DeclarationOfProtection despite Alice's main mission in life being exactly that]]]]. That being said, the whole thing came across in a very DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything kind of way.