The Ancient Magus Bride is the perfect anime series for fans of dark fantasy. Based on Kore Yamazaki’s manga of the same name, the anime is rich in magic, supernatural elements, and mystery, as it portrays the story of Chise Hatori, a poor teenager sold to a creature known as Elias Ainsworth.
The anime’s first season premiered in 2017, and since then, its popularity only grew, leading to more content being produced for fans. Currently, season two is being aired, which means there is renewed hype surrounding the series as longtime fans dive back into it, and new ones begin the journey.
As fun as it may be to discover a new anime for the first time, the task can be a little bit tricky at times, especially when there are multiple installments to get through, as is the case with The Ancient Magus Bride. Besides its two seasons, the anime also has two OVA series focused on side stories from the franchise, one of which serves as a prequel. With that in mind, here is the best viewing order for the series.
How to watch The Ancient Magus’ Bride in order
Because the first OVA series — Those Awaiting a Star — was released first and explores Chise’s childhood, it can be watched before the anime seasons. It also wouldn’t be wrong to save those OVAs for later, though, since they start out after Chise was bought by Elias, and merely portray the protagonist’s past memories via flashbacks. In fact, different fans have conflicting opinions about which is the best watch order, but overall, most people would recommend starting with season one of the anime, since it adapts the events that kick off the manga’s plot. Additionally, this way viewers can get a solid grasp on the characters, particularly Chise, before diving into her past.
- The Ancient Magus Bride season one (2017-2018)
- The Ancient Magus Bride: Those Awaiting a Star Part One (2016)
- The Ancient Magus Bride: Those Awaiting a Star Part Two (2017)
- The Ancient Magus Bride: Those Awaiting a Star Part Three (2017)
- The Ancient Magus’ Bride: The Boy From the West and the Knight of the Mountain Haze Part One (2021)
- The Ancient Magus’ Bride: The Boy From the West and the Knight of the Mountain Haze Part Two (2022)
- The Ancient Magus’ Bride: The Boy From the West and the Knight of the Mountain Haze Part Three (2022)
- The Ancient Magus’ Bride season two (2023)
The Ancient Magus Bride is available for streaming on Crunchyroll.