The Ancient Magus Bride by Kore Yamazaki

OVERVIEW:

Having been ostracized by both her relatives and partially by society, orphaned Japanese high school student Chise Hatori decides to sell herself at an auction for somebody else to take her in and have a new place to call home. At the auction in London, she is sold for five million pounds to Elias Ainsworth, a seven-foot-tall humanoid with an animal skull for a head. The magus, who seems closer to a demon than a human, either brings her the light she desperately seeks or drowns her in ever deeper shadows in her new country, Great Britain. The series deals with a romantic slice-of-life storyline in a surreal and supernatural light.

REVIEW:

This beautiful story is layered with tradegy, self discovery and love. The many twists and turns are due to how broken each of the characters are as they try to heal from various personal traumas despite what the world keeps showing them. The main characters, Chise and Elias, will pull you into their dark world of mysticism and melancholy as they attempt to navigate the world together. As the story progresses there are nods to various mythological places and creatures that will ignite your interest in researching further into who and what they are. Stylistcally similar to Studio Ghibli and has a few nods to the legendary Hayao Miyazaki thematic focus on nature and mankind. This manga also has an anime series out with season two releasing right around the corner.

OTHER BOOKS BY THE AUTHOR:

Futari no Renai Shoka

Frau Faust

Ghost and Witch