Summary
Although it seemed somewhat random, it was nice to finally see some action and excitement this season.
We recap the Crunchyroll anime series The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 Episode 8, “Slow and sure. II,” which contains spoilers.
Last week’s episode took an exciting turn, focusing heavily on Philomela (Maki Kawase), a mysterious yet obviously important side character this season.
While it is unclear just how she fits into the plot so far, episode eight could be a good chance to learn more about her motivations as Chise’s (Atsumi Tanezaki) class embarks on a camping trip.
Could Phimolmela be associated with the strange figure watching Chise in the forest? Only time will tell, but here’s hoping she turns out to be an ally instead of an enemy.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 Episode 8 Recap
The episode opens with Elias making his presence known to Chise in the forest as she gathers firewood. After, viewers see a flashback to Elias telling Chise he planned to accompany her but also planned to stay hidden and not interfere when she protested the idea.
READ: The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 Episode 7 Recap
To avoid getting in her way, Elias tries to accompany Chise by splitting himself in half. He divides his skull in two and leaves one half of himself at home in his usual form while the other half accompanies Chise in a chimera form.
What attacks Chise, Elias, and Lucy in the forest?
While trying to save Lucy, Chise and Elias are attacked by a mythical sea creature known as a nuckelavee. While it resembles a centaur, it is not quite the same and can be hindered by fresh water.
With Elias’ help, Chise calls on a mythical creature called an each-uisge to help her. The creature, which resembles a kelpie, allows her and Rian to ride along its back while they distract the nuckelavee and lure it toward the lake.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 Episode 8 Ending Explained
When the nuckelavee pulls Chise down into the water with it, Chise’s cursed arm transforms into a bird-like claw capable of slicing the monster’s arm off. From there, she and Elias are able to escape the lake before the each-usige can eat them. On the surface, Rian uses magic to try and further defend Chise and Elias from being eaten by the each-usige. Chise still thanks the creature for its help by feeding it locks of her hair.
The episode ends with Chise reuniting with her classmates and friends to check on them.
After weeks of cryptic hints and relationship-building, it seems we finally got some action. Although I would’ve preferred something that felt like it was meant to further the plot instead of a random monster attack, it was fun to see this episode expand on the fantasy lore some more.
READ: The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 Review
I would be curious to see if this starving monster problem is part of an actual overarching plot or just a throwaway during Chise’s camping trip.
Overall, this was a more entertaining episode. A better balance between the character development and action helped this episode drag less than usual. We still don’t know what attacked Lucy either, which I’m curious about now.
Here’s hoping the series can keep this momentum going for the rest of the season and actually begin to give us an antagonist or a plot or something.
What did you think of the Crunchyroll anime series The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 Episode 8? Comment below.
