# The Ancient Magus' Bride: Those Awaiting a Star (2016)

> Before Chise met the Magus, a young girl's childhood encounter with a mysterious forest library and its keeper shapes a gentle fairy tale told as a prequel.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/59585

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 3
- Episode runtime: 23 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, fantasy, drama
- Cast: Atsumi Tanezaki, Ryota Takeuchi, Koki Uchiyama, Aya Endo, Takahiro Sakurai, Yuhko Kaida, Misaki Kuno, Kikuko Inoue
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5970298/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: wistful, gentle, dreamy, whimsical

## What critics say

Audience reception is positive, with a modest rating for this short prequel OVA that expands on the story of Chise and the magical library.

## Synopsis

The Ancient Magus' Bride: Those Awaiting a Star (2016-2017) is a Japanese anime fantasy series produced by WIT STUDIO, FlyingDog and Production I.G, presented as a three-episode original video animation. It is a prequel to the main Ancient Magus' Bride story and centers on Chise Hatori, voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki, a young woman whose life is reshaped by magic. Elias Ainsworth, voiced by Ryota Takeuchi, asks her to tell the story behind a book she once read as a child, and her retelling carries the viewer back to Miura-san, voiced by Takahiro Sakurai, and the mysterious library she discovered deep in a forest. Angelica Barley, voiced by Yuhko Kaida, sends magical supplies that set the story in motion. The engine of the episodes is memory and wonder: a lonely child's chance encounter with an unfamiliar world of books, spells and secrets, and the quiet way that encounter keeps resonating. Each episode unfolds at a leisurely pace, built around conversation, recollection and gentle discovery rather than action. The tone is wistful, warm and dreamy, with a pastel, painterly sense of enchantment. Fans of Mushishi, Natsume's Book of Friends and Spirited Away will find a similar blend of folklore atmosphere and understated emotional resonance. Its short runtime makes it an accessible entry point for viewers new to the franchise.

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