1
The Ancient Magus’ Bride
Start here. Twenty-four episodes adapting the manga's first nine volumes, from the auction where Chise is sold through to the end of that first long arc.
7 titles
Updated Sep 16, 2026
The Ancient Magus' Bride Watch Order (2026 Guide)
A young woman sold at auction becomes the apprentice and bride-to-be of a mysterious inhuman sorcerer in a world of magic and folklore.
Recommended Order
Quick answer
- The Ancient Magus’ Bride
- The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Those Awaiting a Star
- The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2
- The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 Part 2
Plus 3 optional extras.
4 titles · 51 episodes · ~21 hours
Watch the 24-episode first season, then the prequel OVA, then both halves of Season 2. Everything else — a second OVA set and two runs of comedy shorts — came bundled with manga volumes and sits outside the main story.
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The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Those Awaiting a Star
Three half-hour episodes about Chise's childhood and the forest magician who befriended her. It opens with her already living with Elias, which is why it plays better once you have watched the series.
3
The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2
Chise enters a college of alchemists. The first twelve episodes of Season 2, continuing directly from the first series.
4
The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 Part 2
The second twelve episodes, broadcast six months after the first half. The story runs continuously across the gap, so watch straight on.
Optional Extras
5
The Ancient Magus’ Bride: The Boy from the West and the Knight of the Blue Storm
Three episodes of anime-original story bundled with volumes 16, 17 and 18 of the manga. Chise and Elias appear, but the focus is Gabriel, a boy from the west. Set between the two seasons.
6
Mahoyome
Chibi comedy shorts posted weekly on the official account during the first season's broadcast, made by a separate studio. No connection to the plot.
7
Mahoyome Specials
Six more of the same shorts, a minute each, included on the DVD bundled with the ninth volume of the manga.
Why This Order
Start with the first season rather than the prequel. Those Awaiting a Star is billed as a prequel and did come out first, but its opening frames Chise already living and studying with Elias, and the story it tells lands as a memory rather than an introduction. Watching the 24-episode television series first means you know who she has become before you see where she came from, and nothing in the OVA is spoiled by that order.
After the OVA, go into Season 2 and its second part. They were broadcast six months apart, spring and autumn of 2023, but they are one 24-episode season telling one continuous story, so there is no reason to treat them as separate.
The remaining pieces all shipped with special editions of the manga. The Boy from the West and the Knight of the Blue Storm is the substantial one: three episodes of anime-original story set between the seasons, with Chise and Elias present but a new character, Gabriel, at the centre. It is worth watching and it is not required. Mahoyome and its specials are chibi comedy shorts running one or two minutes each, made by a different studio entirely.
How Many Episodes and Seasons Does The Ancient Magus' Bride Have?
The Ancient Magus' Bride has 3 seasons and 1 other entry in the main run — 51 episodes altogether.
Main Run
| Title | Type | Episodes | Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Ancient Magus’ Bride | TV Series | 24 episodes | October 2017 |
| The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Those Awaiting a Star | OVA | 3 episodes | August 2016 |
| The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 | TV Series | 12 episodes | April 2023 |
| The Ancient Magus’ Bride Season 2 Part 2 | TV Series | 12 episodes | October 2023 |
Optional Extras
| Title | Type | Episodes | Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Ancient Magus’ Bride: The Boy from the West and the Knight of the Blue Storm | OVA | 3 episodes | September 2021 |
| Mahoyome | ONA | 25 episodes | October 2017 |
| Mahoyome Specials | Special | 6 episodes | March 2018 |
4 titles · 51 episodes · ~21 hours
Source Material
Where each part of the anime lines up with the source, so you know where to pick up reading.
Manga
Ongoing
The Ancient Magus' Bride
Season 1
Source Vol. 1-9 (Ch. 1-45)
Season 2
Source Vol. 10-19 (Ch. 46-95)
The Ancient Magus' Bride Spin-offs and Side Stories
Only spin-offs that tie into the main story are listed here — anthologies, fan books and the like are left out.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride: The Golden Yarn
Side Story Novel
The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Wizard’s Blue
Spin-off Manga
The Ancient Magus' Bride: Jack Flash and the Faerie Case Files
Spin-off Manga
This is one of the cleanest handovers in any long-running adaptation. The manga keeps five chapters to a volume without exception, Season 2 finished on Chapter 95, and Chapter 95 is the last chapter of Volume 19 — so Volume 20 starts you exactly where the anime stopped, with nothing re-read and nothing skipped. The reason it lines up so neatly is that the manga paused after Chapter 95 and the anime adapted right up to that pause. Serialisation resumed at the end of 2023, moving to Comic Growl under Bushiroad Works after nine years at Mag Garden, and the series now runs to 24 volumes. Seven Seas Entertainment publishes it in English. Neither OVA set is drawn from the manga, so there is no chapter to look them up in, and the same publisher also handles the side series Jack Flash and the Faerie Case Files and Wizard's Blue, neither of which continues Chise's story.
The Ancient Magus' Bride Watch Order FAQ
Where should I start with The Ancient Magus' Bride?
Start with the 24-episode television series from 2017, not the prequel OVA. Those Awaiting a Star came out first and reaches further back in the story, but it opens with Chise already living with Elias, so it reads as a memory rather than an introduction. Watch it after the series instead.
Do I need to watch the OVAs?
Neither is required. Those Awaiting a Star fills in Chise's childhood and is worth the three episodes. The Boy from the West and the Knight of the Blue Storm is an anime-original side story set between the seasons, centred on a new character named Gabriel. Both came bundled with special editions of the manga rather than being broadcast.
Is Season 2 one season or two?
One season of 24 episodes, split across two broadcast runs six months apart, spring and autumn of 2023. The story runs straight through the gap, so watch the two halves back to back.
Where does the anime leave off in the manga?
Season 2 ends at Chapter 95, so continue from Chapter 96. The break is exact: this manga runs five chapters to a volume, Chapter 95 closes Volume 19, and Chapter 96 opens Volume 20. Neither OVA set appears in the manga at all, so you are not skipping anything by starting there.
Is there a Season 3?
None has been announced. The reason is unusual: the anime caught up to the manga precisely, since the manga went on hiatus after Chapter 95 and Season 2 finished adapting exactly that far. The manga resumed at the end of 2023 and has since reached 24 volumes, so the material is accumulating again.
Do I need to watch the recap special?
No. A 24-minute digest of the first twelve episodes aired on December 31, 2017, between the two halves of the first season. It contains no new footage and skipping it costs you nothing.
Is there an English dub?
Yes, on Crunchyroll, covering both seasons and both OVA sets. Dani Chambers voices Chise, Brian Mathis voices Elias and Austin Tindle voices Ruth, and all three returned for Season 2, so the cast holds steady across the six-year gap.
Are there any filler episodes?
None in either television season. The first adapts Volumes 1 to 9 and the second Volumes 10 to 19, both running straight through the source. The OVA sets are anime-original, but they are separate releases rather than filler inserted into the run.
Where can I watch The Ancient Magus' Bride?
Crunchyroll carries the whole franchise, subtitled and dubbed, including both OVA sets. Availability varies by country, so check your local catalogue.