All right. No need for a summary. Lets just start with the review.

Tl;Dr at the end (spoiler free so just read that if you haven't read the manga)

[MINOR SPOILERS] sorry bout that

Story (7): For a fantasy manga, Yamazaki Kore has done us good with The Ancient Magus's Bride. The author has made creative use of the dark and comedic tones. This manga also is rather slow paced but that's good for giving the setting and story details. And the "bride" part is creative as well. One of the 2 main characters decides to make the other his bride but his naive personality makes it come off as not taken seriously. How's that for a story? However there is one dissapointing thing depending on your taste.

The romance. It seems rather lacking. The 2 main characters are probably going to get together in the end but still. As the manga goes on, the only hints of romance goes along the lines of, "I want to stay with you forever." With a bit of jealousy. But according to MAL, it isn't tagged as "romance" so I guess the emphasis is lowered down?

To contrast this, however, there is the impresive world building. It's clear that Yamazaki put a decent amount of effort into making the world.

Character (8): There's quite a bit of characters to talk about and that's just great lol. First is Chise.

As you read the manga, it is quite evident that her character development is surprisingly massive. At the start, she depends on Elias, her mentor, and then she starts to be more independent while even being annoyed at him.This makes her one of the more unique characters. She also seems to have a variety of clothes.

Moving on to Elias. Elias's design was great. I liked how he looked and he's probably the character I liked the most. He also has a lot of character development as well. For example, he initially thinks of Chise indifferently and then grows more attached to her with hints of romantic feelings. That makes him cute in one way. Overall, I really liked him.

Finally the side characters. Almost all of them have backstories with Ruth's (Chise's familiar) and Silky's (maid of the house) being more clear. We also have Renfred's straightforward personality with his bodyguard Alice serving as kind of rivals to Elias (although it's more like Renfred vs. Elias). Another character I would like to praise is Cartaphilus. The main villain one might say. In his first appearance he looked like your generic crazy villian but his backstory got me curious. It didn't look like he was evil. Then again, that might be an act. Who knows.

In conclusion, each of the characters support each other and equally contribute to the story. Their backstories also actually make sense.

Art (7): The art is nothing special. I like it that way though. No complaints here.

Enjoyment (6): Let me be honest. I only read this because of the romance but as I said talking about the story, the romance is lacking. That might be shallow of me to only read this for romance but that's the truth. Don't get me wrong. I still like this manga. But for now, I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped.

Overall (7): This is a unique fantasy manga with dark elements beneath and comedic events to contrast that. If you like fantasy and romance then I do recommend reading this. The Ancient Magus's Bride is one of the more interesting mangas to read compared to others.

[Tl;Dr]
Pros
- Characters
- World Building
- Dark tones with comedic contrast
- Cute
- Creative use of folklore and mythology

Cons
- Romance (depends on your perspective)
- Some cliche's
- Slow paced

Overall (7/10): An interesting manga that can lighten up your day but at the same time could also make you feel excited and want more. Suspenseful and entertaining, this is what a good manga should be.