Bingo 9: Mythic
The Ancient Magus Bride is a manga and anime series based primarily in Celtic mythology, although it contains references to other folklore as well. One of the key characters (the magus of the title) is Elias who is some kind of Fae creature, given that he’s claimed as such by Titania and Oberon (this happens early in the series), the dragons who show up are European in appearance, Silky is a brownie who used to be a banshee, there are some sídhe, Ruth is a Black Dog, cats have connections to magic, magic and the supernatural have their attractions but also their darknesses and dangers, and Halloween/Samhain is a time of supernatural goings on. Volume 14 isn’t the most mythological since it’s more setting up tensions, but the world is definitely one of Celtic lore and myth, given that it takes place in England, even though the heroine, Chise, is Japanese. There are also references in this volume to runic alchemy, both of which have some place in the Celtic mythological world, more the runes than the alchemy though, and Alice’s new fae companion, although I’m not entirely sure what it is.
Chise is at the College and there are now several mysteries to investigate, especially the stolen book of illicit magic that seems to be used to hurt some of the people close to Chise and Elias, the reasons why Philomela might be pressured to leave the College, and whatever is going on with Lucy’s tragic backstory (which is starting to become more important).
The school setting is a good way to both give Chise more people to interact with as well as focus on some of the lore and world building, since having professorial lectures is a good way to do some minor info dumping, like the supplemental lecture on runes. The College is more for alchemy than magic, but the magic side of things has been the focus for most of the series so far, and Chise now has people her own age who know something about the mythological world she’s now a part of.
The world really is a major part of the series because a lot of the adventures have mythological supernatural element to them, as is the case in this volume. A big part of the first half or so of this volume deals with knowing that Samhain means the worlds of the living and dead are closely connected, and supernatural things that can only be done at certain times can happen now.