Mahou Tsukai no Yome

I feel like:

Spoiler

everyone being mad at Chise is entirely ignoring the fact that her first friend roughly her age since getting her new lease on life is being held hostage right in front of her by one monster on one side, and the only people she thought she could rely on and trust, Elias and own familiar, were conspiring behind her back to kill that same friend on the other side. Elias and Ruth immensely betrayed her and we already see from the earlier chapter they both agreed to not care about what she thought when they concocted this plot.  They decided it was okay to kill Stella because they don't like Chise having people in her life aside from them, and Elias pretty shamelessly admits that here in Ch 40: by his own words Stella was the ideal human sacrifice from his perspective- cures Chise and eliminates a relationship he felt threatened by.  It's bad enough she was just backstabbed by the people closest to her, but her friend's life is still in danger even after being removed from them- what choice does she really have but to go along with Joseph for now? But no she should totally just let that all go, stay with them, and tell Joseph to kill Stella, right, that's entirely consistent with Chise's character. Stella might already be dead but neither we nor Chise know that yet and she can't rely on Elias and Ruth anymore after what just happened.

 

Elias we can sort of understand going down this path, it's commented frequently throughout the story that despite how much Elias tries, he never quite fits in with whoever he wants to associate with.  The fae overall think he's an abomination, Oberon and Titania's soft spots for him aside- so he can't exist among the fae, but he's still never gotten the hang of thinking like a human and having scruples either.  Joseph is not wrong to equate Elias to himself after what he just tried to do, but as readers we shouldn't entirely be surprised that happened considering what we do know about Elias and the things it's been vaguely hinted that he's done in the past.  Ruth on the other hand though, I feel like we've been conditioned to think he should know better considering how intimately attached he is to Chise's soul and has access to her mind.  He should know she would never approve of their plan and would probably rather die than kill somebody else to extend her own life, especially not at the expense of a friend's life- but here he is deciding that it's the right course of action because he preferred her to live, crushed with that guilt.  No matter how much he will try to justify or spin it, it was a decision he made for himself, not for Chise.

So basically...

Elias has been socially awkward for centuries.

And Elias has some serious communication issues as a result + magical consequences.

Loving this chapter though, the art expresses so much and the dialogue shows Chise isn't just following chick syndrome and listening blindly to the guy who saves her.

elias is too dependent on her (despite the irony of it) so honestly? i'm liking this. she called him out on it, he did not reflect, and her friend is in danger, so there wasn't much choice anymore.

being so furious over chise's decisions just feels like.. i don't know, you guys missed some part of this story. she does not owe him forgiveness for things like this, and the narrative should never have to push that on her anyway. 

i'm very interested in seeing how chise will handle what's coming up, it'll definitely be a journey for herself depending on how long she's gone.

She can't trust anyone at this time.

if you can't trust elias at this point, after everything that has happened up to now, you have problems that no one can fix. anger, yeah that's understandable. but not trusting elias' intentions is ridiculous

I feel like:

Spoiler

everyone being mad at Chise is entirely ignoring the fact that her first friend roughly her age since getting her new lease on life is being held hostage right in front of her by one monster on one side, and the only people she thought she could rely on and trust, Elias and own familiar, were conspiring behind her back to kill that same friend on the other side. Elias and Ruth immensely betrayed her and we already see from the earlier chapter they both agreed to not care about what she thought when they concocted this plot.  They decided it was okay to kill Stella because they don't like Chise having people in her life beside them, and Elias pretty shamelessly admits that here in Ch 40: by his own words Stella was the ideal human sacrifice from his perspective- cures Chise and eliminates a relationship he felt threatened by.  It's bad enough she was just backstabbed by the people closest to her, but her friend's life is still in danger even after being removed from them- what choice does she really have but to go along with Joseph for now? But no she should totally just let that all go, stay with them, and tell Joseph to kill Stella, right, that's entirely consistent with Chise's character. Stella might already be dead but neither we nor Chise know that yet and she can't rely on Elias and Ruth anymore after what just happened.

 

Elias we can sort of understand going down this path, it's commented frequently throughout the story that despite how much Elias tries, he never quite fits in with whoever he wants to associate with.  The fae overall think he's an abomination, Oberon and Titania's soft spots for him aside- so he can't exist among the fae, but he's still never gotten the hang of thinking like a human and having scruples either.  Joseph is not wrong to equate Elias to himself after what he just tried to do, but as readers we shouldn't entirely be surprised that happened considering what we do know about Elias and the things it's been vaguely hinted that he's done in the past.  Ruth on the other hand though, I feel like we've been conditioned to think he should know better considering how intimately attached he is to Chise's soul and has access to her mind.  He should know she would never approve of their plan and would probably rather die than kill somebody else to extend her own life, especially not at the expense of a friend's life- but here he is deciding that it's the right course of action because he preferred her to live, crushed with that guilt.  No matter how much he will try to justify or spin it, it was a decision he made for himself, not for Chise.

Exactly! She can't trust anyone at this time. Elias needs to display human emotion at some point of another and understand consequences for his actions. Drama high up there!

Who DRAMA here?

Chise went full retard. Seriously.

Granted Elias tried to kill her friend, but trusting Joseph over Elias? really?

She's not trusting him, she's seen what he's like.  But what choice does she have when there's also a hostage being waved in her face?  Ask the two that also want to kill said hostage?  Her hands are very tied and viable options are very limited at this moment.

Chise went full retard. Seriously.

Granted Elias tried to kill her friend, but trusting Joseph over Elias? really?

I feel like:

Oh snap!
...

Elias really need to start thinking like a human and less like a monster who cares not for others...

Are you serious right now? Fuck off. Even as a joke that is poor taste.

OY VEY! ITS ANUDA SHOAH!

Poor Elias is just trying to help in all the wrong ways and got (deservedly) punched in the face for it.
I wonder if he will start pouting again like before.

Remember folks. With Jews, you lose.

Are you serious right now? Fuck off. Even as a joke that is poor taste.

Remember folks. With Jews, you lose.

Chise was being a bit dumb here. She's quick to call Elias a monstrous child, but if that's the case, then her handling of the situation was entirely wrong. Elias, childish as he may be, was quick to recognize his wrong and immediately stop when caught red-handed. Chise's every reaction from that point on, punching him, insulting him, then running off, was about as wrong as could be for guidance purposes.

Elias was always the indecisive one while Chise outgrew that phase by the time she had her first encounter with Alice. At this point, though, she's crossed the line over towards naivety.

Now, I had forgotten all about the curse put in cute little Stella. Is she perhaps no more and Joseph is just bluffing? Does this mean the terrorists win?

For people blaming Elias, please remember that all magus/magician are selfish, they will do anything to get their goal fulfilled including sacrificing others. Elias are selfish but Chise even more selfish and immature. She thought she can save everything, she thought she can find a way out without any sacrifice at all. She thought Elias doesn't understand her, but she's the one who doesn't understand anything. Chise is the one who broke all ties they have built till that moment.

Ch 40 literally broke my heart as their relationship will be severed no matter what even if Chise come back safely. When a child magus choose their own way, their teacher/master will let them go just like Elias and Lindenbaum back then. 

It took me some time, but i finally like Chise.

Well, if we're gonna analyze, let's go all the way.

 

Yes, they're standing on two different sides here: Elias on the dark, and Chise on the light. But Elias is looking towards the light--he either wants to go there, or he's considering it. Meanwhile, Chise is looking at him, and holding her hand out. She's willing to help him go with her, if he'll just take her hand, and accept her help. 

 

It's not that they want to go separate ways. It's that they're on different paths right now, but Elias is willing to try to change his. So, yeah, we're fully committed, but not in the way you're thinking.

 

What's also interesting to me is that this cover makes it look so easy for Elias to change--that he could even do it without Chise's help. Just... walk to the other side. But nothing in his body language suggests that he would have done that: that without Chise, he'd walk to the dark platform over and over again. But with Chise, he's noticed it. He's noticed another option that maybe isn't appealing to him right now, but since Chise's there, maybe it's worth a shot.

 

Anyway, over-analysis time over.

thanks, the cover was saying a lot more than what was posted before.
Well, going back to the chapter, it was devastating, but we all know Chise wasn't going to be happy or even neutral if he was gonna sacrifice Stella, and worst of all the real reason of Elias was too much for her to bear at the moment.
 

The thing is this moment had to happen, after all Elias is from the other side, although more cold and logical, still childish and moody. But Chise was getting nearer to that side for almost all the series, but still couldn't go to that side and seeing what was happening to her main connection to the real world, it made a big cut in what was she wanted to do in the end (specially since the most trusted person/being she had betrayed her like that, and again with that kind of reason).

some things to add, the witch tried to get Chise, but instead got Elias and she was the key to throw him to a wall about what was happening to his beloved, but the big thing, if he wanted to be more accepted by her he needed to understand more about the other side, clearly understand the morals that governs humans, and most of all what moves Chise to do everything, they could clash, but never betray each other and he f*cked up good. And from there comes the last thing, he f*cked up so big that even in this chapter he got compared like 3 times that he was the same as Cartaphilus, and the only part that irked me, is that Chise comparing Elias to him in a really harsh way (she already knew he was actually a child with a monster costume), still went with Joseph who we all know is going to ask her something really big.

to end I kind of still get mad at Chise 'cause she's the other reason Elias got to a wall, not only for getting so important to him (she's not his property), but she never realized how important is for him and how much actual pain Elias was feeling from Chise's behavior, she still hasn't learned to not be self-destructive. He accepted that Chise is going to have a short life, but she has been making it sistematically shorter and the dragon incident probably wasn't the only plausible solution to that even, but she went with the sacrifice one again.

tl;dr Elias f*cked up big time, but Chise has some faults too, not everyone is perfect in the end
this series knows how to deliver in a great way.

no one made a good decision here, but i sympathize with elias. chise keeps throwing her life into danger like it's nothing at all. she's like a hero that wants to save everybody but doesn't want to face the fact that, in the face of monstrously powerful beings and forces beyond knowing, she'll just end up destroying herself. the only one that seems to desperately want chise to live is elias. he knows what he's doing is wrong, but he'd rather her live than worry about consequences. the only thing that matters to elias is chise. and yet, chise runs off with a mass murderer calling elias just as bad for trying to save her life.

For one that given home and BIG love, this Chise-bitch sure an INGRATE BASTARD. For some one that live hundreds of years, it's impossible Elias don't know about her way of thinking. He just want to save her, what ever mean necessary. Yet, this bitch choose a fella that already have high evidence of villainy like create dark things in the Kittens arc, hunt and kill dragon cub (which only one survived on auction) or take that whatever-his-name wizard's hand after held his student prisoner, or steal corpse of Ruth previous owner (which turned to Chimera).

Poor Elias, his love hand slapped off with thorns of rejection. Well, I hope Elias can get his money back from the auction house, since she run away.

Don't cut yourself with all that edge.

Amazing chapter. Chise is an amazing character. None of this being torn on what to do. She knows he was wrong, immediately calls him on it, and gets out of the situation. Also, rozzaks posts gave me cancer. 

Elias, you done f**ked up. Let's hope Chise doesn't get hurt as well as Stella and that Elias reflects on what he will almost lose if anything does happen.