Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

Before I get into this, keep in mind that this is a review for all of Magi up to this point, not just season 2.

When I was first introduced to Magi, I could only think, "great, an anime ripoff of Disney's Aladdin." Like come on. It's in an Arabian desert setting, it has magical blue wish-granting genies, and to top it off, one of the main characters is even named Aladdin. How they didn't run into copyright issues for this I will never know. But the more I watched Magi, the more I saw it grow into its own. I watched it meet, and often exceed, all of my expectations of what constitutes a good piece of entertainment. But looking back, I can't say I can pinpoint any aspect of the show that truly wowed me.

STORY - 7.7/10 There's no doubt that Magi has a very good storyline. It follows a journey through a surprisingly well fleshed out world filled with both dream-like fantasy and well-defined realism. Through this world, some genuinely interesting ideas about fate, class, and friendship are explored, and it's not afraid to get into the darker side of things. One of its most impressive features is its vast number of kingdoms, each with fully functioning governments and economies that really help showcase all the major themes of the show. But in general, the storyline seems to just wander around its world without any major focus or backbone, and it's often hard to see what it's really trying to accomplish. This also lets it drag at times, like in the middle of season 1 and and the beginning of season 2, where the pacing takes a hit. But overall, Magi tells a very impressive story, especially in the second half of season 2 where all its strengths culminate.

CHARACTERS - 7.3/10 Characters are a bit of a mixed bag for the show. On one hand you have characters like Titus, Hakuryuu, Morgiana, and Matal, who all have very engaging arcs and motives over the course of Magi. But on the other, main characters like Alibaba and Aladdin seem to pale in comparison. Alibaba's not too bad, but his characterization's pretty stale and it never really feels like he changes much throughout the story. And Aladdin, while fun for a lot of comic relief, doesn't really have much depth to his character at all. Side characters are similarly mixed, with some being really interesting, like Gyokuen, and others being comically bad, like Abhmad. All in all though, there's definitely more good than bad going on in the character department.

ART - 6.4/10 As far as the art goes, it's pretty good. Like I said earlier, the world has some interesting settings which look nice and colorful. There's nothing mind-blowing going on here though. The fights generally look pretty average, with some being better and some being worse. It does the job and it's more than good enough.

SOUNTRACK - 5.3/10 The soundtrack also does the trick, but it definitely leans towards a more average quality. It isn't very memorable at all and listening to it alone doesn't do much for me. I'll give it some points for matching the Arabian aesthetic and for combining a lot of different instruments and voices. The voice acting is also sufficient, but nothing really stood out there either. Same for its openings and endings.

OVERALL ENJOYMENT - 7.4/10 So in the end, did Magi end up being a diamond in the rough? (Heh, see what I did there Aladdin fans?). I'd certainly say so. It's really got no bad aspects, and for what little it may lack in art and sound, it more than makes up for with its gripping storyline and broad range of well developed characters. While I can't say that its ideas changed my life or that its moments moved me to tears, I'm confident that it'll satisfy anyone who's looking for some high quality entertainment.

I liked it from the start but after 10 episodes everything started to seem a little dull. Eventually I was irritated by Alibaba as a character. He is strong but weep for everything. Every episode he says he's useless.

He does everything except to try to become strong. As a whole i think the emotion in the character was overdone and unnecessary. Though I like all the other characters. But the story was fantastic.

Pros: Nice animation Complex storyline Outcomes are not obvious A lot of different players used well Decent character backgrounds

Meh: Many fights are won because of the script instead of skill. Usage of Arabian Night story names can be confusing at first.

Cons: Things are hard only the first time, then it's easy for everyone Some histories make no sense Innuendo thrown in for jokes, for the most part, detract from the story.

There are three seasons and each season has its own name. Season 1 is Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Season 2 continues the story as Magi: The Kingdom of Magic, Season 3 is a prequel about Sinbad, telling the first half of his story. Personally, i rate the first season as 8/10, the second season as 9/10, and the third as 7/10. The first season tells a decent story of its own and then sets up for Season 2, so overall, 9/10.

The animation in the show is pretty standard, it's the story that makes it decent, and the intrigue and philosophical issues that make it shine. It's not deeply philosophical or anything like that, but in the course of the story it touches upon slavery, revenge, classed societies, blind allegiance, and redemption, and many other topics. Most of these are shown in histories and given as reasons for acting this way or that, and in most cases, they spend at least a moment showing both sides of the argument and how people react to them. I don't know if this was all intended to be looked at that way, though it is an impressive amount of ideas that i only noticed in retrospect.

The story itself incorporates a lot of ideas. Arabian Nights plays a role in the names and a little of the background, with Aladdin and Sinbad prominently mentioned. There's the magi who guide and choose kings with hints of the New Testament and the wizards from Lord of the Rings, and of course King Solomon and his wisdom from the Old Testament. In all these cases the names and perhaps one or two of the famous attributes are used in the story, but after that, nothing is really the same. The use of the good and bad parts of magic, and even how magic has affinities is similar to the Force in Start Wars.

After the background is set, a lot of the story revolves around the politics of various kingdoms, their ideologies, and how they do business. It can get hard to follow if you have a hard remembering too many things at once, but it's worth it when everything and everyone comes together. War is a fact of life in this anime, and cunning decisions are made quite well.

The background stories are given as required, and part of the story is discovery. The discoveries are given at the right time, so it's not like you wonder when will they tell us this already. It's done well.

There are a few points that are stupid though. Fights are won because the script says they are, and they just aren't interesting outside the graphics for the spells. There are bad guys that take forever to kill at first and after that someone can kill tens of them in one shot. It can get crazy at times as the story progresses, and you just have to accept it even though it makes no sense.

Another good part of the story is who the hero is. Since you follow one person, you root for him, but there are others with good or noble causes either at first or as the story progresses. That you do not know who is "good" and who is "evil" adds a nice complexity, and it is done quite well. It isn't like the "complicated" backgrounds used elsewhere as a cheap imitation of depth.

I don't think this series deserves 10/10 but it certainly has potential. The complexity and philosophical aspects that you come across in the story make it a good watch, and i would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story.

This is such a great show! I will say that I am not finished with the series, but honestly, this show is so good; I only wish there were more episodes!

Magi is part of my childhood. I remember going to a computer shop just to watch an episode of this, even though I had no idea what it's really about back then, but it leaves a mark in me that made me look for it now that I'm an adult. It took me ages to finally see it as a whole, but I made it.

Magi is a story about friendship, sacrifice, selflessness, and looking for a bigger picture. These are the themes that were highlighted in the series, and they were undoubtedly well executed in the story. However, there are also things that are questionable for the plot, such as the misogynistic objectification of women, slavery, fascistic attitude, and a few more, which I think gives the audience second thoughts while viewing it. In contrast, fight scenes and pacing are breathtakingly awesome; they're so aesthetically pleasing and satisfying to the eyes.

In addition, the characters aren't hard to get fond of, especially the three main gems of the saga: Aladdin, I love his innocence (excluding his perverseness), his trust, and his undying faith in the goodness of everyone. Morgiana, a girl who has a lot of potential as a character; she is strong, resilient, powerful on her own, and caring towards others, but I feel like she can still be so much more. I was really rooting for her to be the dungeon capturer too, but it seems that a narrative like that is never going to happen, and it saddens me. Lastly, Alibaba, even though he is far from being ideal, his love for his friends, his family, his dedication, his willingness to sacrifice, and his respect for progress are unquestionable, and that makes him interesting as a character.

Overall, the story may not be perfect on its own, but it sure is definitely something worth watching. I just wish and hope that we get to see more of what's next for them and for everyone, but it's still a good conclusion for the story. I am solved.