Weekly Read #2: Magi

Well readers, sorry if this disappoints you, but our date with Onizuka sensei is postponed in favor of me feeding off the Magi hype. I've seen all the previews and trailers for the Magi anime, and the first thing that I think about is why the writers aren't talking about the manga, after all, its a solid 80 chapters in. Magi: the Labyrinth of Magic is written by Shinobu Ohtaka, serialized in Weekly Shounen Sunday, and follows Aladdin, a young boy who has a flute that summons a djinn, and grants him magic powers. Eventually, Aladdin meets Alibaba, a wanderer with dreams of conquering a dungeon (think of a dungeon in Diablo, caves crawling with monsters, with riches and loot at the end), and they set out to do just that, but that's just the beginning.


The trailer for the anime in case you've been living under a rock

What I Think About It

If you just want to know if Magi is good or not, it's great, sleep happy, or read why I like it! Magi is the type of manga that I think we'll see on Toonami one day, the series has that good of a plot. The plot is rife with betrayal, evil empires mythology, and Arabian allusion, whether through names, or plotlines, and this creates something satisfyingly different from any other manga on the market. If you read my blog you know about my opinion on the state of modern manga, and it's not completely positive (to say the least), and Magi is the type of manga that needs to happen to usher in a new golden age, and get some damn diversity in our manga. Aladdin and Alibaba's relationship is quite complicated throughout the early chapters, due to Alibaba's intentions and his eventual and unintentional betrayal of Aladdin. After the two are seperated, Aladdin learns of his powers as a Magi, and he becomes somewhat of a Yoda like figure, albeit many times more cheerful, but equally powerful. Aladdin's power to see inside people (essentially) and the fact he's a magi, attracts much attention, and he ends up getting wrapped up in a conflict between two empires, and thats all I can say without too many spoilers (but the plot is brilliant).


The show covers some intense subjects (like slavery namely, Morgiana above)

Magi is a well characterized tale, and the characters feel diverse and changing, the cast of characters rich in Arabian myth, Alibaba is full of comparisons to his mythological counterpart, along with the loyal ex-slave Morgiana. Another thing I like is the diverse range of powers, created by the Djinn metal vessel weapons, along with magic organized by the mystic Rukh.


Amon, Alibaba's magic sword

In closing, Magi is a somewhat heartwarming, and completely unique action manga, read it.
Stuff like this doesnt come around often

Read the Manga on mangareader.net

The anime is out now, watch it too!

My Grade: A+

Next Week! Onizuka Sensei! or Zetman, I'm torn.