Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

The "Magi" series is highly ranked here on MAL, and I definitely understand why. It has a unique style and manages to combine sweet moments, great action, fantastic adventures, mystery, character development and world building in a amazing way. Biased as a may be, I´ill do my best to be as objective and constructive as possible in my review of "Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic". The score is for the show as a piece of all the seasons + "up to date manga", do to that I try to see how good the piece in the puzzle works. And I think it works really well. Well let´s dig in! Story: 10/10 Loosely based on the "1000 and one night" characters and Arabic mythology, we have a pretty unique anime/manga setting. But this is not a copy work - when I say loosely based I mean very loosely. The world is completely fantasy, with it´s own continents, lands, empires, djinns, dungeons and magic. Not only have we Arabic influences but also Chinese (The Koh Empire), roman (The Rem Empire), Mongolian (The Mountain Horse tribes) and so on. That makes up for a chessboard of many different agendas and conflicts. One thing you should know, that the first 10 or so episodes aren´t that action packed. So if you are going in to this one because of the action tag - you will have to wait a bit for the action to really get going. I´m not saying the first bit doesn´t contain action - it´s just not in the focus yet. And when the real action is brought into the mix, well let´s say it´s really good, much because of the suspense and tension that has been building up right to that point. Most battles are magic based which gives us some epic showdowns. The first part of the story are mainly focused on introducing and getting to know the characters (and it´s quite a few), lay out the main plot and on world building. The show many times has a sweet and adorable touch to it, that makes the more intense, dark and emotional aspects of the show more highlighted (at least for me). "Magi" is equally character and plot driven in my opinion - the two bears one another very well. What I mean is that characters develops much to the plot, and that the many great characters really makes the story shine (don´t know how else to put it). In "Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic" we are introduced the concepts of the dungeons, djinns and what´s happen when you capture them, the main characters meeting and growing friendship, the Magi´s (their origin will be much of a mystery until the third season) and the kings candidates, the political power struggles within and between different empires and kingdoms, and the growth and development of the main characters (Alibaba, Aladdin and Morgiana). The magic aspects of the show is actually very well thought throw, and given time explained in detail (more so in "Magi:The Kingdom of magic"). And I like the fact that just because someone gained a djinn they are not automatically over powered - it dosen´t work like that, the users have to train really hard to master their djinns powers. The same goes for the magic users and fanalis (a race of crazy strong people - Morgiana is one of them), which leaves room for the character to really grow and believable become stronger and face difficulties in a realistic way. That together with the dungeon capturing, really fills out the "Adventure" label in a great way. The show lays a heavy weight on the strength of friendship, the cost of freedom and making the right decision, and that nothing comes for free - you have to fight for what you believe in. Something I really appreciate with the show is that it doesn´t simplify situations - every choice the character has to make has consequences. This is not the type of show that settle all matters with just one battle, and everybody´s happy and goes home. No, each choice of action is followed up with some realistic consequences. The political systems and hierarchy is as complicated and detailed as in our world. This adds to a very nice world building - you really get a since of how it works and the logic behind it. I think that was awesome, it brought a lot of the depth to the story. You also should have in mined that this in the end is gonna be a long running show (100 or so episodes), so "Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic" is the beginning of this great adventure. Another thing is that this show has a heavy focus on the impotence of friendship, so if you not dig themes like that you may have problem with it. I personally think their friendship are great, and that many people out there should learn from them. Art: 10/10 The art is in my opinion freaking great. A-1 Pictures is behind "Magi" and have done a absolutely outstanding job with it. Not only have they stayed true to the manga´s art, but also really brought it to life. The colors are strong and vibrant, the motions is fluid, the light setting gorgeous, and the character are well designed with personal traits. Ooh the colors... Not only are the bright colors used on the characters, but in every panel (backgrounds, magic etc.). Everything from the hair colors (Morginas bright pink, Aladdins intense blue and Sinbads dark purple) to vivid towns and sun settings - is absolutely beautiful. The backgrounds are all very detailed and fits the story and it´s characters brilliantly. The thing with the characters is that they have a unique look to them, so you instantly now that this is a character from Magi. No paper-cut boards from anywhere. The magic and action scenes are really well done - they are all very fluid with nice angles and motions. I especially enjoyed Morgianas fight scenes, her fighting technique is awesome on screen. The best thing with the animation for me was the "ruugh" scenes. They really amplifies the mystic of the magic and are right down awesome - you have to see them for yourself, they are gorgeous. And the art is deliberately goofy in the more comical moments - it is supposed to be that way. All over I´m really pleased with the art and animation, I have no complaints what so ever with it. Keep up the good work for the next season! Sound: 10/10 Yep, yet again a 10. And I´m very serious when it comes to the music in a show. Displeasing or unfitting music can easily ruin a show for me. But I absolutely love the soundtrack for "Magi". It´s suiting, well coordinated and are managing to bring out the emotions that the scenes was meant to create - brilliant. For the more action oriented scenes we have rock music, often with vocals. The songs are really great - I still listen to them, it still makes my heart pump faster (for example "Enfin apparu!!", "A storm is coming for us all" and "Vasle Hot"). For the more easy going moments we have more goofy-happy music and for some emotional moments we have some dramatic classical music with a "Magi-feeling" to it (you will know what I mean). And of course we have some Arabic influenced music, they are all great (I espacially enjoyed the song Morgiana dances to, when she´s finally able to let her self be happy and feel her freedom - they totally nailed that one). For the the two OP´s, I can say really liked them as well. They are catchy, fast going and vibrant with a happy undertone - perfectly for this kind of colorful adventure story. Together with some nice visuals they set the perfect "Magi"-mood, and letting you get reminded of that you are in for a ride. As for The ED´s I wasn´t a fan of the first one (a bit to edgy for me), but I liked the visuals. For the second ED I really liked it. Up beat with a sad/dramatic undertone, It really hit home to me. Character: 10/10 The 10 is raining down on "Magi" from me. But as for the rest I do have my reasons. The first thing is that I can really feel the characters personalities, and that they seldom do things that is out of character for them. There is no overdone arch/stereotypes or 2-denominational characters in "Magi". They have distinct believable personalities that doesn´t feel unrealistic or overdone. Their past has of course made t…

magi is an epic win. Alibaba-kun is my waifu and is the reason i wake up in the morning and why haven't killed myself yet. I tried finding a bodypillow of him at comic-con; but unfortunately they did not have one. In fact, the only piece of magi merch they had was a key ring; which i now hang proudly from my bag. But seriously, i couldn't recommend this anime enough.... everything about it is great. It was great moments of seriousness, which contain legitimate tension, and can be fun and heart-warming when its appropriate. The arcs are engaging, well-paced and do not out stay their welcome; with every single one of them progressing the story and developing the characters, making you genuinely care for and understand their motivations. The colour palette is used very well in the show. The majority of which is very vibrant and bright; which is used in contrast to the protagonists, who are presented as very dark. This helps to emphasise the over-arcing theme of light vs dark and to subtly hint at a characters true intentions. Although the character designs are not always as good as they could be; this is more than made up for by beautiful and grand set-pieces and design of costumes, especially when the 'full-djinn equip' is introduced. Overall, this anime is extremely entertaining and enjoyable with the interesting story and characters keeping you engaged throughout the 24 episodes. This is an criminally under-rated anime with a lot of heart which i think more than earns its 9/10 rating

Anime adaptations are understandable to change some plot elements from the adapted medium, because...they're adaptations. Usually it's small, and probably sometimes it's quite big to actually have an impact. Magi's a mixed bag for me considering some that has been done on it, and I'll get right to it. Short Warning - A somewhat minor spoiler(?) in Characters' review. Critical Review: Story: 6 The plot is good, and each arc was executed in a timely manner. There wasn't much holes, and most of them were covered properly throughout, and everything progresses forward. While the pacing is somewhat sluggish, everything comes into play quite right. Of course it's one of those magic-ish, fantasy series with made-up ideas, terminologies and such, but they do well in explaining them in +-detail. It's not excellent, but overall it holds up fairly well. Art: 7 A-1 Pictures is one of the studios I like when it comes to their animation. They vary a lot from the series they have made, must be depending on the animators and budget. The show's character art, normal and fight scenes, they're all pretty good. Effects were noticeable and some parts were really cool. There are scenes where the quality drops a bit, and a simple google search would be sufficient of a proof. Overall, though, it A-1 Pictures got a good animation for the most part. Sound: 6 Sound/Effects: Sound was decent, and while Hiromi Kikuta has done some titles like BRS, she did a fair job for Magi, it's not amazing, but it's not bad either. Music: Shiro Sagisu, Supercell, they did a pretty decent work on Magi as well. It wasn't memorable unlike their other works with other animes, but it's good enough to get a vibe going. Seiyuu/VA: I like the main cast, they have versatile roles in their list and did pretty swell. Kaori Ishihara made Aladdin one of the most memorable character voices in my head. A-1 Pictures also include top-tier Seiyuus like Kana Hanazawa and Daisuke Ono to make two prominent characters like Kougyouku and Sinbad really fit well in the series. Character: 5 This is where it really flops around me. A-1 Pictures is a good studio, don't get me wrong. But they're sometimes known to do some probably poor adaptation choices when it comes to character plot/development. If rating the character category, most of the score would obviously come from the main cast would it? However, it wouldn't do justice to base the rating just solely on that, but the main cast will still have the most impact concerning the characters' overall premise. Aladdin, and Morgiana, they're a decent main cast, you'll feel for Morgiana, even though she hasn't much going on for her with her after the first arc, Aladdin is one of those characters you can never hate due to his childish innocent personality. While almost the entire cast of Magi is somewhat monotone, because of plot-development, they're a pretty decent bunch, heck Kana Hanazawa's role for Kougyoku stacked up well to actually be one of the most memorable females there. But of course, this can all be ruined by atleast leaving a bad impression on an important character... I'll be frank here, they nearly destroyed Alibaba's character, which is probably the most frustrating to even talk about since he's the main male lead next to Aladdin. I have said it before, adaptations are understandable to do some tweaks, but comparing the manga counterpart, your normal decent hero with various faults, but still likable, anime Alibaba has been a mixed-bag of emotions riding on a roller coaster. He just kept going down-low instead of being redeemed as a main lead worthy of your attention, instead he has become your mixed generic tropes of "Fallen Hero" and "Heroic B.S.O.D." later on the series, and even the others in the main cast couldn't do much for him. While he did come back to his old somewhat happy-go-lucky self, the events that has happened will make you remember him for what he has become, and what his worst personality is that you somewhat hated him. I'm sorry if this is low for you, but that's just how I see it. Enjoyment: 7 I enjoyed it quite much. The fight scenes were probably the top notch of them all. Alibaba of course had to ruined it for me in the later of the series, but the entirety of the series was actually good enough for me to pick up the manga and read it. Overall: 6.2 rounding to 6 This is a pretty good series tbh. I recommend it for people who likes genres like this to pick this up. While you may or may not agree to what I said about the male lead. Don't let that stop you from taking an interest in the series. If you can though, I suggest reading the manga. -- Reviewed on July 19, 2016. Recapped everything through memory. This is my honest review, but there might be some errors due to time gap between my review and the last time I watched it. Don't take my review as the only reference for taking an interest in this series.

After a long hiatus I am back to writing reviews, and this time I’ll be looking at one of those friendship conquers everything anime, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic. The story takes place in an imaginary world based on the medieval Middle East, which is unique in its own right, but sadly that has to be the only unique thing about this anime. We are introduced to our two main protagonists who by a series of encounters, become good friend and embark on an adventure. All of that sound all nice and fun, and I have to say it was a lot of fun to watch, but at no point did it manage to pull me in. The story starts to evolve after the first arc, and I have to say it does improve in many aspects, and tackles many themes rarely found in anime, but unfortunately it was always too predictable and cliche, there was never any suspense, and one could immediately know that friendship will prevail in the end. One thing I have to praise is the pacing as it was surprisingly consistent, and even though there were 25 episodes overall filler episodes were nowhere to be seen. The ending was also done as good as the rest of the story would permit, but overall it was one of the best conclusions I have seen in a while, while still feeling like a great starting point for the second season. Our main characters are Aladdin, Alibaba and a bit later on they are joined by Morgiana. Alibaba is our generic main character, he is everything one expects of a hero in a shounen anime. Even so he gets some character development, and his backstory is deeply explored, which is laudable. Next up we have Aladdin, who is this little kid with some serious magical powers, and the ability to summon a giant jinn named Ugo to fight for him. Other than his powers he usually acts like a normal careless kid, but at times he becomes a sort of voice of reason in the group. The best character in the show has to be Morgiana, a former slave saved by our dynamic duo, to form a tenacious trio. She gets her fair share of development as she faces the demons left over from the years she spent enslaved. She is also a fearsome fighter and proves to be an invaluable member of the group. Throughout the series, several side characters are introduced, and they are almost always great additions to the story. The antagonists in the show are plentiful and fleshed out really well, but unfortunately they never seem like much of a threat. The main attraction of the anime has to be the animation, it is positively amazing. The colour palette just pops out, but unlike anime like No Game, No Life it isn't overly aggressive. The scenery is exceptional as well, the world really looks like it jumped out of the 1001 Night, with the beautiful desert landscapes and the arabic architecture. The character are also done unbelievably well, the movement is smooth and the facial expressions flawless. Here I have to point out Morgiana, who has to be one of the best drawn female characters I have seen in a while. We do have a bit of fan-service here and there, but it is never overbearing, and does not distract from the story. The sound was in my opinion at list mildly disappointing, both the openings and endings were mediocre at best, and won’t find their way into my iTunes library anytime soon. The rest of the soundtrack was adequate, but at no point rising to more than decent. Lastly I would like to touch upon the voice acing, as it was the first time I was bothered by the Japanese pronunciation of non Japanese names so much, that I actually started watching the dub. Would it be really so hard for them to find character names that were actually pronounceable in the Japanese language? All in all the anime was an enjoying watch, but not much more than that. The pacing and the art were great, but unfortunately that alone can not pull the anime out of mediocrity, and so I give it a low 7. I am unable to wholeheartedly recommend it everyone, but if you are looking some light anime to watch, and are not bothered by predictability, this might be the right anime for you. I always appreciate some feedback as so my future reviews can be even better, also if you enjoyed this review feel free to check out my other reviews.

Out of all the fantasy animes i`ve seen this was the one that i enjoyed the most beacuse of it refreshing theme of arabia one thousand and one night. Its a anime full of character develpment plots and plottwists but most of all enjoyment. Its a incredibly fun and refreshing storyline with funny and intresting characters that combines with the arabic theme. Its full of the premise that to protect you´re friends as it is with many popular mainstream animes. Unfortunatly i dont think this anime has gotten enough praise. It is a refreshing anime in the fantasy genre with the potential to become very mainstream but also spread to a wider view of the audience beacuse of its creativity. Right now there exist this and a season 2 Magi:Kingdom of magic and an new OVA type series that focuses on the past of one of the future characters that you will meet on the way while you watch this anime.Ooh did i mention that its based on a manga?! so if you´re intrested in the premise and story but dont want to see the anime first thats fine, i ONLY hope that you will be enjoying tthis as much as i!

PROPER MINDSET Magi is a superpower/adventure show, loosely based on the anthology of the Arabian fairy tales A Thousand and One Nights. It later on blends in elements from other cultures as well, so at least on a superficial level it has variety in its locations and backgrounds. The protagonists are Aladdin and Ali Baba (friends, not enemies), who are looking for fabled treasures inside magical caves full of traps and wonders. Yet their dungeon crawler adventures are soon halted by various bad guys who are out to torture people and make money. THE STAFF - Animated by A-1 Pictures, a studio with very good production values and behind many famous anime. None of them are amazing though and they love to turn to silly fluff even the most serious and dark stories. - Directed by Masunari Kouji, who has made several silly anime, most of which are enjoyable to the most part, but none are anything particularly great. - Based on the manga by Ootaka Shinobu, who has also drawn and adapted Sumomomo Momomo. I don’t like her art style and her stories are too light and goofy for my taste. PRODUCTION VALUES It is an eye-catchy show with a lot of antithesis between cheery bright colors of fluffiness and dark depressing colors of agony and thriller. It doesn’t look particularly great for any given reason and even the songs are simply ok. It covers all the basics of a good teen adventure but rather waters it a lot more than it should with goofball comedy and light fan service. SCRIPT A thing that Magi does very well is to have a sense of adventure, as every new place they go to has its own style and themes that need exploring and dealt with. It is indeed like those old fairy tales that was making your imagination go wild. A thing that doesn’t do so well is to be anything more significant past that. You see, it tries desperately to be many more than just that. It has high amounts of boob jokes, violence, and crazy villains who love to torture people for fun; thus expands to social commentary, morals, and even respecting the lives of those weaker than you. These themes are simply there, not really looked into past mentioning them and dealing with them in a black or white manner. Basically, the show has a very naive morality thrown amidst a setting that would normally require far more realism and grey handling. It’s like trying to solve world hunger with the power of friendship. Speaking of power, there are dozens of magic items in the show that contain genies and other sorts of powerful forces that can be used in battle. Aladdin for example has a magic flute that summons a huge genie to aid them when they are in trouble, but he refrains from using it unless it is of grave importance since it feeds from Aladdin’s… stomach. Nice excuse to make the protagonist need of eating a lot for a change. In a similar fashion many other characters have such items that they use to achieve their goals. A thing that will disappoint most is that the show ends prematurely. Although the anime went for an original ending, it still feels like it left out a lot of side stories and revelations. So in case you expect a long storyline that will end in a satisfying way… stop hoping. CAST So what goals and objectives does this show have anyway? Well, more or less every ambitious person in this world wants to get on his hands these magic items that he will use in order to become a powerful emperor, or to help his people. You have both selfishness and selfness at play, and they are presented in a most polarized manner. The bad guys are one dimensional assholes with no redeeming qualities and the good guys are saints who are already picture-perfect. That makes characterization to feel very shallow and in many cases irritating. You won’t believe how dumb everybody behaves or how many times I wanted to punch Aladdin in the teeth for acting like a 10 year old girl scout who wants to share rainbows and unicorns with everyone. Not that he is as pure as he seems, since he and most others in this show are horny deviants who love to fondle breasts. And the camera never misses the chance to zoom on bare legs. It’s light fan service but it’s there all the time! I can’t say it adds anything to the context, since nobody seems to be “having any” out of screen. There is also a rather high amount of blood, torture, mention of rape, slavery, skeletons, and other creepy stuff to make the whole show to appear even darker. Of course it is still light as heck, since as I said it is still black or white all the time and the characters turn to deformed blobs all the time for the sake of silly comedy. There is nothing you can’t magically fix if you have enough firepower on your side. It is very disappointing to see so many grim and serious situations to be solved just by Aladdin blowing his flute and summoning his genie to save the day and dance happily with everyone around the campfire. So the build up to every major conflict in this show may seem serious and dark but the resolve is always rushed, convenient, and always soooo cheery that seems completely out of place with everything else going on in the background. LEGACY As far as said build up goes, it is very good for such a type of a show. There are these empires, and those evil kings, and gangs of criminals, and they all look for a man to unite them all, and boobs, and spells cast by huge nipple-piercing genies. It is going to look brilliant in the eyes of 10 year olds, especially in our current years when most new shonen are total crap. So in a way this is like a bit darker Fairy Tail, but still immature and superficial. Although it can be a nice time waster thanks to its lively adventures and good production values, it just lacks something noteworthy to remember it for, and thus next to other titles such as Hunter X Hunter and Full Metal Alchemist, it is nothing but a “watch once and forget” type of anime. And now for some excused scorings. ART SECTION: 7/10 General Artwork 2/2 (looks like a fairy tale) Character Figures 1/2 (generic) Backgrounds 2/2 (fitting with the feeling of the series) Animation 1/2 (basic) Visual Effects 1/2 (basic) SOUND SECTION: 7/10 Voice Acting 2/3 (corny but fitting with the feeling of the series) Music Themes 3/4 (not great but fitting with the feeling of the series) Sound Effects 2/3 (ok I guess) STORY SECTION: 3/10 Premise 1/2 (typical) Pacing 1/2 (erratic) Complexity 1/2 (not much) Plausibility 0/2 (none) Conclusion 0/2 (open) CHARACTER SECTION: 4/10 Presence 1/2 (generic) Personality 1/2 (way too good or way too evil) Backdrop 1/2 (generic and simplistic but it’s there) Development 1/2 (overblown but it’s there) Catharsis 0/2 (none; the show is incomplete) VALUE SECTION: 3/10 Historical Value 0/3 (none) Rewatchability 1/3 (low because of the simple plot) Memorability 2/4 (I liked the setting and the themes but the presentation is weak) ENJOYMENT SECTION: 3/10 Art 1/1 (looks like a fairy tale) Sound 0/2 (sounds meh) Story 1/3 (feels epic but plays out childishly) Characters 1/4 (way too good or way too evil) VERDICT: 4.5/10

Despite being a shounen series at heart, actual fights in Magi tend to stay on the sidelines in comparison to plot and character development, which is a refreshing take on the genre. The main characters were quite endearing right from the first episode, while the support cast of characters were very likable too. With the arcs taking place in different parts of the fictional world, it is interesting to see the various cultures in play, along with their own goals and motives. A shame that with only 25 episodes, the plot did feel rushed at points when the lore itself could have enjoyed a closer examination. This is most evident when the show hit a climax during the Balbadd arc, while spending the next few episodes trying to build itself back up for the conclusion. The dynamic between Alibaba, Aladdin and Morgiana was what kept me glued to the series, the show did well in exhibiting their growth as characters, as well as justifying their decisions. But just as you would identify with the protagonists, you are just as likely to sympathize with the villains too, thanks to the generous amount of screen time in explaining their history. If there was anything worthy of nitpicking, it would have been the sound and music. The "rukh" sound effects were way overused and had little variation, while the same voice clips of hounds were used in two separate episodes too to my annoyance. Music wasn't anything to write home about either, when most of them were ambient and unmemorable. This animated adaption did deviate from its manga source at points, but it did its best in covering the central story, along with most of the branches. I would recommend a read through of the source material before watching, though it isn't essential. In my final summary, hearing "Alibaba-kun" uttered by Aladdin for the first time was strangely jarring yet weirdly appropriate, this sums up my feeling towards this show perfectly. Fans of the shounen genre should give this show a chance.

This is a great anime series, it has a great take on the adventure genre. It's about a two boy's named Alibaba and Aladdin , Alibaba wants to conquer an infamous dungeon and claim its treasures. While Aladdin just went along with him because he wants a friend. Along the way they meet danger and discover that Aladdin is a Magi and a very special one as well. While in the dungeon they discover that the Prince of the town Alibaba lives in followed them with two of his top guards. In the end one of them meets an untimely end and they make an unlikely friend with one of the people that followed them. The story line is very well done and there is also humor in this. Because what's an adventure without humor??

Magi is a well orchestrated shounen anime with a gripping fantasy world that really sucks you in. After taking various settings and characters from the 1000 and 1 Arabian Nights stories, and combining in with a rich fantasy world has created a setting that is unique and full of detail detail that feels real. The story of Magi set within this world is rich with character development and fantastic storey arcs that start with idea of the main characters exploring, and conquering a Labyrinth a mystical tower that holds riches and legendary djinn, which is what Aladdin and Alibaba set out to after the first few episodes, but what follows after is a roller-coaster of gripping narrative that successfully links each story arc without you knowing. Each arc is well crafted to advance the main characters development as well as carry different themes they posses from slavery to discrimination and finally to fate. These themes are well crafted into the story, which helps bring serious events into fruition through good character interactions and well done fights. But we must remember that this is a Shounen so the outcome of most of the fights are predictable and tend to end in the same way which can be a little annoying but doesn't ruin the experience as much, as it could have done. By the end of the series your left feeling amazed and ready for more; even though the end ends in a cliffhanger there is a second season which is a great relieve. As said before each arc mainly centres around one character and usually runs through that character's back-story that caused great emotional reaction within myself thanks to, each back-story featuring dark and depressing themes; whereas other main characters are kept more as side kicks but they are still essential to the plot and help that leading character on there journey. But leading from this, I would just like to say that the characters in this show are great, they are well designed having interesting appearances that are unique in one way but also bear resemblance to characters in 100 and 1 Arabian Nights, this helps create some truly fantasy looking characters. But this could also be said about the characters personalities as well with main characters Aladdin, Alibaba and Morgiana having unforgettable and unique personalities that don't feel cliché, but not only that they all get great development over the course of the series that makes you feel like they actually grow as people. But this is not kept just by the mains as supporting characters are surprisingly well done having great appearances and personalities that makes each individual feel unique and fit into their role very well, from the cool king Sinbad to the greedy, tyrannical king Abhmad and beyond, these characters are one of the main focuses of why this world truly shines. The art used in this anime is fairly good, having a great art style that fits the show nicely and good animation which creates great fights sequences and overall character movement though the mouth animation can look a bit odd at times. The soundtrack is the most prominent part of the series as it simply beautiful with each track mixing in well with every available theme and scene in the anime. The opening is great as well - well at least the first one as it captures the sense of adventure within the show while showing a great opening animation that feels the same well while the second opening didn't do as much for me although the second opening animation was still great to watch and the ending songs I only listened to once and never listened to again as they weren't exciting or fun to watch. In conclusion you should match this, Magi is a great show with amazing story, characters and soundtrack with only a one animation problems, some uninteresting ending songs and its demographic holding it back. It is a must see that is unforgettable and unique.

There's nothing original about a shounen series like this, but sometimes there doesn't have to be. It feels like a familiar sort of swashbuckling adventure romp (as a loose adaptation would) energized by the typical Power of Friendship that brings protagonists back together. The presentation is warm and genuine, despite occasionally perverted moments, and mostly lacks the cynicism of edgy shonen protagonists - which is not to say the series is lacking in darker story beats. Themes of slavery, class divides and corruption/exploitation are interesting undercurrents that go hand-in-hand nicely with the characters and their stories. (Morgiana is a personal favorite) That said, an arc consisting mostly of politics and a critical look at government systems (only occasionally punctuated by the usual sword and sorcery) felt like a bit of a slog that might miss the mark with some of its target audience. The show is at its best when it's just the three main protagonists on their journeys, encountering the menagerie of crazy henchmen and villainous Illuminati. Said arc isn't improved by the relative lack of comic relief throughout those episodes in comparison to other episodes - the tone seems at odds with the rest of the show and drags on a bit too long. Overall nothing revolutionary in the anime space, but there's something to be said about a show as good-spirited as Magi. Bright and bubbly at its highs, there's not a lot that would really disappoint anyone looking into the adventure genre.

Magi is such a great anime because it involved a lot of politics, slavery,poverty,etc it's one of those anime that can really affect you. The animation and sound are solid, the character development is okay especially morgiana. My one and only problem of this anime is that some part of it is very different from them manga. Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic has a lot of potential to be a long-running anime. So if you want adventure with solid characters magi is for you :)

Magi isn't a perfect clone of every other shounen series, but it isn't as new and different as I would like either. By the end of this first run, I was getting tired of some things that kind of settle into the standard mold. That said, it is still much better than the average. Magi has many characters, but weaves them into its story in ways that do not feel cumbersome (like so many recent space opera anime...). other good stuff: fun generally upbeat doesn't always do the hero saving people without killing anyone thing. has reasons for doing the hero saving people without killing anyone thing, which makes it not awful to watch other bad stuff: often spills into the realm of melodrama, includes many scenes of guys crying does the thoroughly hackneyed hero saving people (often from themselves) without killing anyone thing. That was getting old ten years ago. attitude toward slavery makes no sense. It isn't a huge problem, but it can take you out of the story. If you don't know what I am talking about, it is highly unlikely that it would do any good to explain it to you. I will go as far as saying that you may want to consider the difference between the meanings of slave and servant in ancient times, and how that situation relates to the world of the story. fanged snake that "doesn't look poisonous". Did I mention that this line comes after pulling its fangs out of someone's arm? (seriously, I laughed out loud) I wasn't really looking for this stuff (or even watching the show all at once), but I did notice a spot where a character knew something he shouldn't have known without reading the script. lengths of blades seem to change based on whatever was convenient for drawing at the time

Here comes a little refreshment for your usual and everyday animes. About the STORY Arabian night; a rare theme and setting for an anime. It’s a perfect setting for a story of magic and adventure. A story of clearing dungeons using magic and getting treasures just like in games will surely get attention of viewers. There’s a nice blend of action, adventure, drama, a little bit of comedy, and even politics. It’s not just all about fictional but there are no non-sense drama and politics as well. However, it has the tendency to become over the top or cheesy. Just like other stories, there are few boring moments. About the CHARACTERS The main character is not particularly the physically strong type of protagonist but definitely strong character, personality-wise. Not to mention, he’s also very adorable. For an adventure kind of story, it is given that there quite a number of different characters. And some has their individual circumstances explored in the story. About the ANIMATION and SOUNDS Animation is really nice and perfect for the setting. The graphics, fighting scenes, and effects are exciting. Even the character designs are clean and detailed. The soundtracks also reminds of desserts which is perfect for the Arabian Nights theme. About the ENJOYMENT A really enjoyable series I’ve seen in a long time. The setting and theme is quite refreshment for our typical daily animes. The mysterious parts are something to look forward to. That said, it’s not particularly “that” exciting. It’s lacking a certain edge that can separate it from the others. The Arabian Night theme is sure a huge plus but still. Some of the important elements of the series are already the usual things like battle between bad and good, wars of different countries, a mysterious organization, and a protagonist who just appeared. I believe it is alright to use the typical storyline over and over again but you still have to change something to separate it from the usual. Nevertheless, it is definitely still interesting and exciting. And I am sure to wait for the sequel.

This show has a really sentimental place in my heart because it was one of the first animes that I’ve ever watched and was one of the first ones I was really obsessed with. Revisiting it over 10 years later I’ve realized how shocking and strange a lot of the sexual content was that completely either flew over my head or I just thought was strange but permissible when I was a preteen. I don’t even believe that a lot of it was fanservice, but I really don’t understand why the very young characters were walking into brothels (then getting assaulted! wtf?) Or a 10 year old having a significant character trait of groping women? If someone is able to overlook a lot of the poorly aged and uncomfortable and inappropriate sexual occurrences, this is a very lovely series to watch. Most of the characters are very charming and easy to like, including most of the antagonists! I can’t in good faith recommend this show to any of my friends for the aforementioned reasons, which is a huge bummer.

Magi: The labyrinth of magic ,well the name of this anime itself not very dominating, but the story and creativity is at awesome level. this is my first review so i will keep it short and tell you why you should watch this and why i loved it.... This anime took famous characters from past and compile them together in a new world where The story is focused around Aladdin who is a magi(a high level magician) and Alibaba well about Alibaba you already heard some stories well its totally different. the best part of this anime i liked is its character developement i this thats the most important thing you want from any shounen anime like naruto in naruto character development was awesome. so the story goes like aladin starts his journey find alibaba and impressed by him but confused about his ownself well there is great deal of mystry is also present in this anime.There are some dungeons (like in games) if you clear it then you get a mysterious powerful element having different powers and a dhjin yes a dhjin who reside inside the weapon and give you power awesome yeah!! and best part is that dungeons are created by magis which are very few. The anime has its ups and down it get pretty sad for time being and funny for some moments. well you should watch it the creativity and flow of anime is good.. i enjoyed the anime never got bored for a second and not even realised when the episode was over. music is also decent arabic indian mix music and starting and ending title songs music were also decent.. give it a try its worth your time..

Review magi: First of the soundtracks was amazing i never skipped a intro/outro even tho i marathoner this show ^o^ Been recommended this series loads of times! for a good reason it is really unique and really enjoyable. I was stuck after the first episode, the adventures feeling you get, there is much action and a good story. Couldn’t ask for that much more in a lightheaded action/adventure anime, they even include the team-work for the characters to overcome different enemies. However for me the overall is just a 8 as i feel the show gets slow loses the ”touch” midway however they make it better then ever at the last few episodes I would also like some more explanation. However that is a personal note and they only way you can know whether you’ll enjoy it or not is to watch it yourself hope you will enjoy it… I’ts definitely worth a watch ^_^

*THIS IS ONLY A REVIEW OF THE FIRST SEASON I WILL MAKE ANOTHER REVIEW OF THE SECOND SEASON IF THE ENDING CHANGES MY FEELINGS* Art style: very crisp and clear. I thought the colorful art style matched the mood of the anime very well. I loved how they made their chibi forms. It matched the Arabic feel of the anime. Story: When I clicked on it I would have never imagined that the anime would have Aladdan characters in it. It was fun at first to try to guess what characters were who. But this is another case of an anime loosely representing something else, once you're half way through you forget that this is an anime version of Aladdan. I'm not saying that this is bad, I actually like when non anime things get animefied to where you can't even tell that they're the same thing. I think the story is very well done, but for me it was easy for me to guess what happened next, so nothing really caught my attention. Music: both of the openings were actually very fitting for the anime. When I heard Sid I was very shocked, since most of the anime I've heard Sid has been serious styled anime, but I grew to think it fitted the anime very well. I thought the background music wasn't anything special to me. The parts where the Arabic style music was very loud sounded pretty cool. I wish the would've kept with that style of music. Characters: all had a pretty generic feel to them. I liked how Aladdan's character was made. It was kind of a mix between Albu and Aladdan. That was really the only thing I found really outstanding. The complaint I have is that the background characters voice actors were the same as the main characters. I can understand reusing background characters, just not with the exact same voice of main. I loved seeing Todd Haberkorn playing the bad guy. Overall I thought the first season of this anime was okay, it didn't really move me, but wasn't horrible. I give the overall score a 8 because its better than some anime, but not the best.

Ok lets start my review of magi so far. -First off need a reason to make this review so here's three. 1. I personally enjoyed magi a lot. 2. Most of the people here like onepiece, naruto, fairytail, or FMA. I can assure you Magi takes a lot of the good traits from those series. 3. Middle eastern setting. You will not see very many if any anime touch this, and this anime touches it beautifully. From the close ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ok lets start off with Season 1.(why it's awesome and why you probably didn't know that). Why it's awesome: -Intro-Now season 1 starts off with the three protagonist(Alladin, Alilbaba and Morgiana) all meeting up and going into the labyrinth. Sound boring yet? Well Morgiana is a slave, alladin has a thief, and Alladin is magician, all of them going into what is basically a dungeon to get the legendary weapon and obtain wealth. However it's also noted that they aren't allied in the least. -Later-So that's all good and well, but overall still sounds kind of boring. I mean going into a giant tower for loot isn't exactly interesting even if you put a lot of work into it...right? Yup! Good thing the rest of the series moves on from that! The scope keeps getting bigger and bigger as the series goes on, right now they are having country sized wars and it's rather....amazing to say the least.(honestly i think berserk was really the only other series that did this). -Characters- Me personally, I find two characters that are just amazing. Sinbad(yes from the classic tales revamped) and Morgiana(the female protagonist). 1.Because Sinbad is a beast, an oddity, and well just godlike in the show. He's also not black and white.(as you will find most people are not.) 2.Morgiana is just compelling. She steals the spotlight every episode and never fails to dissapoint. Her battles are more interesting, her character more developed, and her goal more unique. It's something that really just baffles me how well this character is done. Why you didn't hear about it: -Magi is one of those series that really doesn't make it's audience clear. It's real audience is the FMA audience, but from the pictures you'd guess the FairyTail/OnePiece crowd was the intended target. It's a lot deeper and mature than it looks like on the surface, and goes into themes that really very very few anime/manga delve into, almost none of them shonen. Now lets talk about the two things I think are most entertaining about the show: Combat and Comedy. The combat is kind of unique now.Again, very similar to FMA style with a shitload of magic being thrown everywhere but reasonably so. Also, it's life-threatening. People die, they get injured critically in battle, and a lot of shit happens on the bigger fights. If you like magic or the manipulation of elements, this show is definitely for you. However there are some melee battles, just not as good imo. +YES THERE IS A LOT OF BLOOD+(this series really isn't your average shonen action).

This series is roughly based on one thousand and one arabian nights. Characters like Aladdin, Ali Babba and Sin Bad are main characters. It's not closely linked to, but the theme is taken from some great classic tales.The series is adapted from a Manga series, and I highly recommend reading it as well. Magi is a series that started out very promising. It's based on an ongoing weekly manga series. The story is a little truncated compared to the manga, and it's pacing is set a little too fast at times. It's quality effectively is great at times, but it does drop occasionally. Overall it's a pretty good adventure anime series, but for fans of the manga it does have a made up filler ending. One thing this series did really well is stayed true to the characters and their personalities. A lot of adaptations differ in too many ways, but this anime did a fairly stand up job. I loved the artwork and animation most of the time, but the comedy animation felt very lazy to me. I enjoyed the music and voice acting, and during the airing of this series I as extremely satisfied. This is one that I waited for week to week with anticipation. It does a really good job on the theme and I felt it was very enjoyable. It lost me at the end with the unnecessary filler ending. They could have ended it the same as the Manga's story arc did and had a much better open ended conclusion. One of my biggest complaints in most series based on Manga is that they deviate too much. If something has a big enough fan base to animate it then they should leave the story alone. Make it better if you can without changing it. I don't think they delivered in the end, but if you haven't read the manga then you won't bat an eye. Complaints aside, it's a great introduction to the series. I love the characters, and I enjoyed the story. I feel it's a must see if you're into action adventure anime series.

Yes, I found the story outstanding. It was generally told from 2 characters' point of view, and was extremely distinguishable. You really can't get confused by it. Episodes flowed smoothly, with the exception of the last few in which the plot seems a bit rushed. One of the main reasons I enjoyed this was because it was completely original. Even with these familiar names, it's of no relevance to where you may have previously seen them. Their concept of magic is like one I've never seen, and I've seen many stories involving such things. The plot kept me guessing, and new things were discovered at every turn, but never to the point where it got too complex. Even the politics were explained well enough so you can completely understand it, but not overdone as to get boring. In other words, it's an easy to understand series. The pacing was just right for the plot, quick as it should be for a story of adventurous nature. However, as I said above, the last few seemed a bit rushed. But if one doesn't think too hard (or read the manga beforehand, as I have) I believe they won't notice anything. The adventure was displayed very well, with constant conflict and action. The slight touch of humor lightened the mood at the right moments, and though a few seemed forced, I still found them amusing. Their methods of fighting were quite varied, so it may be confusing, but the techniques of the main characters were straightforward enough. The ending wasn't quite satisfying. Not to say it's very good, because it is, but it left a few mysteries open that clearly need to be resolved in the next season. (Something I look forward greatly to.) Overall, the story was very nearly perfect. The art in this was unique as well. All the characters have this chibi-ish appearance to them, but varied enough so the changes in their moods are displayed quite clearly. Also, every character was distinguishable, which makes any story that much easier to follow, and their appearances suit their personalities very well. The background art was beautiful, and the animation stunning. Extremely smooth, with distinguishable colors and slight, dramatic pauses and speeding, but never too dramatic. It made the action seem more realistic. The art never changed throughout the story, which is to be expected since it's one of the shorter series. I find it very memorable and enjoyable to see, and I would re-watch this series any time just to see it again. The sound was fantastic, with upbeat OPs and EDs that get you in the mood to watch that episode and the next. I especially loved the 1st OP and the second ED, though all of them were amazing. Appropriate soundtracks at appropriate times, and realistic sounds that make it seem as if you were there. I find it exceptional on how much detail they put into the sound, and the clarity of it was amazing. The voices were perfect, matching the character's expressions to the point of flawlessness. I would gladly listen to the OST anytime; just hearing the series is a joy. The characters were well rounded, nearly all of them indicating some sort of hard past, and individual flaws and strengths, which were clearly displayed. I can't say I can relate to the characters as I've never been in any of their situations, but I imagine I would feel something similar if I were. Some were fleshed out more than others, and some very little, but those were minor characters that had very little appearance in the show. Enough of their personality was showed for them to successfully play their roles, with just a little extra to make them memorable. The show had no narration, but that suited the series just fine. I believe I will remember nearly of these characters, and I particularly liked the main three. None I disliked, as even the enemies were well rounded. Really, the characters personality wise were quite realistic. I thoroughly enjoyed this series, and I believe others will as well. It's fun, interesting, and a thrill to watch. The characters did react to their situations in a realistic way, making it that much more easy to get in to. I think even non-anime/manga lovers would enjoy this. And, as I said before, I would re-watch the entire show at anytime. I really just loved it. It's a memorable one, and I think I won't forget it anytime soon.