Anime Review: Magi The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Shounen, Action, Adventure, Fantasy# of Episodes: 25
# of Seasons: ?
Magi’s main character is a kid named Aladdin (we all know
where that’s from), who holds an extraordinary power and is trying to find out
more about himself. On his journey he meets Alibaba, who pretty much seems like
a money grubbing little snot in the beginning. The two decide to clear a
dungeon together (a dungeon is a magical tower - if one goes through it one can
gain unimaginable wealth and power) so that Alibaba can get money for his
ambitions and Aladdin can find a djinn vessel (kind of just like Aladdin’s
genie lamp in the Disney movie). While in the dungeon the two make the acquaintance
of Morgiana, who was a slave. Either way they get through the tower and free
Morgiana, and the story progresses in your typical shounen format (bigger,
badder enemies every time there’s something new to face off against).
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| Dungeon |
The first episode starts off with an ultra-interesting lead,
which is a scream and explosion. Really, you can’t go wrong. Of course after
that you find out it’s a ten year old kid (Aladdin) who appears to be having a
temper tantrum, which kind of puts a damper on the whole dramatic opening
thing. In the same scene though, there is a giant, blue, well … genie, but it
doesn’t look at all like Disney’s Genie of the Lamp (by that I mean dumpy and
fluffy). He offers to grant Aladdin a wish, which, no matter how you look at
it, is a bit like stealing plot lines there. After seeing the kid’s temper
issues, I expected he would ask for something horrible, and that he would be a
bad guy introduced first, but I was wrong and the boy asked for the generic
shounen fallback. Be my friend.
From right: Aladdin, Ugo, Explosion
Anyhow, right after this we meet his highness Alibaba
Saluja. I say his highness not only because what is later revealed, but also
because he seemed at first to possess an exceptionally frivolous personality.
He just kept talking about needing money so he wouldn’t have to follow his boss
(who was admittedly awful and gross), and so that he could get all the women he
wanted once even proclaiming “As long as he has money, any man can be popular!”
Both Alibaba and Aladdin have the same taste in women as well, and Aladdin has
no problems stuffing his face into a convenient large pair of breasts (even
going so far as to sample Alibaba’s fat boss’s moobs). Despite the fact that
every time the two go to the club (or titty bar, as it were)Alibaba pays and
gets a “special service,” it is always a service by someone who is fairly
heinous looking. He just has no luck in that department.
From right: Aladdin putting his face in moobs, Alibaba's hostess, One of Alibaba's "no luck" with women moments
While my first impression of Alibaba Saluja isn’t
particularly wrong (he pretty much loves his money), it wasn’t all Alibaba had
to offer. He was (of course) this really good guy, with a few problems he had
to overcome. Aladdin saw this in him, and ended up picking Alibaba as his king
candidate (a person he chose to be some sort of ultimate ruler). The biggest
flaw in Alibaba’s character is his constant second guessing of himself. He
easily loses confidence, and needs somebody to pick him up. He’s pretty whiny
compared to most main shounen characters, but, for some reason, it didn’t
detract from his character, it added a different and (I dare say) more
interesting aspect to it.
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| Alibaba punches his boss |
The main girl character in this show is Morgiana. She may
have been a slave, but she is by no means weak. She is a girl that kicks ass
(and seems to want Alibaba’s *wink wink), and takes name. She’s from the so
called “dark continent” where they can apparently fell big cats with one kick.
She’s definitely not someone I would want to pick a fight with, considering she
pretty much crushes rock every time she MOVES. She’s got her own past issues as
well, but she doesn’t use them as an excuse, which is actually much more
typical shounen than crybaby Alibaba. (By the way, I really like Alibaba’s
character, I just like ragging on him I think) She is really devoted to Aladdin
and Alibaba because they helped free her from her confinement, and sticks to
them like glue. That being said, the three of them make up the team of the show,
and we follow their story throughout.
From right: Morgiana, Morgiana and Alibaba, The troop
Anyhow, this anime seems like it has just begun, which it technically
has. It can move in any direction, and there is a second season planned. One
thing that really impressed me about it is the animation. It was super crisp, and
wasn’t full of colored lights backgrounds. Every character looked completely
unique, and the expressions were hilarious (compare to FMA/B, with Ed’s
crocodile face). The anime looked really nice; it’s practically worth watching
just because of this. That is not to say that it is not worth watching for
other reasons. I gave the characters a bit of a hard time, but it’s actually a
fairly interesting show.
Overall Score
7 out of 10
For a shounen, that is not as shounen as it could be.
