Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic Review

Picture of the main character, Aladdin

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic by Shinobi Ohtaka

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic is a manga that is serialized in the Weekly Shounen Sunday.  It debuted in June 2009 and is currently on-going. Due to its popularity the manga has been adapted into a anime which is currently airing in 2013. It is written and drawn by Shinobi Ohtaka who also has done Sumomo Momomo. Magi is in-directly related to One Thousand and One Nights due to the themes and names of the characters. I found out about Magi in 2012, and caught up to the latest chapter in a few days due to the amazing storyline.

Link to read Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
http://www.mangareader.net/magi

The story of Magi is fictional and based around the theme of fate and the battle to keep the world on the proper path. Aladdin  the main character is a boy who has set out to explore the world after being trapped in a room for majority of his life. His best friend is a flute with a djinn (genie) named Ugo who currently resides inside the flute. One day, Aladdin discovers he is a Magi, a magician who chooses kings who will follow the righteous path, battling against who want to destroy fate. Aladdin goes on a adventure where he meets others from One Thousand and One Nights such as Alibaba and Sinbad as he continues to keep the balance of the world in order.

The tone of this manga is quite adventurous with a hint of comedy. By having similar character designs to One Thousand and One Nights, characters like Aladdin are quite recognizable. The character designs has been reduced to a simpler form but keeping the essential features still to allow amplification through simplification. By keeping the art simple allows us, the readers to relate to the characters during their journey. Each character has a unique personality with Aladdin to shine more than the others. The major theme of Magi, is friendship. This theme frequently visited often and due to the encounters that Aladdin has. There is a few parts in the story when Aladdin and Alibaba are separated and desperately trying to meet each other again. This shows how important friendship is to both characters.

Just like other Japanese mangas, adventures are usually long and do not end abruptly. Many arcs exist in Magi and help each character to mature and evolve as a person. This helps with the character familiarization the more you continue to read and the more you can relate to the character. The setting also helps with this due to it not being random in the story. It is to be expected that the dessert environment to play a huge role in story and characters.

Magi should be read right to left that contains panels with action, sense of mood and time. Emotions can be easily spotted due to it being so common in life. However, the emotions are slightly portrayed differently from western comics due to the Japanese culture and traditions. Speech bubbles are commonly used in Magi to show the characters thoughts or conversations with other characters. They also fulfil the same role as they do in the west. One can tell that the story is not in a rush to finish, this can be seen while reading where multiple panels contain scenery. Similar to other Japanese mangas, the author wants the feeling of 'being there' over 'getting there'.

I would highly recommend anyone to read this if they are a fan of One Thousand and One Nights. Being able to see your favourite characters is always a good thing. As you continue to read Magi, you will get attached to the characters due to their great personalities. The storyline is filled with action and many comedic antics that will surely get you hooked. Check out the anime adaptation if you have enjoyed Magi as much as I have.