Magi – 7

The setting of an anime is visually expressed through the various architectures and environments.  Magi has featured a number of diverse physical settings thus far and has done well communicating these to us through its use of dazzling and detailed backgrounds and sceneries.

Magi – 6

Though side characters are routinely neglected or minimally developed as characters, they are often essential to the growth and progression of those around them.  In the case of this episode, the minor characters, merchants Leila and Sahsa, were able to assist Morgiana in her expedition to return home to the Dark Continent.  During their time together as a trading trio, we were able to see Morgiana unveil her true character largely due to the sincerity and benevolence expressed through Leila and Sahsa.  Without them, it’s debatable that these preceding details and positive growth would have been omitted from Morgiana’s character, especially if she were making this journey alone.

Magi – 5

Though often overlooked or disregarded in anime, we should be thankful for death in Magi.  Not only does death play a crucial role in the setting of the anime, considering the significance of the Rukh as the souls of mortals, but it carries substantial weight in the story with a number of character deaths thus far.  And, with death as a realistic outcome from these battles and conflicts, it helps strengthen the anime because then we’re not left with characters who are really, really hurt and turn into good guys in the next story arc.  Yeah, death is pretty awesome in Magi.

Magi – 4

An emergent theme in Magi is the importance of character trust or faith in each other.  Multiple times throughout the fourth episode, trust played an essential role between the characters to guide their decisions and actions and contributed to every outcome that occurred in this episode.  And though this trust was betrayed at times, the concept and application of trust was a principal aspect of this episode and continues to develop into one of the most central and imperative themes of this anime.

Magi – 3

One concern moving forward with Magi is that of the antagonists.  Though Jamil proved to play the part according, his character fell surprisingly short of what we should expect a ‘good’ or even ‘decent’ villain to be.  His glaring lack of depth and uncomplicated personality made his character feel thin and one-dimensional.  Hopefully, he’s the last antagonist we see in this anime with such a simple and straightforward structure, because if not, the story and conflicts of Magi will undoubtedly suffer.

Magi – 2

The world of Magi has not always been one of wonder and magic.  Sadly enough, at some point prior, all the kingdoms and all the countries existed much like our very own, lands without indescribable fortunes,  enchanted weapons, mythical creatures, or the awesome power of conjured djinns. Grounded in an unforgiving reality, this world experienced a dramatic shift with the appearances of these imposing, towering labyrinths, commonly referred to as Dungeons.  It is here where all the fantasy in Magi originates.  Through the influence of these countless Dungeons, we see a very different world than the one that existed fourteen years ago.  Now, Magi is a world inhabited with magic, wonder, and adventure, and all solely because of these Dungeons.

Magi – 1

The setting for Magi is a dream-come-true for anime fans like myself, a stone-structured Arabic metropolis nestled in some barren, sunbaked deserts and beleaguered with danger, magic, and adventure around every street corner.  For the characters residing in this world, however, it’s nothing more than a living hell.  It’s a society wherein class dictates your fate and (lack of) fortune and any challenge against this system is met with severe and crippling punishment.  Still, this doesn’t stop Alibaba and Aladdin from confronting the established society of Magi though their difference in power and knowledge lead to completely different results.