Magi is a diamond in the fog. Lately the shounen genre has been getting BS from everybody, all because of mainstream shounen like OP, FT,Naruto, et cetra(I'm not saying they're bad) Magi Is just like FMA-type shounen its in a league of its own:
ART-amazing
PLOT-sublime
CD-great
The pacing is good, and all the characters are all amazing

This is a great series, I can't wait to read more. One thing I noticed is that some of the events seems as if the manga is based off a video game, which is a little disconcerting as it isn't really. Of course, that just means that any future games of this series would be easy to make and similarly entertaining.

I like that each of the characters have a chance to grow and adapt, and the reader can empathise with them. I also like that it is about overcoming 'evil' in the world, and being a good person, which is heartwarming in its simplicity. I definitely recommend checking it out, even just a few chapters, it's great.

The beginning was a bit slow, but amusing enough to keep me interested. As the story developed, I became hooked and really fell in love with all the characters. However, towards the end of the manga, it just got really boring and I fell off. It's good though from start to middle-end. Although, I never finished it, I was content with where I stopped. I didn't care how it ended, I'm glad to finally know everyone's backstory.

From reading the first hundred chapters, I initially felt little depth in the characters. However, after the 100th chapter mark, the series began to pick up and the motivations of the characters felt more realistic and understandable. Though we still have the 2-dimensional evil villain, the story also presents us with characters that are much more than that. It shows us that there are no completely evil factions in a war and that "greater good" is often cruel. By showing us the different reasons and facets of factions in the story, you are able to sympathize with each side which creates a surprising amount of depth. It forces to ponder where your stance is within the story. There is a constant battle between ideologies and ways to govern. "Would it be better for the world to be unified as one people? Or is it better for each nation to retain their individuality?" These are some questions that you will ask throughout the manga. The art is not bad a well. It is better than average but not too masterfully drawn. At times, I have trouble differentiating between characters. There also seems to a limit in the emotional ranges that are shown in the characters through the art. The backgrounds are decently detailed and can be considered well done. Character development is a continuous process in the story that adds and drives the story. Each of the three main protagonists have their own valid motivations that are believable. As they navigate through the story, their points of view and beliefs are constantly challenged. Often times, the way they react can create quite an interesting story. Although I usually read seinen, this shounen is not a bad alternative as the conflicts in this manga can be surprisingly dark. Therefore, after dropping this manga for the fourth time and picking it up again, I am happy to give this manga a positive rating.

Update: The ending is just asinine. I regret everything.

... Last updated on September 8th, 2019, 9:46pm

Recently I have some trouble picking a shonen manga because they tend to develop or end in a crappy way. Nevertheless, Magi it's one of those gems in the dirt. I'm amazed of how a very recent shonen actually has some original concepts.

It has a complex story. The world feels alive. It has interesting and funny characters. And a good sense of humor. The art is wonderful. Especially the architecture. Magi also presents interesting themes like economy, philosophy and sociopolitics. Those aren't properly unusual in a shonen, but Magi handles them in a different way as far I've seen. .
And last but not least, the concept of magic it's pretty good and well crafted. Unlike Fairy Tail's dizorganized and shallow magic.

Another thing that is a bonus for me. Is that Magi makes reference to the Ars Goetia that was supposedly written by king Solomon in real life. That trope made feel confidence in Ohtaka's work. Because she shows preparation and control. Unlike many other shonen that improvises stuff and usually ends up in a mess.

The week I spent reading this manga is one of the best "journeys" I have had.

My only complain, in a personal level, is that in recent chapters, Ohtaka has told every single mystery the story had in a very short time. Instead of showing it to us from time to time. Also, some story layers, like Hakuryuu's, are developing in an awkward way.

... Last updated on October 21st, 2014, 7:02am

Hahaha... somehow, I sense this series reviews become a battle between shounen manga... Well, thanks to the one who brings Fairy Tail in his/her comment (aka. *****hito) - see, it's dangerous to compare 'obviously' different quality of manga in the front of the fan (including me)...

Magi is undoubtedly good as for me, and I won't add more "useless" comment for the awesomeness of Magi. But, I feel I must join the review about the shounen manga...

May some readers dont like "childish" story about overwhelmed character n nakama-thing in some popular manga out there, but hey... shounen is mostly talking about that. They mainly teach us about "hard work, friendship, and victory", if you dont like that, you can read newspaper or economic magazine (just like my dad), and of course another manga, like seinen.

As for me, what's most important in shounen manga (and other genre) is the plot (and its twist). The plot should not random and predictable, that's the basic... It's okay to be overpowered (even Aladdin and Yunan maybe overpowered too), but it must not be shortcut-ed (aka. sudden power ups)... or it will lose its "hard work" components. I don't find it "much" in One Piece and Naruto, but One Piece n Naruto covered it with a great depth plot. In opposite, as for Fairy Tail, ahem... maybe the author find it's difficult to logic its power up (since the power is too random), and the plot is sadly random too (and that's why I dropped it for now). Truly, this is nice forum indeed...

... Last updated on February 12th, 2014, 6:58am

people who really knows what a good story is will pick magi
its not mainstream manga but its pretty good its better than FT(which doesnt taste defeat) in my opinion

I always wanted to read this sort of manga. To dream about a world full of magic and wonders, always makes me feel happy. Besides the quality and character development in Magi are also awesome.

The manga starts off in an ordinary manner but quickly reveals a larger plot with a world with potential for a great story. This falls apart due to the author's, in my opinion, poor handling of the secret evil organization and their origins, motivations, actions, etc. At some point the story devolves into lots of "heroic" characters with identical faces, identical transformations (I can't tell the difference), very flashy but boring powers and magic. The first half of the manga makes you think you know what the story is gonna be like, but then the second half makes you wonder where it all is going. Personally, I found that the story went off the track right around when the climax of the Magnostadt arc. Pretty sure I could read this if it were complete, read it all in one go, but following it as a weekly dose is not appealing anymore. I found many readers enjoying the manga for the couples they shipped, Sinbad's anti-hero badassery, Ali Baba's "hilarious" romantic life, the evil boss woman's creepy face, etc. Basically, the story is not the manga's selling point.

Magi is a rare manga that is simultaneously rooted deep in the shounen genre but subverts many of the traditional shounen archetypes. It always feels fresh. The extremely likeable characters, mainly composed of Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana, develop well throughout the story, to the point where the manga is comfortable at switching between the perspectives of the three without any problem; it never breaks off the action of one character to show the meandering life of another, but develops different stories at the same time. The magical and epic feel is helped strongly by its sources of Judaism and One Thousand and One Nights, and the wonderful art only adds to the experience.

If there's any complaint I have, is that the author often s**ts on Alibaba and his love life, despite heavily developing a potential ship. But that's not really a huge concern. Go read this manga! You won't regret it.