When I first read Magi, I assumed from the cover that it was of a cute little boy doing cute things, something to read to pass the time between weekly updates of other manga. However, Magi has been a charming surprise with the depth of its storyline and the efforts it puts into its setting. While it is, to some extent, a manga of a cute little boy doing cute things, Magi ambitiously tries to reach out on social issues such as politics and slavery while maintaining some humanity on every side of the issue.
=Story (9)=
Magi begins as an episodic story
...
of the individuals affected or touched by Aladdin, an enigmatic child with a headless djinn/genie and an omnipresent childlike innocence. Yet author Ohtaka Shinobu's ambitiously aims to weave the characters of these short stories together on a setting that ranges from the Middle Eastern Coast of what is clearly an allegory of the Roman Empire to Arabia, the Central Asian Steppe and as far East as the Chinese Kou/Huang empire. Characters present in each story remain present, returning to later relevance far later into the story. The main focus of the story, though, is on Aladdin and Ali Baba, a boy who starts out as a low-ranked merchant but slowly discovers his potential as Aladdin's candidate for the Heir to King Solomon. Based loosely on the Thousand and One Arabian Nights, Magi's story is primarily based in Arabia and Persia, but explores locales such as Balbadd (an allegory for India), the nomads of Central Asia and hints to later inroads into Africa and the Chinese Huang Empire, exploring issues such as imperialism, internal politics, economics and slavery. The strange thing about Magi is that many of the issues are not in fact resolved through fighting. Though many of the plot resolutions can be shounen-esque, there have only been one or two truly Shounen fight scenes, with many conflicts resolved through politics, mediation or economics, all of which play a role in the many nations of the continent. Plot strings seemingly left behind are in fact picked up later, and Magi's narrative flows smoothly and logically while providing an ample amount of humor. If there were any problem to the story, it would be simply that the mangaka seems to be either too afraid or unwilling to sometimes let go of characters, even when their death would be expedient for the plot. Overall, Magi's plot, while stereotypical in one or two instances, is gently surprising and shows a shounen manga that nevertheless does not always try to resolve every insurmountable problem with hot bloodedness and fighting.
=Art (10)=
Magi's artwork comes off as deceptively cute on the onset. The characters are drawn gently in a style that comes closer to that of a slice of life manga than an anime that seeks to confront serious issues. Yet Mangaka Shinobu has demonstrated the ability to draw out a darker tone while preserving the overall artistic integrity of the text. While Aladdin always retains his usual adorableness, the increasing grimness of characters such as Ali Baba serve to show not only their increasing maturity but also the results of the crises that they have been forced to confront. Magi's Art is endearing and charming when it wants to, but serious and grim when it needs to.
=Characters (10)=
Based loosely on tales from A Thousand and One Arabian Nights, the characters of Magi are, while outwardly similar, quite different in execution. Aladdin, the cherubic "magi," comes off not as either the confused boy of the original narrative or the mildly immature man-boy of the Disney adaptation, but a talented boy whose initial lack of skill never affects his immovable faith in the goodness of humanity. Ali Baba, meanwhile, changes from a greedy boy who exploits Aladdin for his gifts to a tortured individual both haunted by the past he has left behind and inspired to improve the futures of those around him. Other characters, such as legendary hero Sinbad, stick slightly closer to their original counterparts, with Sinbad's tendency to lose whatever he gained in his last adventure sometime before his next illustrated in a comedic light. Author Ohtaka, however, bolsters her story with a host of original characters, all of which have their pasts and motivations, from Balbaddian street urchin (and Ali Baba's childhood friend) Kassim to the two aesthetically similar but ideologically divergent princesses (the highborn, idealistic pacifist Hakuei and the politically unsteady and pragmatic Kougyoku) of the Huang Empire. Furthermore, the mangaka makes an effort to humanize even those who are clearly in the wrong, keeping them from simply becoming caricatures--a slave trader is revealed to once have been a slave him/herself (I really couldn't tell); a cruel master whose innocence was once subverted by his master; the Dual Salujas, kings of the oppressed citizenry of Balbadd. Each individual in Magi's narrative comes off as their own character, with stories that the average reader can sympathize with, even a little bit.
=Enjoyment and Overall=
I was absolutely surprised by the depth of Magi's narrative and characters and liked it immensely. After reading realistic seinin manga full of grimdark suffering and gore and reading idealistic shounen stories of hotblooded (but improbable) problem resolutions, Magi's idealistic tone but realistic mindset was a welcome alternative that really allowed me to keep smiling from chapter to chapter. I do not often rate 10s for enjoyment, but Magi definitely deserves this praise. An underrated manga that is willing to confront real issues without giving up its optimism.
 Alternative TitlesJapanese: マギ More titlesInformationType: Manga
Volumes: 37
Chapters: 369
Status: Finished
Published: Jun 3, 2009 to Oct 11, 2017
Demographic:
Shounen
Serialization:
Shounen Sunday Authors:
Ohtaka, Shinobu (Story & Art) Statistics Ranked: #3542 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #77
Members: 155,171
Favorites: 9,872 Resources | Reviews
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Mar 6, 2012
When I first read Magi, I assumed from the cover that it was of a cute little boy doing cute things, something to read to pass the time between weekly updates of other manga. However, Magi has been a charming surprise with the depth of its storyline and the efforts it puts into its setting. While it is, to some extent, a manga of a cute little boy doing cute things, Magi ambitiously tries to reach out on social issues such as politics and slavery while maintaining some humanity on every side of the issue.
=Story (9)= Magi begins as an episodic story ... 
Jun 1, 2013
*Note*: I watched the first season of Magi before I got into the manga. While the anime is very good, aside from the Balbadd arc, it is very different and much more rushed than the manga. I highly recommend both, but the manga is definitely the one I prefer.
Magi Labyrinth of Magic is something unique in the popular long-running shounen manga category alongside such renowned works like One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, and Fairy Tail. None of them come anywhere near being as intellectual as Magi is. Despite not being a psychological manga, Magi still manages to look at what is right or wrong and what ... 
Oct 20, 2017
Arguably no genre in manga or anime suffers more from an ill-fated combination of cliche reliance and a basic premise than action shounen. Whilst it is not inherently bad for a show to skilfully execute well-trodden territory (for which there are plenty of shounen that do), Ohtaka’s “Magi”, true to its adventurous spirit, treads beyond the boundaries of its genre without ever losing the heart-racing excitement that all shounen lovers yearn for.
An allusion to the Middle Eastern folk tales of “One Thousand and One Nights”, the world of Magi is unlike most we’ve seen in that it neither draws its main inspiration from the ninjas, ... 
Oct 16, 2017
I have been reading this manga for 8 whole years and it is my favourite manga since then but still as a devoted fan I can't be more honest when I say it has let me down.
First, the story is the base structure that makes Magi unique, seeing as it benefits from its inspiration, the Arabian Nights stories. The world Ohtaka created is marvelous, it is incredibly complex and you must pay great attention to fully understand it. The art helps on this aspect, there are panels in this manga with incredibly detailed artwork which gives the environment the arabesque feeling borrowed from original source. ... 
Nov 2, 2021 Not Recommended Funny 
It honestly felt like the author was writing one manga, and then at some point midway through, had an idea for a completely different manga and just stuffed her ideas into the world she had already established (debatably even like four different series). (It's also possible she had some conflicting ideas with her editors so who knows). It ended up having a case of constant whiplash for me until the very end of the series.
While I'd like to blame the lackluster finale on the lack of a defined endpoint, there's plenty of examples of manga with no defined endpoint that had good endings (usually more-so ... 
Dec 28, 2017
-=SPOILERS=-
(I just couldn't write this without expressing what I Disliked & loved about it.) . . . The start of this manga, is the part I loved. The old times theme (What era would it be? ;o), the characters, adventures, and the comedy they chucked in with the rest. Below is spoilers from Final Arc (Suggest not to read unless you like spoilers... yeah) . . . ... 
Oct 15, 2012
This is my 2nd review and grammar nazi are not welcome here bye bye. I first looked into Magi when it was recommended by a friend and i thought at the beggining what is this but after a few manga chapters i was amazed by the depth of the characters, emotions and compelling story.
Story:9 the first chapters are kinda surprising because we are introduced to this world where slavery is a common thing. it also taught us a lot about the cruelty of humans toward this slaves but then the story becomes so much more and begins taking big depths. the manga is very original. The ... 
Jun 26, 2015
Well, I knowed this one, but the first sight, I wasn't really excited. Cause, I thought that the story is just like arabian night.
well, it's true that many of character's name is from 1001arabian nights. I guess some of you would think like that too. And then, I forced myself to watch this. First eps, two eps, and finally you'll see the different from another anime. It has their own characteristic. ... 
Dec 29, 2014
This is my first review (: here goes.
So i came across Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic on accident, or maybe fate haha. I love the quirkyness of this manga, the use of gags and comedic input is always well timed, I dont really enjoy watching anime of manga i have read, but this i just had to see! The characters work well together, and the setting of the alternate world works well. I found the story all loops in together and pieces itself together later in the manga which i quite enjoy where you start in the dark and everything makes sense in time. Definitely under rated! ... 
Sep 10, 2020
Magi. Oh boi were do I start. Its starts off pretty childish, builds strong characters and keeps going for around 250 amazing chapters and horribly crashes and burns to the End. Id honestly recomend against reading the manga. Spoil yourself in the character Bio's and be done with it. There are some interesting things that happen with the setting later but the story also becomes literaly one asspull per chapter, it turns into the most generic muh friendship garbage, and honstely, I woudnt have read the last 30 chapters if it not for completion. The Anime covered the best parts of magi, and just
...
Apr 20, 2014
Well Magi... When I heard from a friend about Magi, I wasnt very impressed, sadly. all I saw was a little chibi boy with a flute from the way he spoke about it. BUT God how was I wrong. Eventually I decided to pick it up and honestly, was amazed by it. I've been reading some of the more mainstream mangas like Bleach, Naruto, One piece, Toriko etc. and i was relieved to find such breeze of refreshment in this one. The setting is somewhat different from what I've experienced so far as it is stationed to a land similar to those of the Middle
...
Jan 23, 2019
Magi is a rare manga that managed to grab me less due the writing and art, but more due to gaining admiration for the author and my desire to see good parts of it through while looking what went wrong and why. Sadly I don’t have the answer to that, but I’d still like to talk about what makes Magi great/bad while looking forward to her new manga, Orient, being an improvement.
The beginning of Magi might give people a wrong idea of what’s to come. It seemed plain and in some ways, generic. You got yet another fantasy world, though this time with a huge ... 
Aug 15, 2020
Magi was honestly very captivating at first. I really enjoyed the sense of wonder and excitement that the author was able to write into the setting accompanied by well written characters. It brought back a sort of Hunter x Hunter feel for a while. Aladdin and Alibaba are a loveable duo, and one's who you root for throughout the entire story. I honestly really enjoyed the (most of) the story, especially the first couple of arcs, but the later arcs of the show did not really make the best decisions story-wise. I understand it can be difficult extending a series and planning a long plot
...
Jun 5, 2015
This is one of those manga that really surprise me, i have heard good things from my friends i gave it a go, at first i didn't like the set up of the story, like the environment and the name of the main characters, but due time i began loving the story more and more has well with characters. The characters had their unique characteristics that make them special in a good way with cool power up and funny personalities. Every arc of the story has it funny moments and memorable parts, the enjoyment that i get while reading this manga was one of the
...
Oct 2, 2012
The first time I saw this manga, I was like; wut? 1001 nights theme? Aladdin and Alibaba combined? Looks interesting. And I started reading it. The story began with Aladdin, a young boy that traveled across the desert to find a 'metal vessel' for his 'friend'. In his journey, he met many friends and learned about his fate as a Magi.
Story: 8 The couple of chapter in the beginning made me laugh, and stunned. It taught us about the meaning of human rights and slavery in the country. The Baldadd arc made us saw the government from the eyes of the slums. It'll make you pity ... 
Jun 22, 2024
The only thing I can say is:
FVOIEVJOEIVMEOVOEVIMOIVMRIVMEROIVNEOIRVNOIERNVEIRVNOEINVOEINVWOIEN If you don't know what that means, then you won't. If you do, then you do. To anyone looking to read something to pass the time, to feel like you're on an adventure of a lifetime, I think you came to the right place. I came in not expecting much, and what I got in return was very fucking worthwhile. I mean, my ass is here commenting and telling you to read this. That might not mean anything to you, but it speaks volumes to me. Or someone rewrote my rukh to tell you this (Get it??) (I thought ... 
Nov 4, 2012
I don't generally look for manga to read, and again with this one I only became aware of it due to its anime. Being the impatient guy that I am once I saw it, it took me a couple of days to read through all 160 releases. And I say it's a time well spent.
Magi begins as a cute series that tells us the story of Aladdin a magi who doesn't know anything about himself as he travels the world to discover the world and himself. His only companion a musclebound djinn who doesn't have a head and lives in his flute. At first the ... 
Oct 23, 2012
I always saw this being updated quite often but had no intentions to read it until recently, what an idiot I am for not checking it out sooner.
Welcome to Magi! We follow the adventures of Aladdin who's quest is find out who he really is and what his goal in life is about, it's that simple.... plus the dungeons that appear round the world that hold huge amount of treasure, magic, djinns, action, polictics, slavery etc etc. Throughout the series Aladdin comes across other characters that soon become major players in the series as well, like Alibaba and Morgianna. The world is very rich in ... 
Jul 7, 2013
It doesn't happen very often, but through enough searching you can eventually find a diamond in the rough, and that is what Magi is to me. It is rare for me to get into a series and not find a "flaw" in it, but that is what Magi is. I have never seen a series before where there are literally no bad characters in it, but Magi is just that. Magi is a unique and mesmerizing experience in an expansive magical world that can be as frightening as it can beautiful. The story flows extremely well for the bulk of the manga with the only
...
Apr 21, 2022
In my opinion, Magi is one of the best manga that deserves applause. Before I started reading the manga, I had watched the anime first and unexpectedly I really liked it. Although the popularity of Magi is much lower than other shounen manga, I personally think that magi have much more originality and an interesting concept than other shounen manga.
What I like most about Magi is the world-building itself. It’s very rarely found in shounen manga which is set in a fantasy world that takes references from the Middle East, China, and medieval Europe. One of the most prominent is the Roman, Chinese, and Abbasid ... |
