Anime Review: Magi: The Kingdom of Magic
This is the sequel to last year’s Magi: The Magical Labyrinth so please see my review of that show, and the Magi manga if you don’t want to be spoiled for those.
After defeating another dungeon, our heroes are in high spirits. But soon new matters come up. Prince Hakuryu must return to his homeland of Kou (basically dynastic China) as his father is dying. Alibaba decides that he needs instruction in combining his swordsmanship with his djinn powers in Leam (roughly Imperial Rome.) Morgiana wants to visit the place her tribe came from, even though no one lives there any more. And Aladdin? Well, he wants more magic training, so he’ll go undercover as a student to the land of Magnostadt, the only kingdom where wizards rule.
After some adventures getting to the continent where all these places are, the main characters split up, having separate adventures. We mostly follow Aladdin, who may have great power as a magi, but needs much more training for finesse and versatility. Magnostadt is a great place for wizards, but there are some strange things that don’t quite fit the outward image, and the city has a terrible cost for its power. Also, one of Aladdin’s fellow students has a secret that could lead to global war–if El-Sarmen doesn’t bring about the end of the world first!
The most interesting new character in this storyline is Mogamett, leader of Magnostadt. He clearly wants to be the Professor X of wizards, but has fallen into Magneto territory instead. The contrast between his kindly demeanor and his cruel acts stuns Aladdin, and me as well.
The biggest weakness of this season is the absence of Morgiana through most of it. Her quest is left hanging about halfway through, then we don’t see her until the penultimate episode, when she shows up out of the blue with a new power. At least Alibaba got to show up a few episodes earlier for some character development.
The manga is not yet complete, so the series ends on a sequel hook in case it gets renewed for another season.
Aladdin continues his obsession with breasts, and the script obliges him every so often. On the good side, we get a bit more skin tone variation.
If you liked the first season, you should enjoy this one too.
