I realize that I'm doing a lot of reviews for Viz mangas, I'll mix it up with some Yen Press and Kodansha books soon after I blog about the new Magi book released by Viz. I didn't watch the anime until after I read the manga by Shinobu Ohtaka but I have instantly fallen in love with both of them. The art is just spectacular in both anime and manga and the story mimics the 1001 Arabian Nights stories in an original and clever way.
The story in the manga starts off with a little boy named Aladdin as he journeys to find powerful beings called Dijnn on behave of his friend Ugo. The journey already proves dangerous with bandits and greedy men in the way of his goal but Aladdin has more power than his small body reveals. Soon he teams up with Alibaba a commoner with a dream to make a better life for himself by gaining the riches and fame promised by clearing a dungeon, a mysterious tower filled with treasure, traps, monsters, and unimaginable danger. Going into a dungeon means certain death but with Aladdin's powerful friend and Ailbaba's cleverness, the boys could have a chance, if outside forces don't get in their way.
The one thing that really attracted me to this manga was the style the story took, it was very similar to how an Arabian Night tale would be told with significantly less "thou's" and thee's". The plot character's were also very classic in manga terms especially Alibaba and Aladdin's motivations. Though it's very classic, its written very well and its gripping, I'm looking forward to future volumes.
Though the plot impressed me, the humor made the story very entertaining. When Ugo's arms are revealed in the first couple pages, the scene threw me off as well as the characters, I wasn't sure what was going on. However, after Aladdin explains that Ugo is just his friend, as if muscular body parts emerging from a flute was a completely normal event, I couldn't stop laughing the reaction from everyone around him was just too precious. One thing I didn't expect was how suggestive some of the dialogue was for a T rated book. I didn't mind at all, it was actually pretty funny especially when Alibaba makes a joke that the younger Aladdin doesn't quite understand. It added to Aladdin's cuteness in a strange way.
I'm definitely adding it to my list of favorites and would recommend it to anyone who is fan of adventure stories or classic myths. Volume one of Magi is available for both print and digital versions through Viz though I downloaded the digital version since it's cheaper. Volumes two and three are available for pre-order right now. It's definitely a series that's worth following for a long time.
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