Telek Review: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

Manga cover

Title: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

Released: October 2012

Episodes: 25

Genre: Fantasy, Magic, Adventure, Drama

AniDB

My AnimeList

The story centers around this Trio

For anyone that actually checks out previews (retrospectively, while doing research for this review, I have) - this show lives up to everything it promises. The amazingly fluid animation that translates so well into combat, the immersive storytelling and the amazing characters make this an already good watch.
For me, this series has a lot in common with Full Metal Alchemist (FMA). It tackles an adult's world with pure ideals (Elric anyone?) and delivers exceptionally on every front.

All the major players in the first season

I fell in love with the art almost instantly. I looked around for pictures of this on the net and they come across as unnecessarily effeminate (seriously, these were the most hardcore ones, the others are here). Stills of the anime translate poorly and it's really only in combat that the style shines - again reminiscent of FMA where the action scenes were AWESOME.

The introduction to the world and history is seamless and there's none of the shonky - explain-the-way-this-ability-works charts that have become all too familiar with Naruto. I love the way they feed you little bits at a time and you piece the clues together like a depraved story hungry nerd.

The story follows a young magi by the name of Aladdin. He uses his flying carpet and genie to assist his friends. Slowly he meets new friends (many of which are named after other famous heroes from 1000 nights) on his journey that help reveal the purpose of these ancient "Dungeons" and Aladdin's role among the new world. 

The slow immersion of the series is one of the things I really appreciated, and I think explaining too much would damage that process. 

All in all, I found this a very exciting watch. I think that if you warmed up to FMA easily, this is the Anime for you. I believe this series will only grow in popularity as more and more people want to see how our young Aladdin fairs at turning the tides of evil back.