Shinobu Ohtaka (大高 忍, born May 9, 1983 Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for the creation of the manga series Sumomomo Momomo and more recently, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic.
World: The art is good, the sense of power in the magic is done well. There’s are a couple of times when the art is too messy for the action but overall it’s solid. The world building is also solid with the finale of the King story and all the pieces coming together for a finale. The magic is still a bit wishy washy but I understand that this is what a lot of Shonen books are anyways (the magic serves the plot).
Story: The story up until Cassim shows up is fine, it makes sense and flows well an the story is well done with great emotional beats, especially the Viceroy. The resolution of that is a bit iffy and a logical leap but it’s a manga so oh well. Cassim on the other hand is a needless boss battle and evil for the sake of evil with a backstory that is suppose to make readers care but it ends up being cliched and derivative. It’s also a bit racist being the black person is the evil one. That being said, it’s an okay arc that devolves into cliches. I want this Cassim part of be over so we can get on with it, I’m bored of it.
Characters: A nice little arc for Alibaba and also the Viceroy, it was expected but it was also paced well with the emotions ringing strong and true. The Character moments with Aladdin were also melancholy and beautifully written, I wonder where it goes from here. Cassim is a problem, he’s a walking cliche and an annoying character at that, please let this next book get rid of him, I’m a bit tired of this type of character with the remi relatable backstory that was never going to be redeemed anyways.
Questo volume l'ho DIVORATO, mi sembra di averlo letto in due secondi...
allora, prima di tutto MORGIANA CHE ANCORA UNA VOLTA FA L'ENTRATA IN SCENA SPETTACOLARE MIA REGINA IO TI AMO!!!!!!! Niente, io Morgiana la amo troppo. So che dopo purtroppo verrà messa ai margini della storia, però per ora lei ogni volta: 1) arriva, 2) salva il culo ad Alibaba, 3) ascolta le sue pare offrendo un punto di vista obiettivo e pragmatico, 4) lo lancia da qualche parte. Come faccio a non adorarla?
Bella anche la parte in cui Sabhmad per aiutare Alibaba finalmente fronteggia il fratello. Tutto il discorso "il vero coraggioso è chi ha paura e trova la forza di agire lo stesso" forse non è particolarmente originale, però mi prende sempre. Per quanto riguarda la risoluzione del tutto... Da un lato è un po' ridicola. Alibaba arriva, dice "no vabbè da ora in poi niente re" e in qualche modo riesce a farlo accettare da tutti? Soprattutto la parte in cui convince Kougyoku mi sembra poco realistica. Allo stesso tempo però ha senso che Kougyoku si comporti così visto che non voleva sposarsi e voleva invece continuare a combattere, quindi per lei scaricare il barile di Balbadd sull'imperatore ha senso. Diciamo che mi serve un po' di sospensione dell'incredulità per sta parte.
Kashim, il vero rivale e personaggio complementare ad Alibaba, ritorna in scena. Ed il suo discorso in cui dice che i nobili non devono passarla liscia e devono morire tutti... c'ha un po' ragione. Ma tipo tanta ragione. E dimostra ancora una volta di essere disposto davvero a TUTTO per i suoi scopi.
Ultima cosa: finalmente rivediamo anche Aladdin! E viene nominato Solomon... Io che mi ricordo il personaggio da quando lessi gli ultimi volumi un po' piango a rivedere il suo nome.
Teil sieben der Magi Reihe überrascht durch seine Ernsthaftigkeit, lässt dabei an Qualität in keinster Weise nach.
Die Situation in Balbadd steht an einem Scheideweg und ein bewaffneter Konflikt scheint unausweichlich, als Ali Baba in den Palast eindringt. Doch er bekommt unerwartet Hilfe. Alle sind in heller Aufregung. Was wird mit Balbadd geschehen? Gerade, als eine Lösung gefunden scheint, taucht Kassim auf. Was hat er vor?
Volle Sternenzahl für diesen Teil der Magi Saga. Zwar fehlt die gewohnte Komik beinah gänzlich, aber das tut der Serie auch ganz gut. Es kann ja nicht immer alles nur komisch sein. Nein, zu der angespannten Situation in Ali Babas Heimat passt die ernste Stimmung viel besser Von Anfang bis Ende ist man in der Spannung gefangen, und weiß wirklich nicht, welche Wendung die Geschichte nehmen wird.
La hora de la verdad ha llegado. Alibaba demuestra su valor ante la gente de Balbadd. A él sí le importa la gente y se lo hace saber, enfrenta al egoísta rey de Balbadd y logra convencer a la princesa del imperio Kou que respeten la decisión de la ahora Republica de Balbadd. El gusto de ver a la gente contenta no dura mucho, pues Cassim entra en escena y hace ver todo lo mal que hubo, tiñendo de rencor los corazones de la gente. La situación se sale de control y a Alibaba no le queda de otra que enfrentarse a su mejor amigo, su hermano adoptivo. Mientras tanto, Aladdin tiene un encuentro con Ugo que le da la Sabiduría de Salomón. Estuvo muy cargado este volumen, la dicha duro poco para todo lo que pasaron, para que ahora venga Cassim con la idea de echar todo a perder.
This volume was intense! So intense! The political drama, the rebellion, the fight for freedom—everything was executed so well. The emotional weight of the story hit hard, and the action scenes were absolutely gripping. Seeing the struggle against oppression unfold made this volume one of the most impactful in the series so far.
The character development was also phenomenal, especially with how the moral conflicts were portrayed. It wasn't just about who was right or wrong but about survival, power, and justice. The tension kept me on edge, and I couldn’t stop turning the pages.
An incredible volume that showcases why Magi is more than just an adventure series—it’s a masterpiece of storytelling!
Alibaba consigue lo impensado y sobrepasa las expectativas de todos. El problema se intensifica, la escala de violencia no tiene fin en Baldadd, y esto produce cambios graves en el ruhk, cambios que llevarán a un camino sin retorno al poble de Cassim. En otro plano, Aladdin se reencuentra con Ugo, y tiene un nuevo entendimiento de su realidad y la del mundo. Llegamos así al clímax del arco argumental de Baldadd.
Magi is an idealistic comic for children, so naturally Ohtaka's art is beautifully clean and smooth. I wish the localization translated the names of the Huang Empire citizens into Mandarin or Cantonese instead of leaving them in Japanese despite clearly being a Chinese-inspired nation. Don't read this series if you can't stand orientalist fantasy.
Ali Baba is about to speak to the king of Balbadd when his old friend Cassim attacks, forcing Ali to fight for his life, all while Aladdin remains trapped inside his dreams. Ohtaka will keep readers on their toes with this enjoyably mysterious and action-packed entry. Will Ali Baba be able to taken down his friend for the fate of the kingdom?
Still enjoying the characters and world, but it’s weird how this series took a turn away from swashbuckling adventure into so much political intrigue. It doesn’t do as well when handling this type of subject matter, and the political ideas are really simplistic. But I’ll keep reading and see where it goes.
Dude, I'm so done with the evil organizations that only want to bury the world in shadow and darkness and blah blah blah. Please, come up with a better villain motivation than that, I beg of you authors.
What a great volume, had so much drama, back and forth and the like. Cassim who is on this cover has been such a good shadow to Alibaba's character and That last panel really sets up the next volume so well!
Another awesome volume of Magi, Realllyyy love this Series!!! Great story, lots of awesome characters and fantastic beautful Art! Deffinatly in my top favorite manga's!😍👌😁❤️
(Aviso: lectura hecha en ejemplar en español, publicado en México. La presente nota se modificará cuando se dé de alta en GR la edición correspondiente).
No queda mas por decir que Alibaba se sigue coronando en esta historia ¡Dios! ¡Que gran elegido para ser Rey! deberían haber mas personas como este niño valiente.