Early Manga Review – Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic Vol 9 by Shinobu Ohtaka (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Teen
Genre: Manga/Fantasy
Length: 200 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Release Date: December 9, 2014
ISBN-13: 978-1421559599
Stand Alone or Series: 9th volume in the Magi series
Source: eGalley from Edelweiss for review
Rating: 4/5 stars
I got a copy of this graphic novel through Edelweiss to review. This was an excellent installment in this manga series, although it was something of a transition novel and not quite as exciting as previous volumes.
Alibaba, Morgiana and Aladdin receive training in Sindria, the land of King Sinbad. Alibaba is trying to repair the Sword of Amon as well. Then the arrival of a Prince from the Kou Empire shakes things up. The rise of the evil Al-Thamen has our heroes preparing to face future battles. Part of this is going to be taking on new Dungeons.
This book was more light-hearted and goofy than previous books in the series. Most of the story is spent following our characters as they train and learn more about their abilities. Alibaba is learning how to swordfight, Aladdin is learning how to use magic better, and Morgiana is trying to find a metal vessel to fight with.
It was fun to see our characters in a more relaxed atmosphere, of course it wasn’t nearly exciting as previous books because of this. We do see a slight romance budding between Morgiana and Alibaba, which came off as very cute.
Morgiana does get an awesome new metal vessel, which she makes out of her old slave chains. This was pretty cool and also pretty hilarious. We learn a lot more about Sinbad’s kingdom of Sindria and about Sinbad himself.
The drawing was very well done and easy to follow. As I mentioned above there is a bit more of the sketchy, not so detailed, humorous drawing in this volume. Not my favorite style but some of it was pretty funny.
Overall a well done light-hearted addition to this manga series. Our characters are getting a well deserved rest and transitioning to the next storyline. The whole story is much more light and fluffy than previous installments have been and a lot less action packed. So, while this wasn’t my favorite installment in the series, it was a good transition that gives the reader some background and sets things up for the next installment. This whole manga series is recommended to those who love action-packed fantasy manga.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Ebook Reading Challenge
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
