Alibaba fights for the Kingdom of Balbadd and tries to stop the reign of his step-brother, King Ahbmad! But can he do it? Find out in another enjoyable volume of “Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic”!
Image courtesy of © 2009 Shinobu Ohtaka. All Rights Reserved.
MANGA TITLE: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic Vol. 7
STORY AND ART BY: Shinobu Ohtaka
FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shogakukan
PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC/Shonen Sunday
RATED: T for Teen
RELEASE DATE: August 12, 2014
Deep within the desert lie the mysterious Dungeons, vast stores of riches there for the taking by anyone lucky enough to find them and brave enough to venture into the depths from where few have ever returned. Plucky young adventurer Aladdin means to find the Dungeons and their riches, but Aladdin may be just as mysterious as the treasures he seeks.
Alibaba, now in possession of a new power, plunges forward. But even after this fierce battle, fresh challenges await him.
Alibaba has watched his step-brother Ahbmad rule the kingdom of Balbadd and making the people suffer.
And as we watched Alibaba summon the courage to fight for the rights of slaves, his friends and those very dear to him, Alibaba must show that he can come up with the solution to the problems that have taken place in Balbadd for so long.
Can he do it?
Find out in Shinobu Ohtaka’s popular hit manga series “Magi: The Laybrinth of Magic” vol. 7!
What is “Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic”?
When it comes to opportunities of becoming a manga writer/artist (mangaka), Shinobu Ohtaka’s story.
She has written about her story of how she became a manga artist, as a person who was the person who would sit quietly in the corner of class and was not really great at anything and often playing a supporting role. But if there was one thing that she was confident in, it was drawing pictures.
Her first year in high school, she was submitting manga manuscripts because it was her dream to become a manga author. And like many writers, her submissions were denied and this continued through high school and college. And when she was about to call it quits, she was given the opportunity to do a one-shot and it led to the creation of the series “Sumomo Momomo” in 2004 which would eventually become 22 volume manga series and also a 22-episode anime series.
After completing “Sumomo Momomo”, Shinobu then created “Magi” which would be serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday in 2009 and to this day, the series is till ongoing (currently, at 17 volumes) and an anime adaptation which was aired in Japan in Oct. 2012 – March 2013 and a new second season which has aired in Japan.
And the manga series titled “Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic” has been released in the US courtesy of Viz Media and here we are with its fifth volume.
In vol. 7, Alibaba has watched the kingdom of Balbadd suffer under the rule of his step-brother, King Ahbmad. The people turned to slaves, the kingdom literally reduced to fear.
And Alibaba can no longer stand for it…but as he fights for Balbadd…the one he once looked to as a brother tries to destroy all that Alibaba has worked hard for.
With the latest volume of “Magi: The Layrinth of Magic”, the storyline shifts to a more plot driven storyline rather than all action as Alibaba must stop his step-brother, King Ahbmad.
With Aladdin still knocked out and Morgianna fighting to give Alibaba a chance to speak his mind, a lot of vol. 7 and its storyline is devoted to Alibaba trying to solve the problems that have afflicted Balbadd.
A fight to end the reign of Ahbmad and win over the people by ending the royal monarchy that has ruled the kingdom for ages. But will the people listen to Alibaba?
Meanwhile, expect an interesting twist at the end of the volume as Alibaba must take on the last person he would rather fight at all. But can he do it?
As with each volume, the story and artwork by Shinobu Ohtaka is enjoyable to read and see. He has his own art style and while backgrounds are not as prominent in Ohtaka’s work, it’s the close-ups and the ability to capture emotion that he does quite effectively but most importantly, it’s the storyline that he features that makes “Magi: The Labyrinth” so entertaining and addictive.
Overall, “Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic” vol. 7 is an entertaining volume that may not be as action-heavy as the last two volumes but for an Aladdin-driven, character building storyline, this volume is recommended!