Information:
Other Names: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic 2 & マギ The kingdom of magic
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Writer: Hiroyuki Yoshino
Director: Koji Masunari
Music: Shirō Sagisu
Type: Manga Adaptation, TV Series, Sequel
Length: 25 Episodes, 24 min per episode approx.
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Magic, Shounen
Rating: PG-13
Air Dates: 6th October 2013 - 30th March 2014
Alternate Recommendations: Fairy Tail & Akame ga Kill
Synopsis:
Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana's adventures continue in the magical Kingdom of Magnostadt, a country ruled by magicians, and the Reim Empire, which is protected by the Magi Scheherazade. (Source: MAL)
Review:
Does the second season top the original? The answer is yes, - yes it does, launching off straight from where the last season ended, Kingdom of Magic takes you on journey that forever changes our characters and world forever.
Even though most of setting stays the same throughout, new locations and factions are presented from the magical city of Magnostadt to the deadly Reim Empire that's based upon the real world's Roman Empire as well as including nations from the previous series like the Kou Empire and Sindria, while also being given an in depth look at their workings to get a sense of scale onto how powerful these nations are and how they affect the Magi World, this is a great addition to the series as it helped immerse me in the world and care more for it.
Now on the other hand the start of the plot was a little disappointing, as it did something I hate which was show the end or close to the end of series at the start of the show which was totally unnecessary. Other than that though the story is fantastic and well written taking each of the four main characters on different journeys to better improve their characters, well for the most part as Morigiana and Hakuryuu barely make an appearance, having very little screen time but on the other side Aladdin and Alibaba become the driving points of the plot have great amount of detail being put into their growth even if Alibaba's is shorter, but nevertheless these characters help drive you through a fantastic plot full of twists, fun battles and new interesting characters through interesting and fun arcs even if it was a little predictable. Though even though the ending was great it does cliff-hanger and unlike the first there's no next season in sight which was a disappointment.
As I've just said out of the four main characters only three get any real development and out of those three only the one getting vast amounts of screen time which is Aladdin who as said before has good screen time and development changing from that small naive child from the first season to a wise magi, while others like Hakuryuu and Alibaba get good development that helps shape their new personalities for the rest of the season. While with Morigiana, I'm not sure what happens with her as she is only in a few episodes where nothing really happens which was a disappointment.
But on a brighter side the support characters flourish in this series once again, well new ones do and some older ones, such as older characters get new back-story, in particular members of the Kou Empire (Kougyoku) are given a much needed back story though other characters like Sinbad don't. But leaving the old behind, lets focus on the new, with newer characters being shown at every corner that are all fun and interesting to look at while story or two that helps drive the plot forwards.
Speaking of fun to look at, characters designs in this show are as great as ever, with new character looking unique and refreshing and old characters getting re designed which helps keep the feeling that the world of Magi gives out. The art in a similar fashion while remaining the same looks better and animation is faster and improved.
Which can also said about the soundtrack as well, which resonates well with the world the anime has built and makes you feel at home, but this cannot be said of the Openings and Endings, as I found the first opening and ending to be boring and forgetful like they were missing that spark that made the first enjoyable, but on another side the second opening and ending help capture that again.
In conclusion, the Kingdom of Magic is a worthy second season and is a must watch for people who loved the first. Even if is held back by a few errors.
Final Scoring:
Story/Setting: 9.5
Characters: 9
Animation/Art: 9.1
Sound: 9.2
Verdict: 9.3/10
Ranking System:
10 = Perfect Masterpiece
9.6 - 9.9= Near Perfect
9 - 9.5 = Excellent
7-8.9 = Good
5-6.9 = Average/Mediocre
2-4.9 =Bad
1- 1.9= Unwatchable
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