Recap: As the day the Kou family depart draws closer, the party each consider their own paths forward.

Zigg’s Thoughts: This is a way better episode than the first one, because we get some decent character work and a good fight to break up what occasionally threatens to become monotony. Indeed, the battle between Sinbad and Kougyoku is definitely the highlight here, allowing Magi to show off one of it’s greatest strengths – the way it can seamlessly blend action with character development. Even though the animation is pretty basic (if you’re being charitable) it’s still exciting due to cool forms and good choreography, and it’s goofily believable that these two would cut loose enough to briefly threaten the safety of an entire city. The minor character moments it gives both of the participants are welcome too, and the continuing attempt to reposition Sinbad as something less than an out and out hero is interesting, if not something I entirely buy yet.

Elsewhere the episode perhaps struggles a bit by slinging big emotional scenes at us that don’t necessarily have the foundation to succeed. There are good bits in both the Aladdin/Dunya and Morgiana/Hakuryu sequences but they also feel a bit overblown, especially Hakuryu and Morgiana basically attempting to out-pathetic each other. Aladdin’s scene is better but would have been more effective if we’d had more time to get invested in Dunya as a character, as it is this seems a pretty obvious use of ‘kill someone to motivate the main character’. The presentation in both segments is good and they’re not terrible by any means, but I definitely was engaged like they were clearly hoping for. I do like Alibaba and Kougyoku’s scene at the end though, because the use of a little humour helps leaven the situation and make the interaction more cute and believable, and because it’s a good to see the show utilize its large cast and pair off two characters whose interactions have been relatively limited up to now.

Ultimately my major issue with this episode is that it’s awfully bitty – it feels as if the writers are putting all of the characters into their own neat little boxes and sending the off on their own plots. Which is of course exactly what’s happening, and what needs to happen for the story to go forward. I just wish they could execute in a slightly more elegant way. Still, this episode reassured me that Magi is still out to deliver the things I liked – great characters, good action and a dose of heart that makes you care about what’s going to happen next.

Random Observations

• Still some seriously sloppy animation here. How thin is Morgiana when we see her talking to Hakuryu from behind?
• I still think both the OP and ED are rubbish, but then I came around on the last set too, so we’ll see.
• We’ve now seen 3 of Sinbad’s (alleged) 7 Djinn Equip forms.

Lifesong’s Thoughts: So many tears. I’m happy to see that Kougyoku fully understands her situation and wasn’t just tricked by Sinbad. She has become one of my favorite characters in this series, it’s a shame that she will likely be falling into the background now. Poor Dunya, I know I said that last week, but seeing her die was still painful. Then we got to see Yamraiha crying at her funeral. Our trio is being split again for even more tears!

I love A-1 and the way they animated fight scenes. They might well be the best animators out there when it comes to doing a fight the right way. I’m not even sure if KyoAni can really top what they do.

Next week we will finally see everyone off on their own respective journey. I’ll be happy to see the focus turn to Aladdin, but I hope we will get to see a bit of Morgiana’s homeland as well.