Recap

Aladdin, Titus and Sphintus infiltrate the lowest level of the city and find a terrible secret lurking there.

Zigg’s Thoughts

This is an episode that’s anchored around one really interesting idea which is very compelling. The problem is there’s also a bunch of fluff surrounding it that varies between boring and downright terrible. The net result is an episode that is ultimately below average despite a pretty neat twist.

Let’s take a look at that twist first though, because it’s a good’un. The idea that Magnostadt runs by draining ‘normal’ people of their Magoi is a cool, creepy spin on the story. It works on multiple levels – you’ve got the nasty vampiric imagery, the grand magical mechanism and also the social warfare angle. Like Magi at its best, there’s both a big picture reason to loathe the ruling wizards and a smaller, more personal conflict to root for. There’s a really smart additional subplot that could come into play too – the idea that the people are partially enslaved of their own free will. The thing is, I’m not certain Magi is quite the show that can tell a compelling narrative about an underclass yoked under the weight of alcohol and sexual debauchery. I’d like to be surprised, though.

The wrapping that surrounds this twist, though, is way less satisfactory. I’m not so torn up about the trio’s shenanigans trying to get into the undertown – that’s just your standard goofy comedy aside. No, the real sticking point here is Marga. Disclaimer – I hate ‘tragedy porn’, the process of creating characters or putting them in the worst possible circumstances merely to milk emotion out of the audience. This is precisely that, a blatant grab for the viewers heartstrings in the least subtle way possible. Dead parents! A life underground! A wish to better herself! A wasting disease! It’s a checklist of adversity and it’s so very, very transparent. Characters can only work when they are allowed to develop believable personalities, but as it is it looks like she’s just going to be a sympathy pet for Titus. There’s still a chance the show will prove me wrong, but I’m not optimistic. It’s a shame too, since this piece of blatant manipulation overshadows an episode that was interesting in some other regards.

Random Observations

• The opening of this episode is super weird and seems to skip over a scene – Titus has already told Aladdin of his origins in what should be a critical moment but instead is something which happens offscreen apparently.
• New OP and ED. I’m a fan of both, especially the ED, although beating the first one was not hard.
• Titus being overwhelmed by what’s presumably his first proper look at the wider world is sort of adorable. His penchant for cute things however threatens to rapidly become annoying.