Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic Box 2/2   Starring (voice): Yuuki Kaji, Kaori Ishihara and Haruka Tomatsu Distributor: Manga Entertainment RRP: £29.99 Certificate: 15 Release Date: 12 May 2014

Having been granted a single wish by the Djinn, Ugo, the young man, Alladin is given more power than he realises. Through various encounters he comes to realise that he is now a Magi.

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic: Box 2/2 (Eps 14 - 25) is based on a manga written and illustrated by Shinobu Ohtaka.

Oddly enough you can choose to view the menu in either English or French, although the audio options are between the original Japanese track or an English dub. Once again the discs have a couple of adverts for other shows before you get to the menu.

The bulk of the series ideas have been lifted from the sixteenth century, French translation of One Thousand and One Nights, better known as The Arabian Nights, the characters of Aladdin, Sinbad and Alibaba, did not appear in the original Arabic version of the book, but these extra tales were included by the translator, Antoine Galland.

Within the series we pick up the story mid-tale. Aladdin is unconscious and Alibaba is fighting his way through the castle, intent on forcing his brother, Abhmad, to step down as king, in the belief that this would disrupt the Kou empire's plan to enslave the population. This story plays out until episode nineteen.

The show is unique in a landscape of shows which are little more than excuses to show animated violence that at many turns characters will turn their back on this blunt solution and try and fine peaceful resolutions. There are fights and these are well choreographed and feel less gratuitous than in other shows.

From episode twenty a new quest kicks off, when it is discovered that a snake bite which Alibaba had thought healed, has in fact, infected him and accidentally infected Sinbad. Their only chance of survival lays in finding the Djinn, on the island of Zagan, who purports to having the cure. This story runs through to the last episode in the season.

Extras on disc one include the opening sequence (1 min, 29 sec), with Karaoke lyrics for you to sing along with, disc two contains the closing sequence (1 min, 27 sec) and that’s about it.

It’s an interesting show, which is story heavy, with a lot of emphasis on the characters rather than just martial gymnastics. It displays a good level of animation and should please anyone looking for another family friendly show.

7

Charles Packer