Tag Archives: Shinobu Ohtaka

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

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Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

A manga about a boy with a genie named Aladdin who teams up with Ali Baba the thief to explore mysterious dungeons in search of treasure.

I liked Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic while it was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday but the battle scenes became kinda excessive toward the finale. Also Shinobu Ohtaka perfected her technique of drawing really creepy expressions throughout the series and she really leaned into those towards the ending a bit too much for my tastes. Still, it’s an beautifully drawn shonen battle manga set in the the world of the Arabian Nights and worth reading if that interests you.

Available in English from VIZ along with a good anime adaptation.

~dakazu

Orient

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Orient

An Asian fantasy where two childhood friends, Musashi and Kojirou, have trained to become warriors so they can defeat the ‘Oni’ demons who have taken over the lands.

A new manga by Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic creator Shinobu Ohtaka. I was very surprised to hear that her new manga was in Weekly Shonen Magazine because Magi was in Weekly Shonen Sunday. I always wish I knew what happens when a manga artist changes publishers.

This manga hasn’t made a good impression so far. Ohtaka is leaning into the extravagant battles scenes she drew for the end of Magi and I’m not really enjoying them because of her general design aesthetic here. The setting is Sengoku Japan with references to famous samurai warlords but mixed with modern technology like motorcycles. Ohtaka seems to be pulling some designs from motorcycle gang uniforms and mixing them with Asian flair. It all comes off as a bit of a mess.

I liked Magi but this manga seems to be pulling everything I disliked about that series and making it a focal point. I think I’ll just keep skimming over new chapters as I make my way through Weekly Shonen Magazine for now.

~dakazu