ANIME MONDAY: Magi: Labyrinth of Magic – “Cassim’s Answer” Review


Previously on Magi:

Alibaba succeeds in his assault on the the palace and confronts Abhmad. He reveals his plan to abolish the monarchy and turn Balbadd into a republic, much to the chagrin of Kogyoku, the princess sent from the Kou Empire. After talking it over Kogyoku agrees to Alibaba’s terms and he tells his decision to the delighted citizens. Little does he know that Cassim and his followers have begun to make their way to the palace. Spoilers Ahead.

Cassim arrives at the palace with his followers much to the surprise of everyone but Alibaba. He is told by the citizens that the monarchy has been abolished and he has no more reason to fight, but Cassim still presses on with his revolt by stating that the real enemy was not the monarchy…but the royals in charge of it. Using their metal vessels, the group entices the crowd and starts a brawl between the citizens and the royal army. Meanwhile in the slums Aladdin meets with Ugo, who tells him of the true state of the world and what a Magi’s role really is.

Since last episode focused more on politics and talking, this episode is all about the action and brutal action at that. The people fighting in the streets is pretty hard to look at right after they finally got the peace of mind they had been longing for for years. This especially takes a toll on Alibaba since the stability he had fought so hard to bring back to his homeland was broken right when he managed to fix it.

Cassim still believes that even though the monarchy has been abolished, the royals still have to pay for crimes against the people. His Fog Troop entices the riot with the crowd while he and his followers enter the palace grounds. They are cut off by Alibaba who easily dispatches them and disables their weapons, but still finds himself unable to kill Cassim despite all of the destruction and suffering he has caused in his ambition.

Aladdin makes a comeback in this episode…sort of. He is called by Ugo (who is now just a head) to a spiritual realm where he tells him about what is happening in the outside world. He explains that the reason Aladdin couldn’t restore his Magoi was because Aladdin is not his master. He also explains that black rukh is the result of people trying to reverse the course the flow of fate (called the “Falling”) and are trying to engulf the world in darkness. This is useful info as it explains the different types of Rukh and how Judar can command the black kind, which Ugo states that Aladdin would have died in that battle if he hadn’t intervened. He finally says goodbye to Aladdin as he sends him to obtain the “Wisdom of Solomon”, but can even this help change the tide of fate?

Aladdin & Ugo

“Cassim’s Answer” is a pretty solid episode that’s heavy on the emotional turmoil. Things are beginning to fall apart and it falls on Aladdin & Alibaba to fix fates course. The adventure continues next week as Alibaba has to deal with a now demonized Cassim.

4/5