MAGiCO

I read this series a long time ago, and it has been one of the most memorable manga I have ever read.

The story is fairly straight forward with the usual flashbacks. Nothing out of the ordinary in that regard. What got me was the concept that the story was following. I think that quite a few of us have read manga where magicians are prominent. In magico, magic is based around the completion of rituals. The more powerful magics require you to undergo rigorous training or near impossible tasks. This series really provided a fresh twist to how magic works in that regard. it did away with the archetypal magicians who are book smart, and are weak on a physical level.

The art work in this was also fairly exceptional at the time of it's release. It is very cartoonish, and child like in nature, but there is a strong maturity in the artwork that bellies the romantic elements of the series. Because of this the battle artwork is exceptional, and it captures the violence without being explicit. Overall, the artistry is very pretty, and highly conventional.

Another aspect of this series that kept me coming back was the relationship between the characters, and their individual personalities. Each character leaves you with a distinct impression, and all of the major heroes and villains are memorable.

Although this series was very short, I feel that in its time it created a rich and diverse universe through not only its artwork, but through its storytelling. The concept is really well thought out, the characters are incredibly real in spite of their obvious hero/heroine qualities, and the magic is extremely cool.

If you have the time, this is definitely one to give a read!

I was bored so picked up this manga because a lot of ppl were praising it. TBH, I don't see it as an out of ordinary shounen, if anything it gives me a feeling of shounen written for girls. The story reminds of Dragon ball, where the mage named Shion and his wife Emma have to obtain some objects, spells and rituals to surpress a power in her. They leave for a journey to search for these obejects et al, they encounter friends, enemies and some ppl who become travelling companions. The journey and the events related to obtaining of certain thing are very short, usually 3 chps. Thus some of secondary charcters don't have big character developlments, though I would have liked to see them again. Another thing that sort of made me irritated was, that there wasn't enough conflict shown between the characters. The fights were short and nothing spectcular, the mage keeps defeating and obtaining objects without mcuh hinderanece. If there is a problem, it is solved quickly and easily, like his magic running out because he used it too much.

Story 5- The story is fast paced that it makes me question what really the big picture is. The main characters' goal is to surpress Emma's ekidona (rare dark magic capable of destryoing the world), but the speed and facility they achieve their 'subgoals', it makes me think that there is something bigger to be revealed. Also the appearances/encounters with the secondary characters are very short, so it makes me think that they will also return with a bigger role. Or at least I hope so, because that would be the only reason for the story to be interesting.The story feels episodic, with the objective being the acquisition of a new thing and the supression of ekidona tying them together. Also bc of other characters they help along the way, giving them their own happy endings.

Art 7- It's average and detailed enough in important scenes. There are very few close up shots of characters, fights or anything else that could be considered important.

Character 6- I liked the characters in the beginning because they were funny, especially the cat, Anise. But as the series progresses, they r not as funny or spontaneous. I think that the one of the saving grace of the manga was the characters and their quirky characteristics. But they're just becoming bland now for me.

Enjoyment 6- I enjoyed it somewhat in the beginning and thought it would continue to get better, thus I will be able to enjoy it more. But it was the opposite, so I'm giving it a 6 based on the earlier chps (up until 8).

Overall 6- I really don't understand the reason for its popularity, it's average for at best. It's certainly not set apart from other shounens with its sotry or concept. But to each their own.

I will continue to read this manga, though will not look forward to new chp releases, with each mini 'episodic arch' the ending for them is predictable.

As the synopsis has already been provided for you on numerous platforms I will just dive into a quick overview on the story, art, character and my overall enjoyment.

STORY - 7
Magico holds a special place in my heart. Some of you might be wondering why I have allocated a "good" (7) instead of anything higher. For one, Magico has a well established plot line going for it. However, I can't help but feel that it would have easily enriched the characters' development or enhanced the audience's understanding of the story arcs if each arc were to be explored for a bit longer. The development of the plot line (in my opinion) wavered from good to fair. Despite the pacing being somewhat hastened this does not lessen the quality of other dynamics of the manga. i.e. battle scenes and character chemistry. The action scenes are engaging however it is understandable that some people might not appreciate the light-hearted humor that seeps itself in every now and then. Magico highlights each of its themes and genres with ease encouraging its readers to cheer on its main characters. It doesn't fail to capture a soft spot in your heart accompanied with a dash of innocence and humor.

ART - 8
There have been plenty of moments where the art really shines. This is evidently shown from the detail of the character designs to the detail to the magic displayed - especially on the full page panels. There are times where it left me thinking, "wow, that must have taken a long time to draw," or "that looks so cool!" Other times, background illustration remain empty and simplistic but that doesn't cease to compliment the tone/mood being established.

Character - 7
Our main set of characters have their own quirks of pure straightforwardness. As well as being a close group of friends, together, they also form their own "family". This bond is what drives each of them to want to succeed and keep moving forward; creating more happy memories in the midst of their difficult adventure. I must say though, they are not anything out of the original (personality wise). But their backstories and experiences mold them into their own uniqueness. The experiences of the four (though only given a snapshot) allow the readers to sympathize for them and appreciate their growth from where they started to who they have become.
Emma is the kindhearted and fun loving protagonist - the mother of the group.
Shion is the badass magician who works hard for others - the father of the group.
Anise, the cat, acts as the elder sister of the group. She provides the calmer, loving support for the love birds Emma and Shion.
And finally Luu - the daughter of the group. Mainly for her child-like actions and her age. Side note: her strength is pretty epic and experience as a magician is something to admire in its own right.
The supporting characters fulfill their role of actually *supporting* in the manga. Just like how the story was a bit rushed so was the potential to connect with the supporting characters.

Enjoyment - 8
At the time of me reading this, I am in preparation of very stressful exams coming up soon. So taking time off to read through Magico was really refreshing and fun to do. I liked it so I binged read it in the span over two days (at night then in the following morning). It made me laugh and it made me sad at occasions. Most effectively, it made me become determined to aspire to work hard and have fun at the same time just as the characters have. I quite enjoyed reading this manga.

Overall - 7.5
Altogether, I'm on the ladder of giving it an 8 (very good) or a 7 (good). Strictly speaking I would give it a 7. On the contrary, out of my experience and enjoyment overall I would give it an 8. So I will stick with the latter of 7.5.

Recommendation
It does have its faults but has its own areas where it does well. It is a good read and something worth giving a go. Total recommendation to shounen manga lovers who enjoy the romance genre as well.


This is my first review so please feel free to leave any comments or send me messages on areas I can improve! Thanks for reading!

this series is a masterpiece , it doesn't look like other Jump manga but that doesn't mean it is not great
the story revolves around Emma whom have a curse and shion the wizard whom will help her lift the curse by completing magico and the first ritual in magico is getting married ^^
it continues with lots of fun adventures and interesting characters
to summarize: if you love adventure , cute& strong characters , great art work and an outstanding plot , then read magico
you won't regret

Magico is a good read for those who enjoy a bit of fantasy, romance and magic without much drama or complicated stuff.

Strong protagonist boy likes cursed, sheltered girl with sad childhood, goes around helping her fight her fate or whatsoever, with light, cutesy romance mostly free of drama.

It's a simple manga, where what you see is pretty much what you get. There's not much tension or plot twists, and it doesn't feel like a shounen adventure in which the character has to overcome much hardship. In fact I have never worried for the characters at all as they went through their "ordeals", as it is not a deep/serious sort of story.

I find it difficult to give Magico more than a 7, as it does not particularly impress me even though I relatively enjoyed reading it. The characters are alright and not annoying, but also do not experience significant character development. The art is rather decent, and the story is simple and straightforward which might lack for exciting developments but manages to mostly deliver what is expected.

I feel that adjusting your expectations is the key to enjoying this manga. You get a pretty good idea of how the series will go in the first few chapters, and it remains quite consistent throughout, for better or worse. If you want to enjoy some fights and light romance without having to go through drawn out drama or seeing your protagonist constantly trashed by the enemy, then Magico will be good for you. It's not deep or able to touch your hearts on a personal level - but sometimes it's good to sit back and enjoy a series like this which you know exactly what you're going to get.

Shounen Jump has a certain credibility for always introducing manga and anime to the world which gives an everlasting impression. And Magico is no exception at all.

Written by Naoki Iwamoto, We follow Emma who is to be married to a King and the wedding gets crashed, she gets picked up by Shion who reveals that there's a force of immeasurable destruction lying within Emma that could destroy the world, and he also says that the only way to seal the magic is to follow some rituals which involves marrying him.

Story(8):It deals with magic namely there are sages and the wide variety, cool super powers gained through rituals, you'd have no trouble understanding them. There's an epic plot and a valuable romantic story in here and I'm pretty much satisfied with it's memorable ending. What the story wanted to achieve is probably the balance between the fighting and strong romance which was superbly given throughout the manga. There were certain elements which was found in Naruto Shippuden(you'll see it in the end) and every element is throughly thought by the mangaka.

Art(8): No complaints, art was good.

Character(8): Different varieties of characters, different conflicts all of them moved by emotions likewise it strengthens them up to move forward. All characters were relatively important and contributed to the story. Shion's character is very rare even for a manga, he is someone who pushed forward everything and anything in order to protect the ones he loved. I believe he looked a lot like Kilua Zolydick, except he has more emotions than him. The character pasts were fascinating mixed with tragedy and hope to the future.

Enjoyment(8): There was humor in the manga which was momentarily good. I think the only flaw is that the story progressed very fast, even faster than Hunter X Hunter. I enjoyed the adorable romance in this story, it's very heartwarming.

Overal(8)l: My first impressions whilst reading the synopsis for the first time was totally worth, i mean you could just tell from the basic summary that there's an actual Class A plot in it, and I've a pleasure to say that this delivered an A+ story.

Magico a really well done manga by Iwamoto Naoki,it's a different kind of shounen with romance. A whole bunch of cute characters!!
I for one love Shion and Emma since they first met and I don't know what people meant by this seems more shojo when it isn't ,I read a whole bunch and this isn't corny as shojo manga.this has it's limits but it's so sweet and you just wish for the best for them.

The comedy in this manga is the best,a lot of nose bleeds from Shion and many other characters that will leave you laughing too.
The main story is too lift up the curse Emma has because of what she is, and how love has their ups and downs what they(other couples)would do stay withy their loved ones or precious things.
Character designs so cute!!may look like Tegami Bachi
Go on many adventures tournaments and much more and the more and more Shion loves to see Emma smile and isn't afriad to show how he loves her by saving her and protecting her. The action scenes are worth reading and seeing, but it seems that they have met before only she can't remeber but Shion does.

Overall a great manga to read even though I feel it rushed, and it ended with sweet ending for them both.I wanted to read more they are such a cute couple thst I wantgto know what happened next.I loved this series and can't wait for the next from Iwamoto!!

Even though it's fantasy and romance, it did not focus on those things alone, but the fact that it also included the family genre made me happy at all!
Full of excitement and happiness, this manga is highly recommendable!

The manga is a prime example on how to kill your own show in a wimp.

I think everyone who wants to write a story be it a novel/webtoon/manga etc. should read this manga just to not make the same mistakes.

It's such a prime example how you can get from a well selling manga down to "no one cares about it"
even if you're featured in one of the most popular magazines of that type.

The manga is even if you do hate shounen trophes, - funny
and never so annoying that you couldn't read it anymore at least for the first 30 chapters.

It does start off as a carefree episodic manga with a bit of a story.(to lift the curse of the FL) but it never takes itself serious
and even if it's listed as (battle) shounen it actually does not fall into this genre at all for half of it.

If there are battles they got resolved quickly in a single chapter and because of the absurd and stupid "power" the mc has you can't take it seriuously.
It is more about the interaction between the four members of the group.

Sadly it took another turn after that and got into full battle shounen while getting rid of everthing else
which made this manga enjoyable, - the group of four idiots doing their best to lift the curse.

You get a battle shounen(which has nothing to do how the series did start or even got to this point)
which continued for around 20 chapters until it made the sales drop so low that it was shortly before beeing axed.

The whole arc was done at chapter 51 but the sales where now so low from a once "hit" series that it needed a huge impact to get back to it's former glory.
And instead to going back to the things their fans loved they did the absoluty worst thing possible.

The characters and their development got ingnored and instead they even made the battle scenes longer(and more boring)
while also including an out of now where agressive love interest for the FL.
The ML now also acts even worse and out of character than at the start without any reason just for the drama.

It took only 3 weeks after that until it got axed and you got at least a (confusing and rushed) few ending chapters.



It was such a collosal misjudgement from everyone involved that a character driven story could suddenly be a battle shounen
it's a fun read till this date just to show you how to ruin a story which could've otherwise ~200 chapters.