@blue-san:
I read the response here and kept saying to myself there must be something else about this manga why would so many people like it otherwise.
@blue-san:
Actually I am not really a combat fan, I am the story fan and the original idea and theme was interesting + the entire hype around this manga. To peek my interest. …..............
I liked the start with the seeking out treasures and everything, but then this entire politics theme came up which is a serious theme but idk perhaps thats the problem, that it is supposed to be so serious but the environment in which it is created seems so simplistics.
@blue-san:
I started reading it because of a hype + initially the main story which I still find interesting. But the way it is handled not so much so far. Up till this city with the rebellion etc it was ok, but atm am having hard time reading it and I wanted to point it out, so perhaps one of you might tell me it becomes different or shares their input.
The appeal of this series is, like Enzeru already said, the combination of light-hearted adventure with serious themes and for me also the amazing world building and the many nations and empires and their different cultures.
But I kinda understand your point. The problem with Magi is, that it often raises interesting questions and conceive great scenarios with morale dilemmas, but often does not see them through, or oversimplifies its themes, so it comes down to black/white or good/bad in the end instead of the nuanced approach it was maybe intented. I dont know if that made any sense, its hard to express that problem in english.
I would say, the manga started very average and not overly interesting, but became ever better with time to a point about 3/4 in, where it established itself as a truly interesting and amazing series (where most people probably were, when you heard all that praise), only to noticeable drop in quality again in the last chapters.
That all said, as long as you do not completely hate it or cant stand the other main characters besides alibaba at all, give it a chance a little longer.
You said you where in Chapter 72, which is just 3 chapters before the Balbadd arc ends. And afterwards you got a lot of world building and many of the major characters and powers in the world are getting introduced while we have some light and funny chapters in Sindria and then another dungeon dive, before it returns again to serious arcs around 120.
If you still dont like it and dont see its appeal, then its just not for you. No shame in that, just try other fun series instead.
@benjamminbrown:
We love the ambiguity of the characters' motives and ideals, the vast sea of gray area that the author chooses to explore is just so fun for most of us.
If you can't notice how the Magi world isn't "simplistics" in the least, then I don't know if you will ever be able to appreciate this story.
! Hey, he is just in the Balbadd arc. That means Sindbad was just some random traveller, there was no Sindria, no Reims Empire, Kou was a generic china-themed "evil empire" and so on.