I love Magi, and I am in love with Orient. There is plenty to discuss about Shinobu Ohtaka’s latest work.

It is not correct to argue whether Orient is better or worse than Magi with only one season. I’m not going to rant or gossip about it and ignore other opinions.

I’ll discuss the similarities, differences, and a few theories about what might happen in future Ohtaka works.

I’ve seen the Orient anime on Crunchyroll and I’ll be reading the manga soon. Therefore, this article contains spoilers for the Magi anime and manga.

So keep that in mind as we take a trip down memory lane and explore future possibilities. Are you ready to defeat the Oni and the Kishen?

The good, the bad and the funny

Magi has a lot of boob jokes and knows when to hold back and focus on other things. I like to think of Orient as Magi’s slightly more mature sibling.

Orient has almost no mature humor and is very promising. However, most of the reviews on YouTube complain about Orient’s animation.

They have called it low budget and not up to 2022 standards. Personally, I have no problem with the animation.

To me everything is fine as long as you can see who is who and what is going on. The Orient Season 2 release date is coming in a few months. Studio ACGT does a good job.

So, let’s take a look at the Top 10 Similarities and Differences between Orient and Magi.

10. The Power of Three

Magi revolves around the adventures of Aladdin, Alibaba and Morgiana. Orient is about a slightly older trio fighting Oni, Mushahi, Kojiro and Tsugumi.

9. Magic

Aladdin is a mage, a special kind of magician who has almost unlimited amounts of magic. You can’t go through an episode or chapter without encountering magic.

Unfortunately, Orient has none, except the Oni, Kishen, and a Goddess who needs a host and can’t stay long in the physical world. However, I am not convinced that she is not a Kishen.

8. Difficult adults and easily tricked children/teenagers

In Magi, Aladdin spent most of his childhood in an underground room. Morgiana grew up a slave, and Alibaba was a merchant and lived in a palace. In Orient, Mushashi studied in an elite school for miners, Kojiro became self-sufficient and both boys lived in the same village. Tsugumi grew up in a Bushi fortress and had the most knowledge/training to deal with the Oni.

Taking into account their age and the fact that the main characters learn to make their own choices, every meeting with someone older and wiser makes it wonderful. Especially in Magi, because most adults have their own agenda.

7. Clear/Evolving Goals

Magi started as an adventure. Two boys set out to conquer dungeons and see the world. Orient is more focused on reaching the next enemy with an organic way of laying out the terrain.

6. Pacing

One of the main complaints I’ve heard about Orient is the slow burn rate. I like the pace. Orient does a great job of giving viewers plenty of information without bogging down the episode. We know the main objectives, know who the bad guys are and the fight scenes are never too long. Some characters are introduced towards the end, but we will learn more about them in the next season.

5. Sympathetic Characters

I can talk all day about my favorite Magi characters. Musashi is everything an elderly Aladdin with red hair should be. The same goes for Kojiro and Alibaba. Tsugumi needs more time to grow and hopefully we will get that in the next season.

4. Trauma done right

Morgiana and Tsugumi are two peas in a pod, and the differences between these girls are small. Morgiana was a slave who was beaten, demoted and terrorized before Aladdin and Alibaba came. Tsugumi was verbally abused by her adoptive father and constantly said she was worthless. Tsugumi is clumsy and believes that taking off her clothes is the way to make friends, thanks to her older sister.

Please understand me; I in no way glorify abuse. I’m saying these girls went through hell, and Morgiana had time to get over it. Mushashi and Kojiro will help Tsugumi overcome her past, but it won’t be a quick fix.

3. A fun way to learn about different cultures and myths

Aladdin, Alibaba, Sinbad and Jafar should ring a bell with anyone interested in movies, especially when it comes to Disney. Orient screams feudal Japan thanks to its Kishen designs based on Buddhist mythology and the Bushi.

2. Color everywhere

Colors play an important role in both series. In season 1 of Magi, white and black take center stage, while season 2 gives us red, blue, yellow, and green for magic. Orient has a similar approach; only it is for souls. With white, red, green, blue and yellow as normal and black as abandoned.

1. Mysterious main characters

Aladdin’s past was fun to read that the anime has yet to cover, and Mushashi’s relationship with the Obsidion goddess is one I can’t wait to learn more about! What does it mean to be “abandoned”? Is Mushashi, Orient’s version of a “fallen?”

Are we getting Magi season 3, and what is the connection between Magi and Orient?

A lot of fans were hoping for season 3 of Magi when Orient came out, and I wasn’t one of them because I only recently learned that Orient existed.

I have a habit of playing anime/manga/video games long after they come out, and that’s how I got into Magi. My ex-boyfriend took me to the library and I cleaned up the manga section.

He didn’t think I could read them all, and I liked proving him wrong. Orient still has a long way to go, but it has established itself well so far.

I like what I’ve seen and will pick up the manga in the future.

I want to close with a theory of mine about Sinbad. This is where the spoiler warning comes into play.

Don’t read this if you haven’t read the Magi manga. It has a strange ending, but it promises sequels, spin-offs and alternative series.

Sinbad is one of the most bada** characters; a God, a villain, and then nothing? Of all the characters in Magi, Sinbad is the only one that didn’t get a satisfying ending.

Many fans think he is dead. I believe he has been sent to another world and is doing what he is good at. In the final episodes of Orient, we are introduced to 8 generals from Black Stone.

Sinbad had 8 generals serving under him, and they were all-powerful in their own way. Most were the rulers of their land!

If Sinbad survived or reincarnated, I think he’ll go back to what he does best: explore, fight, be a player and drink. Does this mean we’ll see him or other Magi characters in Orient?

I don’t know, but I want to know! It would be nice to see the King of the Seven Seas interact with the Bushi Clans and give Oni a kick in the ass.

Sinbad was the first to conquer a dungeon, got seven Djinn, started his own country and for a while he was God. So Mushashi and his friends would be in good hands if he appeared in their world, and most importantly, Sinbad promised Aladdin that he would come back.

I am waiting for the return of the Singularity and I will read the various mangas in the meantime! Is it July already?