Fair warning, if you haven't watched Magi, you really won't get the same satisfaction from watching this. I suggest watching the Magi series first before watching this.
It begins with Sinbad's birth. Showing the background story of how Sinbad ends up becoming the swashbuckling man he is in the Magi series. These episodes drew me in right away. If you're a fan of the Magi series you will really enjoy this part. I loved being able to see a baby Sinbad interact with his family and grow into this heroic, lovable teenager. You get to see him conquer his first dungeon and decide that he wants to create his own country and change the world. It leaves you feeling satisfied.
However after the first few episodes it becomes less about Sinbad's character and more about the characters that will end up joining him on his journey.
Don't get me wrong I love the nostalgic feeling of seeing the characters from the Magi series pop up in this series. However, it cuts the character development of Sinbad short. It becomes more focused on the character development of his comrades and how each of them has come to make their decision to join him in his efforts to change the world. The most touching story was Ja'far's. His story and character development really provides those with prior knowledge about his character in the Magi series some interesting insight to when and how his unwavering loyalty began to blossom.
As for the development of Sinbad's character, it continues to stay the same after the beginning episodes for the most part. I understand maybe the creators wanted to keep the image of Sinbad as this all powerful character untarnished, but we didn't even get to see how he discovers the true power of his Djinn.
All we see after the first few episodes is how great Sinbad is and how wonderful he is at everything. I'm ready for his world to be shaken a little. To see him transform into the complex character that he is in the Magi series. Riding the waves between good and evil. Taking the path less travelled on.
Only in the very last episode do we see a small glimpse at an obsessive but mostly motivated look on the face of Sinbad as he contemplates his future. His curiosity about Magis grows intensely in this episode, and you can see in his face he is hungry for more knowledge. It foreshadows a possible adventure where he goes in search of a magi. This leaves a pretty good set up for the next season, which I expect to be a much more exciting season for Sinbad. I foresee some actual character changes and I'll remain hopeful for that.
Even if the focus wasn't really on Sinbad so much as the people joining him on his journey I still enjoyed watching this. Seeing more of the unique world that Magi is set in, and getting to see the origin stories of Sinbad's party has been really great. It's an upbeat adventure and at times you'll find yourself smiling at the silly comedy. All that it is lacking is a bit of depth.
