#ohtaka really said

[babymagi]

So this panel was pointed out to me by a mutual (@devilrosola) that it looks like Kojiro's holding onto Musashi's bicep in this shot and I-

gay boys

[pan-magi]

I see that youve been a fan of magi for a long time, how do you cope with the lack of content and pretty much dead fandom? Ive been a long time fan or magi too and ive been trying to get my friends into magi.

Hi, Anon! I guess I have. It doesn't really feel like it though? I got into Magi early 2017 sometime and ran this blog for about 6 months or something until I vanished. This was meant to be my hyperfixation dump blog. The first one was Magi, and it... stayed Magi, lol.

This becomes very long but the tl;dr is Magi was more popular once upon a time and you can track down and return to older stuff with the lack of new content. And be honest to your friends about the ups and downs of what you like or what they could like about the series and keep conversations going with them.

At the time, I'll say Magi content was fairly active. The manga was ongoing but wrapping up, the main anime had ended but Adventures of Sinbad was only a year out or so. It wasn't anything to do with the series of why I left. More so I found new shiny things to focus on -- I had recently graduated college, yes, I'm old -- and fell out of love with tumblr more so than Magi and soon was not producing the content or consuming enough to stay interested in the series after it wrapped.

I'd love to give some great advice to stay interested in less popular series because I feel honored you asked. I can't claim to be good at it myself though. I got back into the series when I was sick late 2021 and binged everything. I re-watched the anime and then reread the manga when I got better.

You can try promoting it to your friends as good binge material. Magi does deal with themes you can sink your teeth into but it isn't super heavy. You don't realize how much you've gone through until you have.

I apologize for such a long answer. Let me try to get to your main point. I don't really think of it as something that's inactive or dead. The anime may be incomplete but the manga is done with. I don't think Ohtaka has much more to say on it, and that's why she has moved on to Orient. The series is wrapped- for better or worse. I'm not here to dissect how good or not the final arcs are. This is long enough and getting off topic XD. If you only have/can watch the anime then that's understandable. Accessibility and availability options are different for manga. For me, knowing the author has a complete version out there in some form and having access to it makes it easier. Content will come and go. Yes, I want more. I at least have a full course meal even if part of the dessert has disappeared into the ether.

Another thing that helps is that Magi is a young series. Not in the age range it appeals to but in how long it has been around. 14-15 years? Baby isn't old enough to drive in most places, lmao. The majority of fandoms I've been in are older or about as old as I am (30s). I am used to droughts in content and things coming in and out of popularity. Both in my ADHD-wired brain and by the fandom at large. I don't mean to say that younger fans are too fickle. As I said, I'm awful at it myself. There's a large gap of time (late 2017-2021) where my interests and priorities were elsewhere. I've only been active in the fandom for a few years at most.

I will say to help out try to explore the backlog of content if you have the chance and haven't already. New fan content may not be the most plentiful. Out of all the fandoms I follow the most relate to Magi and all of the tags are the quickest to breeze through what's new. It's sad. I haven't been active in this fandom for years, and there's stuff in its peak that I haven't gotten around to seeing that is still there for me to find. 14 years may not be that old in the grand scheme of things but that is still a long time for various fan art, fic, and other content to have been put up. If there's not enough new stuff to interest your friends, recommend older stuff you are aware of. Tumblr does not have the best search option and in my experience tags dry up after going back far enough even though I know older stuff exists. That is annoying and don't have a good counter on how to combat it.

Remember the old when you don't have enough new. Cycle through your favorite things at different intervals. Not for Magi specifically, but I reread some of my favorite fic that were over a decade old at the point of me discovering them. Now they're almost twice that age. One day go through one artist's backlog, then the next do someone else's, or read the fic that got you to love the fandom in the first place. If you get tired of older things or seen the same old too often- no worries! You can take a break or watch/read the series again (accessibility or availability again to be determined and yeah that majorly sucks). Scribble your own ideas down, regardless if you want to post them. Scratch that itch for you and no one else.

That is the best advice I can give. Try finding something else you haven't seen before or let yourself enjoy stuff you have. For your friends, this may sound counterintuitive but one thing I do when recommending stuff is give them a heads up as well on stuff they may not like. Like, mine is that I despise Aladdin being a little pervert. I've mentioned before how it turned me off the manga when I first picked it up at random. Don't try to catch them off guard by saying how wonderful something is and leaving out something that may turn them off. In my experience, that leads to annoyed friends. Give them the full picture, with spoilers being whatever you guys agree to, and let the strength of what you enjoy outweigh the caveats they have. Sometimes something is just not for them, and that is okay too. If they do start getting into Magi, keep the conversation up, ask them their favorite or least favorite thing, ship, how annoying and annoyingly charming Sinbad (or anyone) is, etc. Be someone to talk to about it even if they can't find new good shit to enjoy. Be that for each other. I dunno. I don't have friends irl who like Magi. If I did that's what'll I do. *shrug*

I am so sorry for the length and I don't feel as if I have been very helpful. I tried to edit it down and be as concise as I could. I can't do that on short notice or not being able to save drafts on asks. I hope this was a fun anecdotal read at least.

[stepswowdsen]

【KagePro】 Kuroha's Manga Route 2 Design 🖤❤️🐍

New (Version 2.0)

Old vs. New (Version 1.0)

Judar Doodles (Close Ups)

Intro Rambles

Judar doodles (close ups) 🖤 ❤️ 🐈‍⬛

1st pic: OG (Oil Paint Flat brush) 2nd pic: Change brush type to Aalmaluar's weighted lines brush 3rd pic: Filling in the 2nd pic manually with black strokes

Difference is so subtle but interesting… They all look good so it's up to me to decide which one I want

Since CSP makes it easy to change the brush type and size of your lines

Intro Rambles

My first time drawing Kuroha's Manga Route 2 Design 🖤 ❤️ 🐍

I drew the old ones yesterday!

Did a redraw of Kuroha's face cuz I wasn't fully satisfied

New version: Changed the old one's eyes to the new brush type

Yippee!!!

I've been playing around with a new brush. I usually use CSP's old Oil paint flat brush (Version 1.10) but I've been trying out Aalmaluar (@/aalmaluar.t)'s brush set.

It's harder for me to control right now since I'm not used to it, but I love the weighted strokes… It's clearer and sharper than my old brush, which has a blunt softer edge. Both are nice

My style has really prominent thick eyelashes so it just doesn't look good when they can't be seen. I think the compromise for the black snake skin scales on his face is to lower the opacity to a dark gray, use a dark screentone, or use pitch black but outline the lines with white.

I bought from Aalmaluar's brush pack and figure drawing/gesture drawing challenge set, so I wanted to test out the brushes. I wanna level up my art game (over time) 🙏

That brush has a really crisp look… And can draw finer details easier

The oil paint flat brush I'd been using since 2022 ~ 2023 has a blunt edge and softer look

I think using a dark gray or dark screentone looks the best in this case. Both of Kuroha/Saeru's designs are really good (tfw a Konoha recolour is still peak)

I love the Manga design's cute hair tufts, black horns, black snake skin scales on his face, black/red darkened gradient limbs, and braids in the back that resembles a scorpion's tail like Judar's braids 🖤 ❤️ 🤭

Feila's Rambles

Kuroha teasing Ene is so cute 🥰

“Because let’s be for real here, SHAFT would nerf his hotness”

BHBHHBHB I AGREE WITH THIS

MCA ALREADY NERFED HIS HOTNESS

JUST LOOK AT SIDU'S ARTS COMPARED TO MCA

Like both the Black Konoha (Konoha recolour) and the Manga Route 2 design are so good…

The braids and snake scales in this design are so peak

Like the art style SHAFT chose for MCA is sooo… ugly. Doesn't capture my faves' beauty at all

Ene is SO pretty in Sidu's art style and MCA just doesn't capture my wife's cuteness at all (aside from some chibi Ene scenes)

Though content of my faves is still content of my faves, I'll take what I can get

...

I really want to see Sidu's concept art sketches for Kuroha/Saeru's Manga Route 2 design cuz I wanna see what the canon colours are

I assume it's either like… gray and black, or red and black for the top and bottom clothes? Cuz the colours used in the Children Record Re:boot MV don't actually correspond 1:1 to the canon colours, so I wonder…

A: His hair looks like a scorpion tail, which is really cool

Me: YEAHH Kuroha/Saeru's Manga Route 2 design has black snake scales on his face, a braid in the back and horns/tufts of hair on the sides

Reminds me Ohtaka (Magi mangaka) said she designed Magi charas' shape language on animals

Judar's hair braids' shape language is based on a scorpion's tail

I need to draw KuroEne with Kuroha in his Manga Route 2 Design omg

...

KuroEne AU: Dialogue Scripts (WIP)

Reminds me I had this KuroEne AU idea before:

Ngl it would be really fun if Ene in her tsundere denial tries to tell Kuroha/Saeru that she would not be doing this with him (being intimate with him) if it weren’t for the fact that he’s possessing Konoha’s body. Kuroha gets amused by the seeming challenging nature of her insinuation.

So then, Kuroha/Saeru uses Konoha’s Eye Ability, Awakening Eyes, and changes his body, appearance, and clothes, turning into his alternate form (Manga Route 2 Design) in front of Ene.

Ene counters him with how, even if he’s changed his appearance, he’s still using Konoha’s body.

...

F: Also wanna point out the fact that these hair parts looks like hamster ears (specifically the non-perked up ones) It looks like sad animal ears in general 😭 He looks horrifyingly stupid-ly cute

Me: WHDSHHHDSH I NEVER REALIZED THAT'S SO CUTE 😭 Snek (hamster) bf + bunny gf 🐍🐇

Ene: Can I flick your hair? Stuff your cheeks like a hamster's? You think I could put you in my pocket? (:D)

Ene: You don't look too threatening anymore! You look like the sad hamster meme-

Kuroha: (.) 🧍

F: LMAO 😭😭😭 She said that so casually towards someone that's a whole ruler taller than her, the confidence👏

Note:

Takane/Ene: 157 cm (5'1")

Haruka/Konoha/Kuroha: 182 cm (6'0")

Height Difference: 25 cm

[satsuha]

20, 24, 27 and 29 for the artist ask game? :D

under readmore since it's a little long!

20. Something everyone else finds hard to draw but you enjoy

magical fantasy outfits... i guess. i don't like patterns or too many accessories but several series have a nice balance between having a lot of different shapes in their outfits that make drawing it fun to me! i really really don't like drawing simpler modern outfits because they're usually consisted of simple big shapes and patterns

24. Do your references include stock images

yeah definitely lmao i've swapped mostly to duckduckgo and qwant for search engines instead of google but when i look for reference photos i always find that google has the best selection...

27. Do you warm up before getting to the good stuff? If so, what is it you draw to warm up with

i rarely do warmups or cooldowns... even my quick doodles take a little too long for my liking so i just go straight into drawing

29. Media you love, but doesn't inspire you artistically

🥹 there's a lot... some of my favourite media are things i never talk about like one piece, dungeon meshi, fullmetal alchemist, magi... they definitely don't inspire me to make fanart for a multitude of reasons but i can't say they don't inspire me at all? ryoko kui's character designs for dunmeshi are amazing obviously and i've always been a big fan of eiichiro oda's chapter cover spreads which is probably one reason why i really like doing pieces with a lot of characters! i've also said before that ohtaka shinobu's style was one of my biggest inspirations when i was trying to get a grasp on my style as a teenager but i guess to answer the question UHHH one that comes to mind is steven universe because while i think the show can be so gorgeous it doesn't gel very well with my style so i wouldn't consider it an inspiration... actually right after typing that out i realize octopath also counts because there isn't really anything about its aesthetic/style that particularly inspires my own work

tysm for the ask!

[sayakxmi]

[Magi reread] Night 43: Alibaba and Ahbmad

Rare Alibaba being suspicious of Sinbad.

You guys remember when Sinbad was against Al-Thamen?

Gdi, Ohtaka can go nuts with this creepy art.

To make you believe that you have the choice.

I. I honestly don't have a funny comment. It's fucking depressing. Like, no shit he thinks that way, but just saying that with this expression is so sad.

I'm kinda laughing bc that's the moment in the anime where I realized something was weird with the animation. But also, gdi, I love when Ja'far gets pissed like that. Also, Cassim's fucking horrified. For a good reason.

And, well, Ja'far isn't wrong.

Ja'far: Murder?

Sinbad: No murder

He freaks out so much, and Sinbad's like, it's ok :)

I wanted to put like half of the page all at once, but then I noticed, ugh. He moved in front of Cassim to shield him. God, I love this boy.

Like, a moment ago only Ja'far and Sinbad were in front of Cassim, ugh. I just can't. Even worse, he agrees to work with Sinbad the moment Cassim's threatened.

A reminder that Masrur's first meeting of Ja'far was watching Ja'far beat Sinbad up.

Today I offer you - a pretty Sinbad panel.

Sinbad really decided to appeal to Alibaba's ridiculously strong sense of responsibility. Smart, but also, man.

Honestly, love how Sinbad goes from smiling to judging in a span of seconds. He is testing Alibaba's resolve.

And of course it works on Alibaba. Cassim's sceptical, though.

HE SAID THE THING

Of course. We all believe you.

Shoutout to Sahbmad for trying to help.

He tries...

: )

Remind me, why the fuck Ahbmad gets to live?

You're so fucking right, Alibaba.

BITCH

No, no he isn't : )

What an entrance.

THE BLACK SUN

[thuganomxcs]

jay talks about characters meme / accepting / @eternalbxtterfly

'🗣' + Sinbad

It’s time to sit down as I talk about how I feel about THE GOAT. The anime itself had been recommended to me by a friend and she had told me to watch it, told me there will be a character I would absolutely love. Tellin’ ya fam, episodes one to three damn near put me to sleep, the series wasn’t BAD but Alibaba and Aladdin definitely wasn’t doing a good job pulling me into this series, little did I know there was a man that would have cemented my love for this series just on the horizon. 

On the glorious seventh episode I was introduced to the man, the legend himself: Sinbad. And let me tell y’all he stole the show. He was presented to us as a laid back goofball but the way he spoke to Aladdin regarding adventuring with friends and whatever gave you the idea that there’s a little bit of wisdom there, like he’s definitely better than you think he is. BUT for real the first time you see him it’s just utter comedy chaos, even his subordinates (or just Ja’far) is really done with his shit. We see him get lectured and strangled and this was the man Ja’far built up as The conqueror of the seven seas.

AIGHT so this turned into one LONG ass post, so you can read more under the cut. XD

It isn’t until later that you find out that that isn’t just a nickname because it sounded cool. Without his metal drip he was still upheaving those hands against the thieves, making people bleed out from palm strikes, when people using their OWN metal vessels against him and he touches their arm and is like ‘nope’. That’s when I was like ‘OOOH I have a feeling we finna see this man cook.’ BUT we don’t until a LONG time from then. At that point it was night and I’ve binged as much magi as I could and then i remembered a little somethin’ somethin’.

Netflix also had a series titled Adventures of Sinbad, checked it out, main character had purple hair JUST like Sinbad..the ART itself was similar so i’m like ‘origin story?! OR just prototype spin-off. Said fuck it and watched it and I didn’t know what I had gotten myself into. 

Folks there was a BIG difference between Magi episode 1 and Adventures of Sinbad episode 1 and you know what that is? FRIGGIN’ BADR. Sinbad’s old man was the GOAT himself and his ma OOH that’s a convo for another day cause I KNOW ya’ll see that healthy Esra <3 EITHER way, from then on we saw Sinbad’s humble beginning as a kid. For the most part I really thought we finna see this man go from broke to GOAT. BUT MAN was I mistaken because EVEN AS A TEEN this man WAS THE GOAT.  Y’all can’t tell me Ohtaka wasn’t straight COOKIN’ when she made Adventures of Sinbad. Sinbad was such an engaging protagonist, no disrespect to Aladdin and Alibaba cause I know they got their fans but Sinbad was just different for me. For two little seasons we literally watch sinbad finesse his way into success and this is my opinion but his group of friends were just so much better than the group in the next generation, for real. Hear me and hear me well if Ohtaka came out the wood work and said she was finna give us five episodes of Ja’far, Hinahoho,Mystras and Drakon’s past? I would have been on high alert waiting for them eps to drop before I go back to magi’s episodes 1-6. That’s just me. Either way by the end of the anime you get a feel for who sinbad is..kinda. See, my man’s was born in a poor little village where they draft boys of age and men into war. Left women as widows and parents outgrowing their children, it was just a terrible time so my man Sinbad was on his hero arc where he said he was going to change the world. 

THIS HE DECIDED AT 14 and the anime only gave us three quick years of that journey and by the time Sinbad was 17 he was UNTOUCHABLE. ALTHOUGH if I’m being for real the boy was untouchable by the time he was 15, the only reason he’s even gotten attack I think is just the plot working against him. Most protags get plot armor but my man here got plot nerfs. But what I find is a good balance is that eventhough Sinbad has the power to end you in less than a second he really doesn’t like fighting. I mean hell he’s in this to put an end to it in the first place so he does what he can to end the fight as quickly as possible. 

From there on we know Sinbad is nice, kind and considerate and really altruist about his goals, it isn’t until much further into the MANGA you see it’s not all black and white. By the time the anime ends Sinbad was on top of the world to the point that he’s gotten a little cocky. If the anime had went on ahead we would have been introduced to soo much angst, we saw Sinbad being humbled to becoming a slave and he makes his first contradictory step to his dream. Had it not been for Ja’far I think he would have dived into despair from there on out. I still question why Ja’far didn’t just kill him then and there…if only someone could enlighten me on their headcanon. Either way from there Sinbad just kept moving forward, whilst it was not an option to get his hands filthy he made a vow to build that beautiful world with those filthy hands. 

We could see he tries and tries to stay on the straight and narrow but he’s faced with choice after choice which would just break anyone, but not my GOAT he went on strong. AND don’t get me started when his body because the vessel for the world’s greatest Evil Father David. GOD I do admire the fact that Sinbad did not fall victim to ‘the devil made me do it’ trope but it still would have been fun to see David completely possessing Sinbad during certain moments of the story when it came down to moral choices. See? My man grew up from a boy with altruistic desire to a man with a similar goal but I think from there he really believes in the phrase ‘the end justifies the means’. I was Okay with him becoming a manipulator, hell i would have even been okay with his transition to villainy, I just find it was handled poorly. I honestly believed of all people in the world Ja’far would be the ONE person that could bring him back to light and for making him literally LIE in the man’s face to me was like spitting on their friendship, no on their bond as brothers. The series didn’t end perfect but Sinbad was great and he delivered for me. It’s why he’s my second most favorite anime character.

[simpsforhakuryuu]

Magi animators knew what they were doing when they animated Hakuryuu like this

[myspecialinterest]

thinks about how there’s probably going to be a neurodivergent kid getting orient as their hyperfixation or special interest when the anime comes out

-said the neurodivergent teen

[eerna]

Every time Morgiana and Masrur share a scene I spontaneously combust. Only a pile of love and Jo-shaped ashes left. Nothing more

[itsalmagii]

Headcanon + Canon Divergence !! 

              Romance & Characterization

Alibaba Saluja is not an insecure virgin, if you come to me with jokes about it, I will slice a b*tch. I don’t even think he’s a virgin either, but he hasn’t had an actual relationship with anyone. Alibaba wanted to impress Sharrkan, so he said he did meet girls there. Even when he didn’t even think about it since he was busy fighting beasts in the Colosseum and really Morgiana never knew how broad love can be, for it can come in more forms than just romantic. She took Alibaba’s presence as what would be ‘romantic feelings’, being one of her saviors, but it really wasn’t. And Alibaba went through with ‘dating’ Morgiana, finding he wasn’t in the right mindset himself. He was a bit immature and tricked himself to say he has feelings for her, as a trophy girlfriend at first.

HOWEVER, after Alibaba ‘died’ and came back, he’s learned so much during his travels back to his body. Mind you, mentally he’s now 100+, an instant regret he had was treating Morgiana as a trophy girlfriend. It wasn’t fair to her and instead of that dumb engagement, he took her outside of the bar, away from Aladdin and Hakuryuu. Alibaba would explain to her how he was troubled, lost, losing his kingdom to Kou, everything was piling on him. And that they did love each other, but it wasn’t in the way she thought. They loved each other like siblings, ❛ be with someone who will take care of you. not materialistically but takes care of your soul, your well being, your heart, and everything that’s you ❜ he would tell her. 

He’s matured, become wise, and he wanted her to understand, they wouldn’t have been happy with how it started. So, they became brother and sister, their real relationship as Alibaba always took Morgiana and Aladdin like his little brother and sister. Alibaba doesn’t get stupidly jealous or annoying if anyone brings up his lack of relationship, he laughs it off with a shrug. He even plays with Toto’s and Olba’s kids without that stupid immaturity that Ohtaka likes to make him do. No more dramatic outbursts. 

Though he does feel wary around Hakuryuu at first, and vice versa, heck Alibaba was sure he wouldn’t be alive and he took Hakuryuu’s arm and legs with him. But they managed to find common ground again and try to build up that friendship again. He still helps Kougyoku with some plans until he knows she’s okay. He, Aladdin, and Morgiana soon go on adventures just like the three promised, go around and see the world.

[morimakesfanart]

whats you're favourite magi arc? and why

Alright so I took a while to answer this because I wasn't sure how direct I wanted to be... You'll understand when you get to the end

My Favorite arc in the Magi anime:

The Sindria arc (obviously). I am a Simpbad after all. My favorite scene is when Kou delegates arrive. I hate what happened to Kougyoku; she was betrayed by a trusted advisor and spent at least a month thinking she had been assaulted in her sleep. What I do like is how these mimics Chinese historical dramas, and in general I like seeing Sinbad squirm under the consequences of his own actions. He might not have committed this crime, but his reputation is so bad with his own Household members that they didn't even question it. The voice acting in the anime really elevates the whole thing.

My Favorite arc in the Magi manga: (SPOILER WARNING)

Of course I love the Sinbad arcs, but after a bunch of rereads I noticed that I keep really looking forward to the arc of Alibaba and Judar trying to make their way through the Dark Continent. Alibaba is condensed into his most friendshaped form, and Judar is forced to face a bunch of things he had been denying and using to runaway emotionally. There was no one for him to force his toxic habits on, so he calmed down like a feral cat being tamed.

My Favorite arc in the Adventures anime:

It's almost a tie between the Valefor Dungeon and Artemyra arc, but the later wins for 2 reasons. 1. The whole thing about being kicked into a pit naked as a punishment and getting out by tricking gaint birds into carrying him is from the original Sinbad the Sailor stories. I really love when a character lives through a arc based on their name sake. 2. There's a fourth wall break.

I'm not a fan of how the Queen was treated tho. Would have preferred not having the non-con moment.

My Favorite arc in the Adventures manga: (SPOILERS WARNING) Also, TRIGGER WARNINGS for: emotional and physical child abuse mentioned but no direct details are given. Cults mentioned.

It's hands down the Slave arc. I like how well the emotions are shown for all of the characters, and how the children being brainwashed are portrayed. I also really like how Sinbad responds to the decisions he made in that environment, and that he has (what I can only view as) a PTSD flashback to it later. Ohtaka has stated that Sinbad has an inhuman level of mental and emotional stability, but we can still see how what he went through was traumatic and affects the rest of his life.

But more than that, this arc is my favorite in the whole franchise for a very personal reason. It helped me with part of my recovery with CPTSD and PTSD. It's something that I know I will end up talking about in the fanfic eventually but I'm not sure how much.

One of my therapists had said that what my sibling and I went through was akin to the brainwashing in cults to make worshippers basically slaves to the leader. I knew what our parents did was bad, but I struggled to believe it was as bad as she said until I read this arc and related to the slaves, and brainwashing, and punishments Sinbad goes through. I had seen slavery depicted in other things, but those all focused on brutal physical punishments; this focused on mental and emotional manipulation, and Maadar didn't want to give Sinbad scars or injuries that would make him unpresentable -just like my mom was with me. I have since watched a lot on cults and gosh is it chilling to see something so horrible that I relate to so completely.

For anyone who read the little about my ex-fiancée: I couldn't recognize the red flags because he was so much better than my parents.

I will be going into some detail with all of this in the fic, so I'll stop here for now.

[babymagi]

Name me all the hints and sources of Judar’s gay coding I wanna debunk some Magi dudebros who say that he’s straight

*clears throat* *rubes hands together*

First and foremost-

Translation of his official character sheet provided by the lovely @youdontknowthings

Please keep in mind that for a lot of the other characters types it's usually listed as things they would look for in a ROMANTIC partner

This is from one of the Omakes were Judar and Alibaba are in the Dark Continent when he and Alibaba are talking about romantic partners, he says he doesn't have a wife or girlfriend but it's also in this Omake that we learn he's not sex-adverse HOWEVER

We don't really know what exactly Aladdin is saying here but's not hard to guess but Judar's seemingly grossed out by Sinbad doing all that with women while Aladdin is otherwise unfazed

There's also just the general way that Judar presents himself which is very obviously queer coded.

He's wearing middle-eastern clothes, specifically an outfit that was designed after WOMEN'S BELLY DANCER fashion. The lines on his eyelids are canonically makeup and Ohtaka did draw him with lipstick on at some point as well (i am not going to be able to find that image that's for DAMN sure). I also am not sure about the jp VAs but Todd Habberkorn saw this character and said FLAMBOYANT and rolled with that

(Queer coding does sometimes rely on stereotypes in order to get the point across that's why I'm mentioning these but these alone don't inherently mean he's gay it just helps)

That's pretty much all I have jnkhbjgvhfc I hope this helps <3

[discolesbo]

magi obvs for the fandom one + ja'far & kougyoku for the character

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

Favorite character: Judar

Least Favorite character: Cassim

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Juhaku, juhaku, hinahoho x rurumu, drakon x sahel, alimor (not in order)

Character I find most attractive: Ok so I am not attracted to people so I can't really answer. Since I'm assuming this refers to sexual attraction... but if i'm allowed to mention the asexiest character (attractive in a non-sexual way) then my answer is Hakuryuu

Character I would marry: Uhhhhh honestly probably Morgiana

Character I would be best friends with: Probably Alibaba or sum... be loser nerds together...

a random thought: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh did you know that Alibaba likes swimming and Hakuryuu doesn't? Ohtaka said so in a backstage

An unpopular opinion: Lmao I have so many. The fact that I don't like Cassim is already one. Many ships I don't like. Many charas I don't care about. Some of the arcs in the beginning are boring. I don't think alimor development has a big problem, etc. If you come at me to argue about this i will steal your toes.

my canon OTP: IT'S CANON IN MY HEART

Non-canon OTP: Juhaku

most badass character: Honestly probably Kougyoku

pairing I am not a fan of: I will not say anything I will get fucking murdered

character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): I actually cannot think of anything right now imma be real. Like ok I wanted more of Judar but I don't think he's a screwup. Arba got kinda dumped to the side i guess

favourite friendship: Juhaku Alibaba and kougyoku

character I want to adopt or be adopted by: adopted by RURUMU. Or adopt lil' masrur he's so cute <3

Ja'far first

003 | Give me a character & I will tell you

How I feel about this character: I love his hat so much i love green so much literally top aesthetic

All the people I ship romantically with this character: None. He just like me fr, single and working all life :']

My non-romantic OTP for this character: I guess most of the generals...

My unpopular opinion about this character: Uhh idk what are unpopular or even popular Ja'far opinions. I guess I uh like him in the beginning of magi too when he was just nagging at Sinbad. And like i'm no the biggest fan of the uke-fication.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: Finally kick sinbad in the nuts

my het ship: No

my fem/slash ship: No

my OTP: No

my OT3: No

my cross over ship: No

my kink: as if i'd have any

a head cannon fact: tf the fuck is a "head cannon fact"

my gender bend: what?

Then Kougs

003 | Give me a character & I will tell you

How I feel about this character: Character development queen

All the people I ship romantically with this character: None. Like i've come to reluctantly accept alakou if that were to become canon but like, i dont ship anything

My non-romantic OTP for this character: idk her friendships like with judar and alibaba?

My unpopular opinion about this character: If she wants love then she should get it. Plus sinbad mistreating her led to her girlboss moments so i don't think that makes the writing sexist (no i don't think that's a popular take but i've def heard it lmao)

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: Can't think of anything. She was great

my het ship: No

my fem/slash ship: No

my OTP: No

my OT3: No

my cross over ship: No

my kink: i still don't have

a head cannon fact: still don't know what this mean

my gender bend: male koug would probs be hot. i mean, asexy

[stepswowdsen]

【Magi】 Judar

You can see my post from yesterday! I did a quick speedpaint and included some rambles as usual

Doodles

Old

New

Hair I drew but didn't like so I'll definitely scrap this one

Old

New

Other Judar wearing hanfu doodle

Magi Anime: Judar Concept Art

My Colour Edits

Colour Edits

I just realized I forgot to post the colour edits yesterday whoops...

I like doing colour edits! I think they're more helpful for me than picking colour swatches, cuz they help me see what the colours look like when they're together on the design, and it helps me harmonize the colours and see what I need to fix/adjust manually

Sometimes, I use filters to get colours and then colour pick from my edits. And sometimes I just pick colours right off the spot

I usually shift the hue and saturate the colours more. As I said, I usually shift the colours to cool tones (blues and purples)

I play around with Hue Slider, and then possibly Correction Layers like Posterization, Color Balance, and Gradient Maps

And maybe a bit of Tone Curve

I saturate the red/pink spectrum and also blues (but make sure the blues are more muted in comparison, to the warm colour spectrum like reds and yellows, so they can pop more)

So more saturated but still muted cool colours, more saturated warm colours

Or I do the opposite, more saturated cool colours and more muted warm colours

It also helps me get creative with colours... I learned a lot by experimenting this way!

I just go off my gut feeling and "what looks good"

I saturate colours a lot, but I do my best to balance them so that it's not overkill

In my art, the red/pink is much more saturated then the teal/cool-toned black

My mutuals said I have a really interesting sense for colours... That makes me happy hehe

I hope to become even stronger at it <3

Art Rambles

I think I really like this doodle (and the other one that I did before). I really like the expressions. But ofc I'm picky with my arts so I'm always trying to improve on my old arts and constantly strive for something better looking

Been doing a lot of front facing doodles lately in general cuz they're quick and easy, and also cuz I wanna see which one will turn out to be the best one to turn into character concept art ref sheets…

Ok so for the recent Judar doodle...

Ok yeah I'm sticking with the middle (new) one

When I redraw the hair again, I'll make sure to try and make it similar to the middle one

I just quickly redrew the face

So I fixed what was bothering me. Again. The eyes, nose, and mouth all look better now!

And yeah, that's more like it. The mouth should curve at that angle

My redrawing tendency is so bad, guys 😭 The neurodivergent urge

I'm insanely picky with my own arts, guys. HELPPP

Though thankfully it looks better everytime

I also quickly redrew the hair and I was like "I would still redraw this, but this is fine for now"

I decided to test it by roughly/quickly filling in the base colours and I immediately went like (.) 🧍 I DON'T LIKE HOW THE SILHOUETTE AND SHAPE LANGUAGE OF THE HAIR LOOKS… I PREFER THE PREVIOUS ONE

No, I see the problem

(Magi: Ch. 46)

For example, see this

It's cuz Ohtaka's arts of him have the hair spikes vary in size and length, which creates an interesting and distinguishable silhouette, and good shape language.

But mine (that recent hair I drew that I'll definitely scrap LMFAO) lacks that variation in the hair, cuz the hair spikes are rather thin and are roughly around the same size. There's also not much gaps in the hair... Ok, I know what I need to fix.

[engekihaikyuu]

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu – The Battle of the Trash Heap

What’s In Tokyo Interview Translation  With Daigo Kotarou, Akana Ryuunosuke, Nagata Takato, and Kondou Shouri

=====

To begin, I’d like to ask you about your impressions of one another during your first meeting. Daigo: When was our first meeting? Takato: It was when we went to visit rehearsals for “Fly High” in 2019. But all we did then were casual greetings, so our first proper chance to talk was during an interview after that.

=====

Full interview and more photos under the Read More! Please do not repost my translations

=====

Daigo: That’s right! During that interview, Takato-kun treated me like an equal even though I’m younger, and so my first impression was, “What a nice person.” For Shouri-kun, I thought, “He's like a very mischievous older brother.”

Akana: They didn’t just come to visit rehearsals, they came to see our tour too. I remember thinking how much the both of them must love Engeki Haikyuu, and I felt how precious it was to them, so I was really happy. Now that rehearsals have started for this, I feel like we’ve become able to talk about all sorts of things, but Takato-kun feels especially like a rival. He’ll give me a lot of suggestions like, “Wouldn’t it be better for Kageyama to move like this?” “If you move like this, I feel like it would better show the relationship between you two.” Shouri-kun... gives off a vibe of, “Follow me!” so he’s this senpai overflowing with chivalry.   Shouri: Eh?! I don’t really think of myself that way though. (laughs) Daigo: No, Shouri-kun is... chivalrous... or manly! (laughs) Akana: For sure. He’s the sort of person that lifts everyone’s morale just by being there.  

And by contrast, Nagata-san, Kondou-san, what were your impressions of these two? Takato: To be frank, at the very very beginning, there was a part of me that couldn’t honestly accept them. Or I didn’t want to. We spent so much time with the first cast, and I felt like it was such a different Engeki Haikyuu... (bitter smile) Now I don’t feel that way at all, and when I looked into Kota’s (Daigo Kotarou) eyes at rehearsals while he was performing, I felt that he was the real deal. And from that moment on, I just lost my entire complex about the current Karasuno cast. Honestly, I had goosebumps in that moment!   Shouri: Hm? Exactly how much did you get goosebumps? All the way down to your butt? (laughs)   Takato: Why do you always say things like that?! (laughs) Everyone: (laughs)

(laughs) And Kondou-san? Shouri: They’re really straightforward people. Before rehearsals, it felt like they were just expecting us with this attitude of, “What you got, Nekoma?! We’re the main characters here!”   Daigo: You probably thought we were a bunch of really cheeky kids. (laughs) Shouri: They were all so upfront, that we somehow felt like we were let-downs. They said to us, smiling, “Let’s all do our best as a company!” The Karasuno cast before us now are all a noisy bunch, but they’ve come together as one cohesive Karasuno for this, and I feel like they’ve really come into their own.  

It’s been about a year since Nekoma’s last appearance in Engeki Haikyuu. Shouri: It’s already been a year and a half since “The Tokyo Battle!” It almost feels like it was just the other day.   Takato: Whenever Shouri has time, he watches the “Tokyo Battle” DVD and cries. Isn't it crazy that he cries for a show that he appears in? (laughs) Shouri: Even when I read the script for this play, it felt like it was playing in front of me and I cried.  

What does it feel like to have the full force of Nekoma back together again at rehearsals?   Shouri: It’s so heartening! We have a comeback for Nakamura Tarou, who plays Inuoka Sou, and we have our new Haiba Lev, played by Tahori Leo, so in the world of people who are 11.5 heads* tall, we’ve got the most stylish newbies. (laughs) And we finally have our high respected Coach Nekomata Yasufumi played by Ohtaka Hiroo-san, so Nekoma’s gotten even stronger and I’m really excited.   Takato: It’s the best! I’m so happy that we get to make a production together with these incredible, irreplaceable people that I’m sure I can somehow overcome our daily muscle pain and soreness.  

*T/N: An average person is 7.5 heads tall proportionally; Shouri is probably making a Captain Tsubasa reference, who was drawn proportionally 11 heads tall and became a meme.

In a previous interview, you had said that the Engeki Haikyuu muscle pain means that things have really kicked off.   Takato: I had muscle pain immediately after we started rehearsals this time. At this point, it’s just my age. (wry smile) Shouri: But I think the level of intensity has gone up since we first started back in 2016 with “Karasuno Revival.” It’s absolutely more difficult than those rehearsals, I think. I mean, these two young ��uns are probably just fine though.   Daigo: No no, we feel it too. That’s why after rehearsals, I’m always doing a lot of aftercare.  

What’s the atmosphere like at rehearsals when it’s that difficult? Daigo: Well this is our third production now for Karasuno, so we prep our physiques to endure these rehearsals, and then we proceed pretty smoothly. Because if you slack off even just a little bit, accidents happen, so we’re always talking about how to brace and focus so that nobody gets hurt. It’s a great atmosphere and always such a lively place.   Akana: When I look at the Nekoma cast, I feel such a sense of unity from them, even when we’re not acting. It makes me wonder if Karasuno’s doing enough, so I want to follow their example.   Takato: For example, how? Akana: Like how organized you are, like this person teaches everyone the dance, that person does the count, how some people just naturally pull others along. When you think, “Well let’s talk about this all together” regarding the play, you gather together so quickly... there’s just a lot that I’ve learned watching your team dynamic. We’re pretty settled as a team too, but it sort of feels more planned. When I look at everyone Nekoma, it feels like every person is more balanced and could be the center of the team. I wonder if that’s just a difference in experience.   Daigo: I thought the same thing. That’s why I was thinking that we have to talk things out with everyone on Karasuno all together at least once. From now on we’re going to brush up on that and keep improving!  

This year, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Strongest Challengers tour was unfortunately cut short after 4 performances. Following that, how did you feel, and how did you spend your day-to-day? Daigo: Of course I was sad that we had to cut off the tour and not perform all that we had scheduled, but nothing is for certain, and it wasn’t just us. Around the world, everyone was having a difficult time, and there was also just a sense of, well this just can't be helped. During lockdown, I did have some anxiety as to whether or not I’d ever be able to work for the rest of my life, but I was so encouraged by the support of all these people who love theater. And now thanks to everyone on the staff who clean and disinfect our rehearsals everyday, and thanks to all the people who continue to support us, we can make a new production and go to rehearsals again, so right now I just feel nothing but gratitude.

Akana: We had to cancel all of our live events for VOYZ BOY, the group I’m in, and I was really depressed and anxious about not doing anything, so I started cooking everyday and streamed that.  

You streamed on Instagram, “Akana Cooks.”   Akana: Oh did you watch? Thank you. I get depressed when I don’t get to do anything, so I did a lot of cooking and training at home. Since I wasn’t going out in public, at one point I looked in the mirror and I was shocked because I was starting to look so uncool. So everyday I wanted to at least be able to look in the mirror and say I looked good.   Shouri: Wait, you think about how cool you are while looking in the mirror?! That’s incredible. (laughs) Everyone: (laughs) Daigo: But you did that and took the initiative to start streaming, and you stayed active, and that’s the important thing.  

And if the fans are able to see your face, they also feel relieved knowing that you’re doing okay. Akana: I was aware of that, so I was updating my social media everyday.   Takato: I was also thinking that I might get fat if I wasn’t going out, so I was trying to be careful about my meals, but I kept eating things that basically had no calories and then I just got skinnier and skinnier instead. (wry smile) But recently I’ve gotten my body weight back to where it was.  

Did you watch a lot of movies or dramas while spending time at home? Takato: Everyday I was watching about 3-4 things. That’s about all I did that was fun. I was also able to think about a lot of things, and thought it would be good if I could take the knowledge I accumulated in that time and put it to use the next time I was able to work.  

Kondou-san, did you spend the time doing anything new? Shouri: Mmm......... Daigo & Akana: I’m expecting him to say something really funny. (laughs) Shouri: What was I doing... I was eating. Takato: What kind of answer is that?! (laughs)

Kondou-san, you were also doing insta-lives, weren’t you? Shouri: Oh yeah. I tried a “I’m going to make Tiramisu!” video and failed really hard... Everyone: (explosive laughter)

The fan comments were pretty lively for that one. (laughs) The merengue wasn’t foaming at all, but you kept trying to force other ingredients in, so there was a flood of comments screaming, “NOT YET!” (laughs) Shouri: About an hour before that stream, I’d managed to make a really yummy cheesecake, so I thought I’d challenge myself. I was thinking, “I have a good sense for this, maybe I can be a pâtissier,” but then that one was just a complete loss. But for a moment I had thought, “Maybe I’ll become a YouTuber.” (laughs) Takato: Ahahha! Why do you immediately jump to that?! (laughs) Shouri: Well I don’t have any specialties to bring to this work like singing or dancing. So I sort of thought I needed to develop a new skill and I thought about it a lot... I wanted to learn something new, so I was even thinking about starting ballpoint pen calligraphy.   Takato: Hm? Does that have anything to do with work? Shouri: Well, once I realized it wouldn’t, I just watched an old drama and cried by myself.   Everyone: (explosive laughter)

Well we’re all worked up now, but we’ve reached the end of our time, so lastly if you could all give a message to highlight this play. Takato: I’m confident that we’re going to make this the most fun play out of all ten in the Engeki Haikyuu series, so please come to see us!   Shouri: There are going to be a lot of scenes that are going to make fans of the manga go, “Ah, it’s that scene!” It’s going to be something that longtime fans of Engeki Haikyuu will really enjoy. But even for people who will be seeing Engeki Haikyuu for the first time, as a stand-alone production, they’ll be able to enjoy themselves plenty. For me right now, “The Tokyo Battle” production is the one that’s etched into my mind as the best, but we’re going to go beyond that and make it so that we’ll wrap up our final show feeling like “The Battle of the Trash Heap” is the absolute best. We’re going to tackle this with everything we’ve got, so please look forward to it.  

And then once the “Battle of the Trash Heap” DVD is out, you’ll watch it and cry. (laughs) Takato: I mean in the scene where he’s crying, he’s the only one crying, isn’t it a bit creepy? Shouri: No no! I’m not just crying because I see myself crying on-screen, it’s because I start remembering my emotions from that time and then I start crying! Daigo: I sort of understand that feeling. Shouri: In “The Tokyo Battle,” it was a scene where I said that I definitely wouldn’t cry, but then I saw Noah (who played Lev) get teary-eyed, and then I started crying. I was really planning on pushing through it, but then I saw the DVD and I was really crying a lot, so I’m super embarrassed. (laughs) Takato: Because everyone calls that scene the “Shouri cries scene.” Because Shouri’s tears just wash everything away. (laughs)   Everyone: (laughs)

And moving on, Akana-san, if you would. Akana: The Battle of the Trash Heap is the most popular match of the series, so we’re all worked up more than usual. We definitely want to make something that surpasses everyone’s expectations, so please look forward to it. It’s precisely because we’re so frustrated that the previous tour, “The Strongest Challengers” ended after 4 performances that we’re going to make sure this production makes it safely to the last show. Everyone in the company is going to do our best to that end!  

And lastly, Daigo-san, if you would.   Daigo: First I would say that a highlight of this play is going to be its freshness. We can’t let down our guard in the current situation, but it’s because we had this time where we couldn’t perform that everyone on the cast is so grateful that we’re able to return to rehearsals and face opening night. We’re approaching this play sincerely and with renewed spirit, and I can just feel it in my skin. Everyone has been waiting to be able to just simply enjoy working on a play, so I think it’s going to be an exciting production with a lot of emotions mixed in. I’m personally very excited. Please look forward to it and come to see us at the theater!  

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You can read the original Japanese interview here: (x)

Please do not repost my translations!  This includes screenshots of bits and pieces taken out of context, especially if they don’t link back to this full post. If you appreciate the work I do for this blog and want to support my translation efforts please consider donating a ko-fi! (x)

[sayakxmi]

[Magi reread] Night 39: Incident

YOU LYING. LIAR. I LOVE YOU, BUT FUCK YOU

And he's so happy ;_; He doesn't know yet

Why the fuck you lyinnn, why you always lyiinnn

I mean, I can guess why, but also damn, I wonder how his life looked, like, in more detail than what we get

:)

UMMM OH MY GOD

Locked in the castle.

Also, I fucking can't. The way Ohtaka draws expressions. Like, Alibaba looks borderline traumatized, but look at Cassim. You literally can't tell what his feelings are. Is it fondness? Is it pity? Is he scheming? Insnae. You sense all three if not more.

AAAAAAAAAAA STOP FUCKING LYING

I don't even know for what I am in pain here, bro. Is it because of Cassim lying about his dead sister, or about the heartbreak Alibaba's about to exprience in a few months.

Also, the fact that Alibaba gets betrayed over and over again by the people he loves, ugh.

"Admiration". But is it admiration. What is this. I love how ambiguous Cassim's feelings are. Is iat admiration? Is it fondness? Alibaba didn't change at all? Is it disappointment? Does he think Alibaba's a moron? Tbh, in most cases my money is on "All of the above". It's an interesting thing abt Alibaba, or rather how certain people (like Cassim or Hakuryuu) feel about him. They love him and hate him at the same time, want him to stay by their side and get lost, they want him brought down to whatever they perceive their own level to be, at least, and they want him to remain untainted & keep shining so brightly. It's such a... mess. I really love it about these relationships. That being said, it genuinely sucks to be Alibaba there, because of all these mixed signals they give him all the time. That weird pedestal they put him on, and now they're mad about it. To paraphrase, he's not responsible for what they believe him to be, and yet they make him pay for it.

On a different note, I love the wording. "Cassim didn't have to hear that much, but Cassim didn't need to hear that much." Foreboding.

...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

OOF. Ok, but that's how I was reminded that there were other people there, so Alibaba probably became a laughingstock of that group, oof

ALADDIN'S. EXPRESSION.

BRO'S ABOUT TO START CRYING, OH MY GOD, HE FEELS SO MUCH

Wait, what else did he tell him?

Also, Alibaba's low self-esteem, and then Rashid doesn't fucking help by saying, yea, there's literally nobody else I can choose, so.

Like, bro.

Father of the year, smh

The fact that Alibaba only began seeing Rashid as more than a unreachable figure is after he'd admitted that he loved Anise. He actually says next page that it's only after that that he began recognizing him as his father.

So, Alibaba doesn't say no simply bc he didn't feel like being a king. He thinks it'd make a mess in the country. There's probably some self-esteem issues involved, too, but also he does make sense. He'd said that some people in the palace began talking to him and all, not that all of them were on his side. It could've lead to a civil war. It was, in fact, a pretty understandable concern.

Alos, ugh, the fact that he wants to revive the slums & get Cassim & everybody to help;;;

And then the king leaves stuff to him. He's, like, 14.

: ' )

Oh no : (

Also, now I'm thinking abt the Moon again. It feels, like, symbolical. Yeah, yeah, I'm very smart for this one. Jokes aside, though, as I've said, Aladdin's kinda Moon-coded, so the Moon, especially full, represents something positive - guidance, maybe fate. So the lack of the Moon likely means the opposite - going against fate, depravity.

Bro, that breaks me a little. He's so confused, but immediately assumes something positive. That Cassim came to see him. But of course he didn't.

Gdi, what a thing to stumble upon.

Choosing is hard. But, like, jokes aside, I can't blame him for hesitation. He's forced to choose between his brother and the greater good, how can he make it?

whack

Why tf is he so pretty tho.

bro

I am. In so much pain. God. And that contrast between the palace fire & all these horrifying silhouettes and Alibaba's precious memory of playing with Cassim and everybody. It just hurts.