Impression
Crunchyroll isn’t sustaining a great track record with getting Magi out on time… it’s admittedly rather frustrating. That being said, this was an awesome episode!
There was a lot of talk about king candidates today, and it’s clear that each djinn holds a different vision for the future of the world. There’s definitely no tried and true formula for acquiring a metal vessel, and a lot is ultimately down to the djinn themselves (just look at Zagan). Some simply go with whoever has the most power, and others want to see the world ruled under a single, dominating king, be it Sinbad or Ren Kouen. In contrast, other djinns like Leraje want a king’s subordinates to rule alongside him, and be no less powerful – it’s an interesting take, and it gives us a bit more insight into Kouha. While he’s still very much a batshit insane guy with a strong penchant for blood, he’s an insane guy who does care about those who serve under him – and in return, his subordinates care for him just as much. He’s willing to put his life on the line to protect his footsoldiers (who, let’s face it, are insignificant in terms of manpower within a climate full of metal vessel users and magicians) and he’ll ride into battle at the head of his army – no matter what side he’s on, those are very much the qualities of a good king. Maybe he’s not the strongest, but perhaps he’s still fit to be a king candidate.
Then we have Mogamett, who is most certainly not fit to rule the world. Not like he’ll be able to now, anyway. I’m actually sort of surprised the magicians around him and those in the 5th District reacted with such shock to his outburst – surely they knew his thoughts all along? The very fact that those goi live in a magoi-harvesting factory should pretty much be indicative of how little Mogamett cares for them – they even dispose of all those too weak to continue producing magoi! We’ve heard his story many times by now, but that last scene depicting him heading to the depths of the district epitomised the sort of horrible change he’s gone through – going from wanting to save all humans to just the magicians. To be honest, even after seeing Mogamett fall into depravity I felt very little compassion for him – I think the bigger issue everyone’s faced with right now is all the black djinn he’s going to keep sending their way.
A single djinn gave Alibaba, Aladdin and Sinbad so much trouble back in Balbadd, and now they have to face off against a countless number of them. Granted, Sinbad didn’t have any metal vessels at the time, and Alibaba himself is now much stronger! His sudden entrance was incredibly epic – there wasn’t even any transformation scene or anything, he just burst in and started picking off those creatures one after another, something Kouha had to rely on his Extreme Magic for. Ren Kouen’s presence is significant. It’s a pity that Alibaba’s time in the spotlight was cut short by the arrival of this guy – not only is he the first prince of the Kou Empire, he’s the only other dungeon capturer apart from Sinbad who has obtained multiple metal vessels. If that doesn’t put his power into perspective enough, even his household members can easily destroy those strange things! I’m actually finding them more comical than anything… they’re huge, but they look like something out of a badly drawn surrealist nightmare. God knows why Mogamett decided to use those to destroy the Kou army.
Also we got a different ED this week, now with all the Metal Vessel Users shown in their Full Djinn Equip.