85

“The image is the volume 8 cover. The atmosphere that pervades volume 8 is different from usual. As a volume, it’s a turning point for the story and so, the main three ended up on the cover. You may not notice it, but Morgiana’s right arm is wrapped around Alibaba. I contemplated whether to have Morgiana smile on the cover, but I figured it doesn’t suit her character and so, I went with her usually expressionless face…

Speaking of Morgiana, in this week’s chapter (note: chapter 88) there’s a scene where the characters are swimming. In shounens, it’s a trend to dress the heroine in a swimsuit in such a scene, but since Morgiana can’t swim, I couldn’t go with that. Unlike what’s seen in modern settings, there are no swimsuits in the world of Magi, and including such a thing will feel like something is off.”

88

“The four’s dungeon conquering adventure is starting this week. This marks the second time Aladdin, Alibaba and Morgiana are going to a dungeon. Compared to them, Hakuryuu is a beginner, and I hope you can feel how much they have grown.”

91

“The image has no relation to this week’s issue. It depicts Morgiana’s lunch break during training (and Pisti intruding and chatting about idle matters)

Recently, while working on the manuscript, I watch Western drama. Of the relatively new shows that are airing, I recommend Lie to Me and Chuck. Lie to Me, especially, is a drama with the theme of analyzing a person’s psyche through reading their facial expressions. It became a good reference material for me while drawing facial expressions.

This week’s Magi will continue the Zagan’s Dungeon arc. Even though we got to see Aladdin using a new spell, the dungeon diving is far from over. Expect more action in the upcoming issues!”

92

"The image has no relation to this week’s issue; it depicts a scene of Alibaba during training. Even though I really like to draw filler episodes like those, there’s no room to include them in the main story, and they would only end up interfering with the narrative’s flow. That’s why I think it’s better to leave them for the Backstage, the Tegaki blog and such.

In this week’s Magi, Alibaba and Hakuryuu will reach a crossroad of some sort. For the longest time, there has been a strained atmosphere between those two. Will the awkwardness between dissipate or intensify all the more ? Please read and find out.”

93

"The image has no relation to this week’s issue. It depicts the state of Aladdin’s training.

In this week’s Magi, Aladdin and co delve even deeper into the dungeon and are close to unveiling the secret of Zagan’s dungeon. The atmosphere that has been pervading the dungeon diving until now will change completely, and things will speed up. Please look forward to it.

Also, the COSMODE interview will be published in this month’s issue. It will feature facts on the characters such as ‘what’s the red jewel on Aladdin’s forehead?’ and ‘what’s the thing that Aladdin and Alibaba have in common?’. If you’re interested, please check it out.”

95

“The image is the early character design for Yamraiha. While getting things ready for volume 9, it resurfaced while I was sorting out all the Sindria-related materials.

Originally, Yamraiha was supposed to have a totally different personality from what she is right now. ‘Similar to the personality of the unpleasant senpai’ can be found written next to the sketch. I think at first, I was planning for her to have a personality similar to the current Sharrkan.”

96

"The image is one of the early designs related to Sindria that I talked about last week. Save for the almond-shaped eyes and the hair, the original Sharrkan isn’t that different from his current self. I designed the original Sharrkan to be a copy of Sinbad, but I ended up overdoing it and scrapped the idea.”

103

“The one in the picture is a dressed-up Kougyoku Ren. Thanks to that old drawing, which I tried my best to make her look cute in, I keep thinking whether I’ll end up making her look like a dolled-up old hag…

The higher the position you have in a country or an organization, the better you must be at selecting the right words and acting the right way in public and private matters. Kougyoku is especially good when it comes to this. Whenever she acts as an imperial princess, I write her in a way to give the impression she has the mentality of a twenty seven or so year old.”

104

“The picture is of the three that joined in the middle of the fight last week.

Though in last week’s chapter they had a flashy entrance scene, they are portrayed in the drawing above as having a normal meal.

Even though the dungeon was captured in the week before the last, there’s one more trouble awaiting everyone before the conclusion of the Zagan arc. From here onward, mysteries and such that relate to the grand scheme of things in the story will appear one by one, and I think it would be good to read on while paying attention to them.

Regarding the Magi goods that you can find at Animate, the clear files, the stickers and such will come in eight varieties. It will be out for sale on the first of September at Animate stores all over the country.

I’m worried about things like that the people who are interested in getting them will end up being disappointed by the drawings on them. There will also be goods with illustration that appeared on items bundled with the Sunday special editions and the omake mangas on the tegaki blog, so please, go ahead and check them out.”

105

"The image is the almost completed manuscript of Night 107 that was published in last week’s issue. Since I leave drawing the face for last, the manuscript until then looks kind of creepy.

This week’s chapter is a continuation of the fight taking place outside of the dungeon. Though the main characters are not doing much, I hope you enjoy the role of the characters who have’t appeared in a while.

In addition, I finished working on the stuff related to volume 10 that will be out next month. The most recent chapters will be compiled in volume 12 or so, so doing work for volume 10 makes me feel nostalgic. There will also be a sketch related to volume 10, please, look forward to it! I’ll also keep you informed on the paper and such.”

106

"This week’s chapter continues the fight of the main characters’ teachers.

The enemy characters that suddenly apeared and then died were written with the concept of them being from certain countries and belonging to specific social classes. Though I haven’t mentioned them, you can guess from their names and clothing. Though there are times when a subtle setup like this can go unnoticed, it would make me happy if you pay attention to it from here on out.”

109

“The image is the cover of Magi volume 10 that will be out on the 18th of this month. I forgot to draw the fluttery thing around Hahuryuu’s waist and didn’t realize it until after submitting the illustration. It’s not only limited to Hakuryuu, the clothes of the Kou Empire characters can be complex in their design, and there are times when I get some details wrong. While I make sure to correct the panels for the volume release, I don’t think I can make it in time to do so for this one, and I apologize for it.

For the few upcoming chapters, Sinbad’s attitude is worth paying attention to. There will also be talk about Magis other than Aladdin and Judar. This week, the Magi’s world view will get wider than before. I hope you enjoy it.”

111

“We are down to a few more chapters of the Sindria arc that has gotten a bit long. Please, watch out for the very last twist to come.

This week, it will be Sinbad’s turn to take action. Even though Sinbad has been appearing frequently in the manga, this could be the first time he behaves in such a chaotic way.

Also, volume 10 was out yesterday. I wonder if you got your hands on it. When you reach the omake involving Hakuryuu at the end of the volume, you’ll break away from the arc that the volume is covering and go back to an earlier time in the story. Personally, I’m also pleased with Hakuryuu and how terrible he was at the ad-libbing in the paper.

I’ve been listing in my mind all the categories that Hakuryuu and Alibaba are similar at, to the point there was a time during work where I drew Alibaba’s earrings on Hakuryuu by mistake. I think of the things they differ at is how good or bad they are at ad-libbing.”

112

“On the right side of the image are the designs of Abhmad and Sabhmad that I did a long time ago. I can’t quite recall how I came up with their original designs. On the left is a rough sketch of Sinbad that I drew before the publication of Magi—back when I was torn whether to make him a woman or a man.

In this week’s Magi Aladdin is struggling hard for Alibaba. The current chapters are important for what to come in the story.

Concerning the Magi merchandises, more will be out for sale, like notebooks, photo albums, stationary, towels, mugs and such. I hope you like them!

Also, in the Kochi Manga Festival that’s scheduled to take place on November the 6th I’ll be present for signing. This is my first time going to Kochi and I’m looking forward to it. I heard entry to the Sunday booth will be free of charge, so please, stop by!”

113

“The ones in the picture are Ithnan that exited the stage last week and his subordinates. Even though the image makes it look like everyone is dead, Dunya is still alive.

In this week’s Magi, the Sindria and Zagan arc will reach its end. The long arc is finally concluding. After a one week break, a new arc is starting. Starting from the next arc, not only Sindria Aladdin and co will get involved with, but also the rest of the world.

Like always, along with the serilization break, the Backstage blog will not be updated until the next chapter is out. Let’s meet again when the new arc starts!”

114

“I went to the Kochi Festival 2011 that took place on the sixth of this month. To everyone who attended the autograph session, thank you very much! You said a lot of nice things to me that really encouraged me.

Once again, I apologize to everyone who came all the way to the hall and weren’t granted admission. I hope I’ll get to meet you all one day. I really wanted to say thank you to each one of you, and in return, more twists and turns will hit the story of Magi as it progresses, and I hope you enjoy it.

This week marks the begining of a new arc. In last week’s issue, new characters entered the stage, and the mysteries that appeared up until now are connecting to one another. This week’s chapter marks the first step of unveiling them, please, don’t overlook them.”

115

"The picture depicts Aladdin and his mimicry of some characters.

Starting from last week’s issue, Magi entered a new arc. I was given a one week rest, and from now on, I’ll try my best in the weeks to come. Before the new arc gets moving, I wanted to properly depict what goes inside of the main characters’ heads. Please, accompany me.

Also, I have something to inform you: ‘Uchuu Inu Hachi Kou’ (宇宙犬ハチ公) by Magi’s assistant, Hiro Maishima, is now being published on Club Sunday. It’s a very cute story, please, check it out. Even though Mr. Maishima is still young, he’s skilled at drawing, especially when it comes to animals and nature. The animals and backgrounds in the forest in Night 118 are his work. To read it, go to クラブサンデー→作品リスト→読切作品. I hope you enjoy it!”

117

“The image plainly depicts the recent development. This kind of restless atmosphere that’s unusual for Magi will continue for a few weeks. While the main characters are in such a state, we’re finally seeing the days they spent in Sindria coming to an end.

This week’s chapter covers the exciting battle between two djinn-equipped characters, though,the story might soon drift from that mood. The characters that were introducedhave a serious air about them, and I’ll be happy if you come to appreciate them.

Also, while drawing the image above, I remembered something unrelated to the current arc: that Sindria’s bird, Papagoras, was mentioned as ‘Papagaros’ in volume 8. I apologize for the mistake.”

118

“The one in the picture is our pint-sized old man who appeared last week.

This week’s Magi is filled with partings. Until now, a lot of major characters were gathered in Sindria, and they are beginning to walk different paths. Compared to the time of volume 8 when the main characters arrived in Sindria, their relationships went through subtle changes. Please, look forward to the upcoming developments that concern those relationships.”

119

“The image is the cover of volume 11 that will be out next month. I was statisfied with it when submitting it and thought ‘this time, I didn’t forget anything!’. Though, however you look at it, I ended up making Alibaba look so huge. Whenever I draw many characters standing next to each other, I tend to exaggerate in the height and build difference between them. I apologize for it and plead you to continue being under the illusion that all is well.

This week’s issue and backstage entry ae the kast for this year. Please, relax and enjoy reading latest chapter of Magi. As an author, I have finally managed to depict the four main characters throwing all reserve and interacting with each others as friends. I really wanted to portray them as such. Oh! Hakuryuu’s state…”