This review will be spoiler free

This is my second review after the release of volume 7

Magus of the Library reread: 10/10 (still)

1st yearly release I've had the pleasure of waiting for and I can confidently say it was worth the wait; volume 7 definitely knocked it out of the park. Despite feeling shorter than the other volumes, the events that took place within the book pushed the story forward far more than the previous ones have and this year long wait will be devastating... I can feel it. But moving on to my actual thoughts on the series after a year

I believe that without a doubt this is one of the pieces of media that has had a stronger influence on me than others. This series, especially in recent volumes, has tackled more 'political'(not sure what word to use here) topics like censorship, racism, sexism, and SES discrimination in mature ways that feel realistic in their handling. The characters in this story come from many different backgrounds(more on this later), pushing the previously mentioned topics to the forefront of the story where they are addressed with care.

While on the topic of characters, the cast of this story is quite large, making for some forgetful faces, but the ones at the forefront are unforgettable. Each is a reflection of the various and extremely detailed religions, cultures and histories present within the story, with some making strides to overcome differences and others being less accepting of the others. Even without their backgrounds, the characters all have personalities which stand on their own, reinforced by the other characters they surround themselves with, which make for really fun dynamics.

The worldbuilding of the story cannot be overlooked either, and is one of my favorite parts of this series. Mitsu Izumi took an extreme amount of care when creating the landmarks, religions, races, and history of the world, drawing from middle eastern cultures in the case of the primary setting of the story, but also some east Asian inspirations in the form of the Rakta. While the world is built through the story naturally, Izumi takes the effort to go the extra mile and add small one pagers detailing different aspects of the world, whether it be landmarks, important texts, or cultures. It really is something to behold, and the words I write here do not reflect the feeling that you get from seeing it for yourself.

My only critique of the story can be summed up to excessive fan service of one character. I can somewha overlook it because it doesnt interfere with the story directly and is pretty one off for the most part, but it is still present.

To wrap this up I'll let the art speak for itself...but thats all