Waste of time

Gripping story with well-crafted characters

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

I don't why some people like this show. We have your typical I-can-do-all superhero and cliche characters such as the sidekick, the faithful pet, the detective who is the Magician's best ally, the other detective who believes that the Magician is a fraud, the love interest and a bunch of stereotypical villains and incompetent henchmen. Combine that with bland animation and cookie-cutter plots and we can see why this show didn't last long.

When I saw this show, I fell in love with it from the get-go! I had never seen a magician use some serious magic in crimefighting before, and this show plays seriously to the letter! Ace Cooper is a great multi-dimensional character who is subjected to flaws of emotion at times, which is good because many American cartoons tend to steer clear of real emotion (why do you think I prefer this show from Europe and Japanese animé?). Also, Michael Donovan gives Ace the greatest sounding voice I've heard in my life. It's so well-rounded, not monotonous. The magic may be animated, but it touched me in such a way I knew this show was right for me. I was so inspired to keep dreaming and trying to achieve some goals, I started my own website about the show. Believe me, if you're in the mood for something off the beaten path, The Magician is highly recommended.

Even though this cartoon is not very popular, it is very well-done. It doesn't just appeal to children but to an older audience as well. The fantasy theme of this show is more reality than it is fiction. Everybody will fall in love with Cosmo, the cute and witty sidekick of Ace Cooper, the Magician.

As a occasional performing magician myself, I went in trying to like this show. However, I found myself rapidly growing bored. They never really explain Ace's "magic within" powers (at least not in any episode I've seen), the animation is neither particularly inspired nor well-executed, and the show (rather poorly) aspires to the heights of Zorro or The Phantom animated series. It's a step above your typical Saturday-morning kiddie fare, but that's about it's only saving grace.