The Magician

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.

I loved the show when I saw it. Yes, it was slightly cliché, but a heck of a lot better then other cartoon shows that followed the same lines. Think about it, there was only one other cartoon show before this one that had a crime fighting magician with a cat, but it was fantasy. This one is much more realistic. Sure, some stuff-like the Magic Force-might not be realistic, but most of it was. I was extremely disappointed when it wasn't renewed for a third season. I hope that the company that did this show releases it on DVD, because I would really enjoy watching it. Outside of "Thundercats", this is the only cartoon that I would say that I like to this day. If people don't like it, that's their opinion, but I'd hardly say that it was crap. I've seen worse stuff then what was on this show.

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.

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.

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.