Theo Tifa reunion will feed families
Like the title says, I can't wait for their reunion. I was re-reading Ch14 for the 100th time and wow, I think that chapter really showcases why Mitsu Izumi is a cut above most mangakas. It's a mini story in itself, packed with many interesting moments but seeing Theo and Tifa is always a highlight. The ending with Theo crying and promising to make her proud hits so much. And then the epic scene with the Dragon afterwards😭who's doing it like Mitsu Izumi
The title is "The boy I raised" and the panel shown looks like a very young Tifa arriving in Amun with baby Theo. The title is obviously alluding to Tifa raising Theo as he's practically her son.
We still don't know much about their past or why they are in Amun, but this is one of those scenes that gets even better the further we get into the story. We already love Tifa because of how she encourages Theo to do whatever he wants and tries her best to provide for him, working multiple jobs if I remember correctly, and is clearly his parental figure. But that panel shows just how young she was when she arrived in Amun.
So the timeline is what looks like a pre-teen girl arriving with a mixed race baby given The mark of the Druuj (side note: This means that Theo's original family practiced Asin, specifcally the Akini sect yet Theo himself practices Manaccha as he grew up in Amun. Tifa's religion is less clear, but I think she practices Asin because she always wears a head cover/Hijab when out. That's unique to Asin followers, you can see that Sakiya doesn't wear it in public as she practices Manaccha like most in the Amun village.). It should be noted that Tifa does not know how to read so she likely isn't noble born (unless she left in the middle of her education or something) but the Druuj mark suggests that Theo is.
Said pre-teen girl then spends all her time working and caring for the boy with no help as even the villagers are biased against Theo. Imagine how rough that is, taking a baby that's supposedly cursed, travelling very far to some random village so that the baby is safe. I have no doubt Amun was chosen on purpose because most of the villagers in Amun practice Manaccha. And then having to take care of that child in this foreign environment with 0 help.
Back to the chapter, Theo finally gets accepted and we are all happy. But it's a bitter-sweet happiness because he has to leave Tifa, and then there's a little montage of them growing up😭she's the one that insisted that he goes to school and now because of that, he's found his dream.
The panelling is just so beautiful. Loved the callback to earlier in the chapter when she says "I thought my little brother was all grown up". The art in Magus is the best, and it's always so detailed, but this is one of the few times the double spread is bare, it just focuses on Theo and Tifa and the empty space is filled with speech bubbles as Tifa comforts her younger brother one last time before he begins his new adventure. Even as he cries and promises to make her proud, she tells him she knows he will, one of the best showcase of familial love I've seen in manga.
And the art, the art really brings the story to life like no other. The texture is so good, makes everything so immersive. The details, the patterns on the clothes, the rendering, the way light is used. Just brillinat stuff. And Mitsu Izumi is also one of the few mangakas that I think has a very consistent artstyle, this is neither a good nor a bad thing. It's just a lot of mangakas tend to change their artstyle as they publish, it's usually a subconscious thing imo. It's just one of those interesting things you see in a lot of manga so it sticks out when it doesn't happen.
Although, I believe Aya and Medina do undergo a bit of change from their very first appearance. Mitsu Izumi pointed out the Aya one (the difference isn't huge), but I only later realized that we saw Medina during the exams and I didn't recognize the face at first, just the hairstyle.
Also, I'm glad that we saw Theo sending a letter and money to Tifa in the latest volume.
Thinking of doing a recap of each volume and the major plot points in preparation for the new volume release. If I have freetime about a month from the release date, I will do it. I have summaries of most chapters alongside WB elements written down, so it isn't a huge task.
TL;DR: Magus of the library is really good. I love Theo and Tifa's relationship, and Tifa went through a lot. I can't wait for their reunion. And I can't wait for the flashback because there are ALOT of questions.