Magic Knight Rayearth - Reviews

"Magic Knight Rayearth" was the very first Manga I brought and I was really addicted to it and read it like 5 or 6 times in a row and it still didn't get boring for me.
So I decided to give my first (short) Review here to this - for me special - Series.

Story:

3 normal school girls from Tokyo are getting transported into a world full of Fantasy creatures and magic and have to save the world or more save the princess who got kidnapped - A typical story, nothing new. They learn to trust each other and learn to work together to reach their goal, even if they just want to go home in the beginning.
I really like the idea of the growing armor and weapon, which reaches "the next level" whenever the heart of the characters "grow", whenever they experience something important for them or the group during their journey.
Even if the this is something which got told several times before (That's why I gave 8/10), it's still a beautiful story about friendship - Big plottwist in the end.

Art:

Clamp has a beautiful Artstyle anyway, but in this Manga I like it the most so far. The drawings are very smooth, they added a lot of details, the scenery is beautiful and the mechas are pretty awesome - especially the drawings of them fighting.

Characters:

The typical Magic Girl Characters: The protagonist who is pretty brave, energetic, acts before she thinks, cares more about friends than herself, strong in fighting and tries to save everyone and everything.
The intelligent girl with glasses, calm, the one who makes the most logical decisions in the group, thinks very carefully about the situation before she acts, but still cares much about her friends anyway.
Then there's the - apparently - not that intelligent member of the group, complains about everything, stresses everybody out and actually doesn't want to be in the situation she is right now. During the story she starts changing and gets the best friend you could ever have, very caring, even if not very calm - The healthy middle between the protagonist and the intelligent one.
The Characters in "Magic Knight Rayearth" are pretty much like that, but they're still unique in their own ways. During their journey we get parts of their backstories and how they slowly become best friends, because of the experiences they experience together (Yes, that was a very intelligent sentence :'D), the hard decisions they have to make and the that they're just able to save the world together and the need to stick together to make it through that and to go home again.

Overall:

It's a typical Magical Girl Manga, with the very beautiful drawings from Clamp and who isn't into that Genre shouldn't read this one anyway - even if there are mechas in it. There are some fightings, but not action all the time, it's more about the deep friendship between the three girls and the decisions they have to make to free the princess and save the magical world.
I give this Manga 10/10 and really recommend it.

Manga in 200 Words: Magic Knight Rayearth
   
Premise: Three normal girls are transported into a fantasy world, and given magic powers that they must use to save the world. Together, they grow stronger and learn how to work as one.
   
Magical Girl: I like these powers because the girls actually look like warriors for once. Granted, they’re greco-roman style warriors with really ornate gear, but at least they’re wearing armor and wielding *gasp!* ACTUAL WEAPONS!
   
Powers: It’s a simple formula: tank, dps, and cleric, but it works for a reason. I appreciate the separation of powers over generic teamwork attacks. This approach shows WHY teamwork is necessary.
   
Quest: Magic Knight Rayearth feels darker than Sailor Moon, for example, like there actually is something at risk during these fights. Mahou shoujo can easily become formulaic (secondary characters fight the enemy until the heroine can deliver the death bl- I mean, the sparkly finishing move), but I think this manga avoids that path.
   
Overall: I like Magic Knight Rayearth because it really felt like it was about the quest and the battles instead of the costumes and teh boyz!!!1 Check it out if you want magical girls and some real action.

This is my favorite manga ever. While quite short, it tells its story so excellently, so well planned. It doesn't have a lot of time to breathe with the characters and setting, if you like that sort of thing, but it gets to the point. There are many humorous moments, and a lot of gut-punches with emotions. It's a fantasy isekai magical girl mecha manga, there is a lot of ground to cover in six volumes! I think the second part is brilliant and don't really separate the two. I think that it really inspired Madoka Magica with the 'dark magical girl' and magical girl deconstruction as there are many of those elements here.

The art is 90s Clamp, so naturally it's absolutely gorgeous. A lot of intricately detailed spreads and lush backgrounds and hair and super pointy tsurime eyes. It's glorious.