Magic Knight Rayearth

In my Code Geass review, I mentioned a manga artist group with a serious penchant for cats, helpless moes, characters with limbs of spaghetti, and unfinished or ambiguous endings. So if works like Cardcaptor Sakura and Chobits ring a bell, then yes, you’ll know that I’m talking about CLAMP. For years, now, my relationship with their work has been rolling down a merry spiral – thanks to my unhealthy attachment to unfinished series like X and Clover, and the 2012 boring historical exposition that was Gate 7. So with the recent announcement of a new Tsubasa continuation gearing up for serialisation, I just had to lie down for a bit, and reminisce upon the good old days where CLAMP could still craft a nice, simple work of art…

In a nutshell, Magic Knight Rayearth is a 50 episode tale about a group of three high school girls on a quest to save a kidnapped princess. Hikaru, Umi and Fuu find themselves brought together by fate on their individual school excursions to Tokyo Tower, where they are magically whisked away to an land called Cephiro, by a blinding light. Thereupon, an elderly mage called Clef, tells them that Cephiro is crumbling into ruin because its Pillar, Princess Emeraude, has been kidnapped by her evil High Priest Zagato. The three girls, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu, have been chosen as Magic Knights, the only beings who may awaken three Rune Gods to don and defeat Zagato. And, as the story goes, the girls embark on their quest to save the strange world they have been sucked into, picking up magical artefacts and honing magical powers along the way.

Magic Knight Rayearth is curious because it’s an amalgamation of three genres which generally don’t mix – mainly Magical Girl and Mecha, with a dash of Shounen. From the outset, everything smacks of Sailor Moon and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha – you have a team of pretty girls each with their own distinct colour scheme for easy identification, a fluffy animal who accompanies them so as to give guidance and spew magical objects from its mouth whenever needed, and a quest to collect items and defeat a final boss villain. And then the latter half of the series kicks in, and the Knights ditch their human size for ginormous mechas, which they use for epic battles in outer space. Along the journey, they bond with each other, train their sword fighting skills, acquire new magical power ups, and pick up token boyfriends.

The story’s first arc focuses on the build up towards the final battle with Zagato, and is thus more straightforward and formulaic. The most praiseworthy aspect of the first part is that it ends with a rather unexpected twist, and sets the scene for the second arc of the story. Here, the story somewhat ditches its Magical Girl aspect, going full on with political wars and Mecha space battles. New enemies are introduced, and the identity of the ultimate evil is shrouded in mystery. It’s certainly nothing on the level of Madoka Magica, but let’s just say that as the plot progresses, things start to get darker and slightly more depressing. Most would definitely become more engaged in this half, where the story is no longer as predictable, and follows several disparate storylines that build up nicely to a satisfying conclusion.

I’m glad that the characters are all different and engaging in their own ways, although it is a given that the three heroines receive the most development. Fuu, the green knight who manipulates wind, is the shy and quiet meganekko, whose levelheadedness is her strength in battle. She is also the earliest of the knights to develop a romance in the story; with the boyfriend in question being a wandering huntsman known as Ferio. While this initially seems like quick fodder to spice the story up, Fuu and Ferio’s relationship serves as a plot point to explore Fuu’s guilt over some spoilerific happenings in the story.  Umi, the blue knight who manipulates water, is the impulsive and spoilt debutante, whose quarrels with other characters provide much of the comic relief in the earlier portions of the show. I especially love the way her headstrongness morphs from stubbornness to determination, and how her rash exterior melts away to reveal her inner kindness. In short, she’s my pick for best girl, because she’s just so full of sass.

Of course, the main character, Hikaru, is probably one of CLAMP’s best examples of a well-developed character, mainly because I felt there was a very believable depth to her growth. As the red knight whose element is fire, Hikaru starts the story as a cheerful, enthusiastic bundle of energy and joy, determined to play the heroine and do good for all mankind. The events of the first half, however, leave her so defeated and broken that she descends into minor depression by the start of the second half. And essentially, the second half chronicles her shaky attempts to pick herself up from the horrific spoiler-filled events of the first. To be honest, the most entertaining part about Hikaru’s presence is her relationship with Lantis, who towers a good metre over her whenever they’re together on-screen. There’s something slightly odd yet interesting about the pairing a short hyperactive redhead, with the tall, brooding, Japanese version of Christopher Nolan’s Batman, which I just can’t quite put on my finger on – but then, this is CLAMP, where all rules about love and relationships get chucked out the window.

Magic Knight Rayearth aired all the way back in 1994 and 1995, and for its time, the animation isn’t much to complain about. The only time reused footage is used is when the girls cast their magical spells, and while it does make most battle sequences less lacklustre, the bulk of the exhilarating action lies in the Mecha battles, which are done fairly well. Probably, the best thing about Rayearth’s art is the scope and design of Cephiro and the universe beyond it. Cephiro itself begins as a sprawling collection of forested islands either floating or submerged in a sparkling ocean. It’s vast, it’s beautiful, and in the first half it makes for the perfect setting for a quest. In the second half, it becomes invaded by three countries with wholly contrasting cultures and ideologies – which is well reflected in the entire design of the countries’ clothing and architecture. Autozam, a futuristic city with a heavy reliance on technology and mental energy, sends forth a sleek, highly modernised spaceship equipped with Gundam-like weapons. Chizeta, an alternate version of historical Arabia, deploys its flying fortress, a humungous golden oil lamp. Fahren, CLAMP’s version of ancient China, is led by its bratty little princess Aska – who sits within a giant bronze dragon and conjures illusions using ceremonial paper.

The soundtrack comprises a nice range of pieces, from triumphant orchestral arias for the battle scenes, to some really emotional violin sonatas for the moody, introspective moments where tears are shed and emotions laid bare on the table. Again, the soundtrack compliments the animation in reflecting the foreign settings whenever the three invading countries are represented. For Fahren, traditional chinese music is used in the background, for Chizeta, middle eastern music, and so on. But really, the best music is found in its opening and ending tracks, especially both opening songs, ‘Unyielding Wish’ and ‘Still Embracing Light and Darkness’. The craziest thing yet, is that the English dubbed versions of all these songs win the Japanese ones hands down – a feat accomplished by no other anime I have ever seen, maybe with the exception of the Pokemon theme song. So run along and watch the English versions of both openings; but do stick to the Japanese dub for the actual show, this was pre-Bebop days.

All in all, Magic Knight Rayearth is the kind of show that is best enjoyed by those too turned off by the sparkles and glitter in traditional Magical Girl shows, yet too bored by the complexity and impersonality of Mecha anime like Gundam. It strikes a unique, yet praiseworthy balance between both genres, and the anime’s second half is genuinely well-written and paced nicely. Possibly, my biggest criticism of the series is that it suffers from the same flaw that some of CLAMP’s works do – attempting to carry across a deep and poignant message, and not quite getting there. You can tell that there was something about chastising those who sacrifice one’s happiness for the good of the larger community, since lots of words were spent on deliberating the values of Cephiro’s pillar system – but I found it honestly hard to get anything out of that theme, since there’s very little about that which translates into a real-life situation. I mean, really, what is it about anime and teaching protagonists not to be too self-sacrificing? In real life, nobody is ever noble enough to give up their freedom for the greater good!

On the other hand, there’s a solid lesson which the show conveys – the lesson that first understanding the position of a perceived enemy, is the better way to face them, as opposed to blindly attacking without forethought. It gives viewers a lot more to talk about in terms of modern problems – the stance taken by countries in the midst of war, our response to impending terrorism, and so on. Not that anyone who watches Rayearth is really going to think that deeply, but you know, at least there’s some takeaway. If not, then, well, it’s a fine show to watch because it’s entertaining, and above all, it’s complete. 7/10, and please, CLAMP, can’t you make stuff like this again?