Magic Knight Rayearth #01

When I first read about Magic Knight Rayearth, something told me that I would end up liking it better than Sailor Moon. My intuition was right. Upon reading this first manga volume I decided I wanted more of it. That there was much more than met the eye- that things were not what they seemed to be. But nothing prepared me for the plot twist of the century that happens in the third installment! No matter what your favorite genre is- fantasy, sci-fi, RPG, comedy, drama- Magic Knight Rayearth has something for you.

This is the first manga I ever read, the first I ever even touched!!! (So I¡¦m obsessed, so what?) Anyway, it was excellent, I loved it, and I¡¦m dying to get my hands on more and more manga, but I¡¦m currently staying in Egypt where manga in nonexistent. Lot¡¦s of anime on TV, translated into Arabic, but no manga ƒ¼. To get down to Magic Knight Rayearth. It rocks! And so does CLAMP, the famous all-female team of four women who have earned fame¡Xand fortune¡Xthrough their breathtaking manga. Now, anyone into manga likes to know some things before they buy one, such as: 1. Story: Great story, very classical Shoujo storyline, but definitely original and captivating. The story is about Hikaru, Umi and Fuu, three 14-year-old girls who find themselves magically transported to Cephiro, a land where the strength of your will determines your strength. Will is everything in Cephiro. They meet Clef, a 745-year-old magician (and the cutest shonen ever!!!) who gives them magical armor, and sends them on an epic quest. They must revive become the Legendary Magic Knights and save Princess Emeraude from the evil Zagato¡¦s clutches! But first they must get weapons¡K Now if that doesn¡¦t spark your interest, than you are not a Shoujo manga fan. (Bow your head in shame) 2. Love Interest: Come on guys, it¡¦s a Shoujo manga; it¡¦s got the cutest love stories ever, but in the first cycle only Fuu gets a love interest, but boy! What a guy she gets! Don¡¦t worry parents, nothing offensive, and there isn¡¦t even any kissing ƒ¼. 3. Artwork: Gorgeous. And you can trust my opinion; I draw manga, so I know good artwork when I see it, seriously. Mokona and Fuu are not drawn to my tastes in the first cycle; Mokona has these weird cheeks, but that¡¦s just me. The rest of the artwork will have you drooling (especially over Zagato) and the character design is scrumptious, but some of the battle scenes are confusing until you get the hang of them and know what to look for. 4. Translation: Great translation; great fonts. Princess Emeraude and Zagato both have their own personal fonts, a really neat stylistic quirk. It really adds depth to the story. There is a small problem cuz Japanese isn¡¦t written like English, so the speech bubbles are taller than they are wide, but that¡¦s usually not a problem. ¡¥Why don¡¦t you¡¦ is spelled ¡¥Whydoncha¡¦ and Ferio charmingly greets the girls with, ¡¥who are y¡¦all?¡¦ but overall it was perfect. 5. Quality: Excellent Quality, it¡¦s a beautiful book that will not fall apart like the Sailor Moon manga reportedly does. It reads from right to left; Japanese form, but since I can read and write Arabic, it came naturally to me. On the last page is a quick, useful tutorial to show you how to read authentic manga in it¡¦s original form. Words don¡¦t lead off the page or anything, and the paper is beautiful. 6. Mokona: Puu! Puu! (seriously, how can you resist a book with Mokona, the pokemon-like fluffy bunny creature in it?) 7. Nudity: NONE 8. Price

Magic Knight Rayearth is definite must-buy. Here are some reasons why: ~THE ARTWORK~ This series' artwork is the best I've seen so far.The shading foe textures, greys and blacks used is amazing, and the color artwork on the front and back is even better. So vibrant and lively, the shading used by this team makes the characters stand out. ~THE CHARACTERS~ The characters are thoughtfully created and easy for us readers to relate to. Hikaru is lively, happy, cute, caring, optomistic (very so for someone her age) and very loyal as a friend to Umi and Fuu. She is also way too innocent and pure to be a real person. Umi is probably the closest made-up character to reality as you can get. At the beginning, she thinks the entire ordeal is crazy, and comes out as a tad snobby. She has a bad temper, along with being annoyed very easily, but has a kind and brave heart. It also seems that she dislikes Mokona for constantly freaking the girls out. Fuu, who is not a ditzy airhead, like some people like to portray her as, is bright and handles thier situtation with a logical manner. Fuu is very bright and probably the easiest character for me to relate to. If there was a brainiac in MKR, it's definetly Fuu. ~OVERALL~ I would rant on more, but my fingers are getting tired. However, I would not recommend this to a little kid because of some things like bloody (VERY VERY bloody) violence although the back of the manga says 'Youth - 10+'. This series definetly belongs in a teen's collection. (BTW , I am 15 and have a younger brother who likes to sneak reads at my manga while I am not there, so I'd know.) There are no flaws in this series. Go buy it now!!!!!!!!!

Every review I see starts out with how great the artwork is. And it is-- Makona Apapa (head artist of CLAMP) is one of the most brilliant and talented artists living in the world today. However, its the plot that makes Magic Knight Rayearth one of the best mangas ever written. The story begins, as with much of CLAMP's work, as a parody. The characters even make reference to the RPG style plot, complete with "level ups", a kidnapped Princess, and magical powers. This, however, is merely the canvas for a beautiful story about friendship, determination, hope, and love. The story builds into the third novel, where the original plotline is concluded in one of the most brilliantly written plot twists ever I have ever encountered. Everything you expect flies out the window, but at the same time sets the stage for the second half the of the story. Book four continues, moving the story in a new direction.This, beyond much of the other manga out there, is a story worth reading. Only a few greats can truly bring the "novel" back into the phrase graphic novel, and CLAMP is most certainly one of them.

This is a wonderful story that I've just gotten and read it three times already! This one is a gotta have for anime fans and you'll love it right away! If you like Sailor Moon or any orher shojo anime/manga you go to get this one!