Magic Knight Rayearth

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
"MKR" redirects here. For the Lincoln concept car, see Lincoln MKR .
This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling.
You can assist by editing it now. A how-to guide is available, as is general documentation.
This article has been tagged since January 2007.
Magic Knight Rayearth
魔法騎士（マジックナイト）レイアース
(Magic Knight Rayearth)
Genre Shōjo, Comedy, Mecha,
Manga: Magic Knight Rayearth
Authored by Clamp
Publisher Template:States Tokyopop
Serialized in Nakayoshi
Original run November 1993 – February 1995
No. of volumes 3 (completed)
Manga: Magic Knight Rayearth II
Authored by Clamp
Publisher Flag of Japan Kodansha
Serialized in Nakayoshi
Original run March 1995 – April 1996
No. of volumes 3 (completed)
TV anime
Directed by Toshihiro Hirano
Studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha
Network Flag of Japan Yomiuri TV
Flag of Philippines ABS-CBN , GMA 7
Flag of Chile Megavisión, Etc...TV
Original run 17 October 1994 – 27 November 1995
No. of episodes 49
OVA: Rayearth
Directed by Keitaro Motonaga, Toshiki Hirano
Studio Kodansha
No. of episodes 3
Released 1997

Magic Knight Rayearth (魔法騎士 (マジックナイト) レイアース Mahō Kishi (Majikku Naito) Reiāsu?) is a magical girl manga, anime, and console game series by Clamp, whose credits also include Cardcaptor Sakura, Angelic Layer, and Chobits.(The "Magic Knight" phrase used in the series title and the characters' roles is written with the same kanji as "mahō kishi," but Clamp dictated that it is not pronounced the same way with phonetic characters known as furigana.)

Both the television anime and the OVA series were brought over to the U.S. as well, as was the Magic Knight Rayearth game for the Sega Saturn, which follows the plot of the first anime series loosely. The Nintendo Super Famicom title was only released in Japan (though there are now fan-translations of it). The Super Famicom game is also well-known for being more faithful to the original story compared to the Sega Saturn game. The two games however are very different from each other. The Sega Saturn game plays more like an Action Adventure along the lines of Secret of Mana and The Legend of Zelda series whereas the Super Famicom plays more like a traditional RPG (eg: the Final Fantasy series). There are also five other, less known video games based on the series: a Sega Pico title called Magic Knight Tanjou, two short RPGs for Game Boy, plus another RPG and a Princess Maker-style raising sim for Sega Game Gear, all of which were Japan exclusives as well.

Contents

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Plot summary

The main characters of Rayearth, Hikaru Shidou, Umi Ryuzaki, Fuu Hououji, and Mokona each represent a member of Clamp. Nearly all other characters and several locations in the story have automobile-related names. The story is divided into two distinct arcs--one per series. The first begins as three girls from separate schools, all on field trips to Tokyo Tower, are suddenly blinded by a flash of light and hear a voice calling for the "Legendary Magic Knights" to save Cephiro. In the manga, the characters are sucked through the floor, while in the anime and games, the floor then disappears from under them. The characters fall through the sky into another world, known as Cephiro or Zephyr. They meet a sorcerer, Master Mage Clef, who gives them magic and explains to them the peril of Cephiro. He says,"Here, one's will has the ability to change reality for better or for worse. The dark fears in people's hearts become monsters, while a well-intended wish can do miracles. One person, the Pillar, whose will is stronger than anyone else's, is responsible for maintaining through her prayers the well-being of Cephiro." In the first story arc, the current Pillar, Princess Emeraude, has been captured by her high priest, Zagato. The three girls are charged with the task of saving the Princess (and thus the pillar and the fate of Cephiro) by activating the three "rune-gods" ("Ma-shin," a multiple wordplay on Japanese kanji and the English word "machine") of Cephiro, and are given a bizarre creature named Mokona to guide them on their journey. When the girls finally reach Emeraude, they learn that she had fallen in love with Zagato, hindering her ability to pray solely for Cephiro's well-being, and had summoned the Magic Knights to kill her since no one on Cephiro could harm the Pillar. The second story arc is based on the events that occur near the end of the original series dealing with the aftermath of the first season's climax: three warring planets began their attempts to conquer Cephiro and a new Pillar had to be chosen before the whole planet was destroyed. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu are once again summoned to Cephiro; it is later discovered that the mysterious Mokona is responsible for their being summoned back to Cephiro, and he is, in fact, the creator of both Earth and Cephiro. Eventually, Hikaru is chosen to become the new Pillar, but rebels against the Pillar system, deciding that the fate of the planet should not lie solely on one person's shoulders, effectively preventing that person from ever being able to live and love freely.

[edit] Characters

Main article: Characters in Magic Knight Rayearth

[edit] Manga

The manga was originally serialized in Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine between November 1993 and April 1996 and has been released in the United States in English by TOKYOPOP (initially named Mixx) in six volumes, three volumes in each series. The English version of the manga was at first issued in a flipped left to right format, but was re-released in the original right to left format. ISBNs are for the most recent release:

Magic Knight Rayearth

Magic Knight Rayearth II

[edit] TV Series

The anime series began airing on Japan's Yomiuri TV on October 17, 1994 and ended on November 27, 1995. It was directed by Toshihiro Hirano and co-produced by Yomiuri TV and Tokyo Movie Shinsha (now TMS Entertainment). The anime actually had 2 seasons, lasting 49 episodes altogether. The TV series is licensed in the U.S. by Media Blasters and is dubbed by Bang Zoom! Entertainment. It was both released on VHS and DVD. The DVDs contain both the Japanese and English language tracks, as well as bonus features including interviews with the English voice actors (Julie Maddalena (Hikaru), Wendee Lee (Umi/Emeraude), Bridget Hoffman (Fuu), Kaeko Sakamoto (Mokona) and Lex Lang (Zagato), respectively) on each disc in the first season[citation needed].

[edit] Main Staff

  • Original story & original character design: Clamp
  • Producers: Michihiko Suwa (Yomiuri TV), Shigeki Nakamura (Dentsu), Mikihiro Iwata -> Masahito Yoshioka (Tokyo Movie Shinsha)
  • Series composition: Keiko Maruo (1-18) -> Nanase Ohkawa (Clamp) (18-42)
  • Series composition supervision: Nanase Ohkawa (Clamp) (1-18)
  • Script writers: Keiko Maruo, Osamu Nakamura (1-18), Nanase Ohkawa (18-42)
  • Character design: Atsuko Ishida
  • Monster design & Mecha design: Masahiro Yamane
  • Design works: Yasuhiro Moriki
  • Art director: Tsutomu Ishigaki (Ishigaki Production)
  • Color coordination: Reiko Hirayama
  • Director of photography: Takashi Nomura
  • Photography: TMS Photo, Studio Cosmos
  • CGI production: Shinichi Nakagawa, Hiroshi Ono
  • Editing: Hajime Okayasu (Okayasu Promotion)
  • Sound direction: Yasuo Uragami (Audio Planning U)
  • Recording: Yasushi Yamamoto, Hisanori Oshiro
  • Sound effects: Junichi Sasaki (Anime Sound Production)
  • Recording studio: APU Meguro Studio
  • Sound production: Audio Planning U
  • Music: Hayato Matsuo
  • Music supervision: Koichi Sugiyama
  • Music producer: Hiroki Horio
  • Music production: Polydor, Sugiyama Kobo
  • Production manager: Tetsu Kojima
  • Craft manager: Hiroyuki Onoda
  • Planning scheduler: Naohiko Noda
  • Film development laboratory: Tokyo Laboratory
  • Director: Toshihiro Hirano
  • Production support: Dentsu
  • Production: Yomiuri TV, Tokyo Movie Shinsha

[edit] Openings and Endings

Three opening themes were used in the series and one in the OVA RayEarth:

Episodes #1-20

  • Kanji: 「ゆずれない願い」
  • Romanization: "Yuzurenai Negai"
  • Translation: "Unyielding Wish"
    • Artist: Naomi Tamura

Episodes #21-42/ II#1-21

  • Kanji: 「キライになれない」
  • Romanization: "Kirai ni Narenai"
  • Translation: "I Can't Hate You"
    • Artist: Ayumi Nakamura

Episodes #43-49/ II#22-28

  • Kanji:「光と影を抱きしめたまま」
  • Romanization: "Hikari to Kage wo Dakishimeta Mama"
  • Translation: "Still Embracing Light and Darkness"
    • Artist: Naomi Tamura

Episodes #29-31/ III#1-3

  • Kanji/Romanization/Translation: "All You Need is Love"
    • Artist: Naomi Tamura

In Media Blasters' English DVD releases, Episodes 43 through 49 used "Hikari to Kage wo Dakishimeta Mama." The original openings from 1-21 and can be seen at the Bonus Features on the Season 2 DVDs[citation needed].

Three ending themes were used:

Episodes #1-20

  • Kanji:「明日への勇気」
  • Romanization: "Asu e no Yuuki"
  • Translation: "The Courage Leading to Tomorrow"
    • Artist: Keiko Yoshinari

Episodes #21-42

  • Kanji:「ら・ら・ば・い～優しく抱かせて～」
  • Romanization: "Rarabai ~ Yasashiku Dakasete ~"
  • Translation: "Lullaby - Softly, Tenderly -"

Episodes #43-49

  • Kanji:「いつか輝く」
  • Romanization: "Itsuka Kagayaku"
  • Translation: "Someday Shining"
    • Artist: Keiko Yoshinari

Media Blasters' DVD releases of Episodes 43 through 49 also used "Rarabai ~ Yashiku Dakasete ~" for episodes 43 to 49.

In the English releases, Sandy Fox sang both the opening and the ending themes in the English dubbed version[citation needed].

[edit] Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle

Although some Magic Knight Rayearth characters are featured in Clamp's ongoing crossover Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, curiously (compared to most other Clamp series which had their main characters featured in minor or major roles) most of the main characters (such as Hikaru, Umi, Fuu, Clef, Ferio, etc.) are not, although Umi's parents were in the manga as attacked civilians, the same arc in which Calidina appeared. As of Chapter 136, the characters Eagle, Lantis and Geo have made an appearance in the world of "Infinity" as top members of the local mafia. Also, in graphic novels volume 4 and 5, Princess Emeraude was featured as a spirit who was accused of taking away children in the night to her dilapidated castle.

[edit] OVA

A three-part OVA was released in Japan a few years after the end of the manga and the TV series. The OVA was named simply "Rayearth" and its story was quite different from the original. The characters are all the same, but the relationships, places, and events changed radically. Here we find that Hikaru, Umi and Fuu are already friends who go to the same school and are shortly to leave for high school. Suddenly, a strange "fairy" (which turns out to be Mokona, the strange mascot-creature from the original manga and anime) appears in front of them. At the same time, strange monsters and wizards start to appear in the city of Tokyo. One of them is Clef, who tries to guide the three girls in order to let them become the "Magic Knights," awake their "Mashins" and fight against the evil wizards from Cephiro, who are trying to invade the human world. It is licensed in the U.S. by Manga Entertainment.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../m/a/g/Magic_Knight_Rayearth_d6c9.html"