Fans of nineties anime have a reason to clear their Wednesday evenings. Magic Knight Rayearth, the much-loved fantasy series from the artist collective CLAMP, is back in a completely new adaptation. The first episode premiered on October 7 on Japanese television and is streaming internationally on Crunchyroll with subtitles, with fresh episodes arriving every week. An English dub has been confirmed but does not have a release date yet.
The good news for newcomers is that no prior knowledge is needed. The remake tells the story from the very beginning. Three schoolgirls, Hikaru, Umi and Fuu, meet by chance during a school trip to Tokyo Tower and are suddenly pulled into Cephiro, a world held together by willpower. There they are asked to become the legendary Magic Knights, awaken three mighty Rune Gods and rescue a captive princess from a powerful sorcerer. With two cours planned, roughly two dozen episodes, the series has enough room to tell the first arc at a comfortable pace.
Much of the excitement comes from the people involved. The voice cast is packed with stars of current anime, including Ayane Sakura, Rumi Okubo and Rie Takahashi as the three heroines, and the soundtrack is composed by Yuki Kajiura, whose sweeping choral style is well known from several modern classics. That combination promises big emotions and memorable battles between giant guardian mechs.
For the complete cast list, the theme songs, the broadcast time and the production details, take a look at the Xaldris preview of the Rayearth remake. We have listed it in our directory because it gives both returning fans and first-time viewers everything they need in one place.
The autumn anime season is busy, but this revival has a special charm: parents who grew up with the original can now share it with their children. A weekly release also means there is something new to talk about every Wednesday, which suits a story about friendship very well.
