Magic Knight Rayearth is a Japanese manga and anime series created by Clamp. The story revolves around three young girls named Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu, who are transported to the magical world of Cephiro. In Cephiro, the girls are chosen to become the legendary Magic Knights, protectors of the land and tasked with saving Princess Emeraude. The Magic Knights are granted a unique set of armor and weapons called the Rayearth Sworx, which enhances their abilities and allows them to fight against the forces of evil. The Rayearth Sworx are not just ordinary weapons; they possess magical properties and can be transformed to suit each Magic Knight's fighting style. Hikaru's Rayearth Sworx takes the form of a sword and represents fire, Umi's takes the form of a rapier and represents water, and Fuu's takes the form of a bow and arrow and represents wind.
The next day: their mildly uncomfortable journey continues! There's still lots more forest, lots of random encounters. Umi and Fuu are getting plenty of practice now, and are starting to do pretty well for themselves, unlike earlier. But. are these encounters really random? There seem to be more and more of them. Umi is getting annoyed; can't they just have a nice monster-free path for once?
They have so much food that Hikaru suggests taking some to Ferio - but Fuu insists on doing it herself, as she doesn t quite trust that the others will be properly cold to him. So much so that Hikaru insists on bringing Ferio into their strategy discussion, despite Fuu s objections - they know so little about this place, and it s not like they have anyone else to ask questions of.
Hikaru's Rayearth Sworx takes the form of a sword and represents fire, Umi's takes the form of a rapier and represents water, and Fuu's takes the form of a bow and arrow and represents wind. Throughout the series, the Magic Knights face various challenges, encounter new friends and enemies, and learn about the true nature of their mission. They must overcome their own doubts and fears, work together, and harness the power of the Rayearth Sworx to fulfill their destiny and bring peace to Cephiro.
[WIW] Magic Knight Rayearth (1 Viewer)
What is it with the Tokyo Tower anyway, Clamp? You always try to put your big scenes there! It's got to be crowded by now.
It's a copy of the eifel tower that is painted red and white. it begs to be used.
I should probably make a point of at least wandering by it when I am there.
Fae
not sus
Validated UserFerio, the Mysterious and Handsome Swordsman
So now the Magic Knights are trekking through the Forest of Silence - the place is pretty spooky, now that they're deep enough in for giant trees to be blocking most of the light. But that doesn't stop Mokona from bouncing onwards happily while the girls struggle to keep up! Right into a monster!
It looks pretty fearsome, 20 feet tall, large claws. Fuu and Umi turn and run, but Hikaru stands her ground. She's getting the hang of this! She takes out her sword, leaps into the air, and cuts it in half with a single mighty blow! well it was probably like level 1, hardly even worth much xp
Umi's getting kinda suspicious about all these "random encounters" that Mokona's leading them into. But Mokona just continues bouncing on. right into another one! It goes pretty much the same way as the last. Maybe Mokona is the sort of player who prefers to grind before facing the next boss?
Well, this continues on, until Hikaru runs into something a little tougher: a giant mantis-like thing, with scythes tough enough to block her attacks. Now, it's still probably only level 3 or so, so she does take it out - but Umi and Fuu are still slow to react, and they got grabbed by an angry tentacled plant that snuck up behind them while Hikaru was busy! She runs to save them.
ah, what's this? A newcomer? Well that was helpful!
Anyway, this is Ferio, as the episode title mentioned. And he's wondering what the hell unarmed chumps like these are doing wandering around the monster-infested Forest of Silence. Do they want to die? (Ferio apparently does not have or even recognise their convenient inventory system, and has to actually carry his sword everywhere.)
He has a suggestion for them: hire him as an escort, and he'll get them out safely! He's a hunter who works this territory regularly, so they can be assured he's got what it takes. Lack of money isn't a problem; he'll even work for food! Although they don't have much of that either.
. Mokona, what are you doing?
(that bit of green hair at the bottom is Ferio)
Okay, Mokona either has lots and lots of food stored away, or can create it out of thin air! That's remarkably convenient. Most magical girl mascot critters aren't half so helpful!
Ferio is satisfied, Hikaru is delighted. but Fuu and Umi aren't so sure about this. They quietly point out that they do have enemies after them in this land. Can they risk trusting a stranger?
Umi steps forward to turn Ferio down. but he starts complimenting her beauty and she does an immediate 180, wanting to keep this obviously super-honest and insightful guy near. Oh, Umi.
But Fuu still objects, and she's not so easy to flatter. Plus, she thinks his story seems flimsy. if he's really a hunter, why is he here where there are so many monsters and no game? It's not like the monsters have even been dropping treasure for them - that part isn't going quite like their RPGs led them to believe it would. And Ferio admits he just made that up to impress them.
See, he's really a swordsman, and a decently powerful one - powerful enough to think that he could do something about Zagato after his coup. Turned out he couldn't. He barely managed to get away, and fled into the forest where a magic-user like Zagato couldn't follow - but now he's lost, just like them. Surely it would be advantageous for them to travel together.
. well, Fuu isn't buying that story, either. And Ferio gives up trying to convince her, recognizing that he's beat. Good boy.
They head onwards. but Ferio keeps following them! Maybe he really is lost? Maybe he's trying to abduct Mokona now? Well, it's not like they can get a restraining order out here, so despite their suspicions, they do end up uneasily traveling kinda-together.
This continues on until nightfall - the forest is the same as ever, but they do have to stop and rest sometime. Do they have camping supplies, though? Mokona!
Mokona's got an actual building in there! Egg-shaped, only one room, but it's well-furnished, stocked with food, even has nightgowns laid out on the bed for them - amazing. This is the most luxurious adventure ever!
This right here is why I will forgive Mokona for just about any annoying behavior. Reliable high-quality food and shelter is worth a lot. Out of all the mascot critters I know of, there's no other I'd rather have with me.
They have so much food that Hikaru suggests taking some to Ferio - but Fuu insists on doing it herself, as she doesn't quite trust that the others will be properly cold to him. :3
So she brings Ferio a basket - he's hunched up under a tree, not having been provided with so much luxury himself. He thanks her, but asks for a bit more, too - the pleasure of her company? Just while he eats? Even someone as grumpy as her would be nice. but no, Fuu runs back to their room. It was a little harder for her this time, though. Even she is starting to care about their chance companion too much to remain properly suspicious. (In fact, her feelings are probably stronger than either Hikaru's or Umi's by this point, since she doesn't show them easily.)
The next day: their mildly uncomfortable journey continues! There's still lots more forest, lots of random encounters. Umi and Fuu are getting plenty of practice now, and are starting to do pretty well for themselves, unlike earlier. But. are these encounters really random? There seem to be more and more of them. Umi is getting annoyed; can't they just have a nice monster-free path for once?
Mokona bounces on. leading them to a break in the trees, a large sunlit clearing, and like a million monsters gathered in the center of it. This is not what Umi asked for. The monsters are surrounding an odd black rock that seems to be floating in midair.
Mokona's all ready to bounce on in! Umi grabs Mokona right away to stop that, but even she isn't teasing Mokona as much now - whatever this is, it's serious. So much so that Hikaru insists on bringing Ferio into their strategy discussion, despite Fuu's objections - they know so little about this place, and it's not like they have anyone else to ask questions of.
Hikaru asks about the history of this place, and Ferio tells them that it's always been like this. Even back when Emeraude was in control, magic didn't work and monsters roamed freely. So whatever's going on here isn't related to that? Have they stumbled across an optional sidequest? *eyes Mokona suspiciously*
From what Ferio can tell, it looks like that black rock must be the cause of it all - it's attracting and strengthing the monsters to protect itself. That's something Hikaru can understand how to deal with - they just have to break the rock! And sure, there's the issue of the zillion monsters around it, but if they split up and distract them.
Ferio volunteers to do the distracting, but Hikaru thinks that they should do it themselves. More xp that way. Their future challenges will no doubt be even harder than this. But Ferio has been putting two and two together, noting little things like how one of them mentioned Clef's name earlier.
Hikaru just can't keep in mind that they're supposed to be suspicious of him.
He might not know everything yet, but he's pretty sure that they're aiming to rescue Emeraude and save Cephiro. And if that's the case. why, that's his desire, too!
See, he was once a traveling bard, an orphan eking out a living, who had the fortune to be invited to the castle one day. But while he was there, he couldn't help poking around at some of the fancier things on display. Unfortunately for him, some guards caught him pawing through the treasure, and arrested him as a thief. They brought him before Princess Emeraude. who told them that she had gifted him those items, covering for his indiscretion. Isn't she wonderful? And now, because she showed him such kindness back then, he'll do anything to save her!
This Ferio guy, I swear. But he says he really will help them. It's not like he has a better way out of this forest. They decide on their groups: Hikaru and Umi to fight monsters, Fuu and Ferio to go after the rock.
With the others out of earshot - well, Fuu is pretty smart. Smart enough to suspect that maybe, this time, the "just kidding" part was the lie. That story was a bit more elaborate than the others. Of course, Ferio refuses to clarify, just winking at her.
And then, battle is joined!
There are a lot of monsters. Sadly, they don't have a lot of budget, so most of them aren't animated this well - just still pictures and camera tricks.
Fighting so many monsters is tiring! Rayearth can be pretty silly sometimes. :3
After cutting through a dozen or so monsters, Hikaru and Umi have not made much of an impression on the horde's size. But they have managed to affect its position: they're no longer gathered around the rock. And that means it's the others' turn.
Ferio rushes in! Fuu follows, clearly less confident. But though she seems to waver, deep down, she's determined - even if Ferio says he can do it alone, she won't stay back.
And she just might be needed after all. Because when Ferio gets near, his movements slow oddly, like he's running through a viscous liquid. then his sword flings itself from his hands and he falls to the ground! Seems this rock has more tricks still - it's been here a long time, after all. It's not going to be that easy to take down.
Ferio manages to yell out a warning to Fuu, stopping her in time, but then the unseen force starts levitating him and pulling him towards the rock. It's covering his body with stone, too. He manages to grab his sword as he goes by, using it to anchor himself, but he won't be able to resist for long. Only now does he realize what the rock truly does: it doesn't just strengthen monsters, it creates them from any creature that happens to come near.
It's all up to you now, Fuu! You just have to make a perfect 100-meter shot before this cute boy who's turning out to be surprisingly interesting gets pulled in and destroyed! And before Hikaru and Umi get overwhelmed. No pressure. Also hopefully the rock is vulnerable to arrows, most rocks really aren't. (If she'd taken the cannon instead. ) But since they can't get close, it's fortunate that she picked a bow over a sword, at least.
Fuu is not exactly confident, but Ferio keeps shouting encouragement. Remember, Cephiro is a magical land of will! If she truly believes that she can, then she can! After a bit of indecision, Fuu takes aim.
Watch out, Hikaru; Fuu's starting to muscle her way into the spotlight!
The rock cracks and falls to the ground. It doesn't explode or anything, but it seems that whatever animating force resided in it is gone, as it's no longer pulling Ferio in. Even the monsters begin changing.
. reverting to the cute, friendly woodland creatures they were originally!
How wonderful! Don't think too hard about the dozens Hikaru and Umi just slaughtered, or all the others they killed earlier. There weren't any happy critters popping out of those corpses Sonic-style.
Ferio's a little out of it, but not so much that his first words aren't teasing Fuu about her performance. He's fine!
Soon after that, they reach the real edge of the forest - it's no longer a threat to them now. True to his word, or at least some of his words, Ferio parts from them there. But not before giving Fuu a little gift - it's not really clear what it is, some odd magical item perhaps, but it was pictured in his story as one of the pair of objects he received at the castle. Was that story really the true one?
Umi's a little put out that only Fuu is getting a gift, and not a beauty like herself. to which Ferio replies that it's because of the difference in how much he cares. How blunt. That makes Fuu go up in flames. Metaphorically. Ferio quickly runs off before things get any more embarrassing.
My, Fuu's not only being the center of battle, but she gets a romance too? She really is threatening Hikaru's main character status. :3
Elsewhere: remember that TV magic scrying mirror Zagato had? Well, Inouva's noticed something: their reception is back. Even though the Magic Knights are still within the Forest of Silence. Taking out that rock had at least one effect that wasn't so obvious to the Knights. potentially a very dangerous one.
Also, Zagato really needs to reevaluate his threat assessment. But that'll be next time!
Watching the romances in this show is kinda odd for me, now. See, years and years ago, I got completely sick of how predominant heterosexual relationships were in media. These days, it takes a lot for me to really like one - mostly I just find them annoying, even if they're done competently. (Although if they're non-normative in some way, that's a definite plus.) But I first watched Rayearth before that time, and I still have the memories of liking the romances a lot from back then. So even now, I probably like them a lot more than I would if I were just now watching the show for the first time.
Mind you, that doesn't stop me from ignoring canon and shipping the three Magic Knights with each other. After all, there's already so many different continuities: what's one more? :3
I do like that it's the quiet, nerdy girl who gets the romance here, and not the main character. That's not how things usually go.
In the manga, they did encounter Ferio here, fought a bunch of monsters, and the Fuu/Ferio thing developed in the same way - but they didn't encounter the evil rock. The Forest of Silence remained as it was, unexplained. So any repercussions arising from their actions in breaking the spell over it will be unique to this version. Also, Ferio's gift to Fuu was a simple earring, rather than a mystery thingamajigger.
Because of strict time limits in the manga, most characters only got a single major appearance in Part 1. This was Ferio's.
Tinkerbell
Validated User
Validated User Rayearth is wonderful, IMO.q_3
here to eat fish and erase the universe
RPGnet Member Validated UserFuu is wonderful.
Though I'm not entirely sure why she thinks she's at a rock concert.
RK_Striker_JK_5
Validated User
Validated UserFuu is wonderful.
Though I'm not entirely sure why she thinks she's at a rock concert.
Always got time to rock out!
I think Fuu's my favorite Rayearth character overall.
Fae
not sus
Validated User I think Fuu's my favorite Rayearth character overall.I do like Fuu quite a lot. but I don't think I could pick just one of the Magic Knights. They're all great.
Alcyone, the Vengeful Sorceress
Mokona's bouncing along like usual, leaving the Magic Knights struggling to keep up. But unlike last time, they're out of the Forest of Silence now, so they can (theoretically) use magic, and that gives Umi an idea. If they can use magic, they can skip all this walking and fly right to the Spring of Eterna!
. well, maybe not. Maybe they can summon Eterna to themselves? No, that's not working either. Sorry, Umi. Those are good ideas, and I'm sure you'd come up with all sorts of ways to break a less linear game, but that won't work here.
In fact, not only can she not cast fly, but she still can't cast anything at all. Neither can Fuu. That is a problem, no matter what Hikaru might say. But Clef's not around anymore to complete the process, so what can they do?
Right now they can't even worry about that: Mokona comes running back in terror, being chased by. something? Some kind of shadow vortex streaks across the ground towards them! Mokona bounces up to a tree and throws down a vine (actually being useful in combat!), Hikaru and Fuu climb up, but Umi gets pulled into the ground! Then while the others are trying to help her, the vortex moves up the tree and snatches Fuu too! What kind of foe is this.
Hikaru takes a nasty tumble trying to grab Fuu. but now, she's done trying to run. She's not leaving the others. When the vortex comes back for her, she takes out her sword and stabs it into the ground beneath her! Will that even work?
. evidently, yes! With an eldritch scream, a black shape erupts from the ground in front of her. And now that she can target it better: Flame Arrow!
It's quite effective. The monster decoheres and explodes into a cloud of black smoke. When it clears, Umi and Fuu are there, safe and sound. But that was quite the experience. And there are still strange roars coming from somewhere nearby. they'd better hurry on.
I do love the monsters in this show. Even the weak ones are so much more interesting than, like, giant rats or other generic defaults. And I have a particular fondness for spatial weirdnesses.
Moving on, they soon come across a small village in an open area. They don't see any activity, so they head on in to investigate. and step right into a large net trap! The place wasn't deserted after all; rather, the villagers have been doing all they can to defend their homes during this upheaval. And now the Magic Knights find themselves facing a different kind of threat, in the form of a suspicious and sullen crowd armed with whatever they could get their hands on.
Hikaru shouts out a greeting - they shouldn't be fighting, right? But will they listen?
Okay, they'll listen to that! The villagers scatter - their meagre defenses have no chance against a monster like this. I mean, that thing's as big as a tree! A big tree! Their attitude towards these strange interlopers is pretty understandable, if this is the kind of threat the ordinary people of this land have to face while a powerful few play war - but on the other hand, all they've actually accomplished here is to get their best chance of fighting off this monster caught in a net.
And that net is enough of a hinderance that Hikaru can't even manage to get a spell off. Meanwhile, a little girl among the villagers trips and falls, and the monster focuses on her. Hikaru doesn't even think about what they should do - she starts the net swinging, and manages to bonk the monster to get its attention focused on them! Little kid is saved!
Of course, then the monster is focused on them.
Also, Fuu is so polite that she calls all the monsters "monster-san". It is the cutest thing. :3
After a little bit of this, monster-san lands a hit. shredding the net, and freeing the Magic Knights! That worked out quite well! Er, except Hikaru is still tangled in the renmants, right in front of the monster. But now Umi springs into action:
. this is not really the most consistently-sized monster. Anyway, Umi crits and takes it out in one blow!
She was the most reluctant at first, but by now, even Umi has started to get into it. And she sure doesn't mind having an opportunity to show off and bask in her friends' adoration.
They call out to the villagers, telling them that it's safe, but even after that the villagers won't come out. They still don't want anything to do with these strangers. Well, no matter. They're safe now, that's what's important. And it's not like they're the ones responsible for all this. That'd be Zagato. Unforgiveable, Hikaru swears.
Umi leads them on - she's in a great mood now, at least! They surely aren't far from the Spring of Eterna, and soon-
This was quite a bit bloodier in the manga. I guess you can get away with a lot more when it's just a motionless black-and-white image.
Suddenly, their situation is upended. Umi's badly hurt. The villagers were wise to not come out, it seems. And Alcyone, perched up above, is laughing at the poor fools who just walked into her zone of fire.
Hikaru reluctantly leaves Umi to Fuu and steps forward to confront Alcyone. She's the one with magic; she has the most power out of the three of them. But this time, Alcyone is prepared, and confident. (. well, she was confident last time, too. ) She was Clef's pupil, Emeraude's sorceress - what can an upstart like Hikaru do to her?
Hearing that raises some questions from the Magic Knights - why is someone with those kind of connections fighting for Zagato? Can't she see how much damage they're causing? She humors them enought to explain herself - yes, she's perfectly aware of what's going on. She just doesn't care. Her motive is quite straightforward: she's in love with Zagato, and so she's siding with him, regardless of all else.
She follows up her words with another barrage of ice spears. Hikaru retaliates with a bolt of fire. That was enough to take out Alcyone before. but this time, again, she's prepared. She meets it with a magic barrier, and Hikaru's blast. pierces through with enough force to scratch her? Yeeeeep, Alcyone is still underestimating her. Hikaru's leveled up a bunch since they last met. And in this world of will and emotions, the way she keeps taunting Hikaru and gloating over how she downed Umi isn't doing her any favors.
Nevertheless, Hikaru's not in a great position here. Alcyone has quite a repertoire of ice-themed attacks, and she can directly block most of Hikaru's output, while Hikaru has to rely on her nimbleness to evade everything.
This is the scene that greets Umi when she struggles back to consciousness. And as she watches, barely able to move, it only seems to be getting worse. Hikaru can't quite evade everything, hasn't managed to do any more damage to Alcyone. she won't last much longer.
Though she dearly wants to, Umi can't do anything about it, not in her state. All she can do is wish - if she'd been more willing to go along with things earlier, if she'd learned magic from Clef back then, maybe she could stand alongside Hikaru now?
Fortunately for her, this is the kind of show where wishes just might be answered! And there's someone here who can help her with that. The gem on Mokona's forehead starts glowing - and inside her mind, Clef speaks! He's not dead after all! Incapacitated, yes, but he can still talk to her via Mokona, and show her what to do.
Hikaru's really having a rough time of it. Getting thrown through buildings, slammed up against a wall - she's just about done. But at the last moment. Water Dragon!
Whether because of the strength of Umi's will at this moment, or because there's a magical-power-increase-at-low-hp mechanic, or simply because it blindsided Alcyone, that spell overwhelmed her. It's a little unclear exactly how much damage it did to her, but she's apparently gone, for now.
Not that Umi's doing all that much better - as soon as she finishes casting, she collapses once again. Hikaru, in comparatively great shape, runs over to her. She embraces Umi, thanking her, talking to her.
Fuu has been pretty quiet during all of this. She didn't have the magic power to fight alongside Hikaru, and was focused on tending to Umi. but now she has an idea for something she can do. And as her ideas tend to be, it's a good one.
As she just saw Umi do, she can use the Mokona-phone to connect with Clef, and learn magic herself. But the particular magic she has in mind is a little different. Winds of Healing!
Now that's useful magic. Not as flashy as an arrow of flame or a dragon of water, but far more valuable in most remotely-realistic situations. And it's exactly what they needed here. Umi's good as new!
Can they finally relax a bit, after that series of nasty encounters? There's no one else waiting to pounce on them, right?
They're really starting to function as a team now!
They've come a long way in just a few short days. At first they only stuck together because they had to, desperately ran from the enemies chasing them. but they survived, grew strong, and now they have both the will and the power to stand together against whatever may come. (So long as that "whatever" is more Alcyone-scale and less Zagato-scale, at least - Zagato might be a bit too much for them still.) Alcyone in particular won't be happy about this, but she'll find them an even tougher target in the future.
And hey, they've even made a new friend: that little villager girl comes out to give them a flower! Her mother runs up and grabs her before they can actually take it, but Mokona picks it up from where it fell. As small of a gesture as it may be, it's a sign that they are doing good things as they travel through this world, even if others fear them. They have to protect this world, for everyone here.
Onwards! To Eterna!
In the manga, they were ambushed by Alcyone as soon as they stepped out of the Forest of Silence - before Ferio even left them, in fact. The monster battles didn't happen. There wasn't a village, either. I do like that the anime is showing us more of the ordinary people who live in this world, what things are like for them, giving this magical quest some context and grounding - the manga never had much time to touch on that.
As for Alcyone, this was her major appearance in the manga. It went pretty much the same way up until the end - the manga had some aftermath that we didn't see here. That'll happen later, instead. Indeed, several characters will have elements from a single manga appearance spread across multiple anime appearances.
Magic Knight Rayearth is known for its captivating storyline, beautiful artwork, and strong female characters. The series combines elements of fantasy, adventure, and romance, making it a favorite among fans of all ages. It has achieved both critical and commercial success, spawning multiple adaptations in manga, anime, and video games..
Reviews for "Exploring the Enchanting World of Knight Rayearth Sworx"
1. Mike - 2 stars
I have to say, Magic Knight Rayearth Sworx was a complete letdown for me. The story was confusing and convoluted, with too many plot twists that made it hard to follow. The characters were poorly developed, lacking depth and motivation. The animation quality was mediocre at best, with choppy movements and uninspired designs. Overall, I was highly disappointed with this series and wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating and well-executed fantasy anime.
2. Sarah - 1 star
Magic Knight Rayearth Sworx was an absolute disaster in my opinion. The pacing was incredibly slow, with long periods of nothing happening. The dialogue was cheesy and cliché, making it difficult to take the story seriously. The action scenes were underwhelming and lacked intensity. Additionally, the voice acting was lackluster and didn't do justice to the characters. All in all, this anime was a waste of time for me, and I regretted watching it.
3. Chris - 2.5 stars
I had high hopes for Magic Knight Rayearth Sworx, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The plot started off promisingly, but quickly became predictable and formulaic. The character development was shallow, with the protagonists lacking any real growth throughout the series. The animation was decent, but nothing groundbreaking. I wouldn't say it's the worst anime I've ever seen, but it definitely didn't leave a lasting impression.
4. Lisa - 1.5 stars
Magic Knight Rayearth Sworx was a major letdown for me. The story was confusing and difficult to follow, with too many unexplained plot points. The animation quality was mediocre, with poorly executed action sequences. The character designs were generic and uninspiring. Overall, I found this anime to be a waste of time and wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating fantasy series.