The world of Cefiro has transformed from a paradise into a nightmarish, dangerous place. The Princess Emeraude—who has held the world together—has been captured. She prays for Legendary Magic Knights to help save her world. On the other side of that prayer, in 1993 on a school trip to Tokyo Tower, are the wise Fuu, fiery Umi, and determined Hikaru. Brought to Cefiro, these three girls are given the mission to become those Legendary Magic Knights and save the world—if they don’t, they’ll never find their way back home.
What a breath of fresh air! This remake of the 1994 classic anime (based on the CLAMP manga that started the year before) looks and feels as 90s as possible while retaining a modern quality. In fact, as one who hasn’t seen the original—my main point of reference are other CLAMP works, like Cardcaptor Sakura—I found the mishmash of past and present to be just about perfect. The colors and quality of animation can no longer look like they did decades ago, but so much else retains the look of the time: from angles of the girls’ poses to the design of their eyes, from their exaggerated movements like face falls to their hair types and big glasses. And, surprise surprise, an ending song to episode one (“Hoshiakari” by Yurina Kawaguchi) that is as early 90s as you can possibly get. It’s a pretty perfect first episode, in fact, not just because of the flashback elements (and the slightly different tropes really stand out, in a good way, among a field of modern isekai), but because the characters and world-building are already compelling. I like Hikaru and Fuu quite a lot already (as for Umi, I see she’s going to be a little harder to love), and am deeply interested in the other characters introduced. The sense of adventure in this world is engaging too, with the three girls joining together on what is already a harrowing journey against antagonists that seem epic, even this early on. If I wasn’t excited before, I certainly am now for a giant hole in my 90s kid anime fandom to be plugged in by what looks to be a lovingly and thoughtfully made reboot of this classic series!
Magic Knight Rayearth (2026) can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
