Magic Knight Rayearth is shojo magna. That is, a series for girls. As you might be able to tell from the pictures, MKR is drawn in a shojo magna style from CLAMP (an art studio made up of all girls.) This art studio has also produced a well-known movie named X and the series Cardcaptor Sakura. Although, this series is intended for girls, it doesn't seem like it. The series doesn't have as much corniness or sappiness as I would expect. The series also doesn't seem to have as much "girl power" as one would expect from a girl series. I also think guys will watch this because the three main girls Umi, Hikaru and Fuu are sexy and their skirts are very, very short. :) And the series is awesome and has something to appeal to everyone, whether boy or girl.

Let's start with the best thing about the series. The art. It is absolutely fantastic. CLAMP really knows their stuff. Their art is very distinct, as the characters always have shiny hair, big shiny eyes, long legs and skinny bodies. The designs are excellent too. The character designs are wonderful, the costumes are great (especially the magic knight costumes) and the whole world of Cephiro, the land of will, is bright and colorful, it's too bad that the characters aren't as bright as they could be. Unfortunately, the animation for the characters is not as smooth as it could be. Also, the use of super deformed characters in funny situations really adds to the personality of the series. (Hikaru gets cat ears when she gets into tough situations. It's hilarious.) The story is also cool. It takes a typical story and twists it. Three girls are summoned from Tokyo Tower to the magical world of Cephiro. They must fulfill the prophecy of the magic knights and save the princess who is the pillar of Cepiro (who must pray for the good of Cephiro always.) who has been captured by High Priest Zagato. The girls must become magic knights by gaining experience (their weapons and armor evolve when the girls evolve. For example, a girl's armor might evolve if she does a selfless deed for someone.) and reawakening the rune gods, which turn into huge mechs and are destined to fight the mech of Zagato. The girls must also learn magic (duh) in order to become magic knights.

Although the plot sounds a little on the plain side, the villains and huge surprise twist in the end of season one keep things very, very interesting. The twist in the end is probably the best thing about this series besides the art. Also, there is a lot of characterization in this series. Umi, Hikaru and Fuu are developed very well in all of their adventures. Other characters like the wandering traveler Ferio, the magical blacksmith Precia and master mage Clef are great supporting characters. The atmosphere of the series is cute and lighthearted. Mokona, the little white magic rabbit puffball thing with a jewel on its head provides comic relief. (Puu Puuuuuuuuu! - Mokona Shut your mouth Mokona! - Umi) As mentioned before, the super deformed characters keep the atmosphere light. The sound is good although I prefer the subtitled version. The first video was subbed and the second was dubbed. The dubbing is good but the voices are just too old for 14-year-old girls. The subtitled voices are better. The sound is pretty good. The opening theme is fantastic and really describes the series. However, the battle music is annoying and overused a little too much. Another minor gripe with this series and that some of the episodes are filler episodes, until we get to the real meat of the series. Tape one is great and tape 2 is kind of lame because nothing seems to happen. Tapes 3, 4 and 5 are fantastic. This is a fantastic series and shouldn't be overlooked because it seems girly. I recommend you buy this series because it is just so cool. The messages about friendship and self-esteem are nice too. It’s colorful, it’s entertaining, it’s funny and the characters are great. I have already seen the first video of the 2nd season and can't wait to see what happens to Cephiro. Very Highly Recommended.