One day, three girls, Hikaru Shidou, Umi Ryuuzaki, and Fuu Hououji, meet for the first time on a school trip to Tokyo Tower. Suddenly, them find themselves transported in a strange world called Cefiro. Soon, they learn from Clef, a powerful wizard, that they where summoned by Princess Emeraude, in order to become the legendary Magic Knights that will save the once peaceful world from destruction. Since they can go home once Cefiro is saved, the girls go on a quest to become Magic Knights and find the Machins, powerful weapons needed to vanquish Zagato, an evil priest who's responsible for Cefiro's slow death.

Basically, in my opinion, Magic Knight Rayearth is a fairy tale. It is a very cute fantasy story, visibly desing to be accessible to a younger audiance (that doesn't mean it's not good enough for an adult to watch, it just mean it's way less serious then other fantasy story like Record of Lodoss War). I think the art is very kawaii, especially when the characters are in SD form (and SD form is used VERY often). From what I've seen yet, the story is original, while following the guideline of RPG games and fantasy story (magic use, monsters, items to find), and quite simple to follow. It may be possible, however, that some people might find that the characters lack some of the depth that's characterized in other animes like Fushigi Yuugi or Neon Genesis Evangelion. Magic Knight Rayearth main goal is likely to give people a good time and some laughter. It's not design to make you think and ponder on the different aspects of life.

I have found Magic Knight Rayearth enjoyable, in a way a bit similar than Sailormoon. From what I've seen, I recommend it.

MKR is composed of two seasons for a total of 49 episodes (20 in the first season, 29 in the second). Three OVA have also been made. Those OVA doesn't follow the original story and are more like parallel stories.

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Updated January 14th 1998