Nostalgia hit hard during the panels at this weekend’s Anime Expo. The production committee behind the ambitious new animated adaptation of Magic Knight Rayearth (legendarily known in our region as Las Guerreras Mágicas) released a stunning trailer that finally lets us see the final visual work. The teaser not only showcased the redesign of the protagonists but also marked October 7th as the firm date for its debut on Japanese television, taking the coveted nighttime block “IMAnimation W” on TV Asahi.

Reviving a pillar of the 1990s requires a team that understands the material, and the facilities of E&H production seem up to the task. The project marks the major debut of Yui Miura in the director’s chair, backed by the experience of Shigeru Murakoshi, who has the heavy task of structuring and modernizing the series’ scripts. In the visual department, Satomi Watabe takes on character design, trying to balance modern aesthetics with the unmistakable classic strokes. However, the masterstroke of the producer UNLIMITED PRODUCE by TMS was assembling a dream trio for the original soundtrack, adding the legendary Yuki Kajiura alongside Takumi Ozawa and Shiho Terada to orchestrate the music for this fantasy.

Voice Cast

• Ayane Sakura (Ochaco Uraraka in My Hero Academia) as Hikaru Shidō.
• Rumi Ōkubo (Astolfo in Fate/Apocrypha) as Umi Ryūzaki.
• Rie Takahashi (Megumin in KonoSuba) as Fū Hōōji.
• Yūki Kaji (Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan) as Clef.
• Emiri Katō (Kyuubey in Puella Magi Madoka Magica) as Presea.
• Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Kirito in Sword Art Online) as Ferio.
• Saori Hayami (Yor Forger in Spy x Family) as Emeraude.
• Yūki Ono (Taiga Kagami in Kuroko’s Basketball) as Zagato.
• Mika Kikuchi (Mokona in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle) as Mokona.

The Immortal Legacy of CLAMP

For new generations who didn’t experience the original phenomenon, it’s crucial to understand that this work set important foundations for the modern isekai genre. Created by the unparalleled collective of artists CLAMP, the original manga was serialized in the pages of the magazine Nakayoshi between 1993 and 1996. Its premise takes us directly to a school trip at the Tokyo Tower, where Hikaru, Umi, and Fū are suddenly dragged into the fantasy world of Cephiro. There, they discover they were summoned to become Magic Knights and save the pillar of that universe, Princess Emeraude, from the clutches of the priest Zagato. The original franchise exploded worldwide thanks to its first anime aired between 1994 and 1995, followed by a radical reinterpretation in OVA format in 1997.

With figures of the caliber of Yuki Kajiura in the music department, do you think this new adaptation will manage to surpass the legendary soundtrack of the 90s series?