Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu are the best of friends. They attend the same junior high and do a lot of stuff together.
The girls are on the verge of graduating, and going to high schools located in
different cities threaten to separate them.
A wish to remain friends forever under a mystical cherry blossom tree,
however, changes their destinies.
There's a fairy (Mokona) in the tree, and it chooses Hikaru, Umi, and
Fuu to defend the Earth against the onslaught of dark forces that seek to end
all existence.
Review: Magic Knight Rayearth OVA
Simply entitled Rayearth, this Magic Knight Rayearth OVA series has absolutely
nothing to do with the manga and Magic Knight Rayearth TV series. It's a
separate and totally different story meant to be viewed on its own.
Rayearth features the Magic Knight Rayearth OVA characters we know and either love
or hate
(kinda like how the Tenchi series has several different versions using the
same cast).
Anyhow, I liked the Magic Knight Rayearth manga and TV series, so I was also
eager to check the OVA out.
The plot and pacing are excellent. The girls are pitted against more than just your typical "I'm gonna take over
the world, bwahahahaha!" type of villains.
Powerful mages from the world of Cephiro are attacking the Earth for the sake
of carrying out their princess' wish.
The problem is, their princess is trapped inside an illusory world where she
and her lover are happy together. But as reality goes, her lover is dead.
She can't accept this and so her good(?) brother creates this
never-ending dream world for his heartbroken sister.
Somehow, for this romantic dream to last, the Earth has to be destroyed. Is it
all really that simple though? Not at all.
Unknown to the princess' loyal aides, her brother has agendas of his own that
don't really include her happiness or welfare.
The art and animation are breathtakingly beautiful. The characters are more severely drawn compared to the manga and TV series but
this style fits the overall atmosphere of the story perfectly.
The battle sequences are awe-inspiring and explosive, and the fabulous musical
scoring enhances everything nicely. Production values are obviously very high.
What spoiled Rayearth for me, though, was the excessive mushy-ness. There's nothing wrong with depicting the finer points of friendship and
camaraderie in an anime.
Related Articles: Magic Knight Rayearth II Anime Review
The fault lies in the fact that Rayearth goes way over the top with it. I swear I could just vomit after all the friendship stuff the girls kept on
spouting in almost every scene.
Before, during, and after they do anything they'd say some sentimental crap
related to friendship. It was sickening.
Rayearth could've been a 5-star anime had they take it easy on the mush
factor.
Miscellanies: Magic Knight Rayearth OVA
Rayearth the OVA series is composed of only three episodes.
Rayearth (Magic Knight Rayearth OVA) | |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Fantasy |
|---|---|
| Episodes | 3 |
| Status | Finished Airing |
| Aired | Jul 25, 1997 to Nov 24, 1997 |
| Producers | Polygram Japan, Kodansha, TMS-Kyokuchi |
| Studio | TMS Entertainment |
| Rating | PG-13 - Teens 13 or older |
| Themes | Isekai |
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