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Story and Art by CLAMP
MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH Copyright © 1994 Kodansha Ltd.
And CLAMP
English Version Copyright © MIXX Entertainment
MIXX Entertainment
Volume 1
US $11.95
206 pages
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by Charles McCarter
From the pages of MIXXZINE comes
MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH, one of
CLAMP's
most enduring stories. Now, however, the adventures of the
Magic Knights have been collected into their own "Pocket
Manga," as Mixx is calling
their English-language adaptation.
For those who are unfamiliar
with the basic story, Umi, Hikaru, and Fuu, three ordinary
high school girls, are summoned to the magical world of
Cephiro by its princess. They are ordained to be the
legendary Magic Knights who save Cephiro from the evil
forces of Lord Zagato. The girls don't know each other
before their trip, and at first it looks like they could
barely save newspapers, let alone a whole world. But after
some lengthy exposition and a crash course in magic from
Guru Clef they are sent on their way.
CLAMP fans already know what
to expect of this title. The well-drawn, serious panels are
interspersed with panels of SD characters that are usually
bickering. This use of humor is effective in both getting a
laugh and adding to character development. Plus, it keeps
the manga from getting too repetitive. The ornate and
detailed style of the main art is also nicely contrasted by
the simple yet elegant SD characters as well. This is a
good example of where the strengths of the various CLAMP
members play off each other successfully.
The first volume gets the
story going, and introduces the three Magic Knights and some
of their supporting cast, including Guru Clef, Prescea, and
of course, the horribly cute or annoying (take your pick)
Mokona. As a result, each character gets a bit of
development and explanation, so the reader can actually
follow the plot without too much trouble. In fact, if
anything the story is a little light, but since there is so
much detail in both the humor and the art, the lack of
complicated plot does not detract from the finished
product.
The dialog is pretty good,
and it manages to avoid sounding flat or uninteresting.
Especially fun are the scenes where the newly-formed Magic
Knights start bickering with one another; the banter is
well-phrased and believable. And one of the most difficult
problems in doing English manga translations, the sound
effects, seems to have been given great thought and
care.
This is one
of the first titles in Mixx's line of Pocket Manga; the
others are of course SAILOR MOON and
PARASYTE. RAYEARTH and CLAMP fans will definitely
want this volume on their bookshelf, but even those who
aren't normally fans of big-eyed manga heroines should check
this out.  |
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