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MANGA REVIEWS

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



MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH
—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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