 Magic Knight Rayearth II #1 Review
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(Also in a series box set!)
Crossover Info: No direct crossovers though Magic Knight Rayearth II does set the scene for xxxHolic and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. For more, check out my Magic Knight Rayearth section.
I decided to reread my Magic Knight Rayearth II mangas in preparation for several sections I will be writing for Link and Loop and have really enjoyed doing so.
A lot of people seem to think that the current crossover titles out by CLAMP are limited to Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle and xxxHolic but this sequel to the first Magic Knight Rayearth series establishes several key plot points that are important in both these series, such as the existence of other worlds that can be visited from our world, the creation of such worlds, the original Mokona of whom Soel and Larg are based (the white Mokona, Soel, in Tsubasa is not the same one as in Magic Knight Rayearth) as well as the meaning of three of the symbols used in the magic circles created by Soel and Yuko when they perform magic.
The series also offers a rather enjoyable and deep storyline of it's own with plenty of CLAMP style plot twists and turns. All the characters that were introduced in the first Magic Knight Rayearth series are thankfully given a lot more depth here and the whole concept of the Pillar that many readers took for granted the first time around is actually discussed by almost everyone with several issues brought up that I hadn't really thought about before.
This first volume picks up a year after the three main girls returned from their first adventure in Cephiro (another world). All are coping rather badly, showing obvious signs of depression over the tragic event that they brought about. However on a reunion at Tokyo Tower they find themselves teleported once more to Cephiro and find that it is in ruins.
From this point on they are reintroduced to all their friends they met the first time around and actually given a lot of down time with them. Heaps and I do mean heaps (maybe too many?) of new characters are also introduced who have connections to other characters they know and others from other worlds who are invading Cephiro in an attempt to take it over.
Pretty soon the Rune Gods reunite with the girls and the fighting begins.
The artwork is great, the translation spot on and the cover presentation is one of the best I have seen for a manga series. My only complaint that I have for this series is that too much happens too fast and too many characters involved. While most other CLAMP series get around 6 (at least) issues to tell their story arc, this second series, like the first, is only given three volumes to tell it's story and while for the most part it's fine and keeps the plot moving forward with three worlds invading Cephiro and about three or four characters representing each world the characters can be a bit overwhelming despite how compelling their designs and interesting their personality.
This is but a minor fault and on a second reading isn't as noticable, especially if you pace your reading instead of reading it all in one sitting .
Overall a very compelling manga volume and one that I could see sparking heated debates in manga and anime forums about several of the issues brought up within it.
Well worth your time.
4 stars out of 5.
Grab it now
Also in a series box set.
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