Magic Knight Rayearth Returns to TV After 31 Years With New Anime on TV Asahi
CLAMP’s classic manga “Magic Knight Rayearth” is getting a new television anime that premieres October 7 on TV Asahi’s “IMAnimation W” programming block, airing Wednesdays at 11:45 p.m., Yahoo! News reported. The series marks the first new animated adaptation of the property in roughly 29 years, since the 1997 original video anime “Rayearth,” and the first television series in about 31 years, since the original broadcast ran from 1994 to 1995.
The new production reunites the story’s signature blend of magical-girl adventure and giant robot action. Three Tokyo schoolgirls—Hikaru Shido, Umi Ryuuzaki, and Fuu Hououji—are summoned to the fantasy world of Cephiro, where they become the legendary Magic Knights tasked with rescuing the captive Princess Emeraude. Central to the series’ identity are the Magic Gods, massive mecha that the girls pilot in battle, a fusion of magical-girl and robot anime that was unusual for its time.
Yuki Mutaiguchi Brings Mecha Expertise to the Magic Gods
Veteran mecha animator Yuki Mutaiguchi serves as both Magic God designer and mechanical director on the new series. Mutaiguchi, who has worked on the “Gundam” franchise as well as “SSSS.Gridman” and “SSSS.Dynazenon,” watched the 1994 anime in real time as a viewer before reading the original manga, Yahoo! News reported.
Mutaiguchi said he grew up on the Brave Series and was of the “SD Gundam” generation, and he also enjoyed fantasy-tinged robot shows such as “Mashin Hero Wataru” and “Madou-Oh Granzort.” Of the original anime, he recalled being pleased to see mecha designed by Yoshihiro Yamane, whose art he admired, and noted that the Magic Gods’ beast-like forms combined with medieval Western armor elements made them distinctive among robot anime of the era. He observed that while several robot shows fused fantasy and mecha in the 1990s, such combinations are rarer today.
From Nakayoshi Serialization to Anime Legacy
The original manga by the creative group CLAMP ran in Kodansha’s shōjo magazine Nakayoshi from 1993 to 1995. The story follows the three girls as they battle across Cephiro to free Princess Emeraude and confront the forces threatening her kingdom. The 1994–95 television anime adapted that storyline, and the 1997 OVA continued the saga before the property went dormant on screen for nearly three decades.
Premiere Details and Mecha Design Announced
When does the new Magic Knight Rayearth anime air?
The series premieres October 7 on TV Asahi’s “IMAnimation W” block, with new episodes airing every Wednesday at 11:45 p.m.
Who is designing the mecha for the new series?
Yuki Mutaiguchi, known for his work on “Gundam,” “SSSS.Gridman,” and “SSSS.Dynazenon,” is handling both the Magic God designs and mechanical direction.
How long has it been since the last Rayearth anime?
The new television series arrives about 31 years after the original 1994–95 broadcast, and the new anime overall comes roughly 29 years after the 1997 OVA.
The revival places “Magic Knight Rayearth” among the longest gaps between anime adaptations of a single manga property, returning the 1990s magical-girl mecha hybrid to television for a new generation of viewers.
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