Magic Knight Rayearth New Anime Reveals Theme Songs and Four More Cast Members
Two source renderings of the theme song titles diverge ("Otome no Tsurugi" versus "Otome no Ken"), the kind of translation discrepancy that usually gets locked down closer to broadcast.
Key Facts
- The new Magic Knight Rayearth anime debuts on October 7 in the IMAnimation W programming block on TV Asahi and affiliated channels.
- Toaka performs the opening theme and Yurina Kawaguchi performs the ending theme, both previewed in the second main trailer.
- Four cast members were added: Mamiko Noto as Alcione, Ayumu Murase as Ascot, Hitomi Ueda as Caldina, and Hiroki Yasumoto as Lafarga.
- The anime will air for two consecutive cours for a half-year run.
- Yui Miura directs in his series directorial debut, with E&H production animating and Shigeru Murakoshi on series scripts.
Reporting from 2 sources: Anime News Network, Anime Corner.
The KyoMAF special stage for the new Magic Knight Rayearth anime revealed a second main trailer on Sunday, along with two theme songs and four additional cast members. Toaka performs the opening theme "Otome no Tsurugi" (A Young Lady's Sword), and Yurina Kawaguchi performs the ending theme "Hoshiakari" (Starlight); the trailer previews both. Mamiko Noto joins as Alcione, Ayumu Murase as Ascot, Hitomi Ueda as Caldina, and Hiroki Yasumoto as Lafarga. The event also confirmed the anime will air for two consecutive cours, a half-year run. It debuts on October 7 in the IMAnimation W programming block on TV Asahi and affiliated channels at 11:45 p.m. (10:45 a.m. EDT). Ayane Sakura, Rumi Okubo, and Rie Takahashi lead as Hikaru Shido, Umi Ryuzaki, and Fuu Hououji. Yui Miura directs in his series directorial debut, with E&H production animating, Shigeru Murakoshi on series scripts, Satomi Watabe designing characters, and Yuki Kajiura, Takumi Ozawa, and Shiho Terada composing.
- Toaka's opening theme is titled "Otome no Tsurugi" (A Young Lady's Sword) in Anime News Network's report, but "Otome no Ken" in Anime Corner's report.
- Yurina Kawaguchi's ending theme is "Hoshiakari" (Starlight) in Anime News Network's report and "Seira" in Anime Corner's report.
- Mamiko Noto is Alcione in Anime News Network's spelling and Alcyone in Anime Corner's.
- Satomi Watabe designs characters; Anime Corner spells the name Satomi Watanabe and calls the role character design.
- UNLIMITED PRODUCE by TMS is producing the project.
- Sunghoo Park is the creative producer.
- Takayuki Sano is assistant director, with Hiroki Mutaguchi on Rune God design and mechanic direction.
- Kazumaru Ando is art director, Chiho Nakamura is color key artist, and Tomohiko Kan handles 3D supervision.
- Hitoshi Tamura is compositing director of photography, Keisuke Yanagi edits, and Shuhei Abe is sound director.
- E&H production animates, and Yui Miura's prior credits include episode direction on Ninja Kamui and Bullet/Bullet.
- Shigeru Murakoshi's script credits include Zombie Land Saga, Ninja Kamui, and Apocalypse Hotel.
- Satomi Watabe's design credits include Escha Chron and Aikatsu Friends!
- Saori Hayami voices Emeraude, Yuki Ono is Zagato, Mika Kikuchi is Mokona, Yuki Kaji is Clef, Emiri Kato is Presea, and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka is Ferio.
- The story follows Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu, transported from a Tokyo Tower field trip to Cephiro, where the mage Clef tells them the world is dying after Zagato kidnapped Princess Emeraude.
- CLAMP serialized the manga in Kodansha's Nakayoshi from 1993 to 1996 in six volumes; Anime Corner dates the first run November 1993 to February 1995 and the sequel March 1995 to April 1996.
- Two television anime seasons followed, the first from October 1994 to March 1995 and Magic Knight Rayearth 2 from April to November 1995, plus a 1997 three-episode OVA retelling.
- Media Blasters released the television anime on VHS and DVD in the United States; Discotek Media licensed it in 2014 and released a complete DVD and Blu-ray collection in 2017 that omitted the OVA.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.