Customer Reviews

Magic Knight Rayearth Omnibus Edition

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Magic Knight Rayearth is the newest of Dark Horse's CLAMP releases, after many many delays.

The story itself is described as being "Swords and Sorcery Shojo Action", and there's not really a better way to sum up what it's about: there is an excess of swords, sorcery, and shojo-y girl themes. There's plenty of action, but from the way the girls think, talk and act, it's obvious this book was made for girls. There's also the issue of the ending, which is surprisingly dark for shojo. Of course, there's a MKR 2 to follow up the original story, but the sequel doesn't and couldn't possibly undo the events of the first story. The conclusion of the story gives it some much needed depth that helps it stand apart from competing shojo action series, but the dark nature (as well as the blood strewn throughout the story) means that the story is meant for girls of a certain maturity. If you can't handle an ending that isn't exactly happy, you probably shouldn't read MKR just yet.

The important question comes down to what form the omnibus takes... whether it's a flimsy like DH's Chobits releases, or a heavier, more quality release like DH's Clover and CCS. Obviously, I've named my review thus because DH has gone back to Chobits format. This book is characterized by being entirely too big for it's spine to support, with flimsy covers. Like Chobits, it needs to be handled with care, and I'm disappointed to see that despite there being only 3 volumes in the release, the thickness of the book hasn't really decreased by that much, and is still likely to give you hand cramps just supporting the book while reading.

Ultimately, the format that DH has chosen is disappointing, but the release is still plenty of fun.

Before I begin, please understand that I'm not reviewing the story or art of this book. If you are a CLAMP or Rayearth fan then you already know. CLAMP is famous for cute, endearing stories accompanied with excellent, clean artwork. Rayearth is not different. The only problem is that you may want Tsubasa or xxxHolic because CLAMP is also famous for interwoven series.

Onto the review . . .

After a long delay, Dark Horse has reprinted the entire series Magical Knight Rayearth in one oversized volume. (But don't forget that there is a sequel to reprinted as well.) The book is standard size for manga which is a bit of a shame. I was hoping for a larger paper size like the Cardcaptor reprint. Still the paper quality is good with nice inking (but again not as nice as Cardcaptor). Both are standard fare for a DH comic.

The real joy in this reprint is the abundance in color pages. There are color pages at both the beginning and end of the book. Additionally, all bonus content is in color! That made the book worthwhile. The color pages are beautifully done with heavier stock paper with a faint gloss. It is also funny to note that the ads at the end of the book are in color as well. If only DH cut those pages and upped the paper stock for the rest of the volume *sighs*.

Overall the reprint is well done with plenty of pretty color pages. The draw back is the standard size, paper and inking that makes the volume a might difficult to hold.

I absolutely loved it. Reayearth is funny, heartwarming, and action packed, and just an overall joy. I read it in 2 days (I work, if it wasn't for my long hours I would have killed it in a day) because it's just a page turner. I was literally reading it as I was walking, and hanging on to my boyfriend's arm so I don't fall on my face. The artwork is spectacular (CLAMP is known for that) and the story really draws you in. It's the most addictive manga I've ever read and i'd highly recommend it to anyone. Sure it's about 3 girls saving a world but it's by no means cheesy. I got it because my friend who works at a manga store recommended it. She told me the surprise ending will blow my mind. It did!!