Magic Knight: Rayearth I, Book 2

Rating:
Summary: Groundbreaking Manga
Review: Hikaru, Umi and Fuu were summoned to Cephiro to save Princess Emeraude from the evil Zagato, but before they can become Legendary Magic Knights, they must first get some wicked cool weapons! With the help of Ferio the swordsman, Presea the pharle (weapon maker), Clef the greatest magician in the land and the cute fluffy Mokona, these girls are sure to go far! But what about that chick in the skimpy outfit, Alcione, sent by Zagato to kill them? Can they use their magic to protect themselves? And where does Mokona always disappear to whenever there¡¦s a battle? How does she manage to look so cute? What is her secret?!?
To find out the answers to all these questions and more, buy the second volume of the MKR series!! =^-^=

1. Story: Great story, very classical Shoujo storyline, but definitely original and captivating. I loved it!
2. Love Interest: Come on guys, it¡¦s a Shoujo manga; it¡¦s got the cutest love stories ever, but in the first cycle only Fuu gets a love interest, but boy! What a guy she gets! Ferio is really cute, and he¡¦s the only shonen that doesn¡¦t have shoulders out to here, and stands mountains tall compared to the girls. He isn¡¦t even wrapped up in cloaks, or have tons of hair, but he does have the coolest, wicked cool sword!!! (Don¡¦t worry parents, nothing offensive to the romance, and there isn¡¦t even any kissing ƒ¼.)
3. Artwork: Gorgeous. And you can trust my opinion; I draw manga, so I know good artwork when I see it, seriously. Mokona and Fuu are not drawn to my tastes in the first cycle; Mokona has these weird cheeks, but that¡¦s just me. The rest of the artwork will have you drooling (especially over Zagato) and the character design is scrumptious, but some of the battle scenes are confusing until you get the hang of them and know what to look for.
4. Translation: Great translation; great fonts. Princess Emeraude and Zagato both have their own personal fonts, a really neat stylistic quirk. It really adds depth to the story. There is a small problem cuz Japanese isn¡¦t written like English, so the speech bubbles are taller than they are wide, but that¡¦s usually not a problem. ¡¥Why don¡¦t you¡¦ is spelled ¡¥Whydoncha¡¦ and Ferio charmingly greets the girls with, ¡¥who are y¡¦all?¡¦ but overall it was perfect.
5. Quality: Excellent Quality, it¡¦s a beautiful book that will not fall apart like the Sailor Moon manga reportedly does. It reads from right to left; Japanese form, but since I can read and write Arabic, it came naturally to me. On the last page is a quick, useful tutorial to show you how to read authentic manga in its original form. Words don¡¦t lead off the page or anything, and the paper is beautiful.
6. Nudity: NONE (Only two skimpy outfits; nothing to worry about)
7. Price: Ok, now, as much as I love manga, ten bucks for a 120-page comic book is kind of a lot. I have to buy everything online, so I¡¦m under my parent¡¦s thumb, and though I would gladly produce the money myself, they don¡¦t approve of it. ƒ¼ -sigh-
8. Mokona¡¦s in it. Puuuu?

Another cool perk about this series is the extra part at the end of the book, where CLAMP talks to you (manga style) and tell you about the anime, the artbooks and, of course, themselves!! They¡¦re drawn in cute chibi-form, with some info on CLAMP¡¦s team. Puu! Puu!!

Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: Once again, I am impressed with Clamp's artwork and storyline. The story starts of where Ferio joins the girls, and after a major showdown with Alcionie, they go their seperate ways. Unlike in the anime, the Fuu/Ferio relationship is shown more in depth, and is much more romantic and fluffier than in the anime. Also, he doesn't hit on Umi, although she is the first one to figure out that Fuu has feelings for Ferio, while Hikaru is clueless, as usual. The artwork is amazing, and the character development is noteworthy. :)