Yesterday at the Kyoto Manga Festival there was a special panel about the Magic Knight Rayearth TV anime remake with the voice actors of Hikaru, Umi, Fuu and Clef. During the event, a new PV was released, more cast members were announced and the OP and ED theme songs have been revealed.

Moreover, it’s been announced that the series will air for two consecutive seasons! We should expect each season to have around 11 to 13 episodes, making a total of 22~26 episodes for parts 1 and 2.

Considering this adaptation will be more faithful to the manga, I wasn’t expecting two seasons. I was under the impression that they could have 2 episodes per volume and thus 13 episodes would suffice for both parts. Instead of original content, I think they will probably spend some more time on action and fight scenes.

At least we know that everything is already produced and we will get both seasons at once instead of having to wait for part 2. They will want to have different OP and ED themes for season 2, after all.

Four additional cast members were announced:

Alcyone: Mamiko Noto
Ascot: Ayumu Murase
Caldina: Hitomi Ueda
Rafaga: Hiroki Yasumoto

Below are comments from each cast member:

Mamiko Noto

I’m Mamiko Noto, and I’ll be voicing Alcyone. I’m truly honored to be a part of this project.

Alcyone’s quest for love is both touching and heartbreaking, yet it’s beautifully enveloped in the overwhelming visual splendor…

There were times when I found myself completely absorbed in even the saddest and most poignant scenes.

I’m already eagerly awaiting the broadcast, wondering what the final product will look like when all these elements come together.

Ayumu Murase

I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard that song that starts with “Tomaranai~♪” at karaoke… I first learned about this work when several of my classmates were singing it back when I was attending a performing arts school.

When I read the original work while preparing for this audition, I felt a beauty and radiance that never fades, no matter the era.

I took on this project filled with joy at the chance to be part of such a masterpiece.

I’d be thrilled if you’d look forward to seeing Ascot’s performance as the voice actor!

Hitomi Ueda

Having grown up watching, reading, and drawing strength from CLAMP’s works, I can’t imagine anything more wonderful than being able to appear in the Reiwa-era adaptation of Magic Knight Rayearth as Caldina. With a deep sense of responsibility toward this series—which has left such a lasting impression on so many people’s hearts—I stayed focused and did my best to embody Caldina in my own way.

Thank you very much for your support.

I hope you’ll look forward to the broadcast!

Hiroki Yasumoto

This is the anime that used to air during Monday prime time.

It’s a powerful series. While it certainly brings back nostalgic memories, I feel even more joy and a sense of mission.

Precisely because this is a series that you all love—and love so dearly—I intend to give my all to the tasks I can handle and do my best to fulfill my role.

Thank you for your continued support.

Source: Magic Knight Rayearth TV Anime official website

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The Opening Theme song is called “Otome no Tsurugi” (乙女の剣), which means “Maiden’s Sword” and will be performed by Toaka.

Comments from Toaka:

I poured the protagonists’ pure and sincere feelings into “Otome no Tsurugi”.

Suddenly burdened with the fate of the world, they continue to hold their heads high. They never stop facing their challenges head-on.

I created this song with the hope of conveying, through my voice, the determined gaze that embodies their strong will.

I, too, have been encouraged by the sight of them fighting single-mindedly to save others.

That is why I hope that this time, my music will serve as a source of support for them and give them even a little push forward.

That is the wish I’ve poured into this song.

The Ending Theme song is called “Hoshi Akari” (星灯), which means “Starlight” and will be performed by Yurina Kawaguchi.

Comments from Yurina Kawaguchi:

I will be performing the ending theme for Magic Knight Rayearth.

As a fan of the original series myself, my heart is racing with excitement at the thought of a new chapter opening for this long-loved work and its brilliance spreading even further.

I feel this is a work that combines the warmth of a sunlit glade with the grandeur and delicacy of a force as compelling as the darkness of the deep sea.

I sang this song with all my heart, staying true to that worldview.

I hope you’ll enjoy the lingering afterglow of each episode alongside “Hoshi Akari”.

Source: Magic Knight Rayearth TV Anime official website

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So, let’s talk about the second PV and my opinions about it!

I actually enjoyed this second PV a lot more. You can see that some scenes are really well done and I like the fact that a lot of them do not have that “haze” effect that was more apparent in the first PV. Some scenes in particular reminded me of cell animation — specially the darker ones –, even though this is entirely digital.

I still have some reservations regarding the character design, which I already mentioned previous times, but it’s starting to grow on me or bother me less haha The mashin look really, really good, more than the girls themselves in my opinion (not sure how I feel about that!).

The scenes look extremely faithful to the original manga, which is awesome!

The action scenes look very dynamic and well made. I have a feeling that action scenes and fights in general are going to take a lot of screen time to fill in those two seasons.

As for the OP and ED theme songs, I don’t feel anything special towards them at this point. From what we can hear in the PV, they don’t feel like my type of music. I’m not even trying to compare to the original OP and ED themes because that would be unfair, I think. I just wasn’t impressed by them.

I have said it once and I’ll say it again, you can really feel the care, respect and effort that TMS is putting into this remake.