"Skirts and sorcery and lots of silly fun." by V. Krätke (Netherlands) on Nov 22, 2006

Magic Knight Rayearth was the very first CLAMP title I read many years ago. As such, it has some special nostalgic value to me. Looking back, I must admit it's all very fluffy and silly, but the comic has aged pretty well due to its stunning art coupled with a lively sense of fun. It's actually not a bad introduction to CLAMP's works, as the story is none too taxing. The cute characters with their fancy frocks and all the adventurous antics should draw in the comic's target audience (children and young teens) just fine.
What there is of a plot so far is your run of the mill fantasy manga yarn. It concerns a trio of average Tokyo schoolgirls who are mysteriously transported to a fantasy world where monsters and magic are the order of the day. And yes, that very same plot has been done countless times before and countless times after Magic Knight Rayearth. Unless you've read very few manga in your lifetime so far, you've probably already seen a good number of titles with the exact same basic plot premise. Magic Knight Rayearth at least has the dignity to be a little self-aware about its own silliness. The girls regularly comment on how it feels like they've fallen into a videogame, and that's a good way of putting it. The story does grow a little more involving in further volumes, but for now it's one big dose of harmless fun coated in pretty shoujo manga frills. I was especially impressed by the magical duels in this manga. CLAMP really know how to pull off those energy blasts and cheesy attack names on paper. The beautiful art and striking page layout really help to bring to life what is essentially something very goofy. A fine example of how to suspend your readers' disbelief, basically.
The French edition earns brownie points with its very natural-sounding dialogue. This new edition is also a vast improvement over the first French edition, which was published under the old Manga Player label before they became Pika Edition. The first edition really suffered from an ugly cover and some issues with the printing. At times, huge chunks of the action would vanish into a barely readable page gutter, and the book as a whole felt pretty cheaply made. The new edition feels more polished and is a welcome alternative to own an altogether nice manga.