Right, so here’s something that should make certain folks very happy indeed.
After nearly thirty years of fans gently whimpering about a follow-up, the powers that be have finally confirmed that Magic Knight Rayearth—the nineties anime that taught an entire generation that magical girls could actually be quite bleak—will be receiving the shiny new animation treatment.
The series is slated to drop on Japanese television in October 2026, which gives you ample time to dig out your old VHS tapes and have a proper weep about being a child in the nineties.
The Trailer
The trailer dropped recently, and it’s a rather handsome bit of business. The visual style’s received a proper modern polish while clearly keeping faith with CLAMP’s original aesthetic—you can tell they’ve been sensible about this one.
For those who’ve been panicking that it’d get the slightly creepy AI-generated facial overhaul treatment, breathe easy. It appears someone in production actually understands the assignment.
Production Details
- E&H Production handling things under UNLIMITED PRODUCE by TMS
- Yui Miura taking the directing chair for their series debut
- Shigeru Murakoshi on script duties
- Yuki Kajiura composing the music
That’s a smart bit of hiring: fresh perspective behind the camera, someone who’s clearly drunk the original’s kool-aid making sure the heart stays intact. And Kajiura composing? That’s essentially a guarantee the soundtrack will be absolutely enormous.
The Wednesday night slot within TV Asahi’s IMAnimation W block tells you everything about the target audience—this isn’t being shuffled to some obscure 4am slot. They know exactly who they’re catering to.
The Voice Cast
The voice cast, meanwhile, is absolutely stacked:
- Ayane Sakura as Hikaru — the Uraraka and Gabi Braun voice
- Rumi Okubo handling Umi — same voice behind Astolfo and Mem-cho, remarkable range
- Rie Takahashi as Fuu — yes, THAT Rie Takahashi, Megumin herself
What’s interesting here is how deliberately they’ve chosen performers with serious dramatic cred, not just the “cute voice” crowd. This suggests the production understands Rayearth wasn’t exactly Cardcaptor Sakura, if you catch my drift.
About the Original
Three schoolgirls getting yeeted into another world, becoming mystical warriors, dealing with a storyline that absolutely did not pull its punches?
That’s proper narrative boldness for a “magical girl” show from the early nineties. Dark fantasy, unexpected casualties, genuine emotional stakes—it’s no wonder people still have such affection for it.
What Remains to Be Seen
So here’s what I’m genuinely curious about: will this remake capture what made the original genuinely special, or will it end up being a very pretty nostalgia delivery system?
And beyond that—does anyone else find it interesting that the shows getting these remakes now are the ones from an era where “children’s animation” still had some actual bite to it?
Curious where this fits in the broader wave of bringing back the less sanitised stuff from the nineties.
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