Reviews
(3.88/5)Definitely the most exciting and thought-provoking volume of Rayearth so far. There's a lot of really interesting character work, the action pairs well with the actual themes of the story, and the ending is really interesting in a way that works at closing up this story or arc but still has me going "damn, I kinda need more".
Looking back at the series as a whole, I do appreciate the tight pacing and the story definitely does what it needs to, but I also feel like the world was maybe a little underdeveloped. It never quite felt Cephiro was an actual society (we see maybe 10 characters total) but at the same time the particular nature of this world does make the vague, ethereal feeling work well for the storytelling and atmosphere so maybe it's not such a problem (I do wish we saw that fish again though). I do think this felt a lot more "otherworldly" than a lot of Isekai that basically amount to "it's medieval Europe but there's magic I guess" and really it's the core trio's growth that matters moreso than the specifics of any lore.
This was probably the trickiest volume for me of the three. There are some ancient beings that use rather archaic language (though they do repeat the same line a lot so take it slowly once and you'll understand their other scenes). There's also a character who inexplicably speaks in an Osaka dialect (which does lead to some great comedy from the hero's reactions) and while I got the general gist of everything she said, it was very much an "I'm going to take the L on exact grammar because I get the point" type of deal. Overall this series has been at a good level for me in the sense that I was able to read it enjoyably and get into a good flow, but there were still parts where I needed to stop and actually learn something.
This was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel series to see where things go. I enjoyed taking in an actual popular classic for once since I tend to pick my manga by whatever random niche interest it relates to and I think it really feels fresh and exciting even compared to modern Isekai stories which can be a bit more formulaic.
This was probably(?) my favorite of the 3 books... or the least worst of them? Idk, the last 1/3rd of this book delivers quite the payoff, but at least for me, the journey getting here wasn't really worth it. And I was a little underwhelmed by the execution of the ending. Like it needed an epilogue or an extra 10 pgs or something, to conclude properly. Maybe they already had the sequel series planned though, and weren't really looking at it as a full ending. But even still, the final wrap up left me unsatisfied.
Overall I felt like this series - despite having a lot of original elements, design, and aesthetic - had a lot of unrealized potential, and felt incredibly formulaic and repetitive. While it was an interesting read for historical purposes, I think the writing and characters really pale in comparison to their later series like Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, xxxHolic, or even Card Captor Sakura. I might watch the anime at some point, just to see if it's more enjoyable in that format.
While I can't say I didn't somewhat enjoy myself, I'd really only recommend this series to: 1. People who really love light shoujo, with little romance. 2. People looking for an easy fantasy read. 3. People really interested in seeing what CLAMP's early works were like.
It's all fun and games until...
I've really enjoyed the series so far: fast-paced classic fantasy, fun concepts, likeable heroines. And everything was going great up until I hit the ending, which I personally was not a fan of. (Ending spoilers) <SpoilerHaving エメロード lose her mind because of love just felt so out of nowhere and cliched, which granted is ironic, considering that a lot of what I loved in this series was classic fantasy tropes. I suppose I was hoping for different, but alas.
it's hard to say how this affects my opinion of the book and series overall; I still enjoyed both, I think, but I'm a bit sad to be walking away rolling my eyes.