I'm going to order MKR Season 2 for my birthday coming up, so I'll give my thoughts on the episodes after watching them like I did with the first season.

Season 2 has been procured. I'll watch the first episode soon.

Alright, I just watched the first episode. I'll use a pretty simple rating system this time around.

Great - Episodes I completely love
Good - Episode which kick a good amount of ass
Decent - Episodes that don't really do much for me, but they're not bad
Bad - Episodes which are so boring that they actually put me into a bad mood. Hopefully none fall into this category; episode 14 from the first season did. XD

Alright, so... onto my random comments.

Episode 21: A Departure and New Ties

This is the first new Magic Knight Rayearth episode I've seen in nearly two years. I got the original series following the crappy first week of Sophomore Year; I got this series under far better circumstances, seeing as how now I'm out of school for good and enjoying the adult life. I liked the intro; you can tell from the very beginning that this season is going to be quite different, and Hikaru kissing Nova was... interesting. I love Hikaru's older brothers. XD The eldest brother has a very pleasant voice (I've become a subbie in the last year, but I'm watching the dub for this one). Shame he's probably never going to show up again. CLAMP balanced out Hikaru's character rather nicely; she seems depressed, but they didn't overdo it... she's still Hikaru-y enough to try to put on a smile when others are around. Same with Umi; I liked seeing all three of them interacting with their family members, actually. Interestingly enough, Fuu is the only one who doesn't show any obvious signs of being sad. Her sister obviously caught onto something, but I didn't.

Have Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu seen each other since the end of the first season? I noticed that they jumped straight to the heart of the matter rather than bother with the re-introductions. This either means they see each other regularly or didn't feel like going through the formalities... which would make me respect them a bit more, seeing as how I don't like formalities myself. It's a good thing that fish thing of Clef's caught them, since it would suck to be summoned to Cephiro just to fall to your death. >_> I like the whole somewhat weird atmosphere the episode had (or at least, that's what I read into it), where you think something is over (in this case, their days in Cephiro) and then before you know it... you're back where you were with the same familiar faces. And even though it feels weird, it also feels right because you had never really moved on. You hadn't really been living in the meantime, you'd just been in a haze. Yeah, hard to explain. Anyway.

The devastation of Cephiro didn't have quite the effect it rightfully should have, since my memory of the classic Cephiro has waned in the last couple of years, but I can still recognize it as a very well-done element. I liked the reunion with Mokona (the three looked really happy to see again, Hikaru especially). The restraint the three girls used in dealing with Clef was admirable. They didn't put the blame on him at all; I know that I wouldn't be that selfless. I'd be silent at the very least, uppercutting Clef at the very most. Anyway, I don't really have any comments on anything past this. The episode was nearly over by this point, and it was just some catching up on Cephiro's state along with some ships from enemy countries approaching.

Bah, this took so long to write that my DVD shut off. =( Oh well. I'm going to go watch episode 22 now.

Rating for Episode 21: Good

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: I liked this episode, but there's nothing at all that I'd really term "badass".

Episode 22: Cephiro and the Three Countries

I liked the Magic Knights' reasons for wanting to defend Cephiro. The first season's "inspiring" dialogue often came off as sappy, overemotional tripe, but so far the second season has seemed to be more well-written and meaningful. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu's uselessness in the war (according to Clef) is a nice contrast of the first season, in which the complete opposite held true. I disagree with him, though. I think they would have a role to play; they would be great morale boosters for those defending Cephiro. Whether their task has been carried out or not, they still mean a great deal to the people living there. Also, in the first few minutes I noticed the avatar Hikaru-sensei used when I first got here. ^^ The three girls' babbling was funny. They came off as complete ditzes.

The return of Presea was surprising. I wouldn't say it cheapened her death because I didn't care about her that much in the first place... she had only been around for five episodes. This is just an opportunity to further utilize an underused character. I just hope this doesn't mean the writers won't be willing to make any sacrifices this season because there won't be any more extreme miracles performed, as in Princess Emeraude's mass revivals. In the scene with the Mashins, the Magic Knights seemed to be more like equals with them than they did at even the end of the first season. I mean, yeah, you can't really be equals with godlike figures, but it seemed to be on less of a higher power/mere human level. Or something. I'm getting sleepy.

Not much to comment on from here on out, but it is nice to see the girls in action again. This felt like a short episode and didn't really have much in the way of plot development or content (okay, so there was some major stuff like the brief introduction of the three countries, but nothing too fascinating; I mean, nothing was actually learned about them aside from the names). It wasn't bad; it displayed a good degree of competency and quality and was entertaining enough, it was just more of a transitional episode than anything else.

Rating for episode 22: Decent

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Nothing stands out too much, as was the case with the last episode, but I thought Hikaru's line, "I am Hikaru Shidou!" was rather cool in both the line itself and the art.

I'll be back with more reviews tomorrow.

Ooooh, you've started doing the episode reviews again Casey-sensei! Awesome! I can remember back two years ago when you were doing them for the first season of MKR. It's really a great idea to have such good information about the series and I wish that I'd done it when I'd seen the anime the first time around.

Pretty much everything you've said about the first two episodes I really agree with strongly, especially two of the themes that you've picked up on already. The first one about the three of them all being in a "haze" after the conclusion of the first season is absolutely correct. It's very close to the feeling of having been through a loss or trauma so shocking that there hasn't been enough time yet to have a distinct emotional response develop. Unfortunately I have experienced this myself and for a while I did go about in a haze, literally not knowing how I should be feeling. The second theme that you saw was the Magic Knights' feelings of uselessness, that in their previous mission to Cephiro they were nothing more than pawns in the plan known as the Legend of the Magic Knights. After quickly realizing this, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu become more determined to make a difference this time around, for the good of Cephiro, but more importantly, for the good of themselves. I'm not sure if you want comments to be posted in amongst your reviews Casey-sensei, so I posted them here instead. If it is okay, I can move this over there.

EDIT: Wow, I was able to extract this post from the old topic and append it to this one with a single command ... I'm impressed with myself. X3

Man. I'm glad you're enthusiastic, Hikaru-sensei, and the comments are more interesting than the reviews themselves were. =P

Anyway, I'll try to start cranking these out more consistently. I've just been busy the last couple of weeks.

Episode 23: Autozam's Invasion and Lantis

This episode starts off with a little fight against Eagle (I think so, anyway; they haven't actually referred to him by name yet). For some reason I enjoyed it quite a bit even though the fight itself is only decent; it dawned on me a moment later that it was just because it was nice to see Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu back in action again. While fighting isn't really one of the main aspects of this series, the teamwork between the three girls is. I'm not at all partial to Eagle yet, but I suppose an appreciation will come with later episodes.

The Magic Knights then meet back up with Ferio, and this is where the episode really gets good. Those regal clothes look great on him, much better than the rogue look he had in the first season. I'd forgotten that the three Magic Knights never actually found out that Ferio was Emeraude's brother... little details like that kind of slip away after two years. =/ And I really don't have any idea why Hikaru screamed after Ferio patted her head. O_o; This whole scene made me think of my first exposure to MKR, back when I played the SNES RPG in 8th grade.

After that, Caldina and Lafarga both make their return. I really forgot about Caldina being dressed this much like a whore. XD And it was nice to see Lafarga again; his attacks in the RPG which always did 3000-4000 damage ensured him a permanent place in my heart. Anyway, then it's time for another reunion, this time with Ascot. Um... yay, I guess. I'd be happy if I hadn't already forgotten pretty much all of his personality traits. It was pretty smooth the way he placed his hand over Caldina's mouth for 30 seconds or so, though. That wasn't even remotely suspicious or anything.

I took an immediate liking to Lantis much like I did so with his older brother. It's probably just the badass jet-black hair, but I really like the character design for both of them. As for Primera... eh, she reminded me of Sumomo from Chobits. >_> Who knows, maybe she'll grow on me. Interestingly enough, the Magic Knights had already encountered fairies before going by the SNES game's continuity, but that was just filler to make the game longer. Or maybe that really wasn't interesting at all. Whatever.

Overall, I liked this episode. It was nice to see Hikaru, Umi, Fuu, Ferio, Lafarga, Caldina, and Ascot all in one room; oftentimes the essence of a show is most strongly felt when many of its characters are involved at once. I like the way the second season is moving at a slow pace as opposed to the original's brisk pacing. Hard to explain why, really. I'm not really sure myself. But yeah, damn fine episode.

Rating for Episode 23: Good

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: ... um... >_>

Episode 24: Magic Knights and the Battleship MSX

This episode got off to a good start with the scene between Clef and Umi. I noticed from the get-go that Umi's demeanor was sweeter and more gentle than it usually is, and the reasoning for that became apparent soon enough. It's interesting that Umi said she was only halfway paying attention to what Clef said when she first came to Cephiro... very realistic flaw, and one that makes me want to see the first episode again now that I know more about what her perspective was like. It always fascinates me whenever deeper layers are added to something as volatile and innocent as the beginning of the first episode was.

The Fuu/Ferio scene was nice, although I don't have much in the way of specific commentary. That makes two episodes in a row where Fuu cries, though. You should probably back off for now, Ferio. >_> I really enjoyed the long scene with Hikaru and Lantis. His character design isn't the only good thing about him; he also has a very cool dub voice and a very interesting personality. Dark, serious, and always says something worth listening to. He's now probably my favorite character aside from Hikaru. I totally didn't remember who that kid was until the flashback from episode four was played, though.

I enjoyed Clef's brief talk with Lantis. Clef is pretty damn awesome when he gets into his all-business mode. Hikaru's line, "Yes, talk! I don't want to fight without knowing what I'm fighting for!" was a very telling one, and I have to respect her for feeling that way and learning from their last adventure. I was pretty surprised to see Alcyione again, and I'm glad that she showed Umi who's boss because youth-oriented culture annoys me. Umi's cocky statement, "Like that middle-aged woman can do anything with a Rune God!" shows that her role as a Magic Knight is becoming second nature rather than a weird fantasy thing, a stigma which had largely worn off by the end of the first season but not entirely.

Also, I forgot to mention this in the last episode... I really like the ending song. It reminds me of something, though... several things, actually; I think they're from the 2003/2004 area... I hate it when a song brings me back and I don't know what I'm being brought back to. XD

Rating for Episode 24: Great

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: The transformation sequence of the three girls. Badass and not drawn out. Sailor Moon could stand to follow its lead.

Anyway, that's it for Disk 1: Wake. This is a nice show with a better (and more carefully defined) atmosphere than the original. More reviews to come at a later date.

I was planning on doing three episodes tonight, but circumstances only allow me to do one.

Episode 25: Hikaru and Nova in the Dream (That strikes me as a silly name for some reason)

Um... I don't really have much to say because nothing really happened in this episode. :) At the very least this episode got me a liking for the Autozam Trio (Eagle, Zasu, and whatever his father's called... didn't catch the name the one time it was mentioned). Zasu's a lively kid and I'm interested as to how he'll react when he meets Hikaru. I couldn't help but notice the contrast in reasoning behind father and son's appreciation for Eagle... one was based on something deep, the other on something shallow (Zasu's feelings translated: omg eagle you're so kewl bcuz you fly a big ship lol). I'm not really sure where I'm going with that, but... um... yeah, I thought it was neat. The father's loyalty to Eagle is admirable, although I wonder if his "I'm so loyal that I won't ask questions" attitude will have any dark consequences in the future. Speaking of dark, I noticed in this episode that it's been dark the whole time in Cephiro. Yeah, I'm slow. I do like this change in style, though... I think it might be a while before the Knights see a blue sky again. The girl who showed up at the end of the episode looks like a really appealing one. I like the energetic, vivacious type. And that brings us to the end of the episode. 'Til next time.

Rating for Episode 25: Decent

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Lantis and Clef, two badass guys, having a badass conversation about Lantis's badass well-roundedness in swordsmanship and sorcery as well as his badass departure from Cephiro.

This one is... um... a little late, but I plan to crank these out more consistently from now on. Hope you haven't given up on this topic yet, Hikaru-san. XD

Episode 26: The Magic Knights and Aska of Fahren

Um... nothing really happened in this one, either. Aska's a likeable character, though, just as I predicted, and she's going to be hot when she gets older. Her dub voice grated on me at times, though. This ends the Mashin battle which has been going on since episode 24, and I'm glad since it was starting to bore me a little. I'm still hoping that Primera eventually becomes not completely useless. But, yeah... Aska hijinx and a brief fight. Not really much to say.

Rating for Episode 26: Decent

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: The scene at the end of the episode with Lantis. He always looks badass in that black armor of his.

Episode 27: The Secret of the Pillar of Cephiro

The beginning of the episode caused me to ponder an age-old question... just why do villains laugh so much? Why can't they just be quietly satisfied? Why don't the heroes laugh maniacally every time they accomplish what they want to do? Oi. Anyway, this was a damn good episode. I liked the scenery, for starters... human characters amidst a bright background is more appealing to me than mecha draped against a night sky. Speaking of the night sky, it randomly occured to me in this episode just how much I like Season 2's setting. It's very atmospheric and awesome. I liked the scene between Mokona and the Magic Knights, and Umi's talk of eating Mokona was funny. XD Way to get 15 seconds of fame after being delegated to a background character, Mokona.

Nova is shaping up to be an interesting character. "I hate everything that you love"? Nice. The flashback Lantis had of him conversing with Zagato while Emeraude watched was a good scene... it fleshed Emeraude out more seeing her out of her little Pillar Cave for once (I forget what it's called). Cephiro beginning to disappear made me go "oh shit". That's some pretty heavy stuff right there. The conversation between the Magic Knights and Ferio, Clef, and Presea was entertaining enough, though I don't have anything in particular to comment on. Alcyione is pretty pathetic. She went from being a servant of Zagato to being a servant of this Lady Debonair chick. Shape up and be your own woman, dammit.

Rating for Episode 27: Good

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Nova's first scene with her "I hate everything you love" lines. Very cool, dramatic scene.

Episode 28: Hikaru and Lantis' Dangerous Journey

I'd been looking forward to this episode since it's the first episode which really focuses on the relationship between Hikaru and Lantis. The episode gets off to a very cool start; Hikaru slaying those monsters wasn't the beginning that I expected, and its badassness caught me off guard. I was glad to have Primera come along with them; I had a feeling she would given that she's Lantis's pet or whatever, but... yeah. She's a cute character. Speaking of cute, Hikaru's wide-eyed expression after Eagle said that he had learned a lot about their fighting strategies was adorable. This episode didn't have quite as much interaction between Hikaru and Lantis as I was hoping for... it was nice to simply have the two together and the scene where the two were in the rain was nice, of course, but Lantis isn't the kind of guy you can carry a conversation with very easily. Aside from that, the episode was fairly empty, the feeling of which was probably augmented by the fact that I'm getting sleepy. Ah well. I'll try and start Disk 3 tomorrow.

Rating for Episode 28: Decent

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Definitely the scene which started out the episode. One of the cooler ones in all of MKR, actually.

A few days ago, we moved the downstairs TV to another room. It's much more spacious and makes watching anything a lot more enjoyable. I didn't actually use it until about 30 minutes ago, though, when I watched...

Episode 29: Eagle and the Captive Hikaru

I'm sad to report that this episode is nowhere near as erotic as the name makes it sound. It still wound up being a pretty decent episode, though. The pace seems to pick up considerably in this episode. I quite enjoyed the season's slow pace, but now that we're at the 1/3 mark it'd be a good idea to pick things up. First of all, I have to say that Hikaru looks great in that Autozamian outfit. I prefer it to both her normal outfit and her Magic Knight armor. Zazu's a funny kid, although he's not all that subtle. He might as well have just come out and said, "Get into my bed and let's have at it." Hikaru lets Zazu know that, even though her name is Hikaru Shiidou, everyone calls her Hikaru. After the startling revelation that people call her by her first name*, Hikaru decided to settle down and have a nice conversation with Eagle. He wants energy because Autozam has an energy crisis, or something. I don't really care about the backstory of some secondary country, so I kind of zoned out. I can't believe that Eagle ate Geo's lunch, though. That bastard.

Also included is a nice conversation between Umi and Fuu. Those two certainly have taken a backseat to Hikaru and the new Season 2 characters. I kinda like it... just another nice contrast between the two seasons that makes me appreciate both of them more for what they are. I have to disagree that compliments from Fuu are rare, though. She said "You are very dear friends to me, Hikaru and Umi" every other episode in the original. So, anyway... a fight between Lantis and Eagle is cut short as Hikaru is transported to some mystery area. Nova comes out and finally reveals herself... and I have to admit, I like the character design. She's a cute, bright character, and I like the way she can sound cheerful even when telling Hikaru she's going to kill her. Interesting character... I look forward to finally seeing her get considerable exposure in the next episode.

Rating for Episode 29: Good

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: The flashback to the mecha battle between Lantis and Eagle was kinda cool. ... I guess.

*Yeah, I know Japanese name orders are reversed.

Episode 30: Nova and Regalia, Rune-God of the Devil

Um... I had a lot of trouble enjoying this one. First of all, this... thingy (I don't really know what it is even though it's been in the house since we moved here in '92) started blowing out air, so I couldn't understand most of what they were saying throughout the first 15 minutes. Secondly, shoujo fight scenes have a tendency to suck. Girls can write great characters, but their fight scenes aren't worth a damn. The exception would be the fight against Lafarga in the first season; that was actually quite badass. Anyway... the battle left Hikaru weak, so at least it had a definite point to it. Nova was also rather hot at certain points. The last several minutes were pretty good... I was very surprised at Eagle resting his head on Geo. I wonder if this is another Kunzite/Zoicite. I also bet Eagle would have felt dumb if Lantis didn't have a magic shield up and he just let him get away. >_> I liked the final shot of the episode. Just a nice, classic little picture of the three knights.

Rating for Episode 30: Decent

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Easily Lantis's getaway. I hope I'm as cool as him when I grow up.

Episode 31: Chizeta's Mobile Fortress and a Powerless Hikaru

I really enjoyed the opening scene with Aska and those other two attempting to do evil laughs. The boy wasn't too good at it, but that old man's laugh was awesome, not creepy like Aska said. I guess the kid will get better with age. In the next scene with the girls and Ascot... man, Caldina's comments must have really embarassed him. Good thing Umi's an idiot and wasn't able to figure out what was going on. The bath scene was the best thing ever. XD Presea's breasts are rather nice. Mmm... anyway, some people say that Hikaru's "Do guys like large breasts?" question was a little too naive for her age, but I don't really think so. 14's still a kid, after all. Plenty of people are clueless at that age.

I noticed that Lafarga didn't say a single word during the scene with the four guys. I know you're supposed to be the silent and brooding swordsman, Lafarga, but this is only the second scene you've appeared in this season. You need to make better usage of your screentime. Alcyione looked surprisingly peaceful when she awoke... made me think at first that she might turn over a new leaf, but the rest of the scene showed otherwise. Alcyione mixing Lantis up with Zagato not for a brief moment but for almost an entire minute made me wonder just how happy the guy could have made her. Emeraude was in the way the whole time Zagato was alive... romance can be a pretty ruthless game at times.

Finally, I have to say that I really like those two sisters. Tatra's calmness is appealing in a way (I like studying calm people because I think it's a good temperament to have), but Tarta is definitely my favorite of the two sisters. She's a cool character and her facial expressions are the best. I also really like the Chizetan accent. Speaking of accents... changing the dialogue to "So do all Chizetans have a southern accent like Caldina?" was a clever change from whatever dialect was referenced in the original. I'm generally against tampering with the original script, but it's fine in cases like this where it's necessary to work.

Rating for Episode 31: Good

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: The old guy laughing is perhaps the most badass thing I've ever heard.

I watched episode 32 yesterday, but never got around to writing up a review. Here we go...

Episode 32: Umi and Fuu & Fahren and Chizeta

A rather uneventful episode, but it managed to be pretty enjoyable regardless. It was nice to see an episode with Umi and Fuu in the spotlight, and Umi's facial expressions in this episode were the best. She had a lot of cute moments where she was confused or freaked out, and her "WTF" face before she went chibi was great. Lady Aska was cute as hell, too, and giant Sang Yung was... pretty bizarre. I was expecting her to do the incantation Rei does in Sailor Moon whenever she was doing the art technique... the scene felt kind of empty without it. The sword fight between the Mashins and the weird monsters was actually pretty good. The episode definitely left some lingering questions... what is the lifethreatening means of reviving Hikaru's sword that Presea talks about? What's the feeling Nova mentioned? I mean, I can guess what the feeling itself is, but I wonder as to its relevancy. Hmm. I also noticed in that last scene that Nova has a very pleasant dub voice. Anyway, yeah. Swordfights, ambiguous dialogue, and a lot of cuteness from Aska and Umi. Yay.

Rating for Episode 32: Decent

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: The scene with Lantis and Primera. Lantis speaks, so the scene is badass by default.

Well then, off to Disk 4: Grow.

Episode 33: Hikaru's Wish and Presea's Secret

Wow. This was the best episode so far. The beginning scene had excellent lighting and coloring; I knew as soon as it began that it was going to be the source for the sad avatar Hikaru used after the eZpocalypse. It would have been a poignant scene even if I hadn't known that, but since I did that added a significant layer to its value. I liked the scene with Ascot... I think he might be more well-suited to Umi than Clef is, to be honest. The difference in perspective between Clef and Umi would be incredibly huge due to the fact that Clef has lived 50 times longer than she has.

The conversation between Clef and Presea reveals the secret that the episodes title allured to, and... holy shit. Holy. Shit. That massive plot twist took me completely off-guard. Well done, CLAMP. Poor Magic Knights... them not knowing the truth certainly feels wrong, although it's undoubtedly for the best. I liked the little scene with Ferio trying to contact Fuu via the Ruby Remote Control (yeah, I dunno what it's called)... how long has it been since he's used that thing, anyway? Episode 17 or so of the original series? All I know is that this season has had virtually no Fuu/Ferio thus far, so I had better get my fix soon.

I very much enjoyed the montage of scenes from the first season. My eyes had gotten used to the dark backgrounds and colors, so the sudden burst of color and greenery in the form of Old Cephiro was definitely a treat to the eyes and made me more alert. It also helped me to remember that the dark tone the second season has had was established late in the first season; the last episode with Old Cephiro was... episode 16, perhaps? I know that episode 17 was the battle with Lafarga and it took place in a rocky area at night, and episode 18 is where the shit started hitting the fan. I remember Ferio commenting on the change in the state of affairs and how things wouldn't go back to the way they were for a while. So, anyway... the episode ends with Nova throwing Hikaru off-course in her attempt to revive the sword while Presea tries to reach her. It reminded me of Poltergeist, actually. XD "Honey, stay away from the light."

Rating for Episode 33: Great

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Fuu cutting that thing in half in the 7th episode of the series. It won this award back then, too.

Episode 34: Hikaru and Friendships Torn Apart

Some things have gotten in the way the past few days such as Thanksgiving and schoolwork (Anatomy and Physiology 2 was a bitch). Now that we've gotten that out of the way, it's back to the important stuff. Ahem. Early in the episode Nova showed Hikaru some altered scenes from the past... which I think were unintentionally funny. Umi's flippant delivery of "Stop crying because it's all your fault" and "No way" were great. While it fools her at first, Hikaru soon gets a grip on herself and reality. Hikaru 1, Nova 0. At first I thought that Hikaru's "love" for Lantis was a bit abrupt, but after a bit of thinking it seems that's not the case. He is Zagato's younger brother, first of all, so she started off with something to work with, and in some cases it's easy to figure out the kind of person someone is.

As if last episode's revelation wasn't enough, this episode lays on another. Caldina's attraction to Lafarga caught me off-guard, although I have to say I'm liking it. Lafarga's a good man and an interesting character, so any subplot which involves him is fine with me. He also warmed up to her extremely quickly. Seriously, they were making out less than a minute after Caldina made her feelings known. Lafarga, you pimp. The scenes with Umi and Fuu trying to level with Celece and Windam were both good to watch. I wonder if the Mashins will continue to be humanized throughout the series. Hmm. Anyway, they both get kidnapped and the credits start, so off to the next episode I go.

Rating for Episode 34: Good

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: The scene with Lantis talking to the clingy kid was badass because it had Lantis in it. ... yeah, not many episodes have genuinely badass moments, but I'm not dropping this thing.

Episode 35: Umi and the Ambition of Tarta and Tatra

And with this episode I'm now in the second half of the season. Hikaru's still fighting against herself and Nova... it's been three episodes now, so her suffering has definitely been prolonged. Sucks to be her. In any case, she's not the focus. The Magic Knight who takes the spotlight in this episode is Umi; this is a good thing since I like her quite a bit. She was actually my clear-cut favorite originally. Just like Hikaru, Umi looks damn good in that foreign costume she wears. Definitely not dorky at all like she claims. Just like a girl to have overly-high standards.

The show's always had high production standards (this has been obvious since the dramatic scene in the first episode where Hikaru uses Flame Arrow on Alcyione), but this episode had above-average art and animation which made the fight between Umi and Tatra even more enjoyable. The manner in which Umi introduced herself was pretty awesome. So, anyway... Umi has a conversation afterwards with the two sisters and winds up telling them of the tragic lifestyle the Pillar of Cephiro must lead. Kinda nice to see more people learn of the plight of the Pillar. Maybe Umi's words to the princesses will lead to a better understanding and relationship between Chizeta and Cephiro further on down the road. So, anyway... the two send those two freaking genies are Umi again. I hate those things... I wish Umi's first Water Dragon had taken them both out. Ugh.

The last scene involves a captive Fuu who's been taken by Aska and co. (god, that girl was really loud and annoying in these scenes). Fuu, like the other two, looks damn good in her new clothes. Hopefully Ferio will finally get the chance to actually do something since some Fuu-centric episodes are coming up.

That's all for tonight.

Rating for Episode 35: Decent

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Umi pointing her sword at Tatra's throat was pretty hardcore and her expression in the close-up right after was unusually mature and severe. This scene takes the cake pretty easily.

Wow, a post from someone other than me. Hey, Batou-san. Heh heh... you may be right. If this episode is any indication, anything Ferio does will be overshadowed by Fuu.

Episode 36: Fuu versus Aska! The Life or Death Archery Match

A very good episode all-around. The episode kicks off with Fuu standing before the three Fahrenian representatives. Lady Aska challenges Fuu to an archery match so that she can gain possession of Windam (something tells me Windam wouldn't like her very much...). The scene returns to Umi as she battles those two genies who really need to die already. She's not faring any better than she was before and the genies throw a powerful attack at her. It's blocked by one of Ascot's monsters. I might sound like a broken record since I like virtually every character in MKR, but this episode made me like Ascot. I think he's a cool guy because he's straightfoward with his emotions; he doesn't hide them too much in order to seem macho (a tendency which is fine in small does, but can become pretty irritating when guys do it excessively). Of course, I guess shoujo series don't have nearly as many characters like that as shonen do.

After that is a brief scene with our own dear Hikaru. Looks like she's making some progress, but she still has a fair amount of mental rape and torture left. She's not going to be doing much for a while, so we switch over to Fuu, our presently more able-bodied Magic Knight. The arena for the archery match is a grassy field with a very pleasant blue sky. Fuu kicks more ass in this episode than she ever has before. She easily defeats Lady Aska and makes archery look even more majestic than it usually does. Sang Yung and Chang Ang watch in amazement and comment on how nothing seems to shake her up. After that Fuu is all "kthxbai", but Aska sends about a dozen ninjas after her. I've always liked the fights that take place outside the Mashins, so Fuu's asskickingfest made for a nice show. Aska asks Fuu for a second challenge. She declines. Aska doesn't like this, so she shows off the amazing jumping power of Fahrenians by jumping up in the air to a total of about three times her height and landing in front of Fuu. Her expression looked so serious at the end... this episode seems to be showing off the darker side of her personality. Very interesting.

Rating for Episode 36: Great

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Ninjas, thousands of them. And yet they're not good enough to take on Fuu.

It's a bit late to do a second episode tonight, so tomorrow I'll try to start Disk 5: Sleep.

Episode 37: Revive, Hikaru's Sword!

Alright, so I lied about the "tomorrow" bit, but... close enough. This episode starts off with Aska getting a bit violent and using her magic to make about twenty swords fly at Fuu. Fuu responds by suspending Aska in midair via one of her spells. You know you're being an unreasonable bitch when you put Fuu on the offensive. Aska and Fuu have a conversation concerning the pillar; Aska says that she wants to be beautiful to impress Sang Yung (which was pretty surprising, but it's good news. Go Sang Yung), but becomes distraught when she learns that the Pillar can't think about her own needs or fall in love or anything. Silly emotionally frail shoujo anime girls. Realizing that Aska has had the fight drained from her, she lets her down and goes on her merry way.

Before she leaves, though, Ferio breaks in and starts kicking some ass. Fuu doesn't really need protection like she did back in the third episode, but she sits back and watches anyway since it's been too long since she's seen Ferio beat the crap out of someone. After she leaves, Fuu and Ferio have a nice romantic moment. "How do you think I'd have felt if you had been hurt?" she says, temporarily forgoing logic and thus turning into your typical girl. Ferio throws her logic back at her in a very smooth way. This scene shows very strongly the reason why Fuu and Ferio are probably my favorite couple in the show; they're perfectly comfortable and natural around each other. No awkwardness, no BS, no games. Just a couple of mature kids who seem like they've spent a lot more time together than they really have.

We then switch back to Hikaru. She's still being overpowered by Nova, but Presea intervenes and reminds Hikaru of why she promised to revive her sword no matter what. She then begins to turn the tide against Nova in one amazing scene. Hikaru, having revived her sword (I think), comes to in Cephiro Castle. She says to Lantis, "Can I... love..." before passing out. Well. I bet he thinks those were some interesting words. It'll definitely give him something to obssess about for a while.

After that is a return to Umi's battle with the genies. Ascot passes out in order to make sure that something interesting actually happens during this scene. Thanks, Ascot. Most of the following scenes were muted because Lady Debonair wouldn't STFU, although I don't think I actually missed anything. Oh, and I forgot to mention... this episode really fleshed out Lady Aska. Both her sensitive and serious sides were displayed, and I now think she's a much better character because of it.

Rating for Episode 37: Good

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Absolutely no contest at all. Hikaru's second wind wins it for this episode. I thought it was pretty cool from the moment she started giving off a red aura because I knew she was going to kick some ass, but everything that followed - the way Hikaru wasn't fazed by Nova's attacks, her serious expression and posture, and the way she ignored her hand when it was cut - make this the coolest scene in the entire series thus far.

Episode 38: Eagle's All-Out Attack on Castle Cephiro

Nice episode. Before I watched it, the title made me assume that we were reaching the beginning of the climax with this one. Guess not, though. The first scene with Hikaru and Presea was really sweet. "Stop looking like that, Hikaru, or you'll make me want to cry, too." Well, it apparently doesn't take much to get Presea all emotional. Honestly... girls and their "crying" nonsense. Anyway. The second scene with Umi and Clef was nice as well. Caldina's "baby-faced" comment made me remember that at the beginning of the series Umi said Clef looked like a 10-year old... and now, I just can't see it. When I first played the SNES RPG I agreed with her, but now his face looks pretty mature. Odd. I don't think the art for the RPG was that much different from that of the anime (in Clef's case, anyway), but I haven't played the game for a couple of years now.

After that comes another Fuu/Ferio scene. Not much to comment on; it was a nice scene for the same reasons as their moment in the last episode, and I liked Ferio's smile after Fuu thanked him. Following this is a great Hikaru/Lantis scene. Lantis actually speaks in full sentences, and a lot of them at that. This allowed me to notice that he really does have a cool voice. The art in this scene is particularly good; I noticed that Hikaru's hair was shaded very well. This leap in production values is definitely not wasted seeing as how Lantis and Hikaru have some of the best character designs in the series as it is.

Anyway, Clef interrupts the two. Hikaru and Lantis both run to Castle Cephiro and the three Magic Knights are reunited. The three set out as a team once more, although it doesn't really amount to anything since Umi and Fuu are both taken out in one hit, anyway. Despite the fact that there was never a major strength difference between the Mashins implied until now, it's up to the almighty Rayearth to save the day. That's where the episode ends.

Rating for Episode 38: Good

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Eagle's attack against Umi. The machine gun was pretty cool.

I haven't felt all that great the last few days. Not really bad, just kinda drugged-up and incapable of too much mental exertion. I'm back to normal now, though, so here we go.

Episode 39: All-Out Attack on Cephiro Castle

I watched this one several days ago and just fastforwarded through most of it to get the gist of it. Hikaru and Umi make a nice team... they have some good chemistry so it's nice to see them work together. I may be stating the obvious, but it struck me in this episode just how much more relaxed and happy Fuu seems around Hikaru and Umi than she does around anyone else. There was one scene in particular where her expression was really bright and happy for a second or two. Cute as hell.

I really liked Hikaru in the scene where she was chasing Eagle. She just calls after him once then attacks him a couple of seconds later. She's definitely not a wishy-washy pacifist of a heroine. She also seemed a lot more mature when she asked Fuu if she was alright; makes me want to rewatch the first episode just to see how much she's changed. Anyway, that residential area has me curious... it's awfully bright for gloomy Cephiro. It's the lesser of the two mysteries, though. A projection of Emeraude appears, and after voicing her displeasure with the current state of Cephiro, the entire castle in engulfed in light. Emeraude showing up is a very interesting plot point and I'm highly curious as to all that she has to say.

I had a bit of writer's block on this one, but I managed two paragraphs anyway. Yay.

Rating for Episode 39: Decent

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Fuu saving the day was pretty awesome. I also liked the snippets of Lafarga, Ferio, Caldina, and Ascot messing some monsters up (although I find Ascot's hands-off fighting style to be rather uncool, to be perfectly honest).

Episode 40: Magic Knights and the Calm After the Storm

The episode starts off with a dream Hikaru has, an extended version of the scene we saw a while ago where Zagato asked Lantis what he thought of the pillar system and Emeraude ran off in tears. Lantis proves himself to be a rather poetic guy by saying that in a truly good lands, flowers could grow without a Pillar. Going by the state Cephiro is in right now that statement seems like it might have been a tad bit idealistic, but anyway... I wonder what was going through Hikaru's head when she saw Emeraude. I'm sure she's wanted nothing more than to see her again alive and well since the end of the first adventure, and there she was. Yeah... it also makes me wonder about all the things that have happened in Cephiro's history, particularly the bright Golden Age the country had prior to the first season.

So anyway, Hikaru wakes up and finds Umi and Fuu beside her. Umi and Fuu crawl into bed with her and the three have hot lesbian sex. The scene then moves over to Eagle. It took me a second to recognize him. XD I like his look better now, though. He looks more guyish and just cooler all-around. During the scene between Lantis and Eagle when Eagle says that he'd forgotten the weapon was there, I wonder if that was true. Common sense tells me it isn't, but Eagle is a man of honor. I don't think he'd do anything too underhanded. More importantly, what does it mean to "acquire" the Pillar system? Learn the mechanics behind it and then have Autozam implement it? That's the only thing that would really make sense, but his word usage throughout the episode made it sound as though he was actually going to steal it somehow.

The three Magic Knights enter the residential area and are taken aback at how bright it is. This scene made nice usage of the first season's opening as BGM. Everything about the scene with Umi and the two pervert kids kicked ass. "So we can look when we're older?" Smooth. Umi's expression in reaction to that was great, too. She didn't want to admit the kids were clever. Afterwards, Mokona flips up Umi's skirt (wtf) and we're treated to another classic "Umi tries to kill Mokona" scene.

Nova was kind of annoying in her first scene, but eh, nothing too bad. Debonair's freaky expression actually scared me a little, and anime rarely does that. Towards the end of the episode Nova enters via a freaky black hole thing, effectively scarring the kids and for life, and begins battle with the three Magic Knights. Nova then says that she knows Lantis is Hikaru's weak spot and takes off.

Rating for Episode 40: Great

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Lantis's speech to Eagle. Hell yeah, Lantis. Show some conviction.


That's it for Disk 5. Sometime soon I'll start Disk 6: Dream.

Ref: Episode 36

This episode is one of my favorites of the second season and is one of the few where Fuu-chan is shown as the star. She really does shine well here and in many ways. Lady Aska is quite a challenge for Fuu because Fuu is a logical and mature thinker, while Aska is the polar opposite - a spoiled brat driven by emotion and irrationality. One of Fuu's strong points has always been her gift for diplomacy, however Aska proves to be the non-negotiating type, which means that Fuu must back up her position with force. The archery match isn't even close and Fuu's skill is more than enough to win. As Casey-san mentioned, even Lady Aska's associates become enamored with Fuu-chan's unflinching confidence. However, true to her nature Aska does not wish to honor her agreement with Fuu after her defeat, hence the appearance of the ninjas. Eventually Fuu is forced to discipline Aska and only then does the little princess begin to see her foolishness of continuing to challenge the Magic Knight.

In the Chapter 3 fanfiction that I had started to write, I had devised a subplot of deep friendship between Fuu and the world of Fahren that would later on result in tremendous emotional suffering for Fuu because of conflict between Cephiro and Fahren many years in the future. At some point I should sit down and write that subplot because I've always liked the concept very much ...

Yeah, you should. It sounds like an interesting story for a number of reasons. I liked your summary of the episode, and I have to ask... what do you mean by "Chapter 3" fanfiction? >_>

Episode 41: Nova's Battle and the Monster's Identity

The battle for Cephiro Castle continues in this episode. Some really good fight scenes in this episode; the part where Ascot (I liked his cocky half-smile), Ferio, Lafarga, and Caldina came to the rescue kicked ass. The kids were interesting for being random nobodies... the blue-haired boy looked like a little Fayt Leingod (of Star Ocean 3 fame), the little girl was adorable, and that kid from episode four... she talks funny. XD Really cute, but I can't understand what she says. The epic battle brought out some uncharacteristic actions from our characters as Fuu gave two great war cries (which were both pretty awesome) and Lafarga actually smiled. If he's ever done so before, I don't remember it. I think there should have been some way to show the monsters decreasing in strength rather than just saying it, but it's a minor complaint.

Hikaru looked really good in the scene where she was running down the hallway. I mean, she always does, but still. Nova plays dirty once again by making out with Lantis in front of Hikaru. Man, when's Hikaru going to hurry up and kill the dumb bitch? Not much to comment on about the fight itself, it's just nonstop sword action, but I liked the ending to the episode. I can't put my finger on it, but something about the music making it seem like the episode wasn't ending when it really was was artistic. Yeah, that was a badly-constructed sentence.

Rating for Episode 41: Decent

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: An exchange between Lantis and Eagle.

Eagle: Is that Hikaru?
Lantis: It isn't. *draws sword*

Zagato's brother is badass as always.

Episode 42: Giant Sang Yung Versus the NSX!

Very good episode we have here. Things start off with the three Magic Knights talking amongst themselves in their bedroom in the castle. Mokona sure does look comfortable being held by Hikaru. Fuu says that they should talk to each other about any problems they have and Umi gets pissed over the abuse submitted to Hikaru by both Nova and Debonair as well as the fact that she added to Hikaru's stress by entering a situation where she had to be rescued. I'm enjoying these friendship scenes more than I did in the first season. Maybe they meant less in the original because the three were able to stick together the whole time relatively unperturbed, but I've been finding all the scenes this time around to be rather nice.

Back to the Fahren Trio. I liked Aska's dejected "Thank you, Sang Yung"... nice delivery there. Their crystal ball lights up and shows that the NSX is attacking Cephiro Castle. Aska crawls across the table (which is cute as hell) in order to get a better look. Anyway, the next scene is great. I watched it once dubbed and again subbed. Aska's teary-eyed speech makes for a powerful scene and cements her place as one of the most well-developed characters in the series. She started off as a perfectly stereotypical character (a likeable stereotype, of course), but she's been surprising me in these recent episodes. Hikaru-san said that Aska was the first to defer over to Cephiro's defense, so I figured that would be happening sometime soon.

The fight between NSX and the giant Sang Yung was pretty cool. Definitely better than I was expecting. The fight was completely one-sided at first, but sadly the NSX started making a comeback; I was on Sang Yung's side. The Magic Knights saw his giant self go by... I'm not sure they've pieced things together yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing their reactions towards Lady Aska becoming an ally. Aska tells Sang Yung she put a lot of heart into making his giant self, and Sang has a pretty positive reaction. XD I hope there's at least a little bit more Aska/Sang Yung left... I like this coupling. The two enemies shoot lasers at each other (the animation where Sang Yung opens his mouth is pretty freaky) and Sang Yung is seemingly out of the picture.

Finally, there's a brief scene with Eagle. He seems rather pleased that Hikaru "loves him too", and says something about the Proof of the Pillar. What does this mean? Has the fight between Sang Yung and the NSX really finished? Will Primera ever do anything? The answers await in the next episode.

Rating for Episode 42: Great

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Nothing really stands out, but the initial parts of the fight where the NSX was just being beaten on was pretty cool.

It's a story that I wrote a long time ago, but the beginnings of it are available to read on fanfiction.net - http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2477542/1/ My story sort of continues the plot line that ended at the end of the second season of the anime show, hence the name "Chapter 3". The Magic Knights reunite at the Tokyo Tower four years later for what they expect to be the last time. After high school graduation, they plan to go their separate ways, so Hikaru uses the pendant of Lantis and they all take a look at Cephiro one last time. However they discover that things there have gone dreadfully wrong in their absence. Returning to Cephiro they find no Clef and no Mokona to guide their way, so Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu set out to uncover what has become of Cephiro and why.

Sounds interesting. I see that what's up of your story at FF.net has gotten some positive reviews. Kind of sad that the three are going to separate soon... and it really sucks that Cephiro is in worse shape each time they go to it. x_x I'll have to read it if it gets finished.

Episode 43: The Crown Room and the Pillar's Memory

This episode starts off with a meeting between Lantis and Alcyione. She looks really cute whenever she mistakes Lantis for Zagato for a moment... that's one happy bitch. Lady Debonair's spell has apparently worn off, which I suppose is a good thing even though Alcyione never really did anything under her control. Between her happy expression at seeing "Zagato" and her conversation with Lantis (I think this is the first time we've heard her carry on a civil conversation and not just "I'm gonna kill you lol" and "Hey Zagato marry me plz"), I think this scene finally got me to like her. And it only took almost the entire series.

Cut to the Magic Knights, standing around and waiting for something to happen. That something comes in the form of Clef; he communicates with the girls telepathically to tell them that Eagle has escaped and some bad shit is going down. The three girls decide to split up and cover different areas of the castle. I wonder what obstacles each of the three will face.

Meanwhile, the long-awaited fight between Lantis and Eagle has begun. It's a pretty even fight, although I'm sure Lantis is just holding back and could easily kick Eagle's ass if he really wanted to. Hikaru attempts to break up the fight, but before her efforts can really have any effect the three are taken to Cephiro's Crown Room. Hikaru asks Eagle what the hell is going on, but he's just as clueless as she is. Eagle runs into the Pillar Testing Room, fully aware that he will die unless he falls into the most extreme minority and considered fit to be the Pillar. I'm not sure if he's crazy or brave, but I admire him either way. I also have to wonder why such a brutal system is intact. Wouldn't it work just as well to go "Nope, you don't have what it takes, bye" rather than kill the unworthy applicant? Such questions aside, this was a nice scene. The purely white artwork during this scene was nice, and it's obvious that some important stuff's about to happen.

I'm not sure exactly where the scene's placed, but somewhere around here Clef wakes up in his jammies. Aww. Yeah, that's the extent of my deep thoughts for that scene.

Eagle and Hikaru see a flashback that starts with Zagato and Lantis being introduced to Princess Emeraude. Not sure how long ago that is. Seems to be love at first sight between those two, though. The entire flashback was enjoyable enough, but Clef stole the show for me. His words to Emeraude are just a classic example of Clef being a good man. "You're the Pillar of Cephiro, but before that you're a human being..." heartwarming.

After this flashback, Eagle and Hikaru find themselves back in the Crown Room. Lantis thinks to himself, pondering what's just taken place. Only someone deemed worthy of being the Pillar can return from that room alive, and here Eagle and Hikaru both are, perfectly okay. I'm really wanting to see where this goes.

Rating for Episode 43: Good

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Lantis and Eagle's fight, brief though it was, managed to be fairly cool.

Episode 44: A Serious Match - Umi vs. Tarta and Tatra

The episode starts off at Castle Cephiro in the dead of night. It's basically the calm before the storm; everyone is filled with uncertainty as they wonder what will happen when the current peaceful state inevitably ceases to be. Makes for a nice setting. Clef's eyes looked very bright and childlike in this episode... he really did look something like a 10-year old. Meanwhile, Primera's flying around the castle, ranting about how Lantis is in love with Hikaru even though she (Primera) has bigger breasts. I guess she is pretty hot for a fairy. Mokona does... something, but as I'm not really sure what the hell he was trying to say, I'll move on.

Umi, Fuu, Ferio, Lafarga, Caldina, Ascot, and Presea are all gathered around in the Cephiro throne room. What follows is what I'm assuming to be the Umi/Ascot scene (I'm making that sound much more positive than it really is). Ascot finally shows his eyes (he looks much better this way than he normally does) as he earnestly tells Umi he's going with her and even says "I love you". Umi's next words make him the happiest man in Cephiro, only to utterly crush him about two seconds later. Well, that happiness was short-lived. I can't believe Umi was this oblivious... those three words aren't something most people just throw around, especially not someone who's fairly withdrawn like Ascot. For shame, Umi.

Anyway, then Umi flies off in order to fight the Chizetians. I found the scene where the two spirits flew out pretty funny... Umi suddenly acted very tired, like she just didn't have it in her to fight those two annoying bastards again. I felt the exact same way. Fortunately, Tarta and Tatra decide to issue a swordfighting challenge, woman-to-woman. This fight totally kicked ass. Swordfights are usually pretty cool, but this one was especially well-choreographed and had some great animation and artwork to boot. This is probably Umi's greatest achievement; in the first season the three Magic Knights had to work together to "save" Cephiro, but this time Umi saved it all by herself. I mean, I guess it isn't totally saved, but stopping one of the three countries by yourself is a huge achievement. Two aggressors down, one to go.

Rating for Episode 44: Good

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: The entire Tarta/Tatra duel. Best fight in the series.

It's time for Disk 7: Live. I wonder what's going to happen in these last five episodes.

Episode 45: Desperate Situation, Crisis Upon Lantis

Nice conversation between Clef and Lantis at the start of this episode. It was a very deep discussion. I like how fatherly Clef is towards his students and all of Cephiro. It's also always nice to hear about the Cephiro of the past, the way it's supposed to be.

The next scene drops us off with Fuu and the others waiting for Umi to return. The Chizetians create a magical bridge for the three of them to come across, reminding me very much of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Tatra and Fuu hit it off surprisingly well... I wouldn't expect those two to get along like they do. Lady Aska arrives next. She seemed somehow different in this scene... must have been because she was out of her element by being around people other than Fuu, Sang Yung, and Wise Old Man (I learned his name then forgot it). She was really cute, though, being so embarassed and all. She continues to be one of the most varied characters in the series. I'm surprised they got around to having tea within the actual series... I'm used to the main characters going "I'll see you again someday and we'll have a real fight!/I'll see you again someday and we'll have a tea party!" (depending on if it's a shonen or shoujo) and never seeing the character in question again. Fuu's just making all kinds of friends in Cephiro this time around.

There's now a couple of scenes of Eagle and Hikaru wondering which one of them is the true pillar. Hikaru's facial expression suddenly changes (fear is the one emotion animation can't elicit very well, but this scared the shit out of me) and Nova comes out of the mirror. She leaves her alone with the blue robot thing and takes off to pursue her real goal: Lantis. She sends him to an alternate dimension thing to fight the red robot thing. Lantis refuses to fight Nova because she's a part of Hikaru's heart. I'm not sure what he'd be getting rid of besides hate and malice, exactly, but I guess it would be a bad idea to rid a person of part of their being anyway. He decides to go after the robot instead, but Nova intercepts him, thrusting her sword through his stomach. There's a great artistic shot of Hikaru's shocked reaction and the episode ends.

Rating for Episode 45: Good

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Lantis's fight wasn't really that cool, but it's the only thing that qualifies. Congrats, Lantis. Just how many of these awards have you racked up, anyway?

Episode 46: Hikaru in Shock, the Truth about Nova

Hikaru's battle against the blue robot continues and seemingly comes to an end as she brings it to its knees with some powerful flame spell. Clef takes this opportunity to tell her about the origin of Nova, how she was created from the emotions Hikaru felt during the battle against Emeraude. Now we're getting somewhere. Perhaps with this newfound understand of Nova, Hikaru will soon be able to find a way to kill the bitch.

Meanwhile, the large group of Umi, Fuu, Ferio, Lady Aska, Sang Yung, Tatra, and Tarta rushes through the corridors of Cephiro Castle and comes across the red robot. I like this little group... it's a diverse, colorful bunch of characters in a unique combination. It's interesting the way their vivid personalities cool down somewhat and all meld together. They all seem a lot more normal and easygoing. Anyway, some more fighting and heroics take place, and then Umi and Fuu OHKO the enemy with new spells season one style.

Clef and Presea attempt to convince Alcyione to tell them where Lady Debonair's hideout is, but she refuses because a world without Zagato is one she doesn't care about. Useless to the end. (Or not, there's still three episodes left.) Alcyione must have pretty crappy self-esteem. Ascot, Caldina, and Lafarga all started off villains (Lafarga wasn't in control of himself, but still), but they all reformed by the end of the first season and have all been a big help throughout the second. Alcyione's the only one that reprised her role as an enemy. Maybe she'll redeem herself after this war is over... or maybe she'll do so by the end of the series. We'll see.

Ascot shows his maturity by saying that even if Umi doesn't love him back, he can be content in his love for her. Yeah... I bet that conviction will last real long. I'm sure you'll get depressed sooner or later, Ascot. What he said does have a lot of truth to it, though... and he and Umi have barely interacted. I'm sure he can win her over if they ever get the chance to spend more than two minutes together.

Hikaru and Eagle have a nice, long talk. Hikaru's breakdown was an emotional and well-acted scene in both versions. If Eagle survives the series, hopefully he won't ever be involved in a war like this again. He's just too cool a guy to constantly be involved with something so negative. We're getting down to some of the major issues now... who will be the Pillar? What will Hikaru do if it's her? I have a bias towards her (guess it's just Main Character Syndrome) and think it would be damn interesting if she was the one, but she has her own life in Tokyo which is completely separate from Cephiro and the other three countries.

Nova feels a new emotion in this episode: sadness. It makes her more interesting, but she hasn't won me over. Kill the wench. The episode ends with Cephiro's perpetual self-destruction continuing even further.

Rating for Episode 46: Good

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Unlike the last episode, this episode's BSotEA is pretty clear cut. The award goes to Umi and Fuu powering up for their attack. I doubt I really need to explain.

You're getting dangerously close to understanding the truth about Nova Casey-san, but the essence of it still eludes you. However, that's just an artifact of how well this plotline of the story is laid out. I didn't get it all figured out until the last episode myself, but I eventually did see why Hikaru mustn't destroy Nova and how the scene from episode 30 where Hikaru's sword shatters is related to the same truth. Also the behavior of Lantis is an indicator that he understands as well, but you're almost finished and will know for yourself soon enough. There is an episode in the original series of Star Trek that is remarkably similar to this plot line, I'll have to go dig it up for you after you've finished all of MKR Casey-san.

You also picked up on another one of my favorite scenes of the MKR series, the duel between Umi and the sisters Tarta and Tatra. Like Fuu and Lady Aska in episode 36, this is another showdown between one of the powers threatening Cephiro and one of the Magic Knights. And here in this episode Umi-chan shines very brightly as the star. Early on, in the first episodes of the first season, there is a bit of discussion about Umi and her fencing training and competition, but this detail is ignored for pretty much all of the second season. Until this episode, where we are vibrantly reminded of her skill in swordsmanship. It's one of the scenes that got me to like Umi-chan as a favorite at first, before Hikaru took over that position.

Hehe. Another post. :) A good read as always.



Not sure if I fully get everything yet, but I think episode 47 has brought me closer to that point. A lot of light is shed concerning the origins of Nova, but not so much why it's critical that she survives.



Ah, yeah... she had to get back to Tokyo for her fencing match. I need to rewatch the first season because I've forgotten some details like that. I wonder if she or Hikaru is better? I know Hikaru is pretty good since she beat her dad at the age of five (which is pretty ridiculous and I hope he was holding back or was drunk or hadn't slept for two weeks or something or it was just an extreme fluke, but yeah).

Episode 47: The True Pillar is: Hikaru or Eagle?

The episode starts off with Clef in deep thought concerning the Pillar crisis. He refers to Eagle as "that man"... I'm really surprised he hadn't learned Eagle's name before now. Both of the Pillar candidates enter the throne room to discuss things with Clef. Considering the tense subject matter, the atmosphere during this conversation is rather relaxed and friendly. The three seem pretty close despite Eagle and Clef having never spoken to each other. It's nice. Eagle makes a reference to Clef being the most powerful magic-user in Cephiro... speaking of which, we've never really gotten to see him kick some ass, have we? He fought one of Alcyione's Cerebrus monsters in the RPG and took care of it pretty soundly, but I don't think this was in the anime.

Cut to the Magic Knights and the rest running through the hallways of Cephiro Castle. (Where have Caldina and Lafarga ran off to during this time?) Umi crashes through the wall or something (I forget exactly what happens), but luckily Ascot shows up to save the day, summoning one of his griffin monsters to catch and return Umi. Good plan, Ascot. If Umi doesn't love you right now, she will once you save her life a time or two. He's a crafty guy, that Ascot.

Presea attempts to comfort a mourning Alcyione. Given the extremely inappropriate timing, I'm surprised Presea manages to sympathize with her fully and remain relaxed like this therapy session was taking place on a normal, peaceful day. I also believe this is the first time that anyone has been genuinely kind to Alcyione. Hmm... I hope her characters goes places during the next two episodes.

The three Magic Knights regroup, and Hikaru has a brief conversation with Eagle. The music that's played right after Eagle says that Lantis loves her back was extremely well-placed. After he flies off, the girls have a brief moment of reprieve to talk amongst themselves. I usually like these scenes, and this one in particular is great. Hikaru really levels with both of them and it's just a nice, honest conversation. It also made me think back to the early parts of the series... wasn't Umi originally painted as a somewhat distant and unsentimental character? Because with scenes like Umi going up and hugging Hikaru, she seems to be the least closed of the three.

Anyway, skip over to the Mashin battle with Nova. Nova delivered her usual lines of hating everything Hikaru loves, but this time it was delivered with genuine hate rather than in a playful, sing-song tone. I wonder what's up. Nova reveals a lot about her origins. I won't spoil it, but I honestly think the background behind Nova is pretty brilliant. It's extremely interesting, and the series could be taken to interesting places with this little psychological thread. The battle rages on some more and then Eagle shows up, ready to help the Magic Knights out in his last battle.

Rating for Episode 47: Good

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Eagle's entrance into the battle. His cocky, confident expression and choice of words ("May I join in?") both reek of awesome.

Episode 48: The Endless Battle

The text says "An Endless Battle", but the name given is what the voiceover said. The two haven't matched up for the last several episodes, and I think "The Endless Battle" sounds better. Interesting, right? Yeah... I'm just adding some filler because I don't want a short review this late into the series. I just never have much to say about these Mashin battle episodes.

Anyway, Eagle and the three Magic Knights continue their battle against Nova. She takes the battle to a more interesting arena as she teleports the five of them away from the typical blackness of Cephiro and to an unknown area with a hellish-looking red sky. Umi and Fuu were kicking ass in the last episode, but in round 2 Nova just slaps them around like they're nothing. Some things are revealed concerning Nova that paint her in a better light, and while not all of her actions or behaviors are accounted for, this is good enough for now. Lady Debonair shows up sometime during the fight and attacks them. Not sure what exactly happened in this scene, but it involved lots of pretty lights and made it clear that Debonair is one strong chick.

Back in Castle Cephiro, all the secondary characters are in that one bright room aiding the citizens through the current crisis. Lafarga shields Caldina from falling debris (so that's where they went) and delivers the best bishonen smile he can muster. Ascot saves some random kids with one of his monsters, but as it's not Umi I don't really care. I liked Lady Aska's expression when she said "You should be more cheerful" to that old guy... I love that slightly angry yet optimistic expression anime characters do. There's also some scenes involving Tarta and Tatra (Tatra's good with kids, but Tarta's probably more popular with people her age) and Ferio. This season really has done a good job of distributing character development evenly among the cast.

Before the battle ends, tragedy strikes. Why do the good die young? Oh, right, it's because main characters in anime can never be past age 25. I forgot. Anyway, Hikaru's pissed and decides to settle things with Nova alone. She looks pretty intimidating here... I know I wouldn't want to mess with her. The episode ends with the two staring each other down.

Rating for Episode 48: Good

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: I thought I was going to have trouble awarding this episode, but that final scene made things easy. Hikaru's determined and angry expression combined with the lightning made for a very cool shot, and the sideview of the two managed to be even cooler yet. Time to go watch the final episode and see how Hikaru and Nova finally settle things.

Episode 49: The Road to Victory - The Tomorrow that the Believing Heart Opens!

This is the only time I've done three episodes in one night. You know, just in case that little tidbit went past my readers. That episode title is quite a mouthful, isn't it? Heh... no matter, though. It's a good title and the episode itself is amazing.

This is one of the few times I've watched the opening song. It's a good opening and all, I just haven't felt like watching it all 29 times. I also noticed that there was no pre-episode summary this time around. I guess they figured that if people are watching the last episode and need it explained to them that the Magic Knights lived in Tokyo and were the summoned to Cephiro, then... yeah.

Hikaru's approach with Nova wasn't what I expected at all. She looked awfully intimidating as she approached Nova (and Nova damn well looked intimidated), but then she pulled a Sailor Moon Episode 200 on us. After the conversation the two have, I can't help but finally like Nova. Excellent closure to Nova's character as well as Hikaru's inner conflict. Hikaru mentioned how well the story is laid out, and this is but one example of it. It was pulled off as well as everything else in this episode. Sayonara, Nova.

Presea continues to try and get Debonair's whereabouts out of Alcyione. Umi and Fuu enter the room and make their pleas as well. They no longer bear any malice towards Alcyione... the first enemy they made in Cephiro was the last one they made amends with. Finally she decides to tell them what she knows, and as anyone who's seen this episode knows, do more than just that. She really does redeem herself. Tragedies in stories rarely bother me, but this one really did. What we've seen of her entire life wasn't that great, and when she finally tries to do right... yeah. I hate what happened. And, as rather a rarity for villains, I hate Debonair as well.

Cut to the residents of Cephiro Castle as well as our good friends Lafarga, Caldina, Ascot, Ferio, and Mokona (oh wait, I forgot Primera... nah). The Magic Knights might come rescue Cephiro in times of extreme crisis, but for the most part these guys are Cephiro's real guardians. The distant shot of everyone in front of the crystallized backdrop is perhaps the single most picturesque frame in the series. If I had some way of uploading it, I would.

With the information gained from Alcyione, the three Magic Knights find Debonair and the Mashin combine into their Super Ultimate Form Used For Final Battles But Is Never Actually Explained In The Storyline At All. Debonair is so powerful that even their combined attack, which would normally be a OHKO Deus Ex Machina, isn't enough to stop her. Finally Hikaru receives the weapon which allows her to defeat Debonair. I won't spoil it since I really don't have any reason to, but I will spoil everything from here on out because I kinda have to mention it, so if you haven't seen all of season two then proceed with caution.

Jumping back a bit, one thing I liked about the fight (the fight itself was alright, it had some good animation and art) was the representatives of Autozam, Fahren, and Chizeta showing up. Aska's "You have to win, Magic Knights!" was really cute, and I've been a fan of endings where everyone comes together since I first saw it used in Final Fantasy 4. Anyway, back to normal chronological order.

For a brief moment, Hikaru is the Pillar of Cephiro. Her first and only act is to eradicate the system itself and let the citizens guide the country. Finally, the moment I've been waiting for. Beams of light break through the clouds and the sky finally reverts from its perpetual darkness. Cephiro is back to normal.

The citizens of Cephiro gather as the three Magic Knights fly toward them in a very holy and angelic manner. The Mashin reveal who it is that summoned them to Cephiro this time, and it gives me hope that this won't be the last visit they pay to the country. Clef speaks telepathically with Umi; Umi almost tells him that she loves him (or something along those lines), but decides not to at the last moment. Good move. Could you imagine the bitterness Ascot would feel if that was his last memory of her? I know he talked all mature, but he's only human. Anyway, Fuu and Ferio say goodbye to each other. They seem to be content with the fact that they were able to see each other once again rather than dwell on the fact they might not have a third chance. Finally, Hikaru has her turn with Lantis. Her last memory of Cephiro is the feel of Lantis's hand.

Whenever the girls open their eyes again, they are back in Tokyo Tower. I got the feeling that their immediate, first reactions were a little bittersweet, although that's an improvement over clutching each other in tears like they were when they returned from their first journey. Of course, the tone quickly becomes much more positive as they discuss how they're not filled with regret this time.

The last scene in the series sees Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu at the Tokyo Tower once again three years later. I like their new outfits. They're spiffy. The three are in high spirits; Umi make a joke (although it's more like an ironic observation in the original version) and they all laugh heartily. The three see an image of Cephiro (not sure how they saw it), thankfully still in its new prime. The camera zooms out to show the Tokyo Tower, and the word "Farewell" makes its way onto the screen.

Rating for Episode 49: Masterpiece. Best episode in the series.

Badass Scene of the Episode Award: Hikaru's initial intimidation tactics towards Nova were pretty badass. Anyway... hurray, I actually did these for all the episodes.




And so ends the series I began on August 13th, 2004. Early on in this topic I said that I got my MKR Season 1 Set early my Sophomore Year... heh, how silly of me. I joined this forum a week after the last day of my Sophomore Year, and it was a very pronounced time in my life so I really shouldn't have gotten those two mixed up. Ah, well. I suppose I'm allowed the occassional mistake. The first week of my Junior Year sucked majorly. Whenever I got home from school that Friday I had half a mind to punch the mailbox, but I decided to refrain and simply open it like I usually do. There it was. The series on which the RPG I had liked for about three years was based. It was a couple of weeks late, but it couldn't have arrived at a better time. I watched the first episode, and by the end (way before it, actually) I was in a perfectly good mood. I then posted my first review. I think my reviews back then were relatively short... they were around the same length as the review for episode 25.

I used to think two seasons of MKR was too short. I like my series to be long, which is why I'm attracted to shows like Sailor Moon and One Piece. I don't really think that now, though. This is a really tightly-made story and, short as it is, I think it managed to tell a full story. The three Magic Knights came a long way from the beginning of the first season to the end, and in the second they corrected the mistakes they had made before and the weaknesses they still had. Don't get me wrong, I would have still loved to see a third, fourth, fifth, tenth season made, but I'm much more satisfied with what we have than I had expected to be. Heh, I wonder how quickly I'd have finished the second season if I was just watching it and not writing up these reviews... XD I'd have probably finished in July.

Thanks to Hikaru-san, Batou-san, and anyone else who read this topic. I believe I'm done here.

I think you should ban ^ guy

... wrong topic?

I will read these eventaully *nods*

/makes a mental note.

Good to hear. You were absent during much of this time, so you didn't have to wait in suspense during my long periods of inactivity for the next review to come up like my other fans did.

...

Okay, I lied about the "having fans" part.

Ahaha XD Aww *comforts*

Well I like reading things all at once anyway. If not.. I forget what I read prior to it, and it just doesn't work as well that way.

?? Not sure what you mean Amber-chan. ;;

Casey-san did an excellent job summarizing and critiquing all of the MKR episodes and gave us a great resource to have here on the site. I'm not sure if anything this thorough can be found anywhere on the net. It gets a sticky which I should have done a loong time ago.

Thank you so much Casey-san! *hugs*

Thanks a lot. I'm glad I could help the site since I've always liked the place.

>_> The original review topic for Season 1 was saved by Archive.org... http://web.archive.org/web/20050429144841/...topicID=2.topic They're kind of short, the review for Episode 4 is three lines.

Wow, but still a nice find Casey-san! I'd thought that the Ezpocalypse of 2005 had ruined that forever. I'll have to copy and paste all of that thread over here when it's not so late at night. ;;

XD Awesome. I look foward to it.

Archive.org did a surprisingly nice job of preserving the Ezboard... I'm going to go through the forums and see how much was saved.

Introductions: Very little was saved on Page 2, sadly... just frozen skeleton's intro and your own. Page 1 is almost completely intact, however; the only threads which don't work are kaiti kaiba's and GigiRoswell's. Percentage of topics retained: 70%.

Magic Knight Rayearth: Simply put... everything's saved. :) Percentage of topics retained: 100%.

Clamp Anime and Manga: Every topic is saved except for the one you made about Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. Percentage of topics retained: 93%.

Fanart and Fanfiction: - Every topic on the first page is saved except for "Tanominotsuna", but none of the topics on page 2 or 3 are archived. Percentage of topics retained: 39%. -_-

Just Anime: On Page 1, every topic except the one about Tokyopop is saved. On page 2, seven topics are saved though there's no real pattern as to when or why. On page 3, nothing is saved. Percentage of topics retained: 45%.

I'll skip General Chit-Chat and Mokona's Playground for now.

Forum Feedback: *sigh* Percentage of topics retained: 0%.

Custom Title Requests: There's only one thread, but it's still there. Percentage of topics retained: 100%.

Avatar Gallery: Access has been blocked. N/A.

Post Your Site: On Page 1, every thread except for "Shinobia of Konoha" is preserved. On Page 2, only the bottom thread is left. Percentage of topics retained: 52%. Good enough for a spam forum.

The Archives - Every thread is okay except for Docs-san's "^.^ hello!" thread. Quite fortunate since it's meant to be the place for old memories. Percentage of topics retained: 96%.

General Role-Play: Very small forum, but nothing's missing. Percentage of topics retained: 100%.

Magic Knight Rayearth Roleplay: Every thread is accounted for, but tragically enough, this is the first time where a topic hasn't been preserved in full; pages 4-7 of the Tokyo thread are gone. Percentage of topics retained: 100%. Percentage of pages retained: 79%.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Page 2 of "The Tomoeda Business District" is missing. Nothing else is. Percentage of topics retained: 100%. Percentage of pages retained: 93%.

Sailor Moon: The Tokyo thread fared poorly. Unsurprising given its length, but it's still really sad since it was such a long and involved thread. Pages 1-3, 10, and 16-19 are intact. Percentage of topics retained: 100%. Percentage of pages retained: 58%.

Rayearth Manga: One thread. Didn't make it. Percentage of topics retained: 0%.

First Season: No problems here. Percentage of topics retained: 100%.

Second Season: Two topics, both perfectly fine. Percentage of topics retained: 100%.

Rayearth OAV's: Every page and topic is there. Percentage of topics retained: 100%.

Characters (Combined since the forums are so numerous): Umi's thread is in shambles (only the top thread works) and the threads for Ferio along with Tarta and Tatra are defunct. Everything else is okay. Percentage of topics retained: 75%.

Now to take on the two mega forums.

General Chit-Chat: One thread on Page 5 works (Can anyone help me?). Nothing on Page 4 survived. (This is getting depressing...) On Page 3, nothing was saved. Page 2 has about 7.5 threads saved, yuzuki's LJ unfortunately not being among these. Every thread on the first page was saved except for "New Forum Layout?", but not every page. In the Member Pictures topic, pages 1-3 as well as 9 are saved. In your LJ only the first three pages are left. I didn't check the "Test" topic beyond the first page. Percentage of topics retained = 32%. Percentage of pages retained = somewhere around 10%. Damn it... thanks for doing such a shitty job on our main board, Archive.org.

The Mokono's Playground threads are really long and I've run out of time, so I'll have to put that off for now. Add all of that up and the percentage of posts that was saved for the entire forum (sans the Playground) comes out to around seventy percent. Not sure if that's really a good thing or not... it's definitely not as good as if EzBoard was competent and allowed us to retain everything, but there's a fair amount preserved there.

The posts of the first season reviews, I've manually copied over and posted in the first season forum section. There isn't anything after episode 7, so if you still have any of that in your compy Casey-san, please post it again for us ... or better yet ... you now have an excuse to watch MKR season 1 again! ^__^

There certainly is a ton of the old stuff saved over there on that archive site and it did bring back a lot of old memories for me. However, staying there very long reminded me of how badly Ezboard treated us and me personally, and after almost two years later I can still feel some of the bitterness over what happened back then. As much as I try to keep a positive outlook on life in general, episodes like the Ez-pocalypse try to fuel me with more cynicism which is something that I constantly need to keep a handle on. @_@

I'll post a link to the webarchive forum index in our Archives forum section so that other people can visit if they want to. As you noted, nothing from the henheart domain will load there, but that is because bot scripts are disabled. That was something I had done to combat the spambotters that were attacking us not too long ago.

I got to the number 37 review before I stopped and left again lol...

/is a horrible person