by Don’t change the divine opening! Is that the fans’ ‘unyielding wish’?
On July 2, 2024, a new anime adaptation project for Magic Knight Rayearth was announced. The long-awaited new anime adaptation, which has been in the making for 30 years, is not only a source of excitement for fans of the original author, CLAMP, but also for a wider audience.
The divine openings, particularly ” Hikari to Kage wo Dakishimetai ” and “Yuzurenai Negai,” hold a special place in the hearts of fans. The question on everyone’s mind is whether this new anime adaptation will be able to surpass these beloved classics.
Do you want them to be played without changing them anymore? The old God Opening “Magic Knight Rayearth” was broadcast for 49 episodes between 1994 and 1995. Three junior high school girls are summoned to the other world, “Cephiro,” and fight on giant robots (Majin) while growing their weapons and armor. Some people may have a strong impression of the setting, which is unusual. Although this work is an anime for girls, it is characterized by the fact that it has elements familiar to men.
The characters’ names are often taken from the names of real cars, such as “Cephiro” and ” Lantis “. In 2019, it also participated in the game “Super Robot Wars T” and became a hot topic. What stunned many viewers even more was the divine opening. “Yuzurenai Negai,” featured in the Red and White Song Battle, and “Hikari to Kage wo Dakishimetama,” which has beautiful visuals, are representative examples. Various voices have been raised on SNS as to whether the new anime will be able to surpass these divine openings.
The legendary production site where there were concerns that “people will die.” The opening theme song “Yuzurenai Negai” from episodes 1 to 20 has sold over 1 million copies, and Naomi Tamura, who sang it, performed it at the Red and White Song Battle. This song has a rock style, overlaps with the sound effects of swords and explosions, and has a sense of speed, so even if you haven’t watched the anime, you may be familiar with it.
The opening theme song, “Hikari to Kage wo Dakishimetama,” from episodes 43 to 49, is characterized by its beautiful animation. It is rumored that about 6,000 cells (from two anime episodes) were used in this 90-second video, and it is hard to believe that this is an anime from 30 years ago. Even the ears of the minor characters that can be seen in the distance are swaying in the wind. While it was highly praised on social media as “the best opening cel art ever” and “crazy hand-drawn cel animation,” the original instructions were to move the pictures even more.
There is a rumor that some of the “still images” were left in because “if we go any further, (staff) will die!” Fans’ expectations are rising! “You can’t do it half-heartedly.” In response to this anecdote, some fans commented, “Next, Lantis’s cape (which was still images) will flutter, right!?” and “The opening production team seems to be feeling the most pressure.”
The popularity of the divine opening is so great that some people say, “I want to see the theme song as it is.” This is no surprise, as Mokona Apapa, one of the members of CLAMP, participated in the storyboards for the opening and ending. What’s more, all of the opening and ending theme songs from back then contain the names of the three main characters – “Hikari,” “Umi,” and “Kaze.” Will the new anime opening surpass these divine openings? Nanase Ohkawa, one of the members of CLAMP, was involved in the original scriptwriting.
How much of CLAMP’s involvement will be in the new work, and what will happen with the animation and voice actors? Fans of the original are excited about this work, and people wonder, “They can’t do anything half-hearted,” and “Will the entire opening be moving?”
