Magic Knight Rayearth Omnibus Volume Two collects Volumes Four through Six of CLAMP’s manga series into one volume.

Magic Knight Rayearth Omnibus Volume Two
Written by: CLAMP
Publisher: Kodansha
English Publisher: Dark Horse Manga
Release Date: April 24, 2012

This volume opens with Hikaru, Fuu, and Umi (the three Magic Knights) thinking of the land of Cefiro and what happened at the end of the first volume. The three girls gather at Tokyo Tower, where they wish to return to Cefiro. The bright light that took them to Cefiro in the first volume appears, and the three return to Cefiro. Clef the guru is surprised by their arrival, because only the pillar is supposed to be able to summon the Magic Knights. Since the pillar is now dead, no one knows how the girls returned to Cefiro.

The Cefiro they return to is a world that is now falling apart, since there is no longer a pillar to protect the land. Also, worlds outside of Cefiro can now access the land. Hikaru, Fuu, and Umi take on their role as Magic Knights again, and declare that they will do what they can to help Cefiro. Lantis, the younger brother of Zagato, has returned to Cefiro. Hikaru finds herself falling for Lantis, which adds another layer to the story.

There are three worlds trying to invade Cefiro for different reasons. Eagle Vision, Geo Metro, and Zaz Torque are from the world of Autozam. The environment in their world is being destroyed, so they want to seize the pillar system and return with it to Autozam. Lady Aska is a spoiled ruler from Fahren, and she wants to become the pillar in order to become the princess and to fill the world with candy. Tata and Tatra are from the world of Cizeta, and they want to become the pillar in order to expand their territory.

Unfortunately, Cefiro doesn’t have much time, and a new pillar must be found as soon as possible. Only the one who has the strength to be the pillar can find the road to the pillar. In the climax of the volume, one of the Magic Knights and one of the other characters have to fight each other to determine who the next pillar will be.

Overall, I have to say that I thought the story in the second omnibus was a little stronger than the story in the first one. While the first omnibus had to establish the world of Cefiro and the “Hero’s Journey” of the Magic Knights, there were parts in the first omnibus that felt like obstacles were overcome a little too easily for our protagonists.

As I read this second omnibus, I never felt that anything happened “too easily” for our characters. In fact, I found myself riveted to the story and to the action in this volume. This volume is very action-packed, so it made me want to keep on reading. Admittedly, I could tell early on which of the Magic Knights would be considered strong enough to be the next pillar of Cefiro, but there were still surprises to be revealed during the climax.

While the art in the second omnibus volume of Magic Knight Rayearth employs some of the typical shojo tropes, there were definitely more panels that were action-packed and were depicted with tropes more associated with the shonen genre.

If you’re a fan of Magic Knight Rayearth, you will definitely want to read this omnibus volume to see how the adventures of the Magic Knights continue. For me personally, Magic Knight Rayearth is one of the better shojo manga series that I have read.

The reviewer was provided a digital review copy through the NetGalley.com website

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