Magic Knight Rayearth is a fantasy series. It tells the story of three junior high-school girls, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu who were summoned away from a field trip one day to a magical world called Cephero. Upon arriving, they meet a Master Mage, named Clef, who tells them the Princess of the land (who kept things in harmony using only her wishes and willpower) has been captured by a High Priest named Zagato. With the Princess unable to hold Cephero together, the world has become a place of monsters and fear. It is also beginning to crumble.

Clef explains the Princess summoned them so they may fulfill a legend and become "The Magic Knights." Many magicians and swordsmen have tried to defeat Zagato but all failed--only the Magic Knights can save Cephero, and they can't return to their own world until they save it.

Clef tells them he will be their guide, gives them armor, and begins to teach them magic. Zagato, seeing the girls have arrived, sends one of his many minions to defeat the Magic Knights-to be. When Clef and the girls soon find themselves under attack, he sends them off atop a giant bird and tells them to head to the Forrest of Silence. It's there they will find Master Weaponsmith Presea and someone (something?!?) named Mokona. Clef stays back to hold off Zagato's minion, who he soon learns is the sorceress Alcyone--a past student of his. Will Clef be able to hold off Alcyone? Will Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu reach Presea? Will they become The Magic Knights, defeat Zagato, and rescue the Princess?

Be aware this is no ordinary "rescue the princess" series! Not everyone is who they appear to be. Zagato's minions follow him for different reasons and expectations. Zagato isn't your typical villain, and hardly anyone (for a good reason) knows the full extent of "The Legend of The Magic Knights." The ending will surprise you... to say the least! But even then it's not over--Magic Knight Rayearth season 2 picks up from there!

During Magic Knight Rayearth you will see magicians, knights, a princess, an evil priest, a swordsman, cute and fluffy animals, not so cute and not so fluffy monsters, magical spells, battles, and even (believe it or not!) giant robots. There's action, suspense, comedy, and romance.

The themes of the show are that of friendship, caring, love, belief in oneself, using your willpower to reach your goals, and not giving up--it's a very inspirational series!

Here are the characters you'll meet early on.

Hikaru Shidou (her color is red) is a can-do gal with a heart of gold (which sometimes gets her into trouble) and a will of steel. She is good with animals and deeply wants to save Cephero--she will never ignore anyone's call for help!

Umi Ryuuzaki (her color is blue), who initially thinks about herself (mostly about her important fencing match which she can't miss!) actually cares deeply about her friends. She will always go all out for them--even if it means sacrificing herself.

Fuu Hououji (her color is green) is kind, smart, and can quickly size up a situation--often with a hilarious knack for stating the obvious (watch for this throughout the series!) But you can't get much past Fuu. She knows! She also has the warmest smile.

Master Mage Clef is the highest-ranking magician of Cephero and looks quite young for his age. He tells the three girls why they have been summoned, and acts as their guide so they can fulfill the legend of The Magic Knights and save the Cephero.

Princess Emeraude is the "pillar" that holds Cephero together with her wishes and willpower. Her world is now falling apart after she is imprisoned by Zagato. She has summoned the three girls from another world to fulfill the legend of The Magic Knights and save Cephero.

High Priest Zagato is perhaps the most powerful magic-user in Cephero. He has taken the Princess away and imprisoned her in a far away castle. He is eager to see that the legend of the Magic Knights is never fulfilled. His reasons remain secret, as is his ultimate goal.

Master Weaponsmith Presea is the chief weapon maker of Cephero, who lives by herself (or, at least with Mokona) in the middle of a strange "Forrest of Silence." Her highest ability is the construction of weapons which "evolve" for those who grow in abilities. Presea tells the three girls about the quest they must take in order to become The Magic Knights.

Mokona is a cute, fluffy, floppy-eared, perpetually-happy, mischievous, bunny-like creature which guides The Magic Knights on their travels. Given to them by Presea, this little critter holds several remarkable abilities which will latter help The Magic Knights.

Ferio is a swordsman the Magic Knights meet on their journey. He himself is not totally sure of his past, but he does have an eye for Fuu. It's not quite clear if he's a friend or foe.

Alcyone is a sorceress who was once a student of Clef, and is now working for Zagato. She is ordered to destroy the three girls from another world so that the legend of the Magic Knights never comes true.

Here are additional facts about Magic Knight Rayearth you might find interesting:

• The series was made by CLAMP, a four-woman team, who produce manga (Japanese comics) and anime. Rayearth was produced as manga first, then made into anime. Although there are differences in events, characters, and emphasis between the two formats, the series is basically the same. Other works by CLAMP include Card Captor Sakura (known as "Card Captors" as shown on the WB-television network), "X", and "Clover."

• Mokona, the floppy-eared critter in the series, shares the same name from one of CLAMP's members--Mokona Apapa.

• Magic Knight Rayearth has a role-playing-game (RPG) format, and the characters comment during the series on how similar their situation is to that of a RPG.

• The color of objects in the series have meaning. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu each have their own color and their magical spells are associated with that color's element. Another thing to notice is the romance between various people who share similar colors.