Magic Knight Rayearth is in my opinion one of the most overrated Fantasy Anime. There were some aspects of it I did enjoy, but what really stifled my investment was how the world never felt lived in, our heroes on their journey only ever visited one village. It really felt like the only people who exist in this world are the ones who play important roles in the story.
And that is one of the most important things in selling a Fantasy Setting to me, it’s what Tolkien and Lewis excelled at and even Game of Thrones early on took some time to consider.
Whether or not the world actually feels alive, feels like it is filled with people and cultures worth fighting for is more important to me than whether it actually feels “Unique” or distinct from other Fantasy settings.
This is a factor in why I don’t get tired of the modern trends of Isekai and Quasi-Isekai in Anime. More cynical Anime critics keep mocking how they are all the same discount Dragon Quest worlds, with identical looking medieval towns and D&D Fantasy Races. But I don’t care because even at their most generic each of those succeeded in making its world feel alive.
This is perhaps one of the most blasphemous opinions you can have in the Anime Community, to suggest that one of these Classic Shoujo Isekai, one written by the Clamp Team, actually has worse world building then In Another World With My Smartphone. But that is my honest opinion. Even the modern Isekai that even I haven't gotten into beat Rayearth in this area.
No one is more disappointed that I was disappointed in a Clamp Anime than I am. I like Cardcaptor Sakura. I love Angelic Layer, I recall liking the TV Anime version of X and I've enjoyed Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle so far [Update: I also really want a full Anime adaptation of Angel Sanctuary]. So I really expected Rayearth to live up to its hype, but it didn’t.
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