"Clamp's Rayearth: Ayane Sakura, Rumi Okubo scream"

MyAnimeThoughts Mar 28, 2026 56 Views

A talk event about the TV anime "Magic Knight Rayearth" based on the original work by CLAMP was held at "AnimeJapan 2026" held at Tokyo Big Sight on March 28th, and Ayane Sakura, Rumi Okubo, and Rie Takahashi, who were announced to appear at the event, took the stage.

Rumi Okubo, Ayane Sakura, and Rie Takahashi appeared at the talk event

At the beginning of this event, a teaser PV with the latest information will be unveiled. At the end of this PV, it was revealed that Sakura will appear as Hikaru Shido, Okubo as Kai Ryusaki, and Takahashi as Kaze Hououji. The moment it was revealed that the three would be performing, there was a huge roar from the fans who rushed to the venue. The three of them, who were greeted with loud applause from their fans, took to the stage and looked back on what happened when they were told that they had been chosen to appear on the show.

TV anime “Magic Knight Rayearth” teaser PV

Sakura, who has always been a big fan of CLAMP's works, learned that she had been chosen to play the role of Hikaru through a phone call from her manager. At that time, he revealed that his manager asked him, ``Are there any people around you right now? They'll probably scream, so please check,'' and that he actually screamed right after hearing the results. Okubo, who, like Sakura, is a big fan of CLAMP and has spent his life as an otaku with CLAMP's works, confesses that of all the female characters in CLAMP's works, Umi is his favorite. She revealed that when her manager told her that she had been selected for the role of sea as a result of the audition, she silently cried without making a sound.

Takahashi was aware of the work itself, but had not read the original. On the other hand, he said that he remembered that Okubo, who is a senior at the agency and loves anime and manga, was a big fan of ``Magic Knight Rayearth.'' After learning that he had a considerable number of fans in addition to Okubo, he decided to go into the audition with great enthusiasm. Later, when he was informed that he had won the role of Kaze, the first thing that came to mind was Okubo's face, he said with a smile. He said that he was happy that the three of them, including Sakura, were able to do the dubbing together.

Sakura and Okubo were overwhelmed with emotion from beginning to end during the event because they were able to be involved in the work of CLAMP, which they respect. The excitement reached its climax at the moment when CLAMP's message and newly drawn illustrations were released. When the MC read the message on his behalf, which was not mentioned in the script for the event and had not been heard at all in the preliminary meeting, Okubo was overcome with emotion and tears filled his eyes. When the newly drawn illustrations were revealed, Okubo let out the loudest, wordless scream of the day. At the same time, Sakura, who had been caring for Okubo and trying to remain calm, screamed as if she could no longer hold back her overflowing emotions. The audience, including Takahashi, who was overwhelmed by the two of them, burst into laughter when they saw what was happening on stage.

"Magic Knight Rayearth" was serialized in Nakayoshi (Kodansha) from 1993 to 1995. The story is about middle school students Hikari, Umi, and Kaze who are suddenly invited to another world and face the world as magic knights. In 1994, it was made into a TV anime produced by Tokyo Movie. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of its broadcast, a “new animation project” will start in July 2024. Starting this October, the new TV anime will be broadcast on TV Asahi's national network "IMAnimation W".