Rayearth

The continuing adventures of Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu--the three girls who are about to graduate from junior high and have been chosen to save the Earth from the invading world, Cephiro. In volume 2 (of three), the intentions of the invading forces remain unclear, but their castle has materialized in downtown Tokyo. For some reason, a rogue priest from Cephiro, Clef, has done what he can to put the earthlings in a protective time warp, and with what little energy he has left he's been guiding the girls through their roles as saviors. Fuu (who has never been in a fight before) and Umi need to discover their own battle deities before they are destroyed by Ferio, master of insects, and the child warrior Ascot. Hikaru, after her exhaustive battle in volume 1, is in no position to help them. Their only hope is to find the sleeping Mashin, who will help them transform into their deities. To find him they need to break down the barriers of their hearts. The combination of self-doubt, the purity of friendship, and the need to change the course of destiny in order to save the world help to give the battle scenes an extra depth and punch, which raises them above mere action. The storytelling, based on the original manga by Clamp, feels like 90 minutes compressed into less than 60, which means it never gets boring. Bring on volume 3! --Andy Spletzer