Magic Knight Rayearth Brings Back 'Yuzurenai Negai' as First Episode Song

The new Magic Knight Rayearth anime has looked to the past to open its story. The first episode, which is already airing in Japan, uses Yuzurenai Negai as an insert song—the theme Naomi Tamura performed as the opening for the 1994 version.

Tamura herself has shared a message about this return. The song, a true classic for those who grew up with the adventures of Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu, has been released in digital format for the first time more than three decades after its original publication.

It's no small detail. Yuzurenai Negai was so popular at the time that Tamura performed it at the 1995 NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen, Japan's most-watched year-end music program on television. Now it plays once again as this new adaptation of CLAMP's manga begins.

Where and when it airs

The anime premiered on October 7, 2026, as part of TV Asahi's IMAnimation W block and its affiliate networks. Episodes air every Wednesday at 11:45 p.m., though it's worth noting that some regions are excluded from the broadcast.

Additionally, anyone who misses the Wednesday slot has a backup plan: starting October 11, there will be reruns on Sundays at 9:30 p.m., with additional airings on Thursdays at 5:00 a.m. and Sundays at 6:30 a.m.

A nod for longtime fans

Bringing back Yuzurenai Negai isn't just a tribute. It's a way of connecting this new version with the one that left its mark on an entire generation in the nineties. The song was already part of the Magic Knight Rayearth legacy, and now Japanese viewers hear it again just as the story begins anew.

CLAMP published the original manga in Nakayoshi magazine between 1993 and 1996. The first anime adaptation arrived shortly after, in 1994, with the opening that is now being revived. The new series adapts the work once again from the beginning, and this musical nod makes it clear that the team wants to please both those who already knew Cephiro and those arriving for the first time.

For now, the broadcast has just begun in Japan and there is still no news about its arrival on platforms outside the country. We'll have to keep an eye out for upcoming announcements.