Magic Knight Rayearth, Band 1: Von Tokyo nach Cephiro

The universe feels so rich and imaginative—I'm curious whether the creators had a detailed lore from the start or it developed as they drew.

The characters seem to grow and change pretty fast in this first volume. Did that surprise others or was it expected based on the story setup?

The art style really brings the fantasy world to life. I'm wondering if the creators planned the visual pacing carefully to match the story's rhythm.