CARDCAPTOR SAKURA

DESCRIPTION

CAST

CHAPTERS

MOVIE DramaCardcaptor Sakura Movie: Fuinsareta Card
OVA AdventureCardcaptor Sakura: Suteki Desu wa, Sakura-chan! Tomoyo no Cardcaptor Sakura Katsuyaku Video Nikki!
SPECIAL ComedyCardcaptor Sakura: Kero-chan ni Omakase!
MOVIE ComedyCardcaptor Sakura Movie
ANIME ComedyCardcaptor Sakura
MANGAHoney Milk
MANGA AdventureCardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-hen
OVA AdventureCardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-hen - Prologue Sakura to Futatsu no Kuma

REVIEWS

• 

  Juliko25

  90/100
  One of the most well-known magical girl manga of all time that's certainly deserving of its status as a revered classic

  Unlike most anime fans I know of, I never grew up watching Cardcaptor Sakura. The English dubbed version of the anime, called Cardcaptors, did air when I was younger, but I stayed the hell away from it. Why? Because I saw one of the commercials and dismissed it as some babyish girly show where the characters would talk about nothing but fashion and boys, be petty and nasty to one another over stupid things, and assumed it was something like Bratz. Yeah, I admit, I was a pretty judgmental kid. To seven/eight year old me, nothing could beat Pokemon and Digimon in my eyes. Over the years, I started to warm up to the series upon learning more about it, even managing to finally watch the whole anime when I was in college, though I saw the movies before that, and even bought Tokyopop's release of the manga at my local bookstore. Cardcaptor Sakura is considered one of the best children's anime of all time, and one of many manga that put CLAMP on the map in the anime fandom. It's easy to see why, and now, as an adult, I appreciate it a lot more than I did when I was younger. That being said, how does it hold up today in my eyes?

  Sakura Kinomoto is a normal ten-year-old girl with a pretty easy life. One day, she finds a mysterious book in her basement, and upon opening it, a slew of magical tarot cards fly out, spreading all across the city. She also accidentally awakens one of the guardians of said book, Cerberus, aka Kero-chan. It turns out the cards she released are called Clow Cards, magical cards created by a famous magician, Clow Reed. Kero tells her that since she released the cards, she has to be the one to stop them from wreaking havoc on the world. With this, Sakura is christened as a cardcaptor, and with her loyal friends by her side, she's determined to collect all the Clow Cards.

  Really, what is there to say about CLAMP's art that hasn't been said already? It's luscious and beautiful, and in this case, since CCS is a children's manga, they manage to make the kids look cute without bordering on overly saccharine. The linework is clean and sharp, the backgrounds are packed with detail, the character designs are great, and the fight scenes are all packed with action and effects that really make them pop. I do feel that sometimes the billowy costumes can be a little over the top though, making some panels and frames look busier than they should be. Also, having read Magic Knight Rayearth, which came out before CCS and had thicker lines, sharper eyes for the characters, and the character designs did make the characters have overly long, thin noodle limbs, CCS is noticeably an improvement on that front, with more realistic character designs and nicer looking eyes.

  There's also no denying that CLAMP are masters of creating diverse, versatile, and likeable characters that immediately win you over with their charm. Every character, from the main leads to minor characters such as this one group of Sakura's school friends, are all given their time in the limelight, getting equal amounts of development and depth to them, really making the world the series takes place in come alive. One problem I had with Magic Knight Rayearth's manga is that it was moving at such a fast pace that it didn't bother to leave time to show what the characters were like outside of saving the world. CCS remedies that flaw impeccably, as the manga has 12 volumes, giving CLAMP plenty of freedom to balance out the more action packed chapters with ones where the characters just hang out and have fun. My favorite chapters were the ones where Sakura goes to the festival and gets the Glow card and one where she meets a nice old man. That being said, the manga is rather vague in regards to what Kaho Mizuki's deal is, and I wish more had been done with her. Anime fans are probably wondering "Where's Meiling?" Y'know, Syaoran's cousin in the anime. Technically, she doesn't exist in the manga. Meiling is a completely original character made solely for the anime, so she's nowhere to be found in the manga.

  Given that this is, indeed, a children's series, CLAMP obviously can't indulge in some of their favorite tropes, like having the series just end with many questions unanswered, or a lot of the things they use in their more teenager-oriented works, such as more detailed violence. Of course, they're self-aware enough that they didn't try to dumb down the story they had for CCS. The premise is still child-friendly, but there's enough intrigue and depth to Sakura's card collecting quest that it never feels like the manga is insulting you for expecting something more from it, offering plenty of worldbuilding and backstory that manages to seamlessly fit into CCS's narrative. That being said, CCS isn't a perfect manga. Like I said earlier, I still think the manga should have done more with the character of Kaho Mizuki. Plus...there is one thing about the manga that might be a potential turn-off for a lot of people. CLAMP has a pretty accepting view of age-gap romances, even ones that would normally be considered creepy and unethical, like Sakura's mother, who married a teacher while she was a 16-year-old high school student (Japan considers 16 the legal age of marriage), with the most egregious one being one of Sakura's friends, a ten year old girl, crushing on a teacher who's in his thirties...and having said teacher actually reciprocate those feelings. Granted, nothing sexual or explicit happens, and the anime changed it to just a one sided crush on the girl's part, but anyone who really doesn't like seeing this stuff at all is going to have a hard time with it, and I honestly have to question why CLAMP put this in at all. Luckily, they seem to have realized how stupid and creepy this was, so when they made the sequel manga Clear Card years later, they cut the teacher character in question out of the story while also having Sakura's friend go to another school, downplaying her role in the story. So for me, while that particular element doesn't exactly sit right with me, I'm glad CLAMP didn't go further with it than they did, and I can at least take comfort in the fact that they addressed the issue later on, so kudos to them.

  Overall, this is my more objective analysis of Cardcaptor Sakura as a manga series. But the thing is, one thing that makes me decide whether something will be one of my all-time favorites is whether it really resonates with me, blows me away, and hits me in the feels. So, I pose the question: Did Cardcaptor Sakura resonate with me, to the point that it became one of my favorite series? Sadly, the answer is no. This is not me saying CCS is a bad manga. It's very good, and I can absolutely see why it made the impact it did on not only magical girl anime, but anime as a whole. I like it, but I don't necessarily LOVE it, per se. It just didn't really add any extra spices to its storytelling and takes on various magical girl tropes. There are plenty of other anime and manga that I just happen to love a lot more. I guess I would have appreciated it more had I watched it as a kid, or even saw the uncut version earlier, but who can say? That being said, Cardcaptor Sakura is a great manga that I can wholly recommend to anyone looking for something sweet and heartwarming to read without it being too saccharine, and I think it absolutely earned its designation as a beloved classic, as it should.

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• 

  RoseFaerie

  90/100
  An adorable classic magical girl series which is both a coming of age story and an exploration of first love.

  I think everyone should have a magical girl series that they're obsessed with, and mine is now Cardcaptor Sakura. I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy it or not, what with three different student x teacher pairings and my growing list of magical girl series I didn't click with. However, despite the problematic CLAMP-ery I loved Cardcaptor Sakura, enough that I would give it a 10/10 if it didn't have the really, really, really weird side couples, but we'll get to that later.

  Sakura Kinomoto is an ordinary elementary schooler until she discovers a strange book in her father's library. When she opens it, a magical creature pops out declaring that he is Cerberus, guardian of the book, which contains magical cards called "Clow Cards". However, his job is more about keeping the cards from people than the other way around. Unfortunately, the cards have already escaped, and the tiny guardian declares that Sakura will be the one to capture them and prevent them from wreaking havoc upon her town.

  

  Cardcaptor Sakura is adorable. It's an episodic adventure series, clearly meant for a young audience. However, while it's easy to follow and child friendly, it doesn't sacrifice good writing just because it's made for kids. I'd go so far as to say it has the best writing of all the CLAMP works, I've read so far. It's cutesy, but also very mature in how it deals with the character's emotions, despite being very idealized. It's simple, but that's the point. Not every story must be overly complicated, especially if it is something for kids to learn from and understand.

  This is the story of how Sakura comes into her own magical power and becomes a magical girl in her own right, first collecting the cards, then mastering them. While it begins in an episodic manner, with Sakura taking on the card of the day, it evolves into having a more cohesive plot with the introduction of Yue at the end of the first half, complete with twists. It then introduces antagonists for the second half with mysterious motives, making things a lot more intriguing.

  Sakura is my child. I love her so much. She's athletic and likes music, but she hates math (most fourth graders don't like math from my experience). She's upbeat, though a bit clumsy and oblivious, and she can't stand being fussed over. However, it's her unabashed kindness, empathy, and creativity that make her a worthy Cardcaptor. In general, she's just super adorable and I don't blame Tomoyo for wanting to make clothes for her.

  Her most constant companions are Tomoyo and Syaoran. Tomoyo is her best friend who has a bit of a crush on Sakura. She's very perceptive, able to catch on quickly. She is the most intelligent of Sakura's crew, able to sense other characters' motivations and figure out what's going on. She's very artistic and stylish as well, constantly filming Sakura's exploits, and making cute clothes for her, using her crush as a creative outlet. However, Sakura isn't perceptive enough to notice her friend's feelings (or anyone's feelings for that matter). Syaoran on the other hand doesn't get off to a great with Sakura. He comes from a magical family connected to the cards. Syaoran views Sakura as his rival when it comes to card collecting and in romance, as they both have one-sided crushes on an older boy. Syaoran is hot headed and easy to fool, but he's also just super awkward and kind to people once he warms up to them.

  

  The other characters I'd like to discuss are Touya and Yukito. Touya is Sakura's older brother. He's another perceptive character, with latent magical abilities. He's prone to teasing those he cares about, and he's very protective of his loved ones. His best friend is Yukito, who's truly kind to a fault and a bit airheaded. He's gentle and shares Touya's love of sports, though he's also fond of cooking and eating. Both Syaoran and Sakura feel for him, despite him being much older. Touya and Yukito have their own arc alongside Sakura's in the second half of the series, and they provide support for her in their own ways.

  Love, particularly romantic love, is a major theme of the series. Sakura, Syaoran, and Tomoyo are all in the fourth grade and are discovering their first romantic feelings and discovering what it means to love someone and want to be with them. The way every character approaches love is different, and it's different for each time the characters fall in love as well. Tomoyo knows that Sakura won't return her feelings and wouldn't be happy with her, so she has taken an altruistic path, supporting Sakura and making Sakura's happiness her happiness. I hope Tomoyo finds her happiness and gets a girlfriend in the ongoing sequel.

  Sakura and Syaoran both have a somewhat aggressive approach to wooing Yukito, who obviously doesn't return their feelings. It's when Syaoran moves on and falls for someone else, and Sakura is let down gently by Yukito that the two change their approaches and think more critically about love and how they love someone.

  

  Sakura's romantic path involves a lot of uncertainty when it comes to her feelings. She has a tough time discerning between strong feelings of love, be it familial or romantic. It's only when she finds someone who she loves more than her family that she knows what true romantic feelings are. It's only when she's forced to confront the romantic feelings of someone close to her, when she's faced with the idea of losing someone, she loves that she realizes what it means to be in love. I never thought that I'd be that invested in an elementary school couple, but here I am. When she is confessed to, I started flapping my arms around it was that adorable. Syaoran has fallen in love with our dear Sakura, naturally over time. He's so awkward and afraid to confess, and he's afraid of hurting Sakura and making her feel like she must reciprocate. He's more in tune with his emotions and the emotions of others than he was with his first love. This time he's aware that he has a chance, and he takes things more seriously. He has more to lose when it comes to confronting Sakura and he's painfully aware of that.

  Touya and Yukito's journey is also full of uncertainties. The friends have romantic feelings for each other, but neither one has confessed yet. Yukito keeps his pain to himself as well as his feelings for Touya. He doesn't want to confront the emotions he doesn't want to deal with. Meanwhile, Touya is just very awkward and doesn't know what to do with himself or show Yukito how he cares in ways he already does. It's only when he offers Yukito everything he has that he bridges the gap between them. They're also an extremely cute couple.

  I can't say the same thing for all the other side-couples, because of all the CLAMP-ery that's going on. Cardcaptor Sakura contains one of the most infamous CLAMP age gap relationships. We got a fourth-grade math teacher proposing to Sakura's friend and fellow fourth grader, Rika. They have a secret romantic relationship which is occasionally referenced throughout the series. I'm grateful it barely came up because that meant I got to forget about it for multiple volumes at a time. I thought the whole second half would go by without hearing from Rika and Terada, but it gets mentioned again in the last volume, and I was like, "Oh yeah, that exists". In CLAMP-land, Terada is a perfectly nice guy who fell in love with Rika for who she was, not for her age, and wouldn't do anything to hurt her, though in real life he wouldn't be anywhere near as nice as the manga paints him.

  We also get a few other... lovely age gap pairings, all of which are student x teacher. My favorite. ;-; Sakura's father married her mother when he was in his 20's and her teacher and she was 16. We heard about them going to school together, and it just made me shudder. It just made me unsettled to think about every time they brought up Sakura's parents. Sakura's brother dated a teacher, Mizuki Kaho, an important character when he was in middle school. Fortunately, their relationship is not dwelt on, though Mizuki does go on to date a 30-something year old man who looks like he's 10, so... Needless to say, I didn't really feel comfortable with her character either.

  

  The art is gorgeous. I adore it and after my Pandora Hearts banner, I will do a Cardcaptor Sakura one. All of the characters are extremely cute looking, as well as elegant. Sakura is always well-dressed, courtesy of Tomoyo, and she always has a new outfit to show off. CLAMP is sure to let other characters be stylish in the color pages, as well. There's something that just feels so delicate and fluid about the art, and I love the floral illustrations that compliment it.

  It's a wonderful manga and a magical girl classic. It's unbelievably cute with Sakura's adventures, journey as a magical girl, and exploration of her first love. However, it's also got the huge caveat of the side couples with huge (quite frankly inappropriate) age gaps, which are all student x teacher... I don't blame people for avoiding the series for those things (I initially planned to avoid it for those reasons). However, if you do choose to push past that, you'll find that Cardcaptor Sakura is genuinely good and is a kids' manga well worth reading.

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