Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card

If there’s anything worse than a bad sequel, it’s a disappointing one. Nothing about Clear Card is overtly offensive or insulting. It just sort of… exists in a weird space of its own. It has all the characters you love and remember doing their usual shenanigans. In a lot of ways, Clear Card just feels like an extension of the classic original, and after all, isn’t that what a second season is supposed to do? Well, yeah, but… let me try and explain. The series starts with a beautiful opening performed by Maaya Sakamoto, who did the third and final opening for the original, which waswhy personal favorite from that series. First impressions are looking pretty good! Then the actual show begins. The first thing I noticed was that the overall color design felt significantly more washed out than the original. The hand painted backgrounds, fluid animation, consistently great storyboarding, amongst many other things, made Cardcaptor Sakura feel warm and alive. Clear Card’s digital backgrounds doesn’t even hold a candle. Nothing about this show pops quite the same way. Even the animation feels a lot less lively. Characters rarely go into chibi mode, which is something that is often very typical and commonplace for Clamp series, which wouldn’t really be a problem if the facial expressions weren’t also so consistently dull.. Again, the original does a way better job at portraying emotions across the board, giving those funny scenes more comedic value and those sad scenes more weight. But visuals aren’t the only element that factors into a show’s overall quality. What about the plot itself? Well… it sure is Cardcaptor Sakura. The overall story structure is pretty much the same, characters act exactly the same, even some of the music and most of the cards are lifted straight from the original. Gale is just Windy, Labyrinth is just The Maze, Mirror is just… The Mirror. You get the idea. It’s honestly pretty frustrating that I have to talk about the original in comparison so much, but Clear Card seriously feels like it has a bit of an identity crisis, and that’s my biggest problem with this show in general. The manga and the anime came out about 20 years after the original. With such a huge time gap, I would’ve wanted them to either do some changes, such as make the characters older to better reflect the audience that would’ve been excited for this show in the first place, or start over from scratch and remake the original or introduce a new cast to sell the show to a new generation of anime fans. Instead it’s in this awkward in-between spot where it doesn’t quite offer enough new for older fans, and isn’t accessible enough to new fans because they would have to watch 70 episodes of a show that’s over 20 years old now beforehand. With all that being said, I wouldn’t be honest if I said I didn’t like anything about Clear Card. I really liked the first ED. The song and animation is very lively and playful, and I also found it cool how they reference cel animation in the first shot of the ED with the name plates. The characters are only colored within that small frame, with the full character sketch taking up the rest of the picture, just like how cel animation is done. The original was obviously made before the era where digital animation was the standard for anime, so I thought that was a cute nod. There are also certain moments that do capture the spirit of the original show, with my favorite episode being episode 19. That was a great episode. So how do I feel about Clear Card as a whole? As a huge fan of the original Cardcaptor Sakura, I was very disappointed that the sequel didn’t feel like much of an evolution of the series, but instead more like the exact same thing we already watched 20 years ago, just not quite as good due to its lackluster presentation in comparison to the original, as well as reused plot points and ideas, making it an overall exhausting watch. Would I recommend Clear Card to you? Eh, probably not. You might get more out of this than I did, but I wouldn’t raise my expectations too high. Just be aware that it ends on a massively unsatisfying cliffhanger. I won’t spoil what happens, and we may still get a second season someday to resolve the plot. I’m just throwing that out there for anyone who hates cliffhangers as much as I do. Actually, maybe watch Saint Tail if you’re clamoring for more anime like Cardcaptor Sakura. That show doesn’t get nearly as much love as it deserves.

Possible spoilers ahead. I've both watched the first series and movies, and read the manga (the final volume). Like other anime I've been watching at the time, this show helped keep my spirits up during some dark times in my life. Madhouse and CLAMP have come a long way since the original CCS 20 years ago. Madhouse re-entered my radar with Hanayamata a few years ago, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and the animation and production quality there belied their struggles in the early 2010s. Likewise I haven't really kept up with CLAMP since the early episodes of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, a series I just couldn't keep upwith like I could with CCS. Then the preview episode, "Sakura and the Two Bears" came out. Sure, there were a handful of shortcuts ("stick figure" like kids), but overall this was a "reboot" from the final episode of the series, modeled rather faithfully after the final chapter of the original manga, but with a more understated coloring compared to the first series' saturated coloring. "Oh... could this be?" I wondered. Yup, new anime confirmed with Madhouse as the production house. This is a welcome reunion in my book. Possible spoiler: At first I thought this was manga canon, but... well, yes and no. The preview is straight from the final chapter of the (edit) manga, but in the series proper there are shots from the anime series finale, as well as references to the 2nd film in dialogue. It's entirely possible we're looking at parallel universes here (which appears to have been a fascination of CLAMP's since Tsubasa Chronicle, and it's a tempting pitfall for any fantasy or sci-fi writer). I think if they're careful, CLAMP could have a badass show/manga that not only delivers a great story in its own right, but resolves the differences between manga and anime, or, even better, preserves both and brings them together somehow. It really seems to me that they enjoyed what Madhouse did by expanding the manga into a 70-episode hit kids' anime series and 2 films, and they wanted to bring that expanded world into the manga as well (not sure if they actually talk about content exclusively from the anime in the manga, this is more intuition than anything). The first cour (12 episodes or so) feels like a tribute to the fans of the first series. From the opening animation, to Maaya Sakamoto singing, to the continued use of the first series' soundtrack and voice cast, to familiar scenes here and there, the callbacks to series 1 are legion. Having watched the first series, it was fun looking at all the ways the production staff drew from series 1, and I think this was absolutely the right thing to do. We are picking up right where the first manga left off, so it makes sense to start with the familiar and have fun with it. Clear Card repeats the tried and true episodic formula from before, but with new dangers, new cards, a new key, and a new twist. The slow pace might be a turn-off for those who demand faster-paced storytelling, but remember, this is a sequel to a 70-episode production where the first arc was almost an entire year's worth of anime. Not only this, it's a kid's show that's heavily character-driven-- if you move the plot too quickly, you will leave the younger viewers in the dust, characters won't develop organically, and it simply will be too jarring a difference in a world where fans pick apart everything in a sequel with an electron microscope. Visually, the more understated coloring lends itself to brighter, more dramatic action, and a less "cartoony" look. The coloring reminds me of Honey and Clover in a good way, and their experience with particle systems/effects from Hanayamata (and probably other works) serve them well here. As I mentioned, the soundtrack is largely the same, but there are some new additions, like the battle theme, transformation/release theme, and the capture theme. Honestly, this is a good (if economical) choice to me. Even though the older synth tracks might sound dated now, they've held up well. Rocket Beat is a fantastic OP, even if it's not something I'll put in my car playlist; Clear by Sakamoto is all right, but I think Platina is much better (because Yoko Kanno). The ED in the second cour features Akiho's voice actress, and she's a good voice to listen to while the mascots play out a funny scene; while she doesn't play a voice role, Saori Hayami sings the first ED. She's pleasant to the ears, and yet, again, I wouldn't put Jewelry in my playlist. I suppose if there's one gripe I would throw at this, it's that the gang seem like elementary school kids but with different uniforms and a different school. This is partly due to the character design and the voice acting/direction. I know it's a kid's show and you don't really want to be discussing the birds and bees here, but it kinda makes it seem as though people go from dwarves to giants as they reach high school age. Not a deal-breaker for me, and the suspense element does help convey the passage of time. SPOILER: I'd thought they would wrap up the entire arc in this series, but that didn't happen. I actually think they're fixing for a film, if not season 2. I think the kind of showdown that's brewing is too small for 22 or even 44 minutes of television. There's a possible contradiction between manga and the finale, so I desperately hope that (a) Madhouse does NOT fall into the same trap that sank Rozen Maiden and a few other series (i.e. rushing ahead of the manga), and that (b) CLAMP does NOT rage quit or completely wreck the world with their fascination of alternate universes.

Been almost 17 years since the original series graced us and LA watched it not knowing it was anime, now Cardcaptor Sakura finally got it's sequel and LA was hyped let alone what new adventures Sakura would go up to, for what it's worth, Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card-hen was a good sequel that expanded on Sakura's magical world...just with a few upsets. Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card-hen leaves off directly after the Sealed Card movie & the first season with Sakura now entering middle school with a cloaked figure appears in her dreams and Sakura's cards turns blank however she now collects the new "Clear" cards witha new key to "secure" them all...but who is the cloaked figure and what's up with the new cards? So by the synopsis itself, it has the same notion of collecting "new cards" much like the original series but with some mystery elements thrown in, mainly the mysterious cloaked figure. The "new cards" however is something like the upgraded versions of Sakura's and Clow Cards but the "upgrade" does signify Sakura's development as a character as well as her entering middle school, but it also signifies Sakura's romantic development to Syoran even further with this as well to a certain extent. With this, Sakura's tactical prowess has been greatly improved this season using her new cards to great efficiency as she collects more and more and LA wasn't expecting some cards to not be used (like some from the original series) but Clear Card-hen DOES implement these new cards quite well. On speaking of Syoran, Syoran greatly develops as a character mainly on steeling his resolve in helping Sakura and not getting her hurt in a ways and though both Sakura and Syoran are "twice shy" in terms of romantic relationship, well to be honest they are 14 years old so LA kinda gets the twice shy thing but nonetheless Syoran and Sakura develops together both in a slight romantic sense as well as partners in the new threat they face. We also have some new characters in Clear Card-hen and the only thing to note of if not going into spoilers would be of Akiho Shinomoto voiced by Minori Suzuki, who quickly becomes friends with Sakura who is VERY similar to Sakura as well and yes Akiho is a MAJOR part of the plot but again spoilers but nonetheless since Akiho and the new characters have significance in the plot, they are implemented well into the plot if only because of their importance in the plot and aren't one-off characters. So, LA does have some small gripes in this season and that some of the episodes are fillery to say the least especially with some of the cards just dedicated to getting cards and sometimes rushed in some cases where Sakura gains one right after the other, but LA will defend the "filler" episodes as at least those episodes some sprinkle in subtle hints to the mystery at hand as well as slowly develop Sakura, Syoran or Akiho in many cases. ALOT of people might be angry at this season at how slow the pacing this season is and LA says yes this season is slow paced BUT LA will say it's at least consistent it's slow paced nature and it keeps to it for the most part and LA will say that is kinda how this season wanted to be and LA won't fault the season for that. The next thing would be of Sakura's denseness of the situation she is in and though to be honest many of the other characters KEEP her in the dark thus makes Sakura's denseness justified and "for the plot" but Sakura as a character goes with the flow either way to make people happy at the expense of her own, so yeah LA can kinda see why the characters keep her in the dark either way add in the new threat this season complied to this makes it even more justified, though Sakura isn't just dense and that's it as again, Sakura's tactical prowess is nothing to laugh about let alone she knows something is up and sometimes is close to it, but she just doesn't get into the bigger picture and likes to focus on the threat at hand instead to protect everyone. Lastly would be of the new cards which are pretty much "upgraded cards" of the Clow Cards just with similar but different names attached to them, they do have a metaphorically meaning like LA said at the start of the review, but it makes many of the cards Sakura secures to be ALMOST copy and pasted from the original series ALMOST as Clear Card-hen gives securing these new cards with a new twist OR trying something new to it all which kinda makes it worth it. In terms of animation, once again done by MADHOUSE, well the animation is like a modernized, yet beautiful rendition of the original series' animation yeah LA knows it's almost 2 decades difference and the original series has it's own notable animation for it's time but nonetheless Clear Card-hen's animation is beautiful to say the least right down the each frame, from the solid updated character designs, beautiful backgrounds (and oddly this season, it was fixated on food porn for some reason) and great battle animations. LA really didn't see any sense of derpiness in ANY of the episodes either and the comedic moments don't count as they used intentional chibi animation for comedic effect, soo either way the level of dedication the animation had gone into this season by MADHOUSE was amazing. Voice acting, well the original cast is back so the voice cast is utterly amazing but the MVP easily goes to Sakura Tange...as Sakura having reprised her role after 17 years and still having the same inflictions as her first major role is AMAZING. LA would say the same thing to Aya Hisakawa, Junko Iwao and Motoko Kumai respectively as Kero, Tomoyo Daidouji and Syoran. New cast members like Minori Suzuki and Natsuki Hanae as Akiho and Yuna D. Kaito was great additions to the cast and for Minori Suzuki mingling with Sakura Tange, Junko Iwao and Motoko Kumai, well she had great chemistry with them especially Sakura Tange!. In all, the voice cast with the new and old was GREAT, LA loved this voice cast. The finale though gave Sakura something about Akiho but with how it ended, at least I think Sakura is in the loop even after the events. Unfortunately, Clear Card-hen still has MANY plot threads left after the ending from Kaito and Akiho themselves and how it all adds up, Touya's growing power and his deal into all this, Sakura's power and what that has to do with Kaito and Akiho, just none of these are answered by the end of it. Be it if it's the manga itself or Clear Card-hen could only adapt what it could but still I will say this is probably the biggest detriment to the season soo far. Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card-hen was a nostalgic blast to the past to an anime series that hold a dear place in LA's heart as one of LA's favourite animes of all time and though Clear Card-hen was a long time coming LA was happy with this season of Cardcaptor Sakura from both it's strengths and weaknesses. Clear Card-hen had it's many upsets from it's fillery moments, same as the first verse with the new cards and it's slow paced nature but they were remedied by it's mystery elements, subtle hints, the new card metaphors and character/romance/plot developments progressing with it's new major plotline it had going for it. Clear Card-hen obviously learns and brings in the flaws from the original series more than half the screentime the original series (remember it had SEVENTY episodes compared to the 22 of Clear Card-hen) had such as learning from the formula and giving it a twist to getting the new cards and adding in the mystery element into the mix this time (though the original series did it to near the last 1/3 of the series but still LA sees Clear Card-hen doing it better) but since the formula has a new twist, it IS still the same formula of collecting the same but upgraded cards and fillery moments the original series had and though that is a detriment it's something LA can't fault this season for as it's slow paced nature makes those 22 episodes worth it for what it had, the one thing I can fault is the non-conclusive ending it gave itself and we don't even know if there is gonna be another season out or OVA's might finish it, but where it is now, the finale and how it ended is the biggest black mark on this season. However with all that, Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card-hen was one of LA's favourite animes of Winter 2018 because of "nostalgia" but LA genuinely did enjoy watching the series and having nostalgia of the original series as this season adds to it by referencing it as well. Now does this season beat out the original series, well no, it falls off the mark if only little, maybe because it's just a strong nostalgia keeps LA from giving Clear Card-hen the original series' place but still Clear Card-hen is a good sequel to the original series and though this season has it's flaws, many are remedied by this season's strong elements of the series in making every episode worth it (well everything besides the ending), be it the plot, animation, character development and voice acting, but Clear Card-hen definitely SECURED LA's place one of LA's favourite anime of Winter 2018 and a good sequel to the original series.

(one of my first time writing a review so it may not be good, but I hope it helps) mild spoiler(?) but I'm sure you have called it too, because I did. I started watching the original series last week, so I'm not a long time fan, but I really enjoyed watching it. I see many people are comparing both seasons. Yes, there are major differences, especially in terms of animating the story. All I can say is I liked both styles, both have each their own points. This sequel has some sort of "hanyan" (as Sakura would say) feel to it, or maybe "fuwa fuwa" isbetter to describe it. The animations are cute, imo. I haven't read the manga yet, so I'm not sure how this is supposed to be related to both manga and the predecessor anime. I'm still confused about whether the second movie (and prologue) should be considered canon or not if I'm watching this sequel as sometimes it conflicts with each other. (I think that there are some parts that are predictable idk why but not that I hate trying to guess what's next) I like romance stories so enjoyment 10/10, love the development! Also I like the fact that Sakura doesn't go "hoeee" as much now. tbh I never really liked the songs they play on piano and make it sound like an organ (or is it organ?), I felt like they don't really fit the story (episode 19). is it just me or did it really end like that??? felt like a cliffhanger but may also be the end?? well, I still think that this anime is great, all in all. I had a great time watching it. update : I read both the original manga and the clear card manga and boy is there a lot of differences between manga and anime, confused but tbh the manga explains a lot more than the anime (there's one major difference in sakura's dream in clear card arc, the person who's in the robe, I'm not saying, you should read the manga yourself so I won't spoil the fun) looking forward to the continuation of clear card arc, I love it!