Watch Durkoala explore the Magical Girl Genre! Part 1: Card Captor Sakura

[deuterio12]

Ha, I totally called you would like this episode!

Toya sees dead people. (I sincerly apologize for the cheap pun).

It amuses me that Yukito prioritizing saving a little girl over finishing a snack is all that it takes for you to like him more.

For me, this is the episode where "Things just got real". The Illusion messes up with Sakura's mind in a quite personal level, and almost makes the card captor kill herself.

Also Sakura's mommy is so awesome not even death can keep her from watching over her daughter.

But what makes you think she looks like thirty? I admit she does looks older than 16, but I still wouldn't put Nadeshiko over her early twenties just from looking at that picture.

Must... Resist... Temptation...For giving out...Oblique hints...

[Yuki Akuma]

Have you noticed that Sakura's entire family are named after plants, yet?

For reference:

'Sakura' is 'cherry blossom'.

'Tōya' contains 'peach tree' (and also 'arrow', I believe).

'Fujitaka' is 'wisteria'.

And 'Nadeshiko' is the Japanese name for Dianthus superbus, or 'Large Pink'.

Meanwhile, the kanji used to write 'Kinomoto' roughly mean 'the origin of wood'.

And tangentially related: Sakura writes her name in hiragana, rather than kanji. I have no idea why she does this.

Edit: Also, the characters used to write 'Yukito' mean 'snow rabbit'. His surname, 'Tsukishiro', is 'moon castle'. 'Tomoyo' is either 'wise era' or 'wise people', and 'Daidouji' is 'know the world'.

[deuterio12]

I believe the first kanji of Toya's given name (桃) means peach, not peach tree. Thus the Kinomoto family is actually named after flowers rather just plants.

Also you've just spoiled the whole plot about Sakura's family being actually a bunch of animated plants created by Tomoyo who's secretly a super scientist, in order to counter Yukito who's actually an alien soldier scout from the space rabbit empire who is preparing an invasion on Earth. That's why Tomoyo is always recording Sakura, to gather her battle data, and the different customes she makes for her are actually prototypes for her ultimate combat suit that is used in the last arc, and still gets 319 upgrades over the last 3 episodes alone.

Just joking. "Sakura"'s like the most popular name for anime/manga female characters, and Nadeshiko's pretty common as well.
...
No, I'm really just joking.

[Prime32]

What? What? Ok, to set the scene, Yuki and Toya are bringing Sakura home, she’s sleeping. Yuki tells Toya that Sakura saw her mum and asks if Toya has as well. Far too casually for somebody just outside the masquerade, Toya says he has. HE CAN SEE GHOSTS. This isn’t something I’m making up, he says that he can see ghosts but Sakura can only faintly sense them. Without mentioning the Cards, Yuki says that Sakura is having troubles as well. The whole thing is far too casual: They’re acting like a pair of experienced monster hunters or something. It really reminds me of the times in Bleach we got to see the chessmasters talking amongst themselves.

Eh, a lot of the time in Japanese media "I can see ghosts" is about as notable as "I can roll my tongue"; people talking about it casually is nothing unusual. Even Lucky Star of all things had a ghost show up in one episode.

[Yuki Akuma]

A lot of anime seems to skew towards the 'mundane fantastic' side of things, even in contemporary, realistic settings.

I think it has something to do with the native folk religions being a more ingrained part of the cultural background noise? Ghosts and youkai are just accepted as being... not 'real', by most people, probably, but. Just a thing that happens in stories.

I remember an episode of Hidamari Sketch, otherwise a down to earth story about art students, had an episode that possibly involved one of the characters channeling a kitsune. Just because.

[Durkoala]

Ha, I totally called you would like this episode!

Toya sees dead people. (I sincerly apologize for the cheap pun).

For me, this is the episode where "Things just got real". The Illusion messes up with Sakura's mind in a quite personal level, and almost makes the card captor kill herself.

You were right! Out of interest, why did you think that?

...

I see it as more like the Haunted episode of Teen Titans: much darker and scarier than you would expect, but ultimately no immediate plot significance.
There's been plenty of big things revealed, but none of them seem likely to return in the next few episodes. The Card didn't seem to be malevolent, or even sentient. I thought it seemed to create what the 'victims' were thinking of without trying to do anything to them. It doesn't even attempt to flee when Sakura confronts it, unlike any other card so far.
It was a horrible experience for Sakura, though.

Also Sakura's mommy is so awesome not even death can keep her from watching over her daughter.

But what makes you think she looks like thirty? I admit she does looks older than 16, but I still wouldn't put Nadeshiko over her early twenties just from looking at that picture.

Must... Resist... Temptation...For giving out...Oblique hints...

Part of the arguing in the RWBY thread spilling into my thoughts. The main villain has managed to pass herself off as a school student despite being thought to be around thirty. When I saw that Nadeshiko looked like an adult woman at sixteen, my brain immediately jumped to the RWBY situation.

Resist! Resist!

Have you noticed that Sakura's entire family are named after plants, yet?

And tangentially related: Sakura writes her name in hiragana, rather than kanji. I have no idea why she does this.

No.

I have no idea what you're saying, because I don't read Japanese.

Eh, a lot of the time in Japanese media "I can see ghosts" is about as notable as "I can roll my tongue"; people talking about it casually is nothing unusual. Even Lucky Star of all things had a ghost show up in one episode.

Isn't Lucky Star a wacky comedy? They tend to play by their own rules. I can't think of anything that isn't a wacky comedy bringing in ghosts.

It amuses me that Yukito prioritizing saving a little girl over finishing a snack is all that it takes for you to like him more.

Well, when you put it like that...
I might sig this, as it's hilarious.

[deuterio12]

You were right! Out of interest, why did you think that?

Suspense build up, plot reveal, magic secrets revealed, ghosts and supernatural besides the cards, you had been hinting quite a bit you liked all of those.

I see it as more like the Haunted episode of Teen Titans: much darker and scarier than you would expect, but ultimately no immediate plot significance.
There's been plenty of big things revealed, but none of them seem likely to return in the next few episodes. The Card didn't seem to be malevolent, or even sentient. I thought it seemed to create what the 'victims' were thinking of without trying to do anything to them. It doesn't even attempt to flee when Sakura confronts it, unlike any other card so far.
It was a horrible experience for Sakura, though.

Eerr, the card lures Sakura into throwing herself out of a cliff. Twice. And probably was trying to do the same with the other girls by projecting images of stuff they were thinking, it was just that Sakura was thinking on something really, really important for her. The Illusion's positioning wasn't random, it shows clear signs of malevolence and sentience.

Also trivia, on the manga The Illusion actively tries to drown Sakura in the nearby lake. While smiling.

Spoiler: Manga pic, no actual spoiler, they probably decided it was a bit too much for the anime.

Show

And in case you've forgotten, the only cards that actually tried to run away when directly confronted by the card captor were The Jump and The Fly (aka mobility cards).

The Watery, The Rain and The Shadow fight on until defeated once directly challenged.

More gentle cards like the Wood and Windy didn't try to flee away either.

Basically, once Sakura saw through The Illusion's trickery, the card knew it was defeated and decided to just surrender (further sign of sentience). What else could it do at that point?

Well, when you put it like that...
I might sig this, as it's hilarious.

You have my full permission for that of course.

[Prime32]

Isn't Lucky Star a wacky comedy? They tend to play by their own rules. I can't think of anything that isn't a wacky comedy bringing in ghosts.

Not that kind of wacky, and the ghost's presence was treated as touching rather than comedic.

Another example that comes to mind is the first-season Pokémon episode Ghost of Maiden's Peak.

[Mewtarthio]

Another example that comes to mind is the first-season Pokémon episode Ghost of Maiden's Peak.

Ah, but that was just a ghost pretending to be a ghost as part of an extortion racket.

[Durkoala]

Suspense build up, plot reveal, magic secrets revealed, ghosts and supernatural besides the cards, you had been hinting quite a bit you liked all of those.

Exactly right. I was just wondering if it was because it had ghosts in it.

Eerr, the card lures Sakura into throwing herself out of a cliff. Twice. And probably was trying to do the same with the other girls by projecting images of stuff they were thinking, it was just that Sakura was thinking on something really, really important for her. The Illusion's positioning wasn't random, it shows clear signs of malevolence and sentience.

I was thinking of it more along the lines of the Elementals from MARDEK. Nonsentient magic beings that don't attack, but unthinkly spew out so much magic energy that it doesn't matter.
The Card twice selects forms that don't help it put people over the cliff (the form in Chiharu's story (scared her away), and the giant Nikuman) and in the second encouter, Sakura's thinking about her mother leaving her, so it shows that.
That Manga Illusion was definately malevolent, though.

And in case you've forgotten, the only cards that actually tried to run away when directly confronted by the card captor were The Jump and The Fly (aka mobility cards).

Basically, once Sakura saw through The Illusion's trickery, the card knew it was defeated and decided to just surrender (further sign of sentience). What else could it do at that point?

The Shadow, The Fly, The Watery and the Rain all attacked Sakura. The Jump and The Rain tried to flee when they were at a disadvantage. The Wood sealed itself.
The Illusion just hovered there and glitched (because it didn't have anything to copy?). It didn't run or try to attack in some way.

You have my full permission for that of course.

I might shorten it a bit, so it doesn't confuse people who haven't seen this. Thanks!

Not that kind of wacky, and the ghost's presence was treated as touching rather than comedic.

Another example that comes to mind is the first-season Pokémon episode Ghost of Maiden's Peak.

Mmmm...

If that's the episode I'm thinking of, Ghost Pokémon aren't the same as normal ghosts. There's also an established spirit world in the games.

[deuterio12]

I was thinking of it more along the lines of the Elementals from MARDEK. Nonsentient magic beings that don't attack, but unthinkly spew out so much magic energy that it doesn't matter.
The Card twice selects forms that don't help it put people over the cliff (the form in Chiharu's story (scared her away), and the giant Nikuman) and in the second encouter, Sakura's thinking about her mother leaving her, so it shows that.

I said the Illusion was sentient and malevolent, not that it was particularly smart.

In the first ecounter, once it realizes it has Sakura's attention, it purposedly draws her to a dangerous place and then assumes mommy form just for enough time to Sakura to start falling. The card did the positioning and did the timing for the express purpose of making a girl drop of a cliff.

In their second ecounter, it again chooses to try to draw Sakura of a dangerous place.

If The Illusion just wanted to replicate Sakura's mom leaving her, then it would've done so towards the sky or something, not right over a dangerous cliff area with a broken railing.

The Shadow, The Fly, The Watery and the Rain all attacked Sakura. The Jump and The Rain tried to flee when they were at a disadvantage. The Wood sealed itself.

Hmm, I considered The Fly combat more of a "get out of my back little girl!"

Anyway, it goes to further show that each card does have its own personality.

The Illusion just hovered there and glitched (because it didn't have anything to copy?). It didn't run or try to attack in some way.

Again, The Illusion wasn't that smart. Once Sakura realized that it couldn't be her mother, then the Card was at a loss of what to do. But before that, it did attack Sakura by purposedly drawing her to a dangerous place. There aren't that many cliffs with broken railings in Tomoeda.

Well I guess my point is that the cards here aren't just mindless magic elementals. Each has their own behavior, and that's one of the main points of the show. Some more stupid and/or simple, some smarter and/or more complex.

Spoiler: Episode 25

Show

The Mirror in particular is probably the most sentient card out them all, able to actually have direct speech with humans and whatnot.

Spoiler: Episode 61

Show

And then it later reveals that it can communicate with the other cards as well, further cementing that they're all sentient to a degree.

[Prime32]

Ah, but that was just a ghost pretending to be a ghost as part of an extortion racket.

If that's the episode I'm thinking of, Ghost Pokémon aren't the same as normal ghosts.

And then the real ghost shows up at the end, and thanks the Pokémon for impersonating her since she can't interact with the physical world that well. C'mon, I linked to the episode summary for a reason.

[Durkoala]

I said the Illusion was sentient and malevolent, not that it was particularly smart.

In the first ecounter, once it realizes it has Sakura's attention, it purposedly draws her to a dangerous place and then assumes mommy form just for enough time to Sakura to start falling. The card did the positioning and did the timing for the express purpose of making a girl drop of a cliff.

In their second ecounter, it again chooses to try to draw Sakura of a dangerous place.

If The Illusion just wanted to replicate Sakura's mom leaving her, then it would've done so towards the sky or something, not right over a dangerous cliff area with a broken railing.

Can we agree to disagree? The RWBY thread has been running with the same arguement (That I may have caused...) for nearly a week and I don't want this thread to go the same way.
Your points make sense, but the idea of a Card that just responds when 'poked' fits nicely with the variety of personalities we've seen so far.

Just to clarify, I thought that in the second encounter Sakura was looking for her mum but when the image didn't speak, she began to worry if her mother didn't want to see her and would leave. This idea made the card pull back, away from Sakura, because that was what she was thinking.

Hmm, I considered The Fly combat more of a "get out of my back little girl!"

Anyway, it goes to further show that each card does have its own personality.

Well, it made a couple of runs at her before she jumped on it, when it could have easily flown away.

Again, The Illusion wasn't that smart. Once Sakura realized that it couldn't be her mother, then the Card was at a loss of what to do. But before that, it did attack Sakura by purposedly drawing her to a dangerous place. There aren't that many cliffs with broken railings in Tomoeda.

Well I guess my point is that the cards here aren't just mindless magic elementals. Each has their own behavior, and that's one of the main points of the show. Some more stupid and/or simple, some smarter and/or more complex.

So we'll see some Cards that actually plan things then?

[cobaltstarfire]

It's cool that you enjoyed this episode :3

I think Sakura's mother "looking" older in her picture might be partly because like was mentioned she was a model. Or maybe she's just one of those people who tends to look a bit older than they actually are.

If not that, it's probably just that CLAMP doesn't always differentiate adults and teenagers too well, you felt that Yuki and Toya looked much older than High School students too after all.

I know that they can, but it isn't quite as apparent as often, especially in their more recent works. CC is some weird in between in that regard.

[Durkoala]

It's cool that you enjoyed this episode :3

I think Sakura's mother "looking" older in her picture might be partly because like was mentioned she was a model. Or maybe she's just one of those people who tends to look a bit older than they actually are.

If not that, it's probably just that CLAMP doesn't always differentiate adults and teenagers too well, you felt that Yuki and Toya looked much older than High School students too after all.

I know that they can, but it isn't quite as apparent as often, especially in their more recent works. CC is some weird in between in that regard.

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but this series has a big problem with faces and body shapes in general. There's 'Man', 'Woman' and 'Child' (which has only been seen as 'girl' so far). If there was a charity shaving day things would get very confusing.

To be clear, I'm mostly ok with that as the rest of the show is good, but I will bring it up when I feel like it.

[cobaltstarfire]

In all fairness that's a "problem" many anime have. (Same face syndrom) So you can complain about it, but you should know that when you move on to other anime you will continue to be able to remove all hair and be unable to tell the difference between most characters.

[Durkoala]

I know. That's why I'm not letting it bother me. It's just a common weakness of the medium.

[Yuki Akuma]

Spoiler: Episode 25

Show

The Mirror in particular is probably the most sentient card out them all, able to actually have direct speech with humans and whatnot.

Spoiler: Episode 61

Show

And then it later reveals that it can communicate with the other cards as well, further cementing that they're all sentient to a degree.

Spoiler: Episode 42

Show

You forgot the Light and the Dark - who can even speak without needing to shapeshift into a human, like the Mirror does.

[deuterio12]

Can we agree to disagree?

For now. There's still a lot of plot points to be revealed.

So we'll see some Cards that actually plan things then?

Yes, we will. You know this scene from Death Note with Light Yagami?

A Card from this show did it first. Not the exact same words mind you, neither as complicated, but the spirit of the situation is/was/will be close enough.

Spoiler

Show

Tecnically speaking, we're already seeing a card with a long term plan from the first episode, as The Light Yagami is currently hiding inside Sakura waiting for The Dark to show up because they are lesbian lovers can only be captured together.

Yuki Akuma: Ah, good point. I kinda forgot that those can do that. Thanks for reminding me!

Spoiler

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On the other hand, they already have one of the most human forms in the show by default.

[Durkoala]

I now return your regularly scheduled Let's Watch CardCaptor Sakura! It's a few hours late, but I hope that the extra episode makes up for that. I'm intending to try and post an episode on tuesdays and one on fridays, but it'll probably take a few tries before I get a stable Friday posting. Anyway, that's the future; the present is episode five.


EPISODE 7:Sakura's first attempt as a thief?!

Spoiler

Show

Today we open at night, in what looks like an art gallery. All is quiet, except for a security guard, who may be Toya, but probably isn’t. Outside, a girl who looks a lot like Sakura is trying to sneak in. The guard nearly sees her, but thinks he imagined it. As he leaves, the camera pans up to a picture of a woman in a blue coat and hat with blue or white hair. I’m guessing that’s the Card.

Title Card: Sakura’s first attempt as a thief?! Since we need a reason as to why she’s being a thief it looks like this was an in media res opening. If she gets caught soon and we get a second title card: Second attempt at being a thief, I’m going to laugh so hard. Also, this is episode seven, traditionally time to brace for the plot! Also also, the Japanese title and the English subtitle have the question mark and the exclamation mark in a different order.

We are in Sakura’s bedroom, and she’s sketching Kerberos. The joke is that she’s caught him accurately, but he isn’t happy and insists that he has more detail to him than that. FWIW, I liked it.

Called down to the table, Sakura tells her father that she was drawing because there’s a trip tomorrow to the museum and they will have to do some sketches. Well, I can see where this is going to go... Toya comments that she talks a lot when she’s drawing. After last episode, I don’t know if this is an innocent comment, a probe for information or a subtle way to tease her.

At the museum, the class is separated depending on their model: Sakura and Tomoyo stay to draw a statue and the rest of the class goes to the courtyard. Sakura discovers that Kerbie has modified his picture. Really, he’s just copied her picture, with added pointy angles in red pen, but Sakura shouts so loudly she brings a man over to tell her off.

Having finished her sketch, Sakura is trying to find the courtyard, when a boy is caught trying to cut a painting with a knife. He protests that he was trying to change it back, as it’s a picture of him, but a woman has been added to it. Sure enough, it’s the painting from the intro. That woman has pointy ears, blue skin and a strange tattoo. Also, the boy’s wearing the clothes that Sakura was in the intro, but it was definitely Sakura’s hair I saw then.

The boy makes another attempt to attack the painting, but the woman puts her finger on her lips and all sound goes silent. This makes the boy stop dead and he is taken away.
This is really annoying, as I saw the blurb on the back of a CardCaptors box years ago. I don’t know how I remember it as I wasn’t very interested in cartoons in general at the time, but this is the Silence Card, its problem is because Sakura can’t use the incantations to bind it, and I think the key to success is using the Shadow to bind it from far away. Le sigh. Let’s see what happens.

On the way back, Sakura has terrified herself into thinking that she encountered a ghost, but cheers up when Tomoyo points out that it might be a Card. Sakura... You’ve spent so long talking, the class has walkied off without you.

That night, Sakura tries to sneak out of her room to the museum. She drops into a convenient tree, Which is a stupid thing to try, so don’t. Also Yuki’s standing outside and he’s just seen her. Sakura tries to claim that she’s just looking at the moon, but begs Yuki not to tell Toya. Yuki mentions that he now knows where Sakura sleeps, and plays the part of the adult indulging in a child’s whims. THE TRUCE IS OVER, YUKITO. THE TRUCE IS NOW OVER.

Kerbie explains about the Card: It’s called the SILENT, it hates loud noise, it can make sound disappear and it can do something he’s forgotten about. Sakura has a fall, and even Tomoyo pulls a face.

Sakura’s outfit is ridiculous. All green, with blue diamonds, it’s a sweater with tiny wings, stockings, hair cap and (short) short shorts. I really hope this is taking place in summer, because that looks cold to wear. Tomoyo sets her watch to set off an alarm before the guards patrol brings them to the painting (she stole the schedule).

Sneaking down some stairs, they spot the boy from earlier below in the hall. Sakura wasn’t listening to what he said and tells the others that he’s probably stealing the art. Tomoyo pulls out a torch to scare him away.

It turns out that the plan involves doing voices to scare him off. Ah, I have fond memories of that sort of thing... The boy’s tougher than they thought and advances, holding his butter knife. The next stage of the plan is to use the torch to silhouette Kerbie against a huge monolith and claim to be the guardian angel of the museum. The boy is scared, but he’s also angry as he thinks the angel is defacing the painting. Good going, girls and griffins. Kerbie jumps out at him and he faints, knocking over an artwork.

Oh, yeah, the boy’s name is Yuuki. Sakura found his nametag earlier, but I didn’t mention it. This could get confusing. Also, he’s about seven if I’ve got my maths right.

Oh. Yuuki’s father painted that picture, but he died last year. No wonder he’s trying to fix it.
Sakura’s pretending that Kerbie’s a soft toy again, and his slips are her ventriloquism. I’ve got the feeling that Yuuki may end up as a recurring character, btw. Time is running out for Cardcaptors Co. as well.

At the painting, Tomoyo tries to distract Yuuki so Sakura can seal the card undetected. Yuuki starts getting angry, and the card raises a finger to where its lips would be. It looks like the forgotten power is teleportation and the group is out in the courtyard. Yuuki’s tried this before, and this has happened every time. Maybe the opening wasn’t in media res after all, but I’m still sure I saw Sakura’s hair.

As Yuuki thinks the Card is a ghost, it’s ok for Sakura to use magic: they can blame it on the ghost! However, he drops his knife and gets them teleported out again. The next attempt is foiled when Kerbie sneezes. Tomoyo’s alarm goes off: only five minutes before a guard arrives. Yuuki runs to do it on his own, while the girls try to think of a plan. Coughshadowcough.

And it works, with Sakura also shoving the guard over to let Yuuki escape. I’m not sure how she managed to get the card through the Window, but never mind. Yuuki comes up to them, upset because he can’t get to the painting ever. Sakura and Tomoyo tell him to look and... Yuuki’s actually a girl.
Well played. I actually remember reading somewhere that Yuki is a boy’s name and Yuuki is a girls’, but I ignored that. I bet you’ve been laughing at me all through this, haven’t you?
She’s also got really long hair; I can see why she keeps it under that cap. That would get in paint like a dog in a bath: a quick dip in, then it’s all over the room. At least Sakura also thought she was a boy. I’m as smart as a spacey ten-year-old, guys!

As the episode closes, we see a figure on the roof. I’m not sure, but I think it’s a boy, in a big mantle with bells attached. They mumble, ‘I sense a Clow Card’, and it ends.

Well, that was OK by the standards of this show: Good for a standalone short, fairly thin on the large plot details. The Silent was another ‘human’ Card, but I don’t remember any others outright possessing objects. There were a few times it was implied, but this is the first time we’ve seen a Card as part of an object. I wonder what would have happened if Yuuki had got close enough to scrape a bit off of it?

Speaking of Yuuki, that was a surprise, especially as I thought I knew where the episode was going. I’m not sure if she’s going to turn up again at some point, but I would be OK if she did.

Even if I knew it was going to happen, I’m glad the Shadow finally got used. It didn’t disappoint: It’s potentially a massively powerful spell, but it has a big weakness that’s easily taken advantage of. The Silence Card was also pretty good, and its powers made sense. It also has one of the stranger behaviours seen. It sits in one place, altering an artwork, and does its best to remove all noise. That’s a touch hypocritical, but also one of the most peaceful Cards we’ve seen.

Anyway, next episode looks like the start of the big plot. We have a mysterious boy(?) looking for Cards and watching Cardcaptors Co. I’m looking forward to whatever happens next.

[deuterio12]

Sakura's first attempt at cosplaying as Batman! Bat wings! Sneaking around the law! Solving problems with shadows!

Trivia, this is the first anime-exclusive card, but Sakura used her batman thief costume in her first round against The Illusion in the manga instead of the bunny suit.

Well, that was OK by the standards of this show: Good for a standalone short, fairly thin on the large plot details.

Well good to hear you liked it, because this was my "worst episode" choice.

Speaking of Yuuki, that was a surprise, especially as I thought I knew where the episode was going. I’m not sure if she’s going to turn up again at some point, but I would be OK if she did.

Don't get your hopes high for seeing knife tomboy with long hair ever again.

Anyway, next episode looks like the start of the big plot. We have a mysterious boy(?) looking for Cards and watching Cardcaptors Co. I’m looking forward to whatever happens next.

Yes, yes, and yes. The show's uphill from here on. I can't wait until you see the next episode myself so we can start properly discussing him.

Spoiler: Episode 8

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Most Metal CCS episode ever! Facing a thunder wolf by shooting lighting out of a sword! Also catgirls!

[Durkoala]

Sakura's first attempt at cosplaying as Batman! Bat wings! Sneaking around the law! Solving problems with shadows!

This makes too much sense, but wasn't Sakura Wolverine?

Trivia, this is the first anime-exclusive card, but Sakura used her batman thief costume in her first round against The Illusion in the manga instead of the bunny suit.

It's a much better card than I would have expected from a filler episode. (Jump)
I'm a bit saddened by this news, as it means we likely won't see this Card again and I liked its powers.

Well good to hear you liked it, because this was my "worst episode" choice.

It's the tension that makes it enjoyable to me. Watching the characters stumble around the obvious panda was teeth-grinding, but Yuuki gave this episode a bit of unpredictablity. I didn't know why she was so intent on the painting, what she would do to get to the painting, or that she was a she. The information about the Silent was released slowly and made sense, unlike the mystery panda that was obviously responsible and kept getting new powers.

Yes, yes, and yes. The show's uphill from here on. I can't wait until you see the next episode myself so we can start properly discussing him.

Ah, so it is a him?
If all I've watched so far is the low point, I can't wait to see what is to come. Bracing for plot!

[deuterio12]

This makes too much sense, but wasn't Sakura Wolverine?

Depends on Tomoyo's mood at the episode's time. Remember, she has a full van of these things to pick from.

It's a much better card than I would have expected from a filler episode. (Jump)
I'm a bit saddened by this news, as it means we likely won't see this Card again and I liked its powers.

Silent indeed isn't heard of again.(no, I won't stop with the cheap puns)

It's the tension that makes it enjoyable to me. Watching the characters stumble around the obvious panda was teeth-grinding, but Yuuki gave this episode a bit of unpredictablity. I didn't know why she was so intent on the painting, what she would do to get to the painting, or that she was a she. The information about the Silent was released slowly and made sense, unlike the mystery panda that was obviously responsible and kept getting new powers.

Hmm, on my side I just felt the Silent being a troll card (I have the power to make the guards don't notice a painting has been changed, and to teleport people lol). Agree to disagree then.

Ah, so it is a him?
If all I've watched so far is the low point, I can't wait to see what is to come. Bracing for plot!

Yes, him, altough I won't blame you for getting confused after Yuuki being on this episode.
And plot's not the only thing that gonna improve from now on.

[Durkoala]

Hmm, on my side I just felt the Silent being a troll card (I have the power to make the guards don't notice a painting has been changed, and to teleport people lol). Agree to disagree then.

OK.

Yes, him, altough I won't blame you for getting confused after Yuuki being on this episode.
And plot's not the only thing that gonna improve from now on.

Given the dramatic introduction, I think he'll end up being accepted into Cardcaptors Co. He's probably the one given extra focus by the dub so they could have a male lead, yes? (Bad Durkoala! Stop trying to winkle out future plot details!)

They're going to get distinctive faces!

[deuterio12]

Given the dramatic introduction, I think he'll end up being accepted into Cardcaptors Co.

"Accepted" isn't exactly what I would call it.

Spoiler: episode 8

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He actually manages to scare and piss off Sakura in episode 8, which is some kind of record considering Sakura's made of condensed generosity and good feelings, while

Spoiler: after watching everything

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Kero and Toya will hate his guts out until the end of times the 2nd movie.

He's probably the one given extra focus by the dub so they could have a male lead, yes? (Bad Durkoala! Stop trying to winkle out future plot details!)

Heh, the dub didn't really give him any extra focus, they mostly sliced the first Sakura-only episodes and started straight at episode 8. But they also sliced a lot of later episodes where that boy got important screen time. And they even cut a critical plot point to explain something quite important about him. And I'll control myself now. Just one more week until you watch episode 8 and then I can blurb out some more stuff about him.

I'll just say now that CLAMP themselves liked that boy so much that they made him the main character of his own manga series later on, that is starting a sequel this year. Said manga series could be titled "Card Captor Sakura Alternate Universe: now with less Yukito and silly dresses, and moar ass kicking and awesome". Shame the anime for that one doesn't do the manga any justice.

[Durkoala]

Well, obviously he's going to be an enemy at first, but he will be forced to to work with them for some purpose. Despite his protests, he'll become an ally to be called on in a tight situation and then give in and accept the inevitable.

I'm glad I listened to the people telling me to watch the sub, now.

Also, I've been thinking that I'd like to see Yuki and Toya's supernatural activities. Two young men with weird powers running around beating back ghosts and fairies (well, youkai) from the normal world. There's plenty of opportunities for comedy (Toya having to run all the jobs while Yuki cruises on) and drama (Yuki concealing his manipulation of Toya's sister. I hope that Toya is unaware of that manipulation...)

[deuterio12]

Well, obviously he's going to be an enemy at first, but he will be forced to to work with them for some purpose. Despite his protests, he'll become an ally to be called on in a tight situation and then give in and accept the inevitable.

Hehehehe...

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

Just some more days until you watch him in action...

Spoiler: Episode 8

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Syaoran's not your average "rival" in that he wants the cards to be captured, and doesn't mind that much if it's Sakura doing it. What Syaoran minds is that Sakura isn't taking her magic job seriously enough and insists that she has to step up her game.

Also, I've been thinking that I'd like to see Yuki and Toya's supernatural activities. Two young men with weird powers running around beating back ghosts and fairies (well, youkai) from the normal world. There's plenty of opportunities for comedy (Toya having to run all the jobs while Yuki cruises on) and drama (Yuki concealing his manipulation of Toya's sister. I hope that Toya is unaware of that manipulation...)

Oh, Yuki and Toya will have some duo supernatural activity eventually. Perhaps just not the kind you may be expecting.

[Durkoala]

I'm not really happy with how this came out, but I can't really do it again.

EPISODE 8:Sakura's rival appears!

Spoiler: BRACE FOR PLOT

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We open on the dream from the first episode: The pan down the Tokyo Tower at night, with Sakura in a pink cape and hat. As the sleeping Sakura remembers that she’s had this dream before, the dream Sakura is replaced by the boy from the last episode. He’s in a green jacket/shirt thing which is really long, and has a sword (or polearm. It’s very big) on his back. His general design looks rather historically Chinese, and also a lot like Lie Ren of RWBY.

In her bedroom, Sakura is writhing about in either pain or fear. This doesn’t bode well. Kerberos wakes her up, but having a miniature griffin right in her face doesn’t help matters and she swats him away in panic. When he protests that she was having a nightmare, she starts talking about the dream. Yes, the boy was in Chinese clothes. I’m surprised I got that right. They are interrupted by Toya, so Kerbie has to be a toy again. Just as he leaves, he comes back to say that breakfast is ready, and gives Kerbie the eye. I’m still wondering how much he knows about the Cardcaptor business.

Title card! Sakura’s Rival Appears! Three guesses who that will be...

Sakura’s still where we left her, upset about Toya calling her a monster again. Kerbie brings back the dream and mentions that because she has magic power, there’s a chance that it may be a prophecy, so she should see if the boy appears.

By the way, I love the music that plays when all is well. It’s very cheerful and uplifting. This is undercut by the fact that Sakura’s skating after Toya and Yukito. The scary one brings up prophetic dreams as well, mentioning that he had one about his breakfast. It’s clearly a joke, but I don’t like the way he’s implying that he can read Sakura’s dreams. When Sakura gets to school, he tosses her a sweet. This episode looks like it’s going to be referencing the first episode a lot.

And there’s a new transfer student! It’s a boy, and he looks pretty angry. There’s long zoom on his eye, and Sakura right in the middle of the pupil. Understandably, she’s creeped out by his glare. Tomoyo mentions that he’s staring at Sakura. I admit, I just thought it was just a dramatic pause. His name is finally revealed as Li Shaoran, and he’s from China (Hong Kong to be exact. Depending on when this was made or is set, he may technically be British. Well, he is a villain.) Of course, his seat is behind Sakura.

Shaoran keeps up the glare all morning, leaving poor Sakura shaky and nervous. While she takes a breather on the stairs at break, he asks for her to join him outside. Time to find out what’s going on.

...He’s got a dragon radar magic compass that finds the cards, so he know that Sakura has them. Does that mean that she’s carrying them with her? I don’t know if that’s a good idea or not. Sakura blurts out everything: she’s trying to collect all the Cards and Kerberos doesn’t have the power to do it himself. Yes, Sakura, tell the stranger who zapped you with his magic compass and has been hostile to you all morning exactly what you’re doing. We get a timeline at last: Sakura released the Cards in April and has been looking for them for two months, so it’s now June. That’s still a bit of a push for the Jump episode, but it might just work.

Sakura tries to ask how Shaoran knows about the cards, but he isn’t telling and he wants the Cards NOW! Sakura accidently shows him that they’re in her pocket. Great going, Sakura. I don’t know how they fit in there, but I’ll worry about that later.

Shaoran’s struggles with Sakura are interrupted by Toya jumping over the fence to intervene. Go Toya! Get him! Shaoran just retreats to a safer distance and puts his fists up. While the boys square off, Tomoyo runs in from around the corner to comfort Sakura. Then it’s the ad break, just before a ten-year-old and sixteen-year-old have a fistfight. Come on, that’s not a cliffhanger unless the ten-YO is the protagonist.

And the despoiler of that is good in the world appears to disrupt the fight. Yukito! I will say that I liked the animation of him climbing the fence, though. It was fairly low key, but smooth by the standards of the show. Anyway, Yuki’s brought enough Nikuman for all five people, so that will patch up the fight. I’m pretending that Shaoran’s face of shocked disbelief is because he knows that Yuki’s actually a group of sorcerous worms in a bag of human skin, btw, La la lala I can't hear you!
Oh, wait, Shaoran ran off exactly like that was actually the truth. Hmmm. Also, he faceplanted in the vegetable garden.

On the way home, Sakura notices that Wavey Rika is going the wrong way when they part. Tomoyo tells her it’s because Rika is getting a gift for a crush, who’s older than Rika. Well, Toya and Yuki are the only older bachelors seen so far, so I wonder who it is. Tomoyo says that Sakura could follow her example, leaving her a bit flustered.
One cut later, we learn that Kerbie isn’t answering the phone, so Sakura has been unable to tell him about Shaoran. Above, some clouds form suspiciously quickly.

The closest shelter from the storm is the playground where the Jump card wasted our time. Sakura and Tomoyo duck under the tower for the slide, but then notice it isn’t raining. Lightning strikes a lamppost close to them, before jumping to another, then another. It jumps to the ground, chases after a builder and then flies back to the clouds. The sky clears, but Shaoran’s incantation to use his compass was about calling the power of lightning. This doesn’t bode well.

Kerbie’s being a bit hard to wake up and Sakura’s efforts only make him fly into the wall. Over Coffee tea, he tells us about the Li clan. Clow Reed had a British father and a Chinese mother, which finally explains his name. His magic, the same magic that Sakura uses, is a combination of eastern and western arts. He was one of the few people able to create his own brand of magic: most sorcerers use powers created by some other sorcerer, usually from long ago. His mother came from the Li clan, so Shaoran is distantly related to Clow.
When Sakura questions that she did the wrong thing by keeping the Cards, Kerberos tells her that since she managed to open the book, she has the talent to use the magic and that she has caught and labelled the cards herself, so she has earned the right to look after them.

Tomoyo calls them to tell them that the clouds have gathered again. Nananananana, Card captor!
Because they’re having to fight lightning, Sakura’s outfit is made of rubber. It’s also a frilly pink dress with cat ears and a bell. 6/10, Tomoyo: there’s nothing wrong with it, but it looks really silly if you don’t have a cat theme. Kerbie agrees with me: ‘Why a cat?’

Oh, the lightning is actually a Card, not Shaoran’s doing. It’s the THUNDER, which is a bad name because it is clearly an animate lightning bolt. It might just be the animation, but there may be two of it. Sakura takes to the skies to fight it, dressed as a cat. Tomoyo, she does not look dignified, she has a fake tail.

Sakura lands and activates Jump because she can’t use her other spells while flying. Jump gives her the wings on her feet that we saw in the first episode’s dream, which annoys me. She can’t seal the card until she forces it into its true form. Until she works out how to do that, she has to run. The Card chases her to the school tower. Shaoran is waiting there. He channels his own lightning through his sword to counter the Thunder, causing it to crash and assume its true form: a giant blue wolf-thing. While it’s dazed Sakura and Shaoran move in. Shaoran mocks her for her ignorance, before summoning a gust of wind to throw the wolf into the courtyard. He stops Sakura from using the Windy because that won’t work on Thunder and makes her use Shadow to trap it. For all his contempt, he doesn’t seem to be able to catch the Card on his own, so maybe he could shut up.

Kerberos and Shaoran are introduced to each other for the first time. Shaoran is dumbstruck that this ‘plush toy’ is the terrifying beast of the seal. Kerbie takes exception to his rudeness and bites his finger. That’ll teach him. Shaoran makes one parting shot that Sakura doesn’t have the power to collect the cards, leaving her pensive and unsure as Tomoyo finally catches up to them.

And that’s it. That was an unusually sombre ending note. Well, this looks like the plot has hit us. We have an open antagonist with a clear link to the heroine’s powers. Sakura’s no longer resisting being the Cardcaptor, but she’s not sure if she’s up to the task. That could be Shaoran’s plan: destroy her self-worth until she decides to let somebody more competent do the job.

Shaoran is going to be interesting. We don’t know why he’s come all this way to bully Sakura. He’s related to Clow Reed, but doesn’t use the Clow magic. It’s probably not a coincidence that he turned up after the Cards were released, but he obviously was delayed in getting here.
If I had to guess, I’d say that he came to seize the Cards once they were released, but waited for the CardCaptor to gather them as he can’t seal them himself. He would then take the sealed Cards off the Cardcaptor for his own purposes, whatever those are. His overestimation of Sakura foiled this plan, so he’s trying to discreetly help her seal them, but hates every minute. I don’t know what his running away from Yuki means: he may just be afraid of the crazy teenager and his angry friends, or he may know what Yuki’s big secret is.

I think he’s a pretty good villain, and I’m sure he’ll be hanging around in all his hateable glory for a while. His magic is something I’d like to see more of, as it’s so different from Sakura’s. I look forward to his next appearance, be it next episode or five after that.


There was also a good explanation of how magic in general is used. This series is very good at slipping in the exposition without feeling forced. Shaoran was a great help here as he is a trained sorcerer with a lineage of power, so there was plenty for him to comment on and plenty that needed to be explained to Sakura. I wonder if Clow’s father’s family will have an impact on the story?

The animation seemed slightly better than usual today, which may be because it’s an important episode? I wouldn’t put it on the scale of something really good like Avatar or Akira, but they had much bigger budgets to work with. Anyway, this was a very good episode and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

[deuterio12]

Allow me to point out this episode had a boy throw lighting out of a sword almost as big as himself to shoot down a lighting wolf from the sky. Super Metal!

Spoiler: Syaoran vs Toya in the manga, no actual spoilers

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And this is how Syaoran's humble beginning to become the main character of his own action story, but that's a story for another manga.

And that’s it. That was an unusually sombre ending note. Well, this looks like the plot has hit us. We have an open antagonist with a clear link to the heroine’s powers. Sakura’s no longer resisting being the Cardcaptor, but she’s not sure if she’s up to the task. That could be Shaoran’s plan: destroy her self-worth until she decides to let somebody more competent do the job.

Heh, I see it as more of military-style motivation. Throw insults at people to make them tougher.
The Li Clan is a family of warrior-sorcerors after all, that's why Shaoran uses a sword as a wand and knows some martial arts as well.

Shaoran is going to be interesting. We don’t know why he’s come all this way to bully Sakura. He’s related to Clow Reed, but doesn’t use the Clow magic. It’s probably not a coincidence that he turned up after the Cards were released, but he obviously was delayed in getting here.
If I had to guess, I’d say that he came to seize the Cards once they were released, but waited for the CardCaptor to gather them as he can’t seal them himself. He would then take the sealed Cards off the Cardcaptor for his own purposes, whatever those are. His overestimation of Sakura foiled this plan, so he’s trying to discreetly help her seal them, but hates every minute.

It's sadly never revealed why exactly Shaoran only arrives at this point of the story. There will be some hints here and there, but the best us fans can do about that is to theorycraft.

I don’t know what his running away from Yuki means: he may just be afraid of the crazy teenager and his angry friends, or he may know what Yuki’s big secret is.

Please, Shaoran just showed he can swing a sword as big as himself one-handed while shooting lighting and leaping through buildings to hunt a lighting wolf. You really think he would be afraid of a pair of teenagers?

I think he’s a pretty good villain, and I’m sure he’ll be hanging around in all his hateable glory for a while. His magic is something I’d like to see more of, as it’s so different from Sakura’s. I look forward to his next appearance, be it next episode or five after that.

I never really saw Shaoran as a villain, since at the end of the day he's helping Sakura capture the Thunder, when he could've stabbed/electrocuted/{other magic tricks of his yet to be unveiled} her when she was looking the other way.

Spoiler: episode 12, not so far away now

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And when facing the Strength he saves they day while not even taking any credit for his actions.

But I can understand why other people can see him as a villain. Shaoran's all glares and insults, which is a clear contrast with the rest of the cast so far that is all smiles and niceties. He's somebody that genuinely manages to piss of sugar sweet Sakura.

Me, I rooted for Shaoran from the start. He traveled all the way from Hong-Kong to take on the super-legendary Clow Cards with his own combat style and he isn't afraid to directly tell Sakura that she's still got a long way to go. Kinda because I also used to be somebody who openly spoke my mind to others.

But either way we'll be seeing a lot, lot more of Shaoran. He may be a late arrival, but he's gonna be showing up on pretty much every episode from now, some times less, other times more. I don't think that's really a spoiler since a)He's going to the same school as Sakura plus b)has a magic radar and is explicitly hunting for the cards as well.

There was also a good explanation of how magic in general is used. This series is very good at slipping in the exposition without feeling forced. Shaoran was a great help here as he is a trained sorcerer with a lineage of power, so there was plenty for him to comment on and plenty that needed to be explained to Sakura.

That's something I quite enjoyed in this series as well, details are revealed in a way that seems to flow naturally with the story.

The animation seemed slightly better than usual today, which may be because it’s an important episode? I wouldn’t put it on the scale of something really good like Avatar or Akira, but they had much bigger budgets to work with.

This episode had Shaoran as an important character. Of course it looks better than the others.

Anyway, this was a very good episode and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

So...Much...Pun...Potential...Must...Resist...

Spoiler: Episode 9

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Rika goes BANKAI!

Syaoran's sheer presence makes the series further evolve into an action anime.

Sakura gets an upgrade to keep up with Syaoran's manliness.

Rika tries to hit on Sakura.

Sakura, Syaoran and Rika have a pointy triangle affair.

Swords, swords everywhere.

[cobaltstarfire]

From here on out you're going to be getting more family history and more bits sprinkled about on the nature of magic and magical beings.

It actually has me a little concerned that you won't like it, there will be some episodes where capturing the card is an afterthought or there is no card at all. But the characters will be getting background and such. So I feel like either you'll really appreciate the episodes or you'll get frustrated when things go off down their own little rabbit hole for a while.