Cardcaptor Sakura or CCS for short first began as a shojo manga (shojo is marketed towards young girls aged between 10-18 and tend to focus on relationships and emotions), it was first published in Nakayoshi magazine in 1996 up until 2000 and was also published in twelve volumes the same year in November 1996 by Kodansha, with the final volume released in July 2000.
The Anime series first began two years after the manga’s publication, produced by Madhouse, the same people behind Claymore, Perfect Blue and Chobits. The series contained 70 episodes and were directed by Morio Asaka, with Cardcaptor Sakura being his directorial debut, Asaka would later go on to work on Claymore, the Devil May Cry series as well as directing several OVA’s, including Last Order: Final Fantasy VII. He was also the director of the two movies based on the Cardcaptor series.
Before we continue with our review, we should probably state that we are reviewing the subbed series of CCS and not the terrible dubbed episodes that so many of us grew up watching on television. The Japanese Anime and the Manga itself received great acclaim for their creativity, plot and animation with the manga series winning the Seiun Award for Best Manga in the 2001 awards. The anime series was also heralded for it’s production and won the Animage Grand Prix award in 1999 and many critics cited that the series itself was able to transcend simple viewing for children and open itself up for adults enjoyment too.
The series follows our female protagonist Sakura Kinomoto, a ten year old grade schooler who accidentally releases the magical power trapped inside an ancient book, freeing the mystical and powerful spirits trapped inside the bounds of the book. These beings were sealed inside powerful cards known as Clow Cards and now urged on by the Guardian Beast of the Seal, Cerberus, Sakura must become the Cardcaptor and seal the creatures back into the cards.
However it is not as easy as it sounds, the magical beings have no desire to return and with her new powers as the Cardcaptor Sakura must use all her courage and skill if she is to have any success. Alongside her best friend Tomoyo, who films her exploits as well as styling her outfits for each adventure, the pair must also face up to Sakura’s rival Li, a boy who claims to be the rightful owner of the cards.
Things change when the group are confronted by an evil magician with powers far beyond their own and soon they must pull together if they have any hope of saving the world and capturing all the Clow Cards.
Ok so what you know of Cardcaptor Sakura and what you’ve seen of it, if you were like us, were those terrible dubbed versions which in all honesty massacred the story and character backgrounds for the sake of ‘protecting’ children from violent scenes and what not, meant this show was a little tarnished for us as some sort of happy cuddly magical little girl’s adventure.
Yes, the series is aimed at children but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t something you won’t enjoy about the show, it appeals to everyone. The magic of the series lies within the protagonist, you instantly fall in love with the Cardcaptor, Sakura being one of the most loveable and endearing anime characters we’ve ever come across. On top of the girl’s charm lies the brilliant and engrossing plot, although the run of each episode is pretty much the same (Sakura has a problem, the Clow are usually the cause of it, Sakura figures out it’s a Clow, Sakura captures the Card), it is the story between Li and Sakura that blossoms over time that really pulls you in.
To make the series even better there is the fantastic animation, the wonderfully illustrated magical Clow Cards, each one different and just as magnificent as the last.
Something truely unique about the series were Sakura’s magical transformations – in most anime a character who transforms in every episode will generally just be shot once and then rehashed but because our young heroine always wore a different costume in every episode her magical transformation had to be animated for every single episode, putting this show a step above the rest.
There is serious heart to this show, and any good diehard fan of Anime will, even if they don’t like it, agree that it is a very special and magical show to watch.
Good Points
Beautiful animation and character detail
Fun and captivating plot
Bad Points
It won’t appeal to every Anime fan
The Dubbed version has scarred many fans
Rating: 7/10
Slight confession… we do actually prefer the American opening to the show than the Japanese BUT only because this song ROCKS!
