Anime Pilgrimage RTT

Cardcaptor Sakura – episodes 13 to 20

Sakura gets up to all sorts of mischief in these episodes that feaure her summer holidays, framed by the ending and beginning of trimesters at school. These episodes allow Shaoran to grow some more. His density, his sensitivity and eventually even his sense of embarrassment come around; he is human after all!

Shaoran’s first act is that he starts to help Sakura without criticising her. To capture the POWER card, he interferes but lets her take the credit. This episode also crams in more penguins. Both the aquarium and the zoo stock live penguins, and they are a popular choice of decoration at the Penguin Park (with the King Penguin Slide) and also at Twin Bells, the cute store.

The gender questioning comes into place with the reverse gender Cinderella, featuring Toya as Cinderella and Yukito (inexplicably – it doesn’t seem to be a pun) as a magical can of mackerel. Shaoran and Sakura’s reactions from the audience are brilliant. The faces that these characters can pull are amazing. This episode also features the most blatantly obvious line so far: “It’s one of the seven most mysterious things about this school: that Kinomoto and Tsukishiro don’t have girlfriends.”

Following all of this, Kero-chan gets drunk and mouths off about Sakura to an alligator statue.

In Sakura’s holiday period, many good things happened, involving Sakura and character building. There’s also a “controversial” episode; controversial to stupid people. The idea that Fujitaka would let Sakura into such a dangerous situation is just moronic; he’s a generally good father, despite his failure to notice that he has an additional house guest (although possibly he’s too polite to pass comment). The elderly man who he is allowing Sakura to spend her days with is her great-grandfather, you idiots! Something like this would not happen without good reason! No one would let Sakura be lured into a pedophile’s lair!

Then, when Meilin comes in, a whole new side of Shaoran is shown; his embarrassment, his apologetic side. Something good has come of him, and more good will come of him yet. And Kero-chan’s maths homework – gold!

Subtitle complaint: they should not have used the term “Jell-O”. It is distracting, even if it is American brand recognition.

Leave it to Kero-chan changes appearance; the opening is not near as nice, because I liked Kero-chan’s “in your face reporter” appearance. The ending with the kotatsu is great, because Hisakawa’s “ona!” is almost violent in its delivery.
The segment now also encompasses book reviews.

Cardcaptor Sakura – episodes 11 and 12

Two episodes featuring Tomoyo’s mother in a row. The way that she got around her hatred of Fujitaka to be nice to Sakura was a lovely gesture that shows that she’s not a completely imbalanced individual. The idea that Sakura’s family is quite isolated was odd; that they’re just three people who can not rely on anyone but each other (and, of course, Kero-chan).
Sakura feels loved but also that she doesn’t know much about her father, that Sonomi could actually tell her something was very nice indeed. Although it’s animated in quite a silly way, Sonomi is a pretty emotional character. Unfortunately, her daughter inherited her creepy stalker ways.

“Sakura’s Never Ending Day” was good because it taught children of the dangers of failing to save their role playing games. Kero-chan must have an awful lot of time on his hands. This episode showed the first card that Shaoran caught, but the reason for his ownership provided by the subtitles contradicted the animation. TIME was the most conventional card of them all, and Shaoran is still at the point where he condescends to Sakura with alarming frequency.
Still, enjoyable for all of its Kero-chan antics.

Also, Iwao Junko’s Tomoyo has the highest pitched voice of any character I’ve come across, I believe!

Cardcaptor Sakura – episodes 5 to 10

Sakura-chan kawaii!
Li-kun hidoi!
(these are the notes I took to jog my memory on these episodes)

The first thing I didn’t like about these DVDs came to light in “Sakura, Panda and the Cute Shop”. I had my suspicions that Mitsuishi Kotono guest starred, but the credits were only attributed to the prime cast. Much as I love my guest seiyuu, the DVDs are very nice otherwise – especially for a series released in the same year, and by the same company, as Battle Athletes Victory.
“Cute Shop” was otherwise a nice episode, although it raises questions about the time/space situation of the cards, and the shop owner’s story was perhaps a touch dramatic, but it had to be a situation that children would be interested in.

“Sakura and Memories of her Mother” was an episode that I contained myself for – and then burst into tears at the last minute. (As yet, however, nothing has matched the crying streak of the final three episodes of Fruits Basket). This episode also revealed more about Toya, who until now had been little more than a mean big brother … and suggested that perhaps magic runs in the family. “Sister complex” was also hilarious … and sweet in an odd way.

The important event was the introduction of Li Shaoran, Sakura’s slightly gay rival and love interest, who will be with the series until the end. At first, he’s an arrogant little sod, and Kero-chan hates him – hilarious finger biting comedy! He blushes around Yukito and loses his motor skills – hilarious vaguely suggestive comedy! He’s cruel to Sakura – that’s just mean.
With a character as surly as Shaoran, there’s only room to grow – and Sakura looks up to him despite himself, because she’s such a friendly character.
Also Shaoran’s introduction allowed the introduction of his foil, Yamazaki (until now you could be forgiven for thinking no boys went to Sakura’s school), who holds many hilarious scenes in future episodes. Compulsive liars are great, when they have someone as ignorant as Shaoran to lead.

Finally, “Sakura and the Sports Day of Flowers” suggests that the Daidouji family is just the slightest bit unhealthy. Despite the static nature of the important scenes in this episode, they translated into animation very well. I also got the feeling that any episode about Sakura’s mother will make me sad.
Leave it to Kero-chan is becoming an increasingly great outlet for Hisakawa Aya, with her breathless coverage of Li Shaoran’s traditional clothing a stand out.

Cardcaptor Sakura is amazing because it has so much unrealised potential but has already revealed amazing amounts of its quality. It’s a shining anime, full of levity but with just enough darkness to suggest that Sakura can’t cruise forever.

And I was right about Mitsuishi Kotono.

Cardcaptor Sakura – episodes 2 to 4

Well, I’m watching this and Gundam Wing concurrently, making for an interesting cocktail.

There is nothing to hate about this program. There is a remarkable amount of detail for a program made for a younger audience: of course, CLAMP has always made broad appeal manga, and they could have traded on their name to earn a budget this well used. CLAMP actually had an above average involvement in the project: Okawa Nanase actually wrote the scripts for at least the first four episodes, and Apapa Mokona’s costume and card designs are retained. One of their repeat anime liaisons, Takahashi Kumiko, adapted the characters from Igarishi Satsuki’s original designs, which made for something much cleaner. The manga was occasionally hard to follow because of the complicated line work.

Fortunately, by the end of the second episode Sakura seems to have been cured of her reluctance to capture cards, and her friendship with Kero-chan is not tenuous. Given more of an opportunity in these episodes is Tomoyo, whose fascination with Sakura would be unnerving if it wasn’t so hilarious.
When Tomoyo and Kero-chan team up to stalk Sakura, it’s the greatest thing ever!

One of the great aspects of the series is the constant changes of costumes. Other than the uniforms, the characters can be counted on to be wearing a vast array of clothing. It cuts down on stock footage and also gives each episode its own uniqueness. In fact, Cardcaptor Sakura actually gives more detail to its story than the manga, so it could be one of the best anime projects of recent years: there’s just so much going for it.

I’m looking forward to Shaoran coming in – his reactions around Yukito should be priceless!

Cardcaptor Sakura – episode one

I couldn’t resist and just put the first DVD in the player for “sampling” today.
Now this is truly something great!
Forget anything you heard about Cardcaptors; this is not it.

Basically it’s a magical girl show about Kinomoto Sakura who opens an ancient book, freeing the magic cards within. The guardian of the cards, Kero-chan, demands that she get them back lest they wreak havoc on the world!

The first episode of Cardcaptor Sakura is little more than a cursory glance at the life of Sakura, but it’s not a heavy introduction episode. A surprising part of the way it was presented was all of the music. It almost never stopped, like the episode was simply the unrelenting spirit of Sakura.
Essentially it was a preview of what was to come, setting up her homelife, her school life and her “professional” life.
Reluctant heroes and heroines are starting to get a bit old, however, but I think they’re a staple that will forever be with us. As long as they can overcome that, it’s okay.

The light of the series is Kero-chan and Sakura! Their rapport is great, and Hisakawa Aya’s voice is just spot on. Ogata Megumi really had the teenage boy voice downpat by then, too.
Tomoyo is presently very over the top and obvious, in a good way, and there’s just a visual richness to the series that was lacking before (for reasons unknown, back in the day I watched several thousand episodes of Cardcaptors).

There’s a magic to Cardcaptor Sakura: CLAMP magic. It’s just like one big splash of colour at this point.