Title: Cardcaptor Sakura
Creators: Clamp
Director: Morio Asaka
Studio: Madhouse
U. S. Distributor: NIS America
U. S. Re-Release Date: Aug. 5th, 2014
Format: DVD / 70 Episodes / 3 volume set / 1750 minutes
Genre: Shojo, Magical Girl, Romance
Age Rating: T for Teen 13+
Overall Personal Rating: A
Synopsis:
Ten-year-old Sakura lives a pretty normal life with her older brother, Toya, and widowed father, Fujitaka. Or she did, until the day she returned home from school to discover a glowing book in her father’s study. After opening the book and releasing the cards within, Sakura is tasked with collecting each of these magical cards, while trying to live the life of a normal fourth grader. In the monumental task of collecting all the cards, Sakura must rely on her friends and family, and decide what she finds most important in life.
As Sakura’s journey to recapture the Clow Cards continues. With most of them captured, she finds that the remaining cards are going to put up a fight. Along the way, she must also navigate the struggles of moving on to the fifth grade and contend with the ever-evolving romances in her life. And before long, she discovers that there’s a not so pleasant surprise waiting for her at the end of her card-capturing journey.
After a harrowing journey to collect the cards and prove her worth as their master, Sakura finds herself in a whole new world of trouble as mysterious events begin to threaten the small town of Tomoeda. To make matters worse, Yukito seems to be having some unexplained troubles of his own. With no cards left on the loose, Sakura must form a special bond with her cards to quell each new disturbance, and discover what could possibly be causing them before the lives of Tomoeda’s residents are damaged beyond repair!
Commentary:
It has always been common place to see older shows brought back and re-released. Some of them deserve to be revived and some are better of left to the annals of the anime world. For Cardpator Sakura the re birth just might the biggest one this year with the least amount of fan fair. I know that there is another one slated for November that is an all time favorite for many, but I feel as though Cardcaptor has a lot more to bring to the table than the other super girls coming later this year.
The big difference is the creators and their vision. Clamp has always been known for their shojo and the overall popularity of everything they have created. The anime of the popular manga series had to stand up to the critics because of what it was and yes it still stands the test of time. The fact that there is deliberately written into the show consistent costume changes is seminal for the series and also the high quality of action produced in the magical summoning scenes make a difference in the over all enjoyment factors.
I understand that this series was developed for the younger female audience, but I would not want anyone to shy away from it just because of that. The writing is so well done that all ages and genders can find this series a lot of fun and very easy to watch and get caught up in. With other famous shojo anime there always seem to be a serious dark element to each of the characters, but with Cardcaptor Sakura, the characters are just average kids who are put into these unusual circumstances.
Overall Grade: A
It would be very easy to go on about how well this series was written and developed, but it is very easy to see why it deserved to be brought back to life. Simply put, it is a lot of fun. It is well made and most of all it is easy to watch and enjoy with the entire family. I found myself rooting for Sakura in every episode and also appreciating the aspect that she is aging. I know it is not much, but Sakura does age and change classes, but even more importantly the costumes she wears are great and I for one would love to see a cosplay con be dedicator to this series. I think it would be great to see all of those strange and funny costumes come to life.
If you are looking for something that is for everyone and that is one of the best series going,then you need to go out and pick this up.
