![]() During Clear Card they do not develop or have any kind of noticeable growth. Admittedly, they work better when you have nostalgia working in their favour. The other part of the anime that does shine quite brightly are the characters. Don’t get me wrong, it is gorgeous, particularly the magical aspects of the show, but really some of the attention to the aesthetics could have been given to the pacing and story-line and I’d have been doubly impressed. So much attention given to falling flower petals, gusts of wind, and girls’ hair. However, with so much down time in the plot, it did give the audience ample opportunity to appreciate how much prettier the visuals were this time around. Speaking of, doesn’t it feel like a step back for her to not have Sakura Cards now? How identical to the capturing of the Clow Cards and then the transition into Sakura Cards. Oh no, the cards have all turned clear and now Sakura has to capture weird powers again to make Clear Cards. The only thing I can really say is that the plot was probably the most disappointing aspect of this anime.Įven if it had finished, essentially this feels like a third iteration of a story we’ve seen and enjoyed more when those of us who are fans of the original were actually the target audience and when anime options were a little harder to come by. It makes it hard to evaluate the story on its merits when it is served out in tiny increments inbetween activities that don’t really appeal and then the final act is completely absent. We still have so many questions about what is going on and what significance certain things have (such as a gift Sakura receives in the second last episode), and that means that what little there is of the story about magic is completely unfinished. Part of the problem comes from an as yet unresolved story. And yet, for me, these are the moments that are tolerated as a setting, a background and a motive, while waiting for the actual ‘meat’ of the series. And I get that for those who love the slice of life feel of Sakura living her daily life that there is a real appeal here because the group of friends are always charming and at least it is clear what Sakura is seeking to protect. Some of them lasting mere moments before we’re back to cooking, or eating lunch, or flower viewing, or talking, or brushing hair, or any of the hundreds of ‘filler’ activities Cardcaptor finds for the heroine to do. However, most of these captures take less than a quarter of the episode they appear in. ![]() In 22 episodes, we see Sakura capture a fair number of cards. ![]() And in that sense, it could be counted as a success, though I have to wonder if a few opportunities weren’t missed here. ![]() ![]() The technology is updated with the kids now having smart phones and the equivalent of a go-pro, but this really is a direct follow up of that original series. Because Clear Card is a genuine successor to the original. What that means is, a lot of the criticisms I have of the new Clear Card series, aren’t really all that valid. And how many times did we watch Sakura prepare her roller blades for school? For every truly brilliant moment in the series, it offers a lot of banal day to day activities of cute girls and their friends just going about their lives. As much as I believe Cardcaptor Sakura is a must watch magical girl series, even I have to admit that when I look at it episode by episode, the original is no longer really to my taste as an anime watcher these days. Nostalgia can be a dangerous thing sometimes. How does the reboot/sequel of 2018 match up to nostalgia’s fierce hold? As a child and teen of the 90’s I grew up with Cardcaptor in my life, and even with the terrible English dub and the butchered theme song this anime was close to my heart. ![]()
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