Growing up as a boy was fun. I lost count to the number of giggles and hard ROFLs I had watching the utter silliness that is mahou shojou. I mean, swinging that magic wand, that sparkle of nakedness to prove that a kid can instantly swell into adulthood, and ridding the world - or really just the neighbourhood - of all that evil, sprinkling angelic dust over bewitched citizenry. At least mecha anime mostly had the sensibility to teach that the world out there ain't so pretty and people fight to death to protect the peace and well-being of their beloved. But enough about my past complaints, because I now believe strongly that an unfounded genre can evolve and redefine itself into something that reaches out with greater appeal. My mind is changed courtesy of Card Captor Sakura.
All the magic begins when 10-year-old Kinomoto Sakura cleans up her father's library and accidentally unlocks an ancient tome, unleashing a circus of magical card beings running wild into the city. Included as part of the package is Kerberos, who explains himself as a guardian entrusted with the duty of safekeeping the cards by their previous owner, Clow Reed. It is now up to our unprepared heroine to bear the responsibility of recollecting the Clow cards before they cause massive havoc with their untamed powers. And here is where the show takes sharp departure from traditional mahou shojou tropes.
Ok, Sakura still gets a wand. But hey, there is no such thing as a non-competitive magical realm, so everybody needs a weapon. Or her card control device in her case. It also doubles as a flying broom for efficient pursuit of mischievious cards, which she dutifully carries out under Kerberos' guidance throughout the show. The first half can get repetitive at times, featuring card capture after card capture without significant plot advancement. However, you will barely notice this because CLAMP has formulated one of the most lovable characters in all of anime.
It is incredibly charming to see Sakura, a timid and unconfident girl by nearly all measures, cower in fear when challenged. It takes some serious nudging and support from her friends before she commits. Add the fact that she cannot transform and is actually forced to change into different costumes made by her friend Tomoyo just so she can videotape her in action, it makes for many scenes that causes a warm feeling to bubble within me. And smile unconsciously. If I have to tag "moe" to someone, Sakura wins hands down.
No arguments that CLAMP's focus is firstly the characters, secondly the characters, and thirdly the characters. Sakura grows into her role, gaining confidence and abilities. She also grows with her family and friends and thereby illustrate the best moments of life are with ones you love and cherish. The "side effect" of this is less of a solid plot. While she encounters a couple of twists - and thereby bigger challenges - the entire story does not actually call for any real use of her powers. There is no true adverserial entity or party; it can be viewed as a very long series (at 75 episodes) with all her magical adventures only about capturing the Clow cards and developing new bonds with them and the guardians. For the immense amount of offensive power she wields as she progresses through the story, Sakura's purpose as a magician remain rather unaccounted for. Therefore it can sometimes make the beautiful action soundtrack (which is a treat of immersion for the ears) grander than what the actual situation is. In fact, that is the case.
Not that that is a bad thing. For its purposes, Card Captor Sakura does really well, and blows the stereotypes away. No doubt a title that can likely change any pre-conceived opinion you may have on this genre. This is one show you will gladly let your kids watch.
Overall rating: 9/10
Grand orchestra; absolutely endearing; can you say "moe"?
Evasive raison d’être; some cliche patterns remain; too long; rinse-and-repeat