After its original run from 1998 – 2000, including 70 episodes and three animated movies, it comes as no surprise to fans that the staple of the magical girl genre has finally gotten its long-awaited continuation. "Cardcaptor Sakura" (also known as "CCS") was a favorite for many, initially created by the manga studio Clamp, and, after nearly twenty years off air, it’s finally back with the series continuation: "Cardcaptor Sakura: The Clear Card Edition."
'Clear Card'
The beginning arc plot behind "CCS" was simple, really. Sakura Kinomoto accidentally breaks the seal of a book containing a set of magical cards, chaos ensues and the guardian of the book commands her to now capture the cards else they wreak havoc on her town.
As she finds each of the mystical cards, she battles its magical personification and defeats it by sealing it away.
"Clear Card" starts where "Cardcaptor Sakura" left off, with Sakura Kinomoto now starting junior high alongside her old gang of friends including her lovable boyfriend Syaoran. But after having a mysterious prophetic dream, all of her cards become powerless and suddenly turn blank, thus beginning her adventure to once again find and capture the now clear cards.
Flaws
For older fans it’s back down to the business of fighting evil and trapping them in the cards but there seems to be no particular rush for the plot to get underway. For newer fans, though, it may seem that the series itself spends too much time just catching up without anything in particular happening.
The storyline thus far is rather mundane, and is unrelated to magic.
The two biggest selling points of the series are its stunning visuals and the character-driven plot. The entire universe is either elegantly beautiful or excessively cute, done in painstakingly, immaculate detail. While the animation has become even better over the years, leaving behind the dark, heavy feel of the 1990’s, this really works for the series, with brighter, softer colors giving it a unique appeal.
Despite the stunning visuals, however, the new sequence for sealing a card is ugly; the 3D-animated crystal seems out of place each and every time.
To keep the existing fans wanting more, Clamp and Madhouse will need to lead the beloved series in a new direction, as the current plot is something particularly new to fans. Hopefully they fix these minor issues before they become a problem, thus keeping the new series riveting and fresh.
The series is currently available on Crunchyroll.
