TITLE: Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Issue #1
YEAR: December 19, 2017 (US Release)
COMPANY: Kodansha Comics
Story and Art by CLAMP
Way back in 1996, the manga group CLAMP wrote and illustrated the manga series “Cardcaptor Sakura”, which was serialized in “Nakayoshi”.
The manga series would last through 2000 and a total of 12 graphic novels (tankobon) were published by Kodansha and would be adapted into a 70-episode anime series. And eventually captivating fans worldwide.
The original series took place in the fictional Japanese city of Tomoeda and focused on a ten-year-old girl named Sakura Kinomoto who accidentally released a set of cards known as Clow Cards from a book in her basement created and named after a sorcerer named Clow Reed.
Each card has special abilities and can assume any alternate form. The guardian of the cards, Cerberus, chooses Sakura to retrieve the missing cards and with each card, she must battle the magical personification of the card and seal it.
The series introduced her best friend and second cousin Tomoyo Daidouji who likes to film her and also creates battle costumes for her, while her older brother Toya watches over her (and pretending he is unaware of her power).
The series also introduced Syaoran Li, a descendant of Clow Reed, who comes to recapture the cards for himself and at first an antagonist, starts to respect and support her. Also introducing us to a transfer student from England named Eriol Hiiragizawa, who uses his guardian creatures, Spinel Sun and Ruby Moon to cause disturbances in the area.
Nearly 17 years since the end of “Cardcaptor Sakura”, CLAMP has created a new sequel titled “Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card” and focuses on Sakura Kinomoto as a junior high school student hanging out with Tomoyo and Syaoran (her boyfriend).
One day, Sakura has a dream of cards turning clear and seeing a mysterious cloaked figure. Sakura goes to check her book to see the cards and all have turned clear and transparent.
What does this mean and who is the ominous cloaked figure?
Overall, the return of “Cardcaptor Sakura” will no doubt entertain longtime fans of the series. Many people grew up reading the manga or watching the anime series, so the return of the series nearly 17 years later is pretty cool and CLAMP made sure to incorporate the elements of what made the first series entertaining with the characters now a little older and the mystery of the cards that she recaptured now turning clear and transparent.
There are other things that happen that I don’t want to spoil anyone but for the most part, if you loved “Cardcaptor Sakura”, you will love reading “Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card”.