「さくらの透明なカード」 (Sakura no Toumeina Kaado)
“Sakura’s Clear Cards”

That was such an awkward place to end things — but considering that the source for Clear Card Hen is still on-going, I guess this wasn’t the worst place to leave things for a potential sequel.

Final Impressions

Boy, after years of not watching anything Cardcaptor related, it was a real treat to see a new adaptation finally making its way to our desktop and television screens. Pacing problems aside (which we’ll dive into in a little), the power of nostalgia combined with a solid IP is nothing to scoff at. I don’t know about you, but there’s something powerful about seeing characters that we grew up with getting a chance to continue their story. Between Kero-chan doing his thing to new character Akiho appearing to round things out for the non-magical characters, there was a nice mix between old and new that helped Clear Card Hen stand out on its own.

That said, I must say that the story for this sequel was something that I had some problems with. At its core, it wasn’t bad per se. It had all the elements of what one would expect from a Cardcaptor show except the execution of some of those elements felt a little lackluster. The biggest of which being the pacing and episode after episode of things happening, but nothing really pushing the plot forward. Because as much as this is as how about Sakura capturing Cards, the true meat of the show comes from the story (and mysteries) that are constantly moving and changing amongst the set pieces of capturing cards. That said, I suppose there isn’t much you can do when the source material isn’t finished and making an anime- original ending isn’t really an option. Luckily, as with all shows, the open-ended ending of the second-cour leaves it wide open for another season to swoop on in and continue right where things left off.

Backtracking to our characters, I don’t think there’s much to say here except it was a treat to see everyone. With the timeline ever-so-slightly ahead of where the original left off, you didn’t have to subvert your expectations too much since everyone involved did age a bit. And if anything, everyone had “aged” just enough to make it feel like the events of the original were way in the past.

Overall, I don’t think there’s much to say about the show as a whole at this point. As a sequel to an insanely successful and popular show, I think it did the series justice by staying on topic and giving fans both new and old exactly what they were promised — Sakura being a Card Captor. And as I said earlier, with the way things ended, it’d be very easy for another season to pick up right where things left off once there’s enough material to do so. Maybe then we can have a nice analysis on more specific parts of the show once there’s some material to actually talk about!

In any case, thank you to everyone who has been able to keep up with the post! I know that this show wasn’t the easiest to tackle (especially if you didn’t have nostalgia amping up all the slower moments), but hopefully another season in the future will wrap things all up and make it all worth it. Anyways, be sure to keep an eye out for our upcoming Season Preview and I’ll catch you guys later!

25 Comments

      1. I hate to be that person but I really doubt Madhouse will produce another season.

        BD sales to date

        CCS Clear Card V1: 3,781
        CCS Clear Card V2: 3,559

        That’s rather low for a company like Madhouse to even bother continuing. If it returns It’ll likely be with another studio.

        Lyfe
      2. I hate to be that other person, but I really doubt that you know how anime is usually financed.

        Unless anyone knows to the contrary, it’ll be NHK and Kodansha bankrolling the production – Madhouse will have just been hired in to do the animation, so it’s not their decision as to whether another season is made or not.

        Angelus
      3. Yeah I know full well how anime is financed, I’ve talked about it enough on here. I’m judging on the sales alone which aren’t great. But if you want to post information to back up your point feel free.

        Lyfe
      4. For example look at how Madhouse dropped One Punch Man(Sold over 5k per volume) which was then picked up by J.C Staff for a second season. Sales figures can be a good basis to predict if a show will continue or not. Madhouse haven’t produced a sequel to something around the same level as Clear Card. Which suggests the studio has some degree of standards for what shows they want to produce.

        Lyfe
      5. A new season is possible. BD Sales are the sole revenue factor only for late night series. CCS can count with other sources like advertising for being a sunday morning series.

        Exukvera
  1. I think they’re just giving time for the manga to catch up. The anime basically caught up to the manga super quick plus we get an episode every week, while the manga comes out every couple of months or so. I’m sure there will be a second season and when that happens the pacing of the series might work better then. I just hope the second season comes out sooner rather than later :”( I already miss cardcaptors so much, but I know this all depends on the manga.

    Marimari
  2. I won’t mind getting a third season, but the idea of a movie ending might make it more epic. I would like to see Yue do something more than just transform and have chats/video-chats. Until Sakura gets a full deck of cards and Syaoran should be dating her more, I think the anticipation for what may come is very good.

    random viewer
  3. I found it very hasty when they announced the anime when they only had a few new manga chapters. Clamp does not want to give an end to the anime, have patience. I think it’s good to take some time to get new manga material. Try to imagine if because of the rush, the series game of thrones had the different end of the books.

    Charkan
  4. Was abrupt but I guess I can accept that for the benefit of the story.

    Overall, my qualms are still the same: Sakura is the bestest magical girl, and I can’t help but be irked that some other “similar” girl is out to have (a small portion maybe?) her powers – even if it’s because something’s ailing her and Kaito is just trying to help a loved one. D;<
    Other than that, great being able to be a big kid again.

    Bambi
  5. When the hope card showed up on screen I let out a big “HA!”
    After so much tidbits of teasing regarding if it was cannon or not, it’s nice to finally have a confirmation that it exists afterall. The show may have ended on an awkward place, but I’m glad at least that mystery is solved. And to put that in the final episode, I’m sure the people in charge knew very well it was eating at some of us, thus delaying the confirmation as much as possible.

    ruicarlov
  6. so that’s it. prediction: sakura will loss all of her new cards, akiho/yuna d kaito claims control over it, sakura gets all her old sakura cards back including the hope card, upgraded them with her own already “godly” powers, and beats the crap out of akiho and yuna. basically, a card captor duel between the two.

    Jeffers
    1. I called that three episodes ago. D is trying to steal Sakura’s magic by using Akiho as a vessel. But Sakura’s older brother shows that the family magic regenerates, and Sakura has her mother’s key now.

      jhpace1
  7. I find it ironic how older mahou shoujo sailor moon,ccs, saint tail,pretear, and nurse angel ririka we’re for kids yet treated it’s auidence maturity while the “adult” mahou shoujo nanoha,prism iilya,madoka, raising project, mahou shoujo ore, and mahou shoujo site treats it’s auidence imaturaly.

    1. I can’t comment on all of the shows, but I’m familiar with Illya, Madoka, and Mahou Shoujo Site. Thing with those is that a lot of the “appeal” for them is fanservice. The showrunners and writers are very much aware who is the sole audience and what they want.

      On the other hand, we have shows that are aimed at the whole family, especially Sakura considering it’s an anniversary project and the original viewers are very much grown up, so things have to be treated as sober as can be (and well, the original Sakura anime was super sober as well).

      TheYepMan
  8. Manga Cards: GALE / SIEGE /AQUA / ACTION / REFLECT / RECORD / FLIGHT / LUCID / SPIRAL / SNOOZE / LABYRINTH / APPEAR / BLAZE / MIRROR

    Anime-only cards: GRAVITATION / HAIL / REVERSAL / MIRAGE / SWING / STRUGGLE

    Charkan
  9. Cardcaptor Sakura was the anime that made me love animes.. i was happy to see the sequel and so frustrated it ended abruptly. Waiting patiently for the next season.

    Anonymous
  10. I don’t understand why everyone’s on this subversion kick nowadays. just because something’s different doesn’t mean it’s automatically better than what came before it. there’s only so many times something can be twisted before it becomes a cesspool of dumb. look at sailor moon for example what if all of her friends the scouts, her husband and daughter turn on her in the end yeah it would be different but in the context of the story it would make no sense especially since the anime has built up the bond between them all. some clichés are overdone yes but is still makes sense why they are being used without them there won’t be a story to tell.

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