Card Captor Sakura – Clear Card arc – Chapter 1

© CLAMP・Shigatsu Tsuitachi CO.,LTD. / 講談社

© CLAMP・Shigatsu Tsuitachi CO.,LTD. / 講談社

Chinese scanlations.
English translations.

DISCLAIMER: If you enjoyed reading this story, please support CLAMP by purchasing the original or licensed material available in your country.

Card Captor Sakura is available for purchase at CD Japan with worldwide shipping.


My inner 14-year-old is screaming “It’s finally here!!!” — oh how I wanted a Card Captor Sakura sequel in the early 2000s, and 5 years ago if you asked me whether CLAMP would make a sequel for Card Captor Sakura I would have said a flat “No!”. So this goes to show that a) Thankfully I am human and therefore I make mistakes; b) CLAMP are unpredictable.

There isn’t a better moment for Card Captor Sakura to come back than right now. Not only is the series’ 20th Anniversary but this series has so many feminism and gender issues that are constantly being talked about these days, maybe even more than the late 90s when the original series was published. It’s a great moment for CLAMP’s most popular heroine to come back to reforce these values and raise more awareness towards these gender issues — which I hope will continued to be addressed in this sequel.

Sure, there is the money factor, but at least CLAMP is bringing back one of their best and more relevant works that changed the lives of so many people. Truth being told, maybe I wouldn’t be writing this text right now if it weren’t for Card Captor Sakura and maybe I wouldn’t have known and met so many great people that I’ve got to know and meet because of CLAMP.

I also trust that this sequel might even explain some of the questions that we all had in Tsubasa, which we all know is closely tied to Card Captor Sakura.

So yeah, I raise my glass for Sakura’s triumphant comeback!

Okay so let’s talk about the chapter itself, but first: isn’t it GREAT to see everybody excited about it? I am amazed on how much Card Captor Sakura is popular and powerful even after all those years. The energy is really contagious! I haven’t seen something like that in a long time.

The opening narration feels like CLAMP are telling us “Okay, this is the LAST time we’re touching this. This is really the end, so ENJOY it while it lasts”. Can anyone please tell Sakura what are REALLY the steps of becoming a Card master? Every time she thinks she’s done, something happens like “Sorry, no, you’re not done yet”.

It feels great that this is a direct continuation of the original series. I was wondering if there would be a jump in time but this is even better — technically there is a one-year jump in time but I’m sure that nobody would like to see that one year without Syaoran.

The style is exactly the same with the slight difference in the line thickness. This line is thicker than the original series, which is famous for having the thinnest lines in CLAMP’s catalog. It looks beautiful and very contemporary, nonetheless. I do have to point out, however, that they looked older in the last chapter of the original series. They look only a little older here.

Syaoran seems concerned here, for some reason. I’m sure all of you noticed. And there is a close-up to the teddy bear as well. Later on they exchange their teddy bears… This all looks very suspicious. Some serious sh*t is about to take place and you just know it… I wonder if there is some sort of magic spell in the teddy bear Syaoran had that is now with Sakura.

Rika’s uniform looks a lot like Fuu’s uniform, don’t you think? I wonder if CLAMP took her out of the story to avoid problems giving her relationship with an adult — maybe out of Nakayoshi‘s own advice? Maybe we will see her again once she and everyone else is of age and fine to date anyone they want. I do wonder why that isn’t a problem with Eriol, though…. misogyny much?

I would also like to point out all the technology that we are seeing here. Everyone seems to be using smartphones and Kero seems to be playing PS4? These were released only a few years ago! And to think that a Nakayoshi editor approved this. Either CLAMP don’t care about that or Card Captor Sakura was originally set slightly ahead of its publication time.

The fact that Sakura is no longer carrying her magic key is the first cue that she is soon no longer needing her staff.

And then, the dream that started in this arc… the cards are transparent and Sakura sees a mysterious figure that has the same height as her and is wearing what looks like an variant of Clow’s clothes. Could that figure be herself? But it looks empty, as if the clothes are standing by itself, as if the person wearing them disappeared.

The plot starts! Place your bets. I’m sure we’ll have lots to discuss in the coming months 😉

39 pages for this opening chapter. I was expecting slightly more, though. Next chapter will be next month, in the next issue of Nakayoshi magazine.

124 thoughts on “Card Captor Sakura – Clear Card arc – Chapter 1

  1. I’ll raise my glass with you, this post is so emotional! It’s such a great thing, to have this sequel here after so many years!
    And you’re so right, everybody is excited about it, Twitter is exploding with tweets and pictures, older fans in Japan are worrying over how to justify the purchase of Nakayoshi in the bookstores…XD such a great excitement, really.
    You already know that I share your thoughts and worries… Syaoran is the one I’m more concerned about, I’m worried and interested to know what he is hiding with that serious face….
    I’ll be here commenting every new chapter…just like good old times! One month is too much to wait…. ❤

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    • While I was writing my post, I realized how much if it I had actually told you in our talks. In a way, you contribute to my discussions so I thank you 🙂

      I agree on being emotional, it feels so nostalgic there aren’t words to describe properly. Anything that brings you closer to me is dear to my heart 🙂

      Lol at Japanese being embarrassed for buying Nakayoshi. I hope this issue will explode in sales xD

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      • While I’m at it, I forgot to mention an idea I had: what if the names of the bears are involved in what Syaoran obviously knows and is hiding? Remember that in Clamp universe, the name of a person is sacred…. you can have a certain control on a person if you know their name and birthday… maybe that bear with Sakura’s name becomes dangerous if left in anybody else’s hands…

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        • To be quite honest, I didn’t remember that the teddy bears had names ^^” while I was reading the translations I had to read twice when Syaoran referred to the bear as “Sakura”.

          But yeah, you are right, this could have a meaning.

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  2. Woaahh! It’s been so long since you last wrote so much for a new chapter, but then, it’s also been a long time since CLAMP released a chapter consistent and good enough to talk about a lot…
    I always have a great time reading your pov and summaries 🙂

    Sakura was 9-11 years old in the 1st series (4th and 5th grade), then for part of 5th grade (Syaoran left at a completely random time of the year, neither him nor Eriol seem to have waited for the school year to end…) and the entire 6th grade (11-12 years old) Syaoran was gone in HK; and now they are back together in 1st year of junior high (12-13 years old).
    So, ultimately, Syaoran was gone for around 1&1/2 year, so the changes in their heights and appearances couldn’t have been more than what we are seeing now… They are only preteens right now.
    CLAMP mistakenly drew them older than they should have been in the 90’s manga, UNLESS, at the time, CLAMP actually thought them older, aka, that SxS would meet again when they are around 15 y.o., but for this new manga, they went back on that idea and made them younger…

    Something else important in this chapter and that no one missed: Syaoran behavior of course! It seems like his coming back to Tomoeda wasn’t as much of a romantic gesture as we thought, and while he is obviously 100% overjoyed and in cloud 9 to see Sakura again (and so I am! Their reunion was everything I have ever dreamed of! And I want MORE SxS moments! XD), he might have come back so fast (even though when he left on that bus, he made it sounds like he would be gone for a WHILE) because he’s got some purpose there, related to Sakura of course: there is definitely a reason behind the switching of bears.
    He knows something! The question being what, and why is he keeping silent about it?

    I am quite satisfied with this first chapter, and can’t wait to see where this is taking us!
    Cheers to CCS come back! 😀

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    • def something is wrong with their ages, they look way younger:

      Old: http://a.mhcdn.net/store/manga/78/12-000.0/compressed/ch536.jpg?v=1193387192
      New: http://imgsrc.baidu.com/forum/w%3D580/sign=12af51c35cb5c9ea62f303ebe538b622/3c43fbedab64034f5ec4a5cea8c379310b551d20.jpg

      Old: http://a.mhcdn.net/store/manga/78/12-000.0/compressed/ch534.jpg?v=1193387192
      New: http://imgsrc.baidu.com/forum/w%3D580/sign=e33de1e3b751f819f1250342eab54a76/c4669c82d158ccbfb6aed2f21ed8bc3eb0354124.jpg

      This made me think perhaps intended for the new anime or more obvious ones they lazy and cant draw something different from TsubasaRC’s teenagers, otherwise cant find a good reason to keep them younger.

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      • Here’s how it is: they look older than vols. 1-12 (except for last pages) and younger than the last pages of vol 12. I guess CLAMP wanted to go for somewhere in between. I guess they will look older with time.

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    • Well, it’s not any manga we’re talking about after all, it’s CCS 😉
      Wait till you see my review when X returns HAHAHA

      I’m so relieved to know you enjoy reading mu reviews. I try to make them as much interesting as possible ^^”

      I guess I can relate to what you said about CLAMP making them *too* much older in the last pages of the original manga. I can see the difference and hey, Sakura no longer has her pigtails so that’s also something worth mentioning 😉 maybe they will get as old as the final pages of the original manga and as old as TRC!Sakura dream eventually.

      Do you think Syaoran might have met the clones of Tsubasa while in Hong Kong? They were reborn there, right?

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      • Do you think Syaoran might have met the clones of Tsubasa while in Hong Kong? They were reborn there, right?

        I’m not sure how that would work. When TRC!Sakura was reborn, her family was exactly the same as CCS!Sakura’s, wasn’t it? Doesn’t that suggest it was a slightly different reality?

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        • It does, but how would you explain little Syaoran Jr.’s answer when asked by Yuuko if he had ever traveled across dimensions before, his reply being “no”? That implies that Yuuko and Syaoran Jr. are from the same reality and therefore, the clones too.

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          • Yeah. That would mean that xxxHOLiC and CCS don’t take place in the same world, but the Soel and Larg book makes it pretty clear that Yuuko and Clow don’t have to cross dimensions to see each other…? Is this some kind of plot hole or what? Could Sakura really find a duplicate of her family living somewhere in Japan?

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            • It could either be one major plothole or Syaoran Jr. has no idea that he had to cross dimensions to see Yuuko.

              Another strange thing from that “universe” is that the MKR girls all were from the same school and we know they are from different schools. Unless they all joined the same school after the events of MKR.

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              • I’m leaning toward the latter. Yuuko seemed to be teasing Tsubasa a little in that chapter — remember her response to when he said that he could grant his own wishes?

                I always thought that having alternate versions of the MKR girls for Sakura’s classmates was one last hurrah for the crossovers!

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              • Or Yuuko came from the cardcaptor world to begin with, and then later she setteled into the world where the clones where reborn, like Clow went to the kingdom of Clow.

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      • Do you think Syaoran might have met the clones of Tsubasa while in Hong Kong? They were reborn there, right?

        And so, let’s take this slowly:

        -it is an established fact the CCS and XXXHolic are in the same universe, same world

        -Clone|SxS were given a 2d chance in life and were reborn in a new world as “sakura Kinomoto” and “syaoran li” and meet again after 14 years in HK, where Sakura’s school trip took place. Personally, I always thought that they were reincarnated in a world very similar to CCS, but not the same. Nonetheless, what you said about little Syaoran and Watanuki certainly made me think.

        >>in the ‘first version’ of events, Syaoran|Tsubasa is the son of Sakura&Syaoran Li, nonetheless, he leaves his world and go to Clow Country for 7 days (his mother pays Yuuko for those 7 days with the Star Wand). At the end of those 7 days, tragedy strikes: princess Sakura is cursed by Fei Wang Reed! But the 7 days have ended…so Syaoran|Tsubasa is returned to his own world covered in wounds…
        He returns to Clow Country after his wounds are healed, and his payment for that wish: he cannot return to his own world until there exists in Clow Country someone who can cross dimensions…
        He vows to find a way to save princess Sakura, and 7 years pass by….The princess is slowly dying, and in those 7 years, and in spite of his best efforts, Syaoran|Tsubasa didn’t find a way to get rid of that seal of death cursing her!
        And then, as you know, he rewinds his own time back seven years, using his ‘time’ with Sakura, his ‘relationship’ with everyone, and his ‘freedom’ as a price. and TRC story begins in chapter 1 with the clone made by FWR replacing him and so on etc….

        >>Now, let’s talk about what happens after those 7 days in his original world > Watanuki was born when Syaoran decided to turn back Time by 7 years (meaning, we are back again right at the end of those infamous 7 days…), when Syaoran|Tsubasa is gone for an indefinite amount of time from his own world: he is “erased” and the void he left behind is filled by Watanuki, who becomes SxS child: what should have been one became two, Watanuki and Syaoran|Tsubasa are the same person, but they are also 2 different individual entities. They are different in name and in appearance, their parents wanted it to be that way so that neither one of them would be erased: his father, Syaoran Li, changed his family name and even his appearance in order to keep him hidden. To protect him from harm, Syaoran Li gave him the name Watanuki Kimohiro : a fabricated name containing his son’s own birthday in it, because names and date of births are very important. Thank to that, he wasn’t discovered by FWR and used for his dark purposes…
        But as you know, it didn’t end here: Watanuki’s parents “died” protecting him, or so he thought, but they were in reality gone of that World all together: Syaoran and Sakura Li rewind their own time (assuming the forms both of them were in before reincarnation), and are trapped in a ‘different world’ (the tube seen at the beginning of the manga, said tube seems to be a heirloom of the Li clan, maybe a creation of Clow Reed?), unable to touch one another. We see them later on in the final battle against FWR, in which both vanishes and are reduced to feathers.
        Now, what of Watanuki? Left behind, he agrees to trade all of his past memories (excluding his name and birthday, but including the encounter with Yuuko) to Yuuko to gain the whereabouts of the original “Sakura” and the other Sakura. And then, XXXHolic manga starts, with him entering the shop for the “first time” (even though it’s truly the 2d time).

        When FWR was defeated and Logic and Time were restablished: both Syaoran|Tsubasa and Watanuki (which are the same person…) became unstable existences, rejected by the Universe. One ended up having to travel through worlds forever while searching for a dimension and bodies for his parents, while the other was confined in the store and became the new owner, waiting for Yuuko to come back.
        In both cases, the first and second versions of events ceased to exist all together: all that’s left of them both, are 2 unstable beings, struggling to live.

        Conclusion: whether the world in which the clones were reincarnated was the same as CCS or not means nothing, it’s not even necessary to think about it, since it was all erased.
        I personally think it wasn’t: the store is in a separate dimension by itself, and anyone entering it is fated to, no matter from where they come from > little Syaoran didn’t have to be in the same world to enter that shop.

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        • Sakura Li and Card Mistress Sakura ‘met’ in a dream, how could it be if they were in the same world? > A grown up card mistress Sakura (but still a student though) met with Sakura Li, timeline wise, it would mean that the moment in time in which it happened, “version 1 of event” hasn’t been erased yet, those 2 Sakura met before the 7 days occurence > the simplest explanation was that “version 1 of event” overlaps with CCS’s time (Time flows differently in different dimensions after all)

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          • Okay, I read everything you wrote very carefully. I left it to read it today morning because I wanted to give proper attention to it xD

            I must confess that you nailed it. Are you Ohkawa? LOL

            That doesn’t mean I fully understood it, but I can see very “logic” arguments (I put it between quotes because this whole thing isn’t logic at all!) It’s very brain-twisting and I need to look back at TRC and XXXHOLiC to have a visual feel to it, but I had forgotten about the time rewind and Watanuki and how the “first future” was completely erased.

            I also thought about Yuuko’s shop being omnipresent, as in: being in every dimensions, but then again, why would Yukito need to send S+S and Tomoyo needed to send Kurogane and Fye had to go there as well? One could argue “they needed to meet, it’s hitsuzen”. This is all very confusing xD

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            • I suspected you needed some time to digest the big text I wrote ^^
              You already knew it all, since you followed both TRC and xxxholic as closely as I did, but after so many years, and due to how confusing many of these events are, it’s hard to keep a clear idea of it all in our heads…
              I liked writing all this since it helped me organize things in my mind too!

              I personally have no intention to thinking any further than what is written above: honestly, if we start asking new questions for each answer we get, there will be literally no end to it!

              Because if I start thinking further, then it goes like this:
              As far as CCS is concerned, it simply goes like this: both Sakura met briefly through a Dream, before TRC|Sakura sent her son for 7 days to Clow Country. We saw in xxxholic that if you forget an object inside a dream, or keep it in your hands while waking up, this object stays with you (or is left in the dream), I believe this is what happens here.
              Now, said moment in time in which the exchange was done was erased afterwards, replaced by other events, this time involving Watanuki instead of Syaoran. So following that logic: CCS|Sakura did not give her wand ‘anymore’, nonetheless, years after, said wand is still stored inside the shop as seen in chapter167 of xxxholic… NONETHELESS, in said chapter 167, Logic and Time were still twisted! At that moment, FWR hadn’t been defeated yet…We did not see the Star Wand inside the shop after the end of TRC, when FWR was gone and the Logic restablished = does the meeting between the two Sakura actually still exists or not?

              In CLAMP universe, dreams can connect people through Space (aka people from different worlds) and also through Time (remember how many times Watanuki met doumeki’s grandfather…). Said Dream World also appeared in X.
              Clamp didn’t elaborate, but it doesn’t seem like they consider these dreams encounters as “traveling through dimensions” or “Time travel”.

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              • Your explanation makes a lot of sense. I just returned from a quick flip through volumes 24-28 of TRC and I have a better idea now.

                The version of the future where the clones were reborn was not supposed to happen and is a result of the time and space being twisted. Still, some things happened like the dream where Sakura gives her staff to the other Sakura. So while I think we MIGHT see that scene being addressed in the CCS sequel somehow, I trashed the idea of Syaoran meeting the clones reincarnation in Hong Kong because that is a paradox in itself caused by the time and space distortion.

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                • Between the two of us, I’m pretty sure we summarized the whole thing quite well 🙂 It makes as much sens as this story devoid of Logic allows us to ^^;

                  I trashed the idea of Syaoran meeting the clones reincarnation in Hong Kong

                  You were considering this possibility? I confess I wasn’t, not at all ^^; But I agree that ‘something’ definitely happened in HK, and said ‘something’ is very likely the key to explain what’s happening now, both with the cards and that bear! That said, if ti was *that* bad, Syaoran would have said something. Him staying silent means that no harm is coming Sakura’s way?
                  The Clow Cards arc was about catching the Clow Cards
                  The Sakura Cards arc was about converting the Clow Cards into Sakura cards
                  Then the Clear Cards arc would be about…catching/converting/learn to use the Sakura cards that were converted to Clear Cards ones…?

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                  • I was considering it because for a moment I had completely forgotten about Tsubasa’s plot. If you blink you might forget it all over again ^^”

                    Then the Clear Cards arc would be about…catching/converting/learn to use the Sakura cards that were converted to Clear Cards ones…?

                    I think it would be more like inheriting/absorbing the cards so that she can cast their magic without actually using the card as an object?

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                    • I think it would be more like inheriting/absorbing the cards so that she can cast their magic without actually using the card as an object?

                      This is actually something I thought about countless time since the moment Clamp said that Sakura didn’t need her Star Wand anymore…
                      Nonetheless, while I did not trash the idea, I *did* leave it aside, for this one reason: Clamp made quite a big deal about the cards being Sakura’s dear friends, and several of the cards even showed a personality and emotions… so if they become part of Sakura, what of them then? Still unclear.

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                    • Hi there!
                      I’m an avid fan of CLAMP and reading both of your summaries and guesses was VERY interesting (and super nostalgic). It actually gave me a theory of what the “clear cards” could mean.

                      Perhaps I am way off, but I thought maybe there is subtle hints to this theory in the first chapter already: Putting TRC and xXx Holic aside, it was established in the CCS series that the wand or staff that corresponded to the cards was required to use them. Clow wand = clow cards, and once Sakura created her Star wand, she had to change the cards to star/sakura cards in order to use them with the wand.

                      In the first chapter, Sakura says that she hasn’t had to use her star key – star wand – in a while. Could this be hinting at with the “clear cards” that the cards will become free from the wand’s restriction and will be used without a wand? The first colour splash from the manga threw me off because Sakura is drawn without her wand, but this might also tie in with this theory possibly? This could also mean that Sakura giving away her star wand in the crossovers could be a future event in CCS timeline as she would not need it anymore to use the cards. There is something I’m missing here with the bears though, they are definitely relevant in some way.

                      I just can’t wait to read the new chapters and also enjoy the new anime. Do you think the anime will follow the exact storyline of the manga or will deviate slightly to work from the ending of the 2nd movie? New manga Sakura and Syaoran are definitely closer in age and look to Anime/Movie end Sakura and Syaoran rather than Original manga end S+S.

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  3. I’ve been thinking that maybe Syaoran came back because he knows something will happen like before with the Clow cards and that’s why he seems concerned.
    Oh well, I’m very happy that Card Captor Sakura is back because it’s mu favorite manga/anime and being an adult now, I can get all the merchandise I can haha!

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    • Syaoran knows something that Sakura doesn’t and the bear is his attempt to protect her.

      That’s so true what you said about being able to buy things now for being adult xD

      Thanks for your first comment, Daniela 🙂

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  4. Thank you so much for your hard work!!!
    Oh boy, you made write like many years ago!!! I promise, this is going to be the only one XDDDD

    -Okay, this is the LAST time we’re touching this. This is really the end, so ENJOY it while it lasts
    I thought something similar like “O.K., we know all of you love this scene, so here, once again for the last time”. I liked that CLAMP summarized several pages of the original work in one page. If I recall well, they said that with time they had learned how to express ideas and feeling with less dialogs and panels, and this is one great example of that knowledge.

    -It looks beautiful and very contemporary, nonetheless. I do have to point out…
    I expected a little change for the drawing style, you know, something like they did for Lawful Drug and Drug & Drop. Same idea: although a continuation, it’s another series and the drawing style has to change a bit. However, it’s pretty nice! I noticed too, that they are younger than the last pages of the original work; it looks like CLAMP used the first designs of Sakura and Syaoran. But you can always say that they look younger because the power of love xDDDDD

    -This all looks very suspicious…
    I thought so; they took their time with the teddy bears. Syaoran knows something for sure, and is concerned about what is going to happen to Sakura. Therefore, he put some kind of magic spell in the teddy bear. Or perhaps the bears have a deeply connection just like the phone straps we saw on xxxHOLiC that were killing the girls.

    -Rika’s uniform looks a lot like Fuu’s uniform, don’t you think?
    I loved this little crossover as a Rayearth fan, but I found so cute that the same as the original work, for the first chapter of this sequel, they put a little crossover of Rayearth. Thank you CLAMP for this.

    -Everyone seems to be using smartphones and Kero seems to be playing PS4?
    I think that the reason for it, are the new readers that are used to the actual technology. Can you imagine playing Kero with a GameCube or a PS2? XDDDD Most of the children will say “what the hell is that?” So, it’s just an adaptation for the readers of today.

    -The fact that Sakura is no longer carrying her magic key is the first cue that she is soon no longer needing her staff
    And that will lead to Tsubasa scene, good point there!

    -And then, the dream that started in this arc…
    This is gold! Just a few pages to make fans go crazy with lots of theories, I can’t wait to see what’s next.

    -39 pages for this opening chapter. I was expecting slightly more, though
    Well, if you compare that number with the average of pages published for the original work inside Nakayoshi, that number is just right.

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    • I think that the reason for it, are the new readers that are used to the actual technology. Can you imagine playing Kero with a GameCube or a PS2? XDDDD Most of the children will say “what the hell is that?” So, it’s just an adaptation for the readers of today.

      That was exactly my thought too: I didn’t think for a second there was a deeper meaning behind it, or took in considerations things like timelines or compared it to the first series etc… It just made me smile to see Kero in front of a big flat screen hahaha XD

      CLAMP simply and logically adapted CCS to nowadays technologies. Nothing more, nothing less.

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    • – I actually meant that this is the last time that they are reliving CCS XD
      – I guess that they will smoothly make them older along the series.
      – I thought you might love the Rayearth nod 🙂 Rika would make such good friends with Fuu.
      – But they could have drawn a general game controller and not one that looks exactly like PS4’s, same with Eriol’s phone looking like an iPhone 6
      – So the number is right? I don’t know why but I thought Nakayoshi chapters were around the 50s. But now that I think of it, you’re right. Rayearth and CCS were around 40s, sometimes 30s. Let’d hope CLAMP will keep that ratio.

      And bring on the long comments 😉

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      • – I actually meant that this is the last time that they are reliving CCS
        LOL well… CCS forever until they die XDDDD

        – But they could have drawn a general game controller and not one that looks exactly like PS4’s, same with Eriol’s phone looking like an iPhone 6
        Actually, they drew the console and the controller. Everyone loves PS4, don’t you see? Plus, it gives me hope to see a CLAMP videogame someday in the future (crosses fingers).

        More long comments to come then 😉

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  5. Something else I forgot to say, is that while it’s quite realistic for all of them to be divided in different classes, still, I don’t know where CLAMP is going with this: this is a shoujo and fiction, and by choosing to do this, they literally erased most if not all possible school scenes in their classroom, or even sport events and trips. Though, of course, if they REALLY want to do it, they might as well show them eating outside in the canteen, or having joint trips/events with other classes etc…
    But I wonder if it’s CLAMP way to say that they’ve done enough of that in the first 2 arcs, and they are going to show us different things in this 3rd arc?

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    • And something else! (sorry, new thoughts just keep on coming up): I don’t understand why CLMP made Yukito send a gift to Sakura, it felt…off? Right after all that fluff with Syaoran, we see her lovingly put a wing shaped hair accessory from her 1st love in a jewellery box together with her prized Star Key…?
      Again, I don’t know where they are getting at with this action (other than making me raise my brows in wonder that is ^^;)

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      • That looked suspicious and random too. I guess it will play an important role in the future or it’s just CLAMP’s way of saying that Yukito is still there doing Yukito things.

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      • I’ve seen it as “I’ll buy a brooch for my little sister” thing…very Yukito-like indeed… Yukito and Sakura may not be in love but there’s still a deep connection, especially with Yue involved. She didn’t blush or anything of that old stuff when she received the gift, so I’m very much ok with that XD

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        • I agreedwith you!
          Honestly, if that happened in another chapter, even just the 2d one to come, I would probably have passed it by without thinking much of it, but because it’s the first chapter which is mainly centered on SxS reunion, something I waited for forever, it bothered me!! >.<

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          • Hahahah I totally understand you, I’m a SxS supporter since forever and this chapter made me melt with happiness…that’s probably why I totally ignored the gift from Yukiusagi XD

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    • Well, they could still have “screentime” together despite that fact. Just look at Tomoyo not being in the same class of Sakura and she will most certainly appear a lot.

      This could also mean something else: new characters 😉

      Like

      • Yes, the “new characters” route also came to my mind, we will have to see if CLAMP throws crossover characters at us, and we might just find Syaoran in the same class as little Kurogane or Ryuuoh, or Sakura with Chii and Kamui, or whether they are going to create new original characters, which will be new faces in the CCS universe! (meaning new additions in CLAMP’s world all together) 😀

        Like

    • Separating the kids from each other into different classes is a good way of exploring different character dynamics. For example, Chiharu and Yamazaki were attached to the hip in the original series, but now we can see how they interact with their classmates as individuals. Naoko was very underdeveloped, but as Sakura’s only woman friend in her new class (for now), the two of them can get closer to each other. Imagine if Sakura ended up confessing to Naoko that she’s a magician!

      Like

      • Yes, good point. In fact, Yamazaki and Naoko were probably the less explored in the original series.

        I also believe we’ll have new characters introduced.

        Like

      • From what was written in the CLAMP no Kiseki volume dedicated to CCS, it seems like CLAMP had further plans for Naoko but didn’t have enough pages at the end to add it up (their editors told them to cut it off? ^^;): when Sakura was wandering in the streets after Syaoran told her he was going back to HK, she met both Chiharu and Rika, well, she should have also have met Naoko, which should supposedly have told her she had a long distance relationship with the one she likes ^^

        But seeing how CLAMP put them all in different classes, and even had RIka go to another all together, I do not know if they are planning to show much of them or not, depends on how they pictured this CC arc in their minds: schoolmates might not have the priority over other events?

        Like

  6. Happy times are here again~! It’s a little sad watching so many different fans’ excitement over CCS compared to the increasingly anemic reactions to xxxHOLiC and TWC.

    There isn’t a better moment for Card Captor Sakura to come back than right now. Not only is the series’ 20th Anniversary but this series has so many feminism and gender issues that are constantly being talked about these days, maybe even more than the late 90s when the original series was published. It’s a great moment for CLAMP’s most popular heroine to come back to reinforce these values and raise more awareness towards these gender issues — which I hope will continued to be addressed in this sequel.

    I hope for this, too. CCS was an emotionally honest and mature series — Nanase Ohkawa seemed to pour her heart into building a world where all different kinds of people and all different kinds of relationships could find love and acceptance.

    Syaoran seems concerned here, for some reason. I’m sure all of you noticed. And there is a close-up to the teddy bear as well. Later on they exchange their teddy bears… This all looks very suspicious. Some serious sh*t is about to take place and you just know it… I wonder if there is some sort of magic spell in the teddy bear Syaoran had that is now with Sakura.

    Eriol had a good excuse for not cluing Sakura in until the very end, so I wonder what Syaoran’s deal is here? Sakura decisively proved herself to be more powerful and competent than him, so is it something he can’t talk about?

    Considering that Sakura only had that strange dream after meeting Syaoran and taking the bear with her name back, could somebody be using him to attack her? Or is there a chance that this Syaoran is an imposter, and the real one is trapped back in Hong Kong? (That would make the ending of the original series too weird.)

    Rika’s uniform looks a lot like Fuu’s uniform, don’t you think? I wonder if CLAMP took her out of the story to avoid problems giving her relationship with an adult — maybe out of Nakayoshi‘s own advice? Maybe we will see her again once she and everyone else is of age and fine to date anyone they want. I do wonder why that isn’t a problem with Eriol, though…. misogyny much?

    That was my first guess as to why Rika had transferred. (I would have preferred having Rika and Mr. Terada explicitly break up, but…) It’s not as bad with Eriol because he’s technically an adult, but did you notice how this chapter sidestepped his relationship with Kaho by referring to them as “friends?”

    Like

    • It’s a little sad watching so many different fans’ excitement over CCS compared to the increasingly anemic reactions to xxxHOLiC and TWC.

      Well, that is because both of them are going nowhere, really………..

      Nanase Ohkawa seemed to pour her heart into building a world where all different kinds of people and all different kinds of relationships could find love and acceptance.

      Yes, she truly explored every form of love in CCS.

      Considering that Sakura only had that strange dream after meeting Syaoran and taking the bear with her name back, could somebody be using him to attack her?

      We don’t know it’s a bad dream yet. It wouldn’t be the first time where a dream is misinterpreted in CLAMP stories. What may seem like a threat could actually not be the case.

      It’s not as bad with Eriol because he’s technically an adult, but did you notice how this chapter sidestepped his relationship with Kaho by referring to them as “friends?”

      I guess you could use the age factor. Despite his looks he is an “adult”. I DID notice the “friends” thing, how weird was that?! I wonder if it’s written that way in Japanese too.

      Like

      • Well, that is because both of them are going nowhere, really………..

        I know there are lots of fans out there who still love Watanuki and Doumeki and want to keep reading about them, but to be honest… I wouldn’t be put out if xxxHOLiC Rei got cancelled and never resumed again. It just isn’t asking the questions I wished it would ask.

        We don’t know it’s a bad dream yet. It wouldn’t be the first time where a dream is misinterpreted in CLAMP stories. What may seem like a threat could actually not be the case.

        Considering that the two promo pictures for the new series featured Sakura smiling at her transformed cards, you’re probably right.

        I guess you could use the age factor. Despite his looks he is an “adult”. I DID notice the “friends” thing, how weird was that?! I wonder if it’s written that way in Japanese too.

        The word used is 仲良し/なかよし, not 友達/ともだち, so it does indicate a close relationship. I think that was the most age-appropriate way for Eriol to describe his living situation with Kaho over the phone to Sakura.

        Like

        • The word used is 仲良し/なかよし, not 友達/ともだち

          That’s right! We can see that from the Japanese photos of the magazine. Maybe Eriol thinks Sakura is much too young to understand their relationship?

          Like

          • That’s most likely it. After all, it was Tomoyo who figured out Eriol’s connection to Kaho, not Sakura.

            Like

  7. It’s such a nostalgic feeling. I still can’t believe my favorite manga is back.
    Thanks for sharing your thoughts too! Very good points you listed. I love reading all these amazing theories here in the comments too. 🙂 It reminds me the good old days with TRC, all the crazy theories.
    Syaoran is certainly acting a bit strange, and Eriol still interested in her dream routine also raise some questions…

    Everything in this chapter is beautiful but super suspicious. I like that. 😉

    Like

    • I guess the discussion times are finally back! It’s great to see everyone excited and participating again =)

      Welcome back!

      Like

      • Yes, I am. 😀

        É, há anos que não comento aqui, apesar de visitar sempre… (aliás, acho que a última vez que comentei foi no livejournal, hehehe).
        Adoro ver que as discussões voltaram com força total e todo mundo está empolgado. ❤

        Like

  8. Thank you so much for always keeping everyone so up to date on all the new happenings with the CCS Reboot! 😀 It’s been super exciting seeing everyone get hyped up for this and speculating and just having the fandom come alive in general! My inner 14 year old has been screaming about this a lot too.

    I was also laughing at the fact that everyone’s using smartphones! I think CLAMP was probably just like “Welp, we can just say the past 16 years of technological progress happened in 2 years in the CCS world.” It’s really cute seeing it though (I love Sakura’s phone case and watching Kero use a PS4). The changes to Sakura and Syaoran’s character designs is really awesome too – I was expecting them to look more aged up like they did in the final chapter of the original series, but I think CLAMP did a great job with making them look just a little older than they were.

    In terms of what happens next, with Syaoran’s concerned glance and the teddy bear switch (not to mention the dream, because that one is too obvious), I’m a little nervous about what’s to come. Nervous, but crazy excited!! 😀

    Thanks for posting my translation by the way! I was surprised there wasn’t another one up already, but . I have one request. I just made a new tumblr solely for chapter translations and reposted the translation over there. Would you mind changing the URL link to the following (I messaged on tumblr too, so please forgive my asking twice, haha ^^):

    Like

    • Hi dear! Thank you for your translations! You were feeling a little insecure about them but you should know this: they were great, I really liked them =)

      I’m sorry for the delay, I was pretty busy today, but I’ve changed the translation link per your request!

      “Welp, we can just say the past 16 years of technological progress happened in 2 years in the CCS world.”

      It IS a fictional story, after all ^^”

      I thank you in advance for the upcoming translations that you will so kindly provide =)

      Like

      • Thanks so much for changing the link! I really appreciate it.

        And thanks for your encouragement too. 🙂 It’s the first time I’ve tried to translate a series, but this one is super near and dear to my heart so I really wanna do try! I commented below, but I think there was possibly one error regarding who is in what class. It seems like Class 3 is Syaoran, Yamazaki, and Naoko; Class 2 is just Sakura; and (maybe) Class 1 is Tomoyo and Chiharu.

        Hopefully I’ll be more accurate in the future, but if/when mistakes happen, I’ll update my translations on tumblr as soon as I notice or it’s pointed out. ^^

        Like

        • The class thing has confused everyone, it seems. We will find out eventually!

          I’m looking forward to your next translations! Thanks for the contribution =)

          Like

      • OMG @_@
        I did remember a LOT of the chapters got a color page, but I didn’t realize that every single chapter of the 90’s series got a color splash page! This is….AWESOME!!! A new color illustration every month! Woah! Plus magazines covers every once in a while! PLUS the furoku which migh contain chibis of the characters!
        With all this, we are definitely getting an artbook, or even two actually XD

        I now have little to no regret of purchasing the magazines: I was hesitating a lot, wondering why I bothered with cheap magazine paper of a manga I can’t read in japanese, even though I will buy the pretty final volume anyway…but if the new books are the same edition as the 2015’s one, then they are not including the color pages inside. Though, of course, if I think even further along the way, I can also argue that all these artworks will be compiled in an artbook, but well, that’s already more vague in the future.

        Like

        • Unless they pull out a “Tsubasa” — which was also monthly and also supposed to have a color page each month, but Tsubasa is shounen and shounens are not like shoujo in that aspect — but CCS is pure shoujo and Nakayoshi is super shoujo and girls like colored pages every month so I’m very positive about it being like MKR and X and all their other monthly shoujos: one or more color pages/month 😉

          And the goods too! Another “bad” thing about shounens is that they don’t have as many goods and appendixes and extra silly stuff like shoujo. Shoujos are the best in every aspect ❤

          Like

  9. Not sure if this is the right thread to post this, but Kahotan from gsc recently posted this https://twitter.com/gsc_kahotan/status/738671671658184704 on twitter, talking about CCS latest chapter. I’ve heard about the left one, the nendoroid co-de of the cat costume, but do you know anything about the one on the right? It looks like the costume from the 2nd op, and I haven’t heard any announcement of it being made into a nendoroid! (Or is it not Sakura? But the tweet makes it sounds like Sakura co-de)

    Like

    • Thanks for sharing!! 😀

      This definitely looks like a Sakura new nendo, very probably a co-de one too, and I also agree with you that it must definitely be the 2d OP costume 🙂
      With this photo posted publicly on Kahotan’s twitter account and the prototypes already done (although not painted yet), we will definitely be getting more info about it real soon!! 😀

      Like

      • Yes, yes, I think they are teasing by posing the two prototypes like that on purpose. I’ve seen some Japanese fans on twitter speculating about the same thing so you two are probably right.

        Like

  10. In a TRC chapter Sakura appeared and gave her star wand to her alternate self, so this story is before this event. The only reason why the Sakura cards have a problem is Fei wong Lead

    Like

    • The only reason why the Sakura cards have a problem is Fei wong Lead

      Why do you think that? Care to elaborate?

      Like

  11. “Do you think Syaoran might have met the clones of Tsubasa while in Hong Kong? They were reborn there, right?”
    i thought this a little while ago. i wondered if he either met them when he went back to HK, or is actually related to papa syaoran and tsubasa li, like cousins or something of the like. im either way with thinking that it was an alternate world to ccs, or the same. especially with sakura handing over her wand. that might be the end result of whatever the upcoming drama is going to be. i wonder if this series will subtly answer loose end with trc.

    Like

    • i wonder if this series will subtly answer loose end with trc.

      That’s what I am hoping for too, because no matter how I see it, I always end up finding plot holes when I start to think about the world where the clones were reborn.

      Like

      • also, clow reed attempted to pair yukito/yue with sakura. why do this when he knew sakura/syaoran are absolute soul mates. i think im intrigued with clows past the most, watanuki and the reincarnated clones past come a very close second with “need to know this part of the story” loose end. i feel like sakura manipulated events from behind the scenes in a huge way with trc, but i could be completely wrong there.
        “I always end up finding plot holes”
        yes! loose ends and plot holes. head banging against the wall!! it would really help the new twc and xxx series if they followed the leads. instead of story going nowhere for 2+ years. both series have the strong characters and the potential plot devises to develop and round it all off nicely, but we’ll see….
        anyhoo, i would express my sheer joy at ccs starting up again, especially since it was my first EVER manga and anime, but so many comments here say my thoughts and squeals that i dont think i need to, but for the record i was squealing non stop as soon as it popped up on your blog chibiyuuo! ❤ x 1000000 (i now have no voice.)
        i will say how lovely it is to see sakura and syaoran settled and comfortable in an official romance. our favourite little magic girl and boy are all grown up!!

        Like

        • also, clow reed attempted to pair yukito/yue with sakura. why do this when he knew sakura/syaoran are absolute soul mates

          A friend of mine pointed out the same thing. Specially since Clow knew way beforehand about Sakura and Syaoran from Tsubasa (when he created the Mokonas with Yuuko).

          Like

          • yeah, its like he tried to avoid something happening by steering the inevitable pairing away from each other. he made it so yues false form would be romantically appealing to sakura, and yukito was certainly a major contender in sakuras eyes. yet eriol seemed to ship the syaoran/sakura pairing though… i wonder if we’ll see why clow wanted to avoid that pairing happen… even the yukito/touya pairing since their soul mates too. but clows “plans” really stuck in my mind. especially after trc. i REALLY want to see a series, hell lets say a whole prequel series on clow reed, and yuuko.
            i also want to see how yue and sakura get along now. i must say i found it touching how they covered yues deep grieving over clow, and the slow development in his friendship with sakura in the origial series. i think those two will have an emotionally deep relationship. perhaps simialr to fai and sakura in trc infinity arc.

            Like

      • How would you explain Tsubasa telling Yuuko that he had never traveled to another world up to that point?

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        • Yuko is not in the ccs world, I’ve read holic over and over and I still can’t find the part where Yuko says they are in the same world. She talks about them a little sure, but she never mentions that they live in the same world.

          She dose say that hasn’t meat Syaoran and Sakura from her world, but they don’t have to be ccs Sakura and Syaoran, they could also be the reincarnated clones, because to her they hadn’t meat yet.

          as long as the creators don’t state that ccs and holic take place in the same world it’s not canon, because it’s never clare in the manga to begin with.

          Like

            • That’s exactly what I think. The reason for why they can’t be in the same world is because Watanuki lives in the world Tsubasa used to live in as his replacement. Tsubasa is the son of the reincarnated clones and the clones where not born in the same world as CCS. Sakura says so herself. As it turns out the clones where also blood relatives to Clow Reed, so she probebly ment them. Yuko also later states that the reason she never met the Syaoran and Sakura from her world is because the payment was given to her by relatives of them, at that point she was talking about the clones. And the reincarnated clones had the same parents as their CCS counterparts. Tsubasa doesn’t travel to another world to get to Yuko’s shop either.

              It just wouldn’t make sense for holic and CCS to be in the same world for many reason. But if you are convinced that they are placed in the same world it’s fine, but I still don’t believe it.

              Like

              • You have fairly good points. I don’t have anyting at hands’s reach to counter-argue your arguments, but I will keep your theory in mind.

                It WOULD solve a lot of plotholes if you are proved to be correct.

                Like

                • Holic, Tsubasa and CCS are definetly connected, I just don’t think holic and CCS are in the same world, although I am sure of that they share a univers.

                  There would be to many plot-holes if they shared a world, which is why I don’t believe it.

                  Now I might be wrong, only time will tell 🙂

                  Like

  12. Logging in to my wordpress account after years of innactivity… but I had to, this is too huge. (I’m @yoreruu btw)

    So… I’m dying. It’s funny that I feel like Sakura when she again met Syaoran, it’s like there are so many things I want to say, we’ve been away for so long! I also probably wouldn’t be a CLAMP fan if it wasn’t for CCS and it still affects me so much.
    Anyway, thanks for the review! It’s always nice to read and comment about those chapters, so I’m ready to go through all that again. 😀
    I think we all agree they look MUCH younger than in that last chapter and that honestly puts me off a bit. But it’s okay, I can overlook that since they all look so lovely. The art shows how much time has passed… it’s really similar to old!CCS style but also very different… not only the thick lines, but the eyes, hairs, and other details. You can see a big influence of Tsubasa’s characters on those two… but actually, that page in which Sakura is telling Eriol about who’s in the same class as her shows a very TRC-like Tomoyo! I think it’s kinda hilarious they moved Rika to another school… now they being teacher and student isn’t a problem, only the age gap is. lol ….or maybe it’s a hint that they broke up and Rika left that school, not to see him again, heartbroken and hurt… God, no. Please not that.
    Not only Syaoran seems worried, but there’s some serious stuff going on with that bear… Maybe since it has Sakura’s name and was made with all of Sakura’s love and dedication, so there’s a whole lot of strong feelings imprinted on that bear. Sorta. Also, the fact Syaoran said he always kept it by his side… Sounds really romantic and all, but wasn’t that bear because of that belief that making it yourself, naming it with your own name and giving it to the person you love would “make” them love you back somehow?
    I think the smartphones were a nice touch, some years have gone by afterall and I think they didn’t exactly set a time for the first series. I think. Putting smartphones there brings it closer to our current reality, but they still said something about letters, so I guess CLAMP likes the idea they’d keep sending each other letters even with e-mails and online messengers like LINE and whatnot. Or, I wonder how the japanese raws are… is it 手紙? Or is it メール? Because if it’s the latter, it could be e-mail or keitai meeru, something similar to SMS in Japan. Sigh, I’m at work now, but I should look for the japanese raws later… also because it’s a series with very easy language, so it may be a good one to practice my reading.
    About the dream… I have this theory with no basis at all, that all cards may have joined forces somehow and became one very powerful individual who can control all of those powers. Someone like Sakura herself… which may prompt her to try and control those powers without the need of cards or a staff. And I mean, all cards are transparent and have disappeared from the book after staying close to the teddy bear during the night… it also may be linked to the entity Teddy Bear Sakura as something that has a part of Sakura in it. Sorta. I don’t know if I’m making sense here, but it sounds like something that could happen, I guess… Talvez eu esteja viajando :v
    I’m just… wow. I can’t. The hype is so real it hurts!! ç__ç

    Like

    • Thank you for your comment! Seja bem vinda novamente, and I am also excited for the discussions to come =)

      I thought the style is the exact moment CLAMP is right now: a post-TRC and Kobato mixture.

      Or, I wonder how the japanese raws are… is it 手紙? Or is it メール?

      It is 手紙. I don’t have the complete RAWs but a few pages leaked.

      Like

  13. Hi fellow CCS fans,
    CCS has always been a big part of my life. It’s really great that they are doing a sequel. Do you guys have any idea when the official translation will be available? Of course, I have to wait for a long time for the volume releases. T_T

    Like

    • When you say “official translation”, you mean when this new series will be licensed and sold around the world?
      You will have to wait for that, even in it’s original country, Japan, they barely just released the 1st chapter yesterday ^^;

      If CLAMP keeps up with the 40 pages count per month, then there should be enough chapters/pages to make a volume in october? (between 160 and 200 pages, unless they release a similar edition as the 2015’s one not only in looks but also in number of pages, in that case, more pages/chapters will be needed). Let’s speculate that the volume is sold in Japan in December. I don’t think you will see it licensed in any other languages (english, french, spanish, german etc…) until at least 6 months after that? All in all, if all goes well, and done quickly, you will get an “official translation” exactly one year from now.

      Like

      • Thank you! I guess I have to wait then. XD I’m glad you decided to translate them into English while we wait I really appreciate it.

        Like

  14. I wasn’t expecting a new serie of Card Captor Sakura, but that gives me so much hopes for X and Clover! ^_^ It’s weird though, I never read CCS while it was still published, so it will be something to read only one chapter a month. ~_~ But it’s time to play our favorite game again! Over thinking details’s meaning and plot guessing!

    Let’s start :

    – Touya with a lily of the valley background, how fitting! Sweet sent, but poisonous. XD CLAMP also use that flower when Sakura close the box that contains Yukito’s gift though. It might be that object that caused the dream and the following problem with the cards.

    – Syaoran’s bear might be there only to warn it’s owner if Sakura is in trouble, so expect some perfect timing to rescue or help her. XD

    – I’m betting on Sakura absorbing the power of the card, turning them into “clear cards”, just like you.

    – And the next xxxHolic arc will be linked with the new CCS. (That one is pretty obvious. XD)

    Thank you Chibi for keeping us informed! ^_^

    Like

    • Hi Mireime! It’s so great to see you and your classic Shouko icon here =)

      It’s weird though, I never read CCS while it was still published, so it will be something to read only one chapter a month. ~_~

      Me too! It’s gonna be exciting!

      – Touya with a lily of the valley background, how fitting! Sweet sent, but poisonous.😄 CLAMP also use that flower when Sakura close the box that contains Yukito’s gift though. It might be that object that caused the dream and the following problem with the cards.

      I loved that xD Of course only you could have captured that, being a flower expert. I did notice that flower and how I didn’t remember seeing it before (maybe they’ve used it before but certainly not that much).

      – Syaoran’s bear might be there only to warn it’s owner if Sakura is in trouble, so expect some perfect timing to rescue or help her.😄

      Good point!

      – I’m betting on Sakura absorbing the power of the card, turning them into “clear cards”, just like you.

      Yes, because in Tsubasa she tells the other Sakura that she no longer needs the staff since she “believes” in the cards and that alone allows her to use them.

      – And the next xxxHolic arc will be linked with the new CCS. (That one is pretty obvious. XD)

      You think? But after it returns from its break, right?

      Like

      • I guess I need to redo my icons so hey’ll get a better definition. ^_~ But I’m glad to be back commenting on your post.

        About the lily of the valley, I checked the meaning of that flower in hanakotoba, the Japanese flower language, and it means “Hapiness” or “Sweetness”. No poison here, so the flower is more about “happy family life” than “Touya is poisoning his sister’s life”. XD

        Clamp might change the meaning of that flower though, like seeing a calla lily= someone’s gonna kill someone else or camelia = death is in the air. So I flipped through the first volume of CCS and the only time I saw a lily of the valley is when she met Tomoyo and her friend is happy to see her. So, consistent with the hanakotoba meaning.

        But seeing it upside down next to cards might point toward the end of hapiness or at least, end of the quiet happy life, just like drawing a tarot card upside down means the opposite of it’s regular intretation…

        Like

  15. I’m confused. In another translation (http://mangafast.online/manga/cardcaptor-sakuraclear-card-arc/1/22), Naoko and Yamazaki are Syaoran’s classmates. Sakura’s with Tomoyo and Chiharu. But I do think they kind of mixed up some things as the line “They were in my class. It was too bad I had to part with them.” was supposed to be Eriol’s.
    Though the fact that the gang’s only two boys, Yamazaki and Syaoran are together makes a lot of sense. And Tomoyo with Sakura, too. When I read jaidesu’s translation, I find it odd that Sakura didn’t mention who are the ones with Syaoran in Class 3.

    Like

    • The translation from the link you provided is correct: Naoko and Yamazaki are Syaoran’s classmates. Sakura’s with Tomoyo and Chiharu.
      Either the Chinese text was incorrect or jaidesu made a forgivable mistake in the translation =)

      Like

      • No, it’s wrong! Sakura’s with Yamazaki and Naoko, Tomoyo is with Chiharu, and Syaoran is alone. The conversation (translated from the Japanese) goes like this:

        Eriol: Sakura, you were in Class 2, right? So… (Error 1: This sentence is in past tense.)
        Eriol: Class 1? Class 3?
        Sakura: Class 3!
        Sakura: Together with Yamazaki and Naoko. (Error 2: Syaoran’s name isn’t mentioned anywhere in relation to this sentence. In context, it refers to Sakura being in Class 3.)
        Eriol: It was a shame that everyone who was in the same class got separated, isn’t it.
        Sakura: Yeah. But Tomoyo and Chiharu are together… (Error 3: Sakura says “千春ちゃん、知世ちゃんとはいっしょだし…” The “は” there indicates that Tomoyo and Chiharu are a subset in the sentence, so you can literally translate it as, “As for Tomoyo and Chiharu, they’re together…”)

        Sorry to be snappy, but sloppy scanlations are my pet peeve. There are going to be a bunch of confused fans next chapter.

        Like

        • Thanks for bringing this up! I just double checked the Japanese myself and my own translation, and it seems like perhaps Sakura is actually the one alone! I missed this my first read through and also thought she was with Naoko and Yamazaki (likely because I did it at the very end of my day). I might be wrong about it, but the Japanese is as follows:

          Eriol: さくらさんは二組でしたよね。では…一組?三組?(Sakura got placed into 2-kumi and is currently there, so Eriol’s referring to which class Syaoran was placed in.)
          Sakura: 三組!奈緒子ちゃんと山崎君といっしょ (Syaoran is still the subject here I think? First time around I thought Sakura was referring to her own class, but it’s hard to tell since subjects are so often omitted.)
          Eriol: 同じクラスだった方々と別れてしまったのは残念でしたね (This possibly implies that Sakura(?) has parted with everyone from her old class)
          Sakura: うん、でも千春ちゃんと知世ちゃんとはいっしょだし(exactly as Panicle explained)、利佳ちゃんと学校違っちゃったのはさみしいけど。でもお手紙してるしメールでお写真も!

          Reading this again I got confused myself, but if Sakura is indeed alone in Class 2, then that explains perfectly why Eriol was like “Oh, that sucks that you’re not in the same class with the others anymore.”

          Panicle, do you have a tumblr by chance? ^^ If you’re up for it, maybe we could compare translations for future chapters sometime! I’m hoping I can get Nakayoshi issues and translate the chapters on the day they’re released (so long as I’m not swamped at work), but I’d love to have someone compare notes with to make things more accurate. Sometimes small things this are hard to catch… @_@ Would you be interested?

          I’m gunna update my translation as well with the correction if no one has any objections and I’ll try and alert the people who contacted me about using them too. ^^;

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          • Panicle, do you have a tumblr by chance? ^^ If you’re up for it, maybe we could compare translations for future chapters sometime! I’m hoping I can get Nakayoshi issues and translate the chapters on the day they’re released (so long as I’m not swamped at work), but I’d love to have someone compare notes with to make things more accurate. Sometimes small things this are hard to catch… @_@ Would you be interested?

            Sure, thank you so much! I’m rispen-hortensie on Tumblr. I just followed your translation blog, too.

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        • Clearly there is a major confusion over this matter.

          I guess we’ll find out eventually =)

          Thanks for your view on this matter!

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      • Actually, I think this scanlation used a translation different then mine. ^^ There are a few different versions I’ve seen so far (trying to compare them to my own to see how I cared), but Panicle is correct.

        What I got from the Japanese was this:

        Sakura: I’m with Naoko-chan and Yamazaki-kun.
        
Eriol: It’s unfortunate that you’re separated from the others (kids) who were in your class.

        Sakura: Yeah, but Chiharu-chan and Tomoyo-chan are together. I’m sad that Rika-chan is at a different school, but we’re sending each other letters and photos by email.


        Like

  16. It’s pretty exciting to see CCS coming back, especially in form of a sequel. Really dying to see what’s going to happen in this arc. I’m curious what this Clear Card is about.

    I’m really loving the concept of Clow/Sakura Cards in CCS as they’re giving enough details for us to get a grasp what’s Sakura’s magical power is about. Each card is unique and I can get really excited when Sakura tries to cast one. It’s so magical! It also gives unique trait to Sakura which makes her different than other magical girls. That being said, I hope “Clear Card” doesn’t mean the cards would completely gone or lost their power, because they’re also the ones that gives Sakura an identity when compared to other magical girl’s magical powers.

    If this Clear Card arc adapted into anime with complete 53 cards, I’m hoping that she would actually use cards that she never used before. Though I’m always curious as how she capture The Libra while all it does is reveal whether someone is lying or not…

    So, about Sakura’s dream, I also think that mysterious figure is Sakura herself. Well, mainly because it has the same height as her… I’m thinking the outfit of that mysterious figure could also be one of Sakura’s outfit she wear in future, probably in the arc’s finale… or something. Or, the figure in her dream could be the manifestation of “Sakura” bear, since… well, its name is “Sakura”, and that figure could also be Sakura.

    Now, about the Clear Cards, I have some theories:
    – Just like your theory, Sakura should “absorb” the cards and so they becomes “clear”. The transparent cards she saw in her dream could symbolize the card’s empty vessel, which could also relate to as why the mysterious figure that seems to be herself looks empty. It’s also interesting to think that her old wand has magic power of “darkness” and her star wand’s magic power is “star”, and since there’s clue that she won’t use her wand anymore (means she can use her cards without wand), she can turn the card to be “clear”. Remember when she used Clow Card with her star wand and they’ll turn into Sakura Card? Now what about when she doesn’t use her wand at all? Maybe they’ll turn into “Clear Card”.

    – The cards becomes “clear” because something happened. Sakura then should turn those clear cards back to Sakura Card before something unwanted to the cards happened.

    – The “cleared” cards means the cards are actually gone/lost their power. Probably something happened, and those cards should be used as a cost for something, and so they turned clear after Sakura used them. This can show, as the time flows and Sakura matures, she becomes a normal girl. The magical girl lost their magic as she becomes mature, leading her to a life with her romance partner where magic doesn’t needed anymore. Which could fit the quote “When all cards are aligned, that’s not the ending, that is the beginning of the ending”, as it gives an idea that this arc could be the end of Sakura’s magical story as a Cardcaptor/Card mistress. Though I don’t really like this theory, as I prefer Sakura to still have her ability to use her cards, and I loved those unique cards.

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    • This can show, as the time flows and Sakura matures, she becomes a normal girl. The magical girl lost their magic as she becomes mature, leading her to a life with her romance partner where magic doesn’t needed anymore. Which could fit the quote “When all cards are aligned, that’s not the ending, that is the beginning of the ending”, as it gives an idea that this arc could be the end of Sakura’s magical story as a Cardcaptor/Card mistress. Though I don’t really like this theory, as I prefer Sakura to still have her ability to use her cards, and I loved those unique cards.

      That would be kind of sexist, wouldn’t it? I’m not saying you believe this, but an ending like that would imply that Sakura’s love life is more important than her magic and personal capabilities (compared to male characters such as Clow, who kept his powers throughout his life, and Syaoran, who doesn’t seem to be in any danger of giving up his magic). Thankfully for both of us, considering that Sakura still has the cards with her when she gives up her wand to the other Sakura in TRC, I don’t think this is going to be the case.

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      • Like I said, I’m not fond of that idea either, because Sakura should just be Sakura and the cards and her magical power gives her an identity to herself. Still, it’s just a theory, and it’s fun to think about ideas and possibilities. But, I’m with you in this. I do hope the cards will be alright and stay with her until the story ends.

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    • If this Clear Card arc adapted into anime with complete 53 cards, I’m hoping that she would actually use cards that she never used before.

      That would be really neat. Like, we’ve never seen what The Libra card does, which, coincidentally, it’s in your avatar xD

      Thanks for your views on the chapter, I see that we have similar theories =)

      Like

  17. This is not related to this 1st chapter, but I am happy that I pre-ordered the august issue the very moment I noticed it listed on amazon.jp! (I did so on May 31st, even before the july issue was released ^^;); because said 08 issue is already not available anymore, so long in advance!! D: (link).

    To the people out there interested in purchasing the mags from amazon, definitely do NOT wait until the last moment to do so!

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      • This is not the first time such things happened when I ordered things from amazon japan: if it’s something limited/exclusive/popular, the item can stop being available a long time before it’s released, meaning you can’t even pre-order it and even after the release date you still cant get it, you just lost your opportunity…
        But there are obviously also cases in which it’s only unavailable for a limited time but comes back a little bit later, or after the release date, they get new stocks and you can buy it directly.
        I really can’t tell which case is this issue of the Nakayoshi…the only way is to check it once in a while.

        In Nakayoshi magazine case, the June, May, April, February, and even January(released on dec 1st!) issues are all still available for sale right now, this month’s issue also stopped being offered for pre-order a little before the official release date, and the august issue is WAY worse, and vanished close to a month before…
        Conclusion: yes, this is a phenomenon which is definitely due to CCS. These Nakayoshi magazines, with new chapters of Card Captor Sakura in them, has officially turned to gold hahaha~

        I do not know how long this hip will last: this might simply be due to the fact it’s the very first chapters, and it will very likely calm down with time, and probably even more when a volume is released, especially if they decide to make a deluxe edition which would include all the color pages.(if such a thing happen, even I would stop purchasing them!)

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        • Conclusion: yes, this is a phenomenon which is definitely due to CCS. These Nakayoshi magazines, with new chapters of Card Captor Sakura in them, has officially turned to gold hahaha~

          Great! Sure, the hype will fade a little eventually but this boom in sales is very positive for CLAMP.

          Thanks for the great summary, as always!

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          • You’re welcome ^^

            I’m really just sharing my own experience hahaha~

            The Nakayoshi is clearly less bulky than other magazines I’ve purchased (Shonen magazine Special, GFantasy, Asuka)

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    • I’m keeping an eye on the Nakayoshi magazines since last month, I’m still not sure about buying them but I might begin starting from the September issue… I’ve also checked the August issue 2-3 days ago and it was still available…if it’s already not available, there’s just one thing I can say: maaaaaan for the first period it will be madness to obtain them XD

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      • I’m personally buying them now, at the very beginning, while we still don’t have any further information about how the volumes will be: if there is no deluxe edition and there are no color pages included, then the only way to get those illustrations would be owning the magazines…thought we can also argue that this artworks will very likely be published at a later date in an artbook, but this is further away in a vague future…

        The other thing would be all the little appendix/gifts given with each issue, which potentially could contain CLAMP artworks (tons of chibis, just like in the 90’s!) ^_^

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        • Oh the little gifts are indeed something I’d love to have 😀 If there is going to be an artbook published later, I’m going to buy it for sure!! Let’s hope they want to squeeze our wallets a little more (wait…did I really say that?!)

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          • If you are into the extras, they already announced that in the august issue there is going to be a memo pad with chibi characters drawn by CLAMP! XD I’m really happy and seriously looking forward to it: because these will be the very first chibis as their “new” 1st year in HS selves 🙂 Though, I suspect it won’t be too different from what we’ve seen until now (it’s chibis after all…beside the hair and clothes, there is no much difference between the TRC and CCS SxS chibis I’ve seen so far ^^;).

            There won’t be stuff like that every month (there are other series in the nakayoshi!) but I think we can expect at least some every few months 🙂

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  18. I was reading Tsubasa again, and “mother” Sakura said something like this: “I met with myself from another world.
    Or better I met with “me” and “you” from another world.”

    So maybe she met CCS Syaoran too, but their meeting wasn’t showed for a specific purpose.

    And that talk between the two Sakura seemed incomplete for me, maybe there is more that will be revealed now.

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  19. Chibi Yuuto… I’m big fan of Cardcaptor Sakura. Heiii… By the way, your name “Chibi Yuuto” really suits you and you are really cute. =)

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  20. Right now, both the august and september issues of Nakayoshi magazine are available for pre-order on amazon japan, if anyone is interested.

    Like

  21. Oh my god.
    I hadn’t given much thought to this and now that I read it, I’m crying. I’m crying so bad right now.

    I am a late bloomer in terms of reading Manga and Cardcaptor Sakura was the first ever that I read. It connects to me so emotionally that I’m shocked by myself.

    And thank you. Thank you for making this blog, thank you for writing and keeping us updated.

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  22. I think you’re jumping to conclusions about Rika being taken out because she’s dating an adult. Misogyny has nothing to do with it, as that would imply male superiority. I think Rika just wasn’t a very popular or distinct character. I also would like to add that possibly her being in a different school may become relevant later.

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  23. I though I left some some comments here, but maybe it was in a private conversation after all.. So I’m catching up the reading, set myself an account here, found back my old avatar and I’m ready to comment like there is no tomorrow.

    The sakura dress is lovely!

    First thing I notice, they haven’t lost the technique, it’s as if they did this chapter just one month after the last one. ^_^

    Except for the technology, but I guess they took the Detective Conan’s approach, the series have been going on for about 20 years, they should still be in the same year, but they have seen plenty of winters and summers, the video and audio tape cassettes, which where all over the place at first, are now vintage relic of another age (but they are still in the same year!).

    So the Japanese public is use to these mindfucks, even in the first Card Captor Sakura series, the wheel of the season have turned twice even though they were suppose to be only a year. It was even worse in 20 Mensou ni Onegai!!, where Utako had her birthday twice in the same year. XD

    Is Tomoyo the new romantic moment breaker?

    Not everyone is in the same class this time…
    Class 2 has Sakura, Tomoyo and Chihaku and class 3 Xiaolang, Yamazaki and Naoko. It feels more natural than they always staying together, against the piling odds. Although I guess it will change the mood in the anime more than in the manga, where they don’t spend a lot of frame in class. Which leave the mysterious class 1 open to introduce a new character without the usual transfer student trope. XD

    Ah! Yamazaki… I never realized how much I missed him, but to see him again… T_T
    Yes, I’m really crying.

    Rika-chan is off to Fuu’s genius school, eh? Her love was a bit edgy, even more so today. Although I do understand the appeal in the first series, were a lot of grade school readers indeed have a male teacher they wish would be special to them (even though it look awkward to older readers). Plus, with her love interest is still in the primary school, it would have been much harder to have them interact within the plot. And to suddenly turn a primary teacher into a secondary teacher would really feel like an asspull. So unless he turns out to be magic like Kaho I guess, but that already happen once…

    About Eriol and Kaho, wasn’t Eriol a old man disguising as a kid? Like Clef? Or was it just in the manga that he was hinted as old as Fujitaka?

    And there we go, she put the key in the box, next to the stuffed bear and everything goes wrong. XD
    Maybe it’s the incarnation of the wand who starve for attention? Or maybe it’s someone else who will turn out to be from class 1? Or maybe someone or something associated with Feiwang Read? Or maybe another relative of Clow? Or maybe Xiaolang’s mother who rigged the bear? Or worse, Tomoyo has awaken to her own power (she was magic user in Tsubasa) and she wreck havock just to see Sakura elegantly fighting the cards in her home made costumes. ^_^

    I wonder how long this series will last. With the first series, there was four chapters a book, so three books a year. It lasted six books for each part, the anime started almost two years after the manga, so the first part was almost over as the first episode aired… The anime hasn’t started yet as November 2016, so i guess it will start with the spring anime season on the first week of April 2017. I don’t think they will wait longer as they announced the anime series right with the first chapter… So probably 6 books, maybe up to 9 but no more then that or they will need to publish two chapters per month to keep up with the anime. Or add a lot more plot line that just Meiling the romance crasher, a few more background characters and a bunch a new cards.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Welcome back! I’m glad you even brought your classic avatar back =)

      The Detective Conan approach bothers me but yeah, it’s not 100% realistic.

      Yeah, people helped me remember of the fact that Eriol was born already as a grown kid and the age of an adult, so it’s a little less awkward.

      I’m with you on the 6 books theory with an anime starting in April 2017. Sounds logic to me.

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