45 thoughts on “Card Captor Sakura – Clear Card arc – Chapter 5 (Updated)”

1. We got the new chapter early this time ^^

   The 2 pages illustrations is really pretty, and I was also surprised to see that the little stars on that wand are blue!
   It is indeed quite strange that Syaoran is never on the scene of the crime, urh, battle, that’s three already! You can’t really say it’s a coincidence at this point… It seems like his board is alerting him of the presence of something…?
   I never thought CLAMP would give Touya new powers! How curious and interesting! 😀

   The special edition of CCS v01 sounds great! ^_^ Thanks for the info!

   LikeLike

   Reply

   • That’s true, the spoilers weren’t necessary this time.

     and I was also surprised to see that the little stars on that wand are blue!

     A friend of mine pointed out that it makes sense since the cards are somewhat related to those ice/glass fragments. It kinda makes sense =)

     It is indeed quite strange that Syaoran is never on the scene of the crime, urh, battle, that’s three already! You can’t really say it’s a coincidence at this point… It seems like his board is alerting him of the presence of something…?

     I know, right? He was ALWAYS around for the Clow and Sakura cards. It seems like he knows Sakura must go through all of this alone?

     The special edition of CCS v01 sounds great! ^_^ Thanks for the info!

     I thought you might like that =) I’m so getting that one! I guess it’s safe to assume that every volume will have a special edition, Kodansha-style.

     LikeLike

     Reply

2. I think I’m going to go for the limited edition, too, haha.

   Then we got a nice color spread even though this isn’t really the beginning of a new volume — which is nice. It’s good to see the new staff’s colors. I didn’t expect the little stars to be blue at all.

   This is the first color illustration with the new staff, and it’s also the first illustration out of all the new artwork CLAMP has produced over the past few years that features Sakura looking upset. If you contrast it with the first color illustration featuring Sakura and her star staff, where’s she’s got a big smile on her face with Kero flying right beside her, it doesn’t bode well.

   Let’s start with the new teacher. I was curious about who it would be but at first glance she doesn’t look like someone who will be relevant to the story. Not judging by her appearance, but more like the way she was portraited.

   I really like the new teacher (and the classroom looks fancy, too)! I’m glad we still get to see these little tidbits of Sakura’s everyday life. All of Sakura’s elementary school teachers got little profile columns in the comics, so I wonder if CLAMP will take an extra step and do that again.

   Also worth mentioning that the Clear Cards don’t seem to have a standard design. I mean, most Clow Cards are human shaped and they are all with their eyes closed when in card form. However, the Clear Cards don’t seem to have a particular standard form.

   That’s a weird design element for the Clear Cards, and I was wondering about it last chapter, since “Seige” didn’t seem to have much to do with “Gale,” design-wise. “Aqua” is really busy compared to both of them — it’s busy compared to the normal Clow Cards, even. Coincidentally, “Aqua” breaks the naming pattern set up by “Gale” and “Seige.” It doesn’t have any violent connotation, and “Aqua” is actually easier for native Japanese speakers to pronounce than “Watery.” It’s fancier, I guess…?

   Syaoran and Sakura’s earphones are so cute! I wonder why Syaoran’s board is glowing………. I think it’s suspicious that Syaoran is never around when Sakura is securing cards. You’d think he would want to stay around her at all times if she was in danger…

   I saw some blurry photos of the original Japanese comic, and at the end of his segment with the divining board, Syaoran is muttering, “If I don’t hurry…” The subject of the sentence is unclear (it could be “If this doesn’t happen sooner,” “If things don’t hurry up”), but the implication is that there’s going to be some kind of inevitable, negative consequence. The reason why Syaoran is getting more worried is most likely linked to what he says earlier in the chapter, when he has his Brooding Moment ®: he’s upset that a Clear Card event ended up happening right in Sakura’s room. He seems to be monitoring the situation via the bear Sakura made for him — take a look, it’s glowing conspicuously in the corner while Syaoran is using the divining board.

   Because CLAMP can’t get enough of their crossovers, of course Touya and Yukito would be working at Tirol. You might remember this bakery from Chobits and most recently from Kobato. The CCS universe is slowly getting more and more connected to XXXHOLiC (there have been some discussions whether they really shared the same universe).

   I was looking into that while reading through the comments on my CCS/TRC/HOLiC timeline, and I’ve been meaning to make some kind of revision post when I’ve got the time. I’m pretty sure that CCS and HOLiC still take place in the same dimension, since Yuuko explicitly states the connection early on in xxxHOLiC vol. 2. The Tsubasa/Kimihiro connection seems like it should be a retcon, but I realized that it doesn’t matter at all. Since Yuuko’s shop is situated between dimensions, it’s possible that anybody who lives in some form of contemporary Tokyo could just walk through her front gate (like Tsubasa did). When Kimihiro was born to take Tsubasa’s place in time, it was pointless for him to have to go back to Tsubasa’s home dimension, since Tsubasa wasn’t even there for the past seven years! It makes sense that his parents would want him to live in a different world, too (though I don’t have any comic dialogue to back it up).

   Anyway, yeah, it makes more sense to assume that CCS and HOLiC are in the same world. If Watanuki gets involved for whatever reason, I’d be disgusted if we didn’t get any kind of Clow-related exposition.

   Touya seems to be getting some new kind of power but Yukito wonders if that’s a good or a bad thing…

   Considering that Touya wasn’t supposed to have any magic left after he gave it away to Yue, that’s really strange. I wonder if it’s connected somehow to Fujitaka not having seen Nadeshiko for a while? Mysterious Cloaked Figure trying to undo the events of the Sakura Card arc? Nadeshiko fading away by passing her powers on to Touya?

   Can we all just agree that that one page with all 17 cards (THE MAZE and THE ILLUSION are the only ones that are not there since don’t have necessarily standard shapes) looks absolutely amazing? It’s so pretty. And it’s actually the first time we see them in this new arc and Sakura getting worried about them. They matter after all! It’s good to know that CLAMP and Sakura are not forgetting about them.

   It IS an amazing page, and I’m glad Sakura is worrying about them as individuals in their own right rather than just her magical tools. This was a great way to end the volume.

   LikeLike

   Reply

   • He seems to be monitoring the situation via the bear Sakura made for him — take a look, it’s glowing conspicuously in the corner while Syaoran is using the divining board.

     Aha! Yes, I agree. The bear must be keeping him informed.

     I also think CCS and XXXHOLiC are set in the same universe. It’s just that there has been some arguments that that might not be true. So I’m waiting for some more concrete evidence that will likely come in CCS.

     LikeLike

     Reply

     • Here’s what Yuuko says to Watanuki about it, if you’re interested:

       「あたし達がいるこの世界にもさくらちゃんと小狼君、さっきの二人はいるのよ。　それがクロウの血縁。」
       “In our world, too, there’s a Sakura and a Syaoran — the ones [I told you about] from before. They’re Clow’s blood relatives.”

       The context makes it clear that she’s referring back to the time when she first told Watanuki about Clow, Sakura, and Syaoran (without mentioning them by name) early in volume 1. There’s no way we can twist Yuuko’s description of Sakura to fit the reincarnated C|Sakura, so the question isn’t so much “Are CCS and HOLiC in the same world?” as it is “Did CLAMP retcon CCS and HOLiC being in the same world?”

       I also realized that Kimihiro really had to have been sent to a dimension other than Tsubasa’s, because if he’d been sent to his parents’ world, he would have had Fujitaka, Touya, and Yukito waiting to take him in after his parents “died.” He ended up getting raised by people he had no relation to, right? Am I forgetting something?

       LikeLike

       Reply

   • This is the first color illustration with the new staff, and it’s also the first illustration out of all the new artwork CLAMP has produced over the past few years that features Sakura looking upset. If you contrast it with the first color illustration featuring Sakura and her star staff, where’s she’s got a big smile on her face with Kero flying right beside her, it doesn’t bode well.
     That’s what I’ve noticed as well, I was quite impressed to see her looking upset with the new wand. It’s not like CLAMP never drew Sakura with an upset face before, but it threw me off, this time around. The ice/glass everywere (I was so reminded of Fay) that is related to the securing of the cards, the new wand with those spikes, her upset face…it doesn’t feel right, it doesn’t bode well at all.

     LikeLike

     Reply

     • This kind of illustration is most similar to the “final battle” color pages from the Clow and Sakura Card arcs, so you’re right that it doesn’t bode well at all to have it so early in the series. The color scheme reminded me of this creepy TRC spread, but the Fay parallel is strong here, too.

       If I could pick two words to describe Sakura’s new staff, circle, and cards, they would be “sharp” and “soulless.” The glass motif just reinforces that.

       LikeLiked by 1 person

       Reply

       • I agree with everything you said (that spread…one of the most creepy SxS illustrations done in history of CLAMP’s works). CLAMP are clearly trying to tell us that these cards (and everything related) aren’t all sunshine and rainbows (and I’m fine with that, really).

         LikeLike

         Reply

   • Oh, yeah, one more note: “Aqua” isn’t a normal translation for 水源 (suigen). 水源 refers to the source of a river or body of water, so a possible single-word translation into English would be “fountainhead.”

     LikeLike

     Reply

     • I noticed that too! This time it isn’t a literal translation…but fountainhead would be too long for the card’s space, hahahah!

       LikeLike

       Reply

3. GALE could be for the storm card… although i did think it was for windy. but it could also be said its a gale storm…

   LikeLike

   Reply

   • But THE STORM is an anime-only card and these Clear Cards are supposedly counterparts of the manga-only cards.

     LikeLike

     Reply

     • oh yeah! im always confusing the anime and manga .

       LikeLike

       Reply

       • Sometimes I mix them up too! ^^”

         LikeLike

         Reply

4. seems like eriol and syaoran are being super careful about hiding things, and timing when they get involved. if anything is said, or done too soon it could really negatively screw things up for sakura big time. touyas new power… im happpy about it. i was devastated when he lost it, even if it was for the best. but is it a good thing… the kinomoto family are really being targeted. nadeshiko a no show, sakuras powers being messed with, and touyas new powers… ah! unless sakura has new powers like touya? but again for both of them is it good or negative change?

   LikeLike

   Reply

5. oh my gosh! i forgot to say, syaoran and sakuras sparkly faces at yamazakis lie story!! ❤ ❤ ❤ they really are alike.

   LikeLike

   Reply

6. I’m back!!
   Last month the release of the chapter happened while I was out for vacations, and I didn’t really have time to make a good comment! But here I am for chapter 5, supposedly the last chapter of volume 1 (don’t you think it’s a bit weird that there is another color spread before reaching volume 2?).
   Well well well…as I was telling you, it was beginning to feel a little repetitive, the dynamics were always the same, so much that we really didn’t get to see Sakura with many clothes other than her school uniform…but I think in next chapter this might be a little thrown off, because this time she called Syaoran rather than waiting for the next day to tell him everything…maybe in next chapter something will happen, that it needs “narrative space”?
   Syaoran…we’ve come to a point in which if he’s missing from a chapter, we feel the absence, but if he’s present, we just get that feeling of anxiety because he’s constantly wearing that worried look and talking by unfinished sentences (CLAMP trademark, of course). I don’t know which is better, to be honest (nah, who am I kidding, of course I prefer seeing Syaoran, even if it hurts everytime). Let’s put aside the fact that the two lovebirds aren’t acting like lovebirds at all…
   Just like I’ve said before, I don’t know how to take his “Be careful, we don’t know what might happen from now on”. Does he know more than he shows so he’s trying to warn her that it might not always end up with her unharmed? He’s very worried after all, and he said it after hearing Tomoyo’s craziness about the camera. Or he doesn’t know everything after all, just bits and pieces, so he’s at a loss like everybody else and wants her to be prepared for anything? I don’t expect CLAMP to clear that up by next chapter, so I’ll just be waiting….it was actually refreshing to see the “Yamazaki lies” bit, because it returned a little of warmth to Syaoran’s personality, who’s currently undergoing a rather “dark” moment. Last thing, I laughed so hard at your comment of yesterday when I told you about Syaoran’s excuses to not be by her side when the card attacked…because it’s so apparent by now, that he’s never around when something happens. And I’m quite sure it’s not him the one making these things happen, since he was unpleasantly surprised (and worried, of course) to find out that the incidents are already happening in her room, therefore in a very private place.
   Which leads me to another thing: are these new cards a more “violent” version of the old ones? Because that’s how it looks, until now. All 3 of them have attacked Sakura directly, trying to cause her harm. When she (finally!!) thought about her Sakura Cards at the end of the chapter, you could really feel the difference between the warm, loving spirits of the old cards, and the cold and harsh new cards (should we call them clear cards?). Heck, even the new wand looks more “violent”, she could kill someone with those spikes!!! (But I love it nonetheless, the blue stars are a nice touch)
   Lastly, Touya and Yukito. I LOVED their interaction, Touya is really a tease to the people he loves, uh? But I wonder what it is, this new thing that he is able to do…is it really a new kind of power? Yukito might be just worried about it being a self-sacrificing act like last time, that’s why he says that… we’ll see about that too. I didn’t expect this inclusion of Touya in the “bigger scheme”, it sounds interesting.
   I’ll just close this looong comment with: Eriol, give her any kind of reply, for fuck’s sake!! (Sorry but it was needed).

   LikeLike

   Reply

   • Welcome back! I missed your heavry comment last month.

     (don’t you think it’s a bit weird that there is another color spread before reaching volume 2?).

     Yes. But without this chapter the whole volume would have around 140 pages… that’s is weird too. I think monthly series have more color spreads (ie: they may appear more than once for a same tankoubon).

     Let’s put aside the fact that the two lovebirds aren’t acting like lovebirds at all…

     Well, you know my opinion on this. CLAMP are showing a conflict and they won’t behave like lovebirds until the conflict is solved (ie: the end). That’s just how things are, I’m afraid xD

     It is a bit conflicting the fact that Syaoran asks Sakura to be careful when he himself is not very much around to protect her. Is it dangerous after all? If it is, what are you doing to protect her? =P

     Which leads me to another thing: are these new cards a more “violent” version of the old ones? Because that’s how it looks, until now. All 3 of them have attacked Sakura directly, trying to cause her harm. When she (finally!!) thought about her Sakura Cards at the end of the chapter, you could really feel the difference between the warm, loving spirits of the old cards, and the cold and harsh new cards (should we call them clear cards?). Heck, even the new wand looks more “violent”, she could kill someone with those spikes!!! (But I love it nonetheless, the blue stars are a nice touch)

     Hahaha “she could kill someone with those spikes!!!” and yes, most Clow Cards were aggressive towards Sakura, but not all of them. We haven’t seen “gentle” Clear Cards like THE WINDY or THE WOOD were, who willingly turned themselves into their card shapes. I also noticed that Sakura isn’t writing her name on the cards like she did with Clow Cards. I wonder if that’s relevant at all…

     Yukito might be just worried about it being a self-sacrificing act like last time, that’s why he says that… we’ll see about that too. I didn’t expect this inclusion of Touya in the “bigger scheme”, it sounds interesting.

     Thanks for clarifying that! Touya gave that “I will act when the time comes” speech which implies that he will have an important role soon.

     I’ll just close this looong comment with: Eriol, give her any kind of reply, for fuck’s sake!! (Sorry but it was needed).

     If it was me, I would have RAGED at him and blocked him afterwards =P

     LikeLike

     Reply

     • “If it was me, I would have RAGED at him and blocked him afterwards =P”
       ahahaha!! amen to that! id pay to see that. ( i still like him though ^^ )

       LikeLike

       Reply

       • It is really weird that Eriol won’t even call her up just to listen to her problems and give her some empty reassurances, like Syaoran’s doing right now. Maybe this is like some kind of weird “Manchurian Candidate” thing where if Sakura hears Eriol’s voice, she’ll assassinate him using her deadly Clear Cards!

         LikeLike

         Reply

         • Hahahaha nice one! I’m so mad at Eriol that I’d like to see that happen xD

           LikeLike

           Reply

       • Me too, me too!!! Especially considering my love/hate relationship with Eriol…I’m fuming right now!

         LikeLike

         Reply

     • Well, you know my opinion on this. CLAMP are showing a conflict and they won’t behave like lovebirds until the conflict is solved (ie: the end). That’s just how things are, I’m afraid xD
       Being a CLAMP fan, I know they’re not going to have blatant exchange of affection (like, ever), in fact I expected those “little things”, you know? A gesture, a look, I’m not asking and there’s really no need to do a blush-fest every single time…something like “I know it was you the one who put the chocolate in my mailbox…it’s something you gave me after all” (cit. vol. 09). And, I’m very, very sorry to say this, but Tomoyo should get lost sometime…

       I also noticed that Sakura isn’t writing her name on the cards like she did with Clow Cards. I wonder if that’s relevant at all…
       Ooooohh, good point!!

       LikeLike

       Reply

       • And, I’m very, very sorry to say this, but Tomoyo should get lost sometime…

         HAHAHAHA I know what you mean.

         LikeLike

         Reply

         • “And, I’m very, very sorry to say this, but Tomoyo should get lost sometime…”
           haha! i love her but totally yes.

           LikeLike

           Reply

7. reading the english translations… im thinking touyas new power could be dream seeing? or dreaming the future? maybe he saved that. either way he’s saying the same stuff as syaoran.

   LikeLike

   Reply

   • Touya’s new ability is getting me really interested…this is a nice addition that will surely give us some surprises…

     LikeLike

     Reply

8. Haven’t commented here in ages! XD

   Loved the chapter, I’m just driving increasingly mad at Syaoran’s and Eriol’s refusal to explaing things. (I bet everything could be solved in one chapter if they explained things, but that wouldn’t be CLAMP)

   And absolutely loved the page with all the cards, feels nostalgic.

   LikeLike

   Reply

   • Hello, and welcome, Sensei! =D

     They better have a good excuse for keeping quiet all this time.

     Thanks for the comment and come back anytime 😉

     LikeLike

     Reply

9. Great chapter! I love when Clamp release their works in Nakayoshi. Every month = a new chapter! ^_^

   Am I the only one who noticed on page 13 that we have Hikaru, Umi and Fuu from Magic Knight Rayearth? And it’s always great to see Icchan and the whole crew!

   And I love that frog outfit! Tomoyo (and Mokona XD) did a great job.

   I can’t wait for the next chapter!

   LikeLike

   Reply

   • I did notice Hikaru, Umi and Fuu, but only because someone from tumblr pointed out. Very neat!

     I don’t think it’s really them, though, more like a nice easter eggs for the fans.

     LikeLike

     Reply

10. What are your thoughts about Clear Card Arc’s Syaoran looking more like TRC’s Tsubasa than the original Li Syaoran from Clow and Sakura Card Arcs? (ref. https://animeblooms.blogspot.com/2016/10/cardcaptor-sakura-clear-card-arc-chapter-5.html)

    LikeLike

    Reply

    • Well … *big sigh* … it’s inevitable…?
      CLAMP are only humans after all: they’ve been drawing Tsubasa and XXXholic since 2003 until today, expecting their drawing style not to change at all in such a long period of time, especially since the characters were the ‘same’, might be too much, even from this very experienced group of mangakas.
      I miss the ‘uniqueness’ of CCS|Syaoran who is clearly different from his others counterparts: now, his facial expressions are very similar to Tsubasa, but I will adopt his new 2016 self, and enjoy!

      For me, the most shocking thing is that it feels like they didn’t age at all ^^; I know it’s only been 1 year and a half, but still…a new fan who would read the CCS manga in one go would be weird out going from the last chapter of the Sakura Arc into the first chap. of the Clear Card arc…

      PS: your nickname made me very nostalgic ^^

      LikeLike

      Reply

      • Yeah, that would be really weird, especially to those who are completely oblivious of TRC and xxxHolic. They’d be like “wth happened to Syaoran?”. Hahaha. He’s my fav character that’s why I’m throwing tantrums right now. He just felt different…in every way. T_T Hope CLAMP will come to realize it and gradually bring the old Syaoran back.

        LikeLike

        Reply

        • He’s my fav character that’s why I’m throwing tantrums right now. He just felt different…in every way.

          Same here, he is my all time favorite male character, and I also can’t help myself from nitpicking, I hope he will be given more protagonism in the upcoming chapters! At the moment, except for him clearly hiding something (and feeling quite guilty about it…), we really didn’t see or learn anything at all about him: new magic? anything changed in the time he was in HK? new battle costume? etc…

          And the other difference from one arc to another would be how we go from an intense oh so very ‘awwwww’ moment between SxS to them being…just schoolmates? ^^;; I’m not expecting regular shoujo or big romance from CLAMP (not their kind of thing), but still ^^;;;
          Well, that’s just me complaining in my corner, but more objectively now: it’s still to early to pass a judgement on the new series, I will wait and see how things go in the next volumes~

          LikeLike

          Reply

          • Count me in the “complaining corner”, I definitely agree with all you two said above, but indeed it’s too early to judge so let’s wait patiently….

            LikeLike

            Reply

            • Hey there! Very welcome to our cozy little corner! XD

              BTW, the special edition of vol01 of CCS CC has been listed on amazon japan this morning: I pre-ordered it moments ago, together with all 3 new books of Tsubasa ^^

              LikeLike

              Reply

              • OMG thank you, I’ve been checking the past week without any result…if they’re all available I’m going to preorder everything as well, quicker than quick! Lol
                Thank you again for the notice! ❤

                LikeLike

                Reply

11. Nice picture to celebrate Sakura’s first place! Nice to see the new staff in color, I didn’t expected blue either.

    Clubs this time! ^_^
    So Nakayoshi school drama. Chorus for Tomoyo, Sakura and Chiharu with cheerleading

    Oh! A brand new teacher! ^_^

    Ah! Yamazaki sweetness ! ^_^

    New Card Captor outfit, new card, things are getting smoothly. Aqua? That’s not English, Spanish is agua… toying with google translate, only Latin give a proper translation into water. So maybe Siege is French after all.

    So the Piffle Princess is a branch of Daidouji Toy. XD
    With the Angelic Layer staff no less.

    Three dot on Xiaolang board… future cards? people?

    The page with the Sakura Cards is wonderful, 17 of them plus the two immaterial ones. Not even The Song which had a comic CD before the anime aired. She was never turned back into a Sakura Card though, so maybe that’s why she doesn’t count. Anyway, there indeed was too many on chapter 2 of Clear Card arc.

    Touya has new blooming powers, I hope he’s not the one being the current trouble. XD

    Nice to see things are moving along nicely.

    LikeLike

    Reply

    • Wait I had no idea that The Song was featured in the comic CD =O (I have still to buy that one).

      I guess it really doesn’t count and it was just a manga bonus… weird, though!

      LikeLike

      Reply

      • The CD is weird in that it was more of a promo for the (then) upcoming CCS anime. (I think it was the first time the voice cast for the show recorded together?) It actually combines the script from the first chapter of the comic (complete with the opening scene where Sakura captures The Jump) with an original story about Sakura capturing The Song at her school. The Song doesn’t look anything like its anime counterpart — it’s just a big, disappointing treble clef.

        What’s even stranger is that The Song is the only Clow Card with a concept art design in the Memorial Book, and it’s the only card that makes an appearance during Sakura’s vision of a world without love in the animated version of the Final Judgement.

        LikeLike

        Reply

        • Wow so many curious facts surrounding The Song. I need to get my hands on that comic CD.

          LikeLike

          Reply

      • Juste like Panicle said it is a proto episode of Card Captor Sakura. It was release on August 7th 1997, while the first episode aired on April 7th 1998, so exactly six months prior. Same cast, same background music, same Yoru no Uta and Shiawase no Mahou, although the plot is a bit different if I remember well, especially to accommodate apparitions of every important characters. Was Meiling in the anime episode? if so, she wasn’t there in the CD comic, that alone should change the dynamic.

        It would be release around the same days as chapter 12, where fittingly, Tomoyo is featured on the title page. Although the chapter itself is unrelated as Sakura capture The Mirror.

        LikeLiked by 1 person

        Reply

        • Yes, Meiling was already in it 😉

          LikeLike

          Reply

          • I’m listening to the CD book right now, no Meiling. So they probably catch the card faster. XD

            I really need to find some time to binge rewatch the anime. No, better, I need to find the list where I compiled the chapter/episode/movie order. ^_^

            LikeLike

            Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.