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Episode 13 – Sakura and Welcome Back Meiling
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Let me about the new OP first. I think I like it. It looks better animated than the first one, but I am not very happy with the photography/art direction. They used some “anime effects” that I don’t like. I really like Sakura’s outfit. Some people are talking about a “Queen of Hearts” theory that I am not aware of (someone please fill me in xD).
I like the song, Rocket Beat, way more than I liked CLEAR, actually.
Overall, the new OP looks a lot darker than the first one: a sign of what’s to come in this later half?
So Meiling did come earlier than expected. I wonder if she will come back again for summer.
I don’t have much to write about this episode, since truth to be told, there wasn’t a lot of development, but it was very nice and nostalgic seeing the old and the new Meiling. The old Meiling, being all teasing and bratty, and the new Meiling, very mature and secure of herself. I loved how she ditched Syaoran and stayed with Sakura instead xD
I didn’t like that hairstyle she did for Sakura’s hair, LOL, and it seems like her hairstyle will be different on the next episode too (also didn’t like it).
I liked that Ohkawa addressed the fact of why Sakura isn’t confronting Syaoran regarding his secrecy. It’s all about trust. Sakura trusts Syaoran so that she respects him if there is something that he doesn’t feel comfortable to talk to her. That doesn’t mean she is not suffering, but it would make him suffer should she confront him. That’s very beautiful and very mature, though it must be really hard to bear.
The “girl talk” was interesting too, and even talked about whether Sakura ever considered letting her hair grown — something that we all wondered at some point.
The conversation between Yue and Touya, though very serious, didn’t reveal much beyond what we already know.
The last scene with Akiho reading the book about a girl with cat ears and tail was the first indication of Akiho and Sakura resonating. More on that to come.
And maaaan, they are really taking their time to introduce Momo’s voice actress! It doesn’t seem like it will be on the next episode either.
Speaking of the next episode, it looks like it’s going to be another very nostalgic episode. Meiling is still in town and they will be visiting Tsukimine Shrine, the one Mizuki-sensei used to live in. Another original episode with another original card, it seems (unless it’s APPEAR and they changed things over).
The new ED is cute, and I like the song (brand new world with you, very ROUND TABLE), but I prefer the previous animation.
21 thoughts on “Review: Card Captor Sakura Clear Card arc TV Anime – Episode 13”
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Chibi Yuuto's CHRoNiCLEs 
i loved that new opening! alice in wonderland theme for sure. and i loved that queen of hearts costume! the colour theme was darker as well as the animation so the second half is for sure going to be darker and more revealing too.
the ending credits made me laugh! always great to see kero and suppie interacting. but what a surprise (though i feel i shouldnt be surprised) to see momo there too! she soooo reminded me of yuuko sitting on that sofa drinking that wine and eating snacks then causing mischief. haha suppies face when momo joined in!! he was like urgh! noooo thankyou!
well this episode was great! it was a very fitting episode dedicated to meiling. a very simple, fun and flowing episode.
meiling!!!! so so good to see her! i was laughing throughout the episode. syaoran mentioning meiling diet and all the girls simultaneously turned to look at him like “what?! you know about girl stuff??” XDDDD of course he does! the boy has 4 sisters!!
i like that meiling has settled into a similar role that tomoyo has in ccs now. and she still adds the spice to the sugar, but its turned into more sweet spice now ^^ a perfect combo of meiling and sakura = sweet spice.
i like meilings hair down. and how lovely to see meiling not only offering sisterly advice but shes also styling sakuras hair. curly haistyle next episode it seems ❤
super interesting added info about syaorans family drama shortly before he came to japan. i needed to hear that since it was already a head canon of mine that the li family would be aware of everything and would be dead against syaoran getting involved in whatever is happening. another mention of yelan ❤ i feel like we might actually see her if we get any more mentions!
omg that preview of ep 14!! syaorans face at the end!! 😮 looks exciting!! these episodes are coming and going too quickly!! i really want another series! i wonder if we will get another series manga or anime after clear card though…?
i would love to see sakura and co finish junior high. or maybe we get a third movie!! i always want more of cardcaptors, but i never want something so perfect to be over done or pushed too far (trc)
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she soooo reminded me of yuuko sitting on that sofa drinking that wine and eating snacks then causing mischief
Haha, yes! Love her, can’t wait to see her in action!
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“omg that preview of ep 14!! syaorans face at the end!! 😮 looks exciting!!”
RIGHT?!!! I was re-watching that part over and over trying to figure out what is going on in that scene!! Is he hurt? Is he saying something to her in secret? Is he protecting Sakura while talking to someone over her shoulder? So many questions! And yet it could just be some kind of dream sequence plot, kinda like the Wonderland episode in the original series. Looks like Sakura’s classmates also turn into animals!
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Four of these animal are the Clamp alter ego animals, the squirrel, le cat, the dog and the rabbit.
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” I was re-watching that part over and over trying to figure out what is going on in that scene!! ”
LOOOL! yes me too! im still re-watching it! my mind is imagining so many scenarios. i also wondered if it was one of sakuras precognition dreams where she dreams of the final confrontation. i cant wait for the episode. the week is going too slow because i cant wait!
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“omg that preview of ep 14!! syaorans face at the end!!”
If they are going to the Tsukimine Shrine, I think that he is going to use The Time card (If he actually has some of the Sakura´s Cards), as he did when they captured The Return.
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I was wondering about that too, for some reason, the way he seemed to be leaning on Sakura and his sword reminded me of the episode where he used The Time to help capture The Dream.
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I was EXTREMELY and PLEASANTLY surprised that what I hoped for happened: I was talking about how I wished to hear more about the Li clan -check!- about how I regretted that they didn’t explore the fact Syaoran had to leave his country and his family behind to come to Japan, and made his presence there as a ‘matter of fact’ as if it was no big deal -check!- and I was also thinking about the fact he was the next heir and still had so many things to learn from his family and so many responsibilities and how him being in Japan made it all impossible -check!- Well, that last one might not be a ‘check’ actually haha ^^;
Meiling did refer to it but she didn’t offer a solution: it’s not like Syaoran can pass it all off and not learn what he needs to…
The girl talk was a REAL ‘girl talk’!! @__@
Truly the sort of things two young girls would share in their bedrooms while being on their own; hahaha, and I KNEW Meiling was the one who did something to her hair! I KNEW IT!! XD And the part about her hair length is something I always wondered about too, as most people did like you said: whether she ever thought about letting them grow longer! And Meiling answering her that Syaoran has no preferences and how he didn’t look at girls at all when in HK, the WHOLE thing worked so well and felt so authentic!
I’m not too sure about the transition which followed though: after Meiling said the things about him not looking at any other girl, I would have expected Sakura to blush/be embarrassed or similar, but she switched to a completely different state of mind @_@
Sakura was shown in the anime to be a lot more sensitive to Syaoran’s behavior and feelings than we expected her to, especially since she didn’t show it in previous episodes ^^ Seeing how she was aware that something was wrong shows that she has really been looking at him and thinking about him, and she took the decision not to push him and wait for him, but all the while worrying about him….SO SWEET!!!!
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And back to the beginning of the episode, yes, the DIET part XD
It was a bit confusing, I thought nothing of it when Syaoran talked but then seeing Sakura’s reaction I wondered if there was a joke I didn’t get maybe? But all in all, I think there was no deep meaning to it, it was really just Sakura being surprised about Syaoran talking or even being aware of these sort of subjects, he is not really the talkative sort to begin with, and when he does it’s not about girl’s diet XD XD That, and from I read from others fans, it seems like this is a cultural thing: this is a girly theme in Japan which is not expected to be heard in the mouth of a boy? Well, I can’t say I’ve heard any guys around me ever talk about diet either, but it’s not a taboo or something I would have been surprised about if they ever did ^^;
The most important thing is that Syaoran was PLUS ULTRA cute when he was embarrassed!
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Back again to the Li clan (sorry for going back and forth ^^;; ), I always had this image that his clan would be more than happy for a match between the powerful card mistress and their future leader, but it seems like it’s not quite that easy and simple after all and I didn’t think hard and long enough about this, seeing how several relatives tried to stop Syaoran from leaving behind the Li Clan and moving to Japan… which is logical if you think about it, really…
On another note, since we heard Meiling talk cantonese in this episode, I hope we will witness Syaoran doing the same in the next ones, just once will be enough! hahaha I am being exigent with the VA uh XD Now that they got him speaking english, I want chinese too! 😛
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Another original episode with another original card, it seems (unless it’s APPEAR and they changed things over).
Cinzia just shared the title of episode 17: さくらとおかしなお菓子 Sakura and the strange sweets
So as expected, with Meiling around, episodes 14-15-16 will mostly be fillers, thought I expect we might see little things from the manga like they usually do ^^
Still, this is … slow?
Which makes me happy really XD
As we said: the slower they go, the more they take their time, the higher is the possibility it won’t end at the 22 eps count 😉
Unless some unexpected anime-only big events/revelations happen in ep 14-17, it will be difficult to end this sequel in 5 eps I think?
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I am so happy that many of the things you were expecting to be address have been addressed =) It’s really nice that the anime allows that sort of extra info that makes a big difference.
And I also didn’t get the joke about the diet. It’s normal for boys to worry about that, seriously girls, grow up xD
Cinzia just shared the title of episode 17: さくらとおかしなお菓子 Sakura and the strange sweets
So APPEAR will be just like the manga, then!
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Let’s start with the new credits. Both totally spoil that Momo is a creature. xD
I would guess even anime only fans would have guessed it by now, but still, it’s better to learn it in the middle of a scene.
The opening song sound messy to me, I’m not quite sure why. Maybe it’s the back vocals’ weird harmonies, maybe it’s the instruments… And the melody is a bit too simple for my taste. Anyway, I like the visual a lot, things move around much more nicely, the red rose theme instead of pink sakura gives a womanly feeling instead of a girlish one. Although I don’t like more the scene with the chess board background where all characters appear, they aren’t that well drawn.
As for the ending… messy pitches, more noise than music, this is definitely not my cup of tea. But I love the animation, I wanted to see the three of them interact ever since we got the confirmation Momo is a creature, I’m totally getting my fill here. xD
Could this be a hint that they will all be friends by the end of the series?
As for the episode proper, I missed you Meiling! Happy to see you will still be there for another episode. Plus, her name is in the title of episode 16, so she could be staying for 4 episodes, plus the various phone call and stuff before and after her stay. It seems she couldn’t stand it anymore and had to come make things progress between those two. xD Also, since Meiling came early, it means she could come back for a summer break episode later.
This is the first cardless episode, but we so much chit chat to catch up with Meiling,it really didn’t feel like a slow down.
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You bring up a good point about some parts of the OP not being very well drawn, considering the standard of the franchise. I think the character animations have overall taken a dive in quality since the beginning of the Clear Card series. There were a lot more noticeable flaws in this episode than usual, especially when the characters were zoomed out to a full body shot (Yukito literally looked like a pencil when he floated up in the air to transform, lmao). That’s the one thing I’m annoyed about, even the zoomed out full body shots never looked this bad before. I wonder if they’ll fix it up a bit in the BD release.
But as for the story, I’m about as impressed with it as you are. This was mainly just a chill slice of life episode with no magic stuff happening and yet I was into every moment of it. Looks like next episode will be the first time that a Clear Card’s presence is known about at the beginning of the episode so they’ll probably dedicate more time to the Card Captor side of things to make up for this episode not having any of that.
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Wow, this was indeed the first cardless episode. I hadn’t realized that until you mentioned it.
It bothers me also that some of the OP scenes aren’t well drawn. I mean, it’s the freaking OP, can’t you do your very best for those 1:30 minutes???
I sent you a message on FB! Go check it!
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“the red rose theme instead of pink sakura gives a womanly feeling instead of a girlish one.”
ohhhh thats such a good observation! i like the symbolism! sakura becoming of age! she’s no longer our favourite lil magical girl, she’s our favourite magical lady/woman. (couldnt decide which sounded best lady or woman? ) and also roses are super romantic- so she’s at ease in her relationship with syaoran- even trusting him immensely despite him being exceedingly shifty/ looking troubled this whole time.
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““the red rose theme instead of pink sakura gives a womanly feeling instead of a girlish one.””
and she’s a queen not a princess! 😀 ❤
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“Let’s start with the new credits. Both totally spoil that Momo is a creature. xD”
Exactly what I was thinking! I was just, “Oh. Well, I read the manga, but what about other, anime-only fans?? Way to go…”
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“Oh. Well, I read the manga, but what about other, anime-only fans?? Way to go…”
lol yes! good thing im no longer an anime only fan any more!
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Ok so I’m trying to catch up starting with the most recent episode!
I will try to keep this more on the technical side since I feel like I’ve talked already too much about how happy I am that Meiling is visiting and the psychological aspects of her talk with Sakura. Also, I haven’t read the other comments, so you might find things already said by someone else.
New OP: hands down my favorite ever. I’ve come to love Clear too, but it’s just that this Rocket Beat OP clicks too much with what I usually like: a song that reminds me of Platinum for its structure, starting slow and calm and gaining tempo later, it really builds up a positive tension in me. Then, the animation, which aims to a darker mood that I absolutely loved. I guess we should expect indeed a more serious tone in the second half of the story, since this kind of approach has never been taken before. Speaking of which, Rocket Beat is the first opening ever that is not featuring Sakura flying, in any way: she’s not flying on her staff and not with the help of the Flight card either.
Since this seems to be a popular theme in the CCS openings (everyone knew there would be a flight sequence in Clear, because of this), I was sincerely surprised to see they didn’t feature that. Is this some kind of allusion? We see Sakura all alone on the verge of a cliff, extending her hand while the New Cards are all scattering away: is this somehow a hint that she’ll loose all the New Cards too and she’ll have to resort on her own strength to overcome whatever is on her way?
I like her new OP dress and it’s apparent now that their idea in mind was to show Sakura as the White Queen first, then as the Red Queen (Alice reference). But this OP got flaws too, in fact there were some lazy animation bits, especially with that checkered shot, which could’ve been a cool idea but was poorly executed and the characters, being a bit far, look not so great. They made the other characters appear “just because we have to”, although this might link again to the fact that Sakura will have to solve things on her own. They’re calling this from all the angles, so I really do expect a climax focused on that.
The episode itself! Meiling is always the usual sassy tsundere brat, but she also matured and, more importantly, she grew to love Sakura as a friend in a way that it’s unique to her. Seeing her made me scream internally “please stay forever” the whole time. She’s got that amount of pepper that balances well the sugar of the other characters, you know?
I LOVED, just like last time, that they made her talk in Cantonese with Syaoran, and even texting! It makes totally sense, right? This was missing from the old anime, and I’m so so glad they’re not neglecting the fact that Meiling and Syaoran are from another culture, after all. Many kudos for Yukana who tried her best speaking Cantonese! Hearing Mei pronouncing Syaoran’s name how it really should be pronounced was extremely satisfactory.
Also, I’m a bit suspicious as to why Meiling hasn’t directly explained the reason for coming so early, she said she had school and couldn’t come, right? Mmmh…
I’ll take this chance to say that, as the first episode of the new cour, with new OP and ED and the return of Meiling, this episode should have been treated with more care. There were several weird shots, even on Sakura (you know better than me that they always tried to preserve her) and the animation wasn’t so great. There were definitely some well-drawn scenes, but I expected more. Sakura’s different hairstyle could’ve looked better if it was drawn properly (indeed in the shots where she’s not weird, it looks better).
I was on the floor worshipping the staff for including a bit of Li clan talk too, while watching the episode.
Like damn, we need more of this info! It’s definitely a good complement to the more urgent matters at hand, and what Meiling said just went to show how Syaoran’s wish to go back to Japan was strong. Here I go hoping we might actually see Yelan before this sequel is over.
The episode didn’t progress plot-wise (save for that Akiho scene, btw she was the luckiest one, she appeared like 5 sec and she got a beautiful shot for her) but it surely didn’t make me miss the capture of the card, action-wise. Sakura venting her worries and pain to Meiling was a breath of fresh air. We needed to see more sides of her.
The ED: veeery cute! I really really like the song and the animation is nice, although, of course, Jewelry’s animation was priceless.
Why do I even bother saying I’m hyped for next episode too? hahahaah it’s constantly like this!
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Speaking of which, Rocket Beat is the first opening ever that is not featuring Sakura flying, in any way: she’s not flying on her staff and not with the help of the Flight card either.
I saw your tweet about it. Ominous.
They made the other characters appear “just because we have to”
I hate that. They do that often to animes in general. There is nothing wrong with having only the main character in the OP.
Meiling is always the usual sassy tsundere brat, but she also matured and, more importantly, she grew to love Sakura as a friend in a way that it’s unique to her. Seeing her made me scream internally “please stay forever” the whole time. She’s got that amount of pepper that balances well the sugar of the other characters, you know?
This!
I LOVED, just like last time, that they made her talk in Cantonese with Syaoran, and even texting! It makes totally sense, right?
I loved that too!
I also loved the extra info about the Li clan. It’s interesting where CLAMP could take this, with Syaoran becoming the head of the clan one day.
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“Sakura venting her worries and pain to Meiling was a breath of fresh air. We needed to see more sides of her.”
i think this was paralleled in the manga only with fujitaka. showing that actually he knew all along something was going on with sakura but he didnt know or understand the details. and sakura is exactly the same with whatever is happening with syaoran. and both fujitaka and sakura always wishing they could do more and understand more about the magic world.
i love that they took time to show this side of sakura in the anime. it showed off her more mature, intuitive side which is there very much but just isn’t shown all the time.
“I was on the floor worshipping the staff for including a bit of Li clan talk too, while watching the episode.Like damn, we need more of this info”
lol! yesss i know right?! i would LOVE a side story purely on the Li family, and another side story purely on clow reed, yuuko, kero, and yue. it’s a bucket list wish of mine!
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“omg that preview of ep 14!! syaorans face at the end!!”
If they are going to the Tsukimine Shrine, I think that he is going to use The Time card (If he actually has some of the Sakura´s Cards), as he did when they captured The Return.
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Double post, sorry!
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