© CLAMP・ST/講談社・NEP・NHK
Episode 22 – Sakura’s Clear Cards
Card Captor Sakura Clear Card TV Anime is being broadcast in several countries around the world via online services in a simultaneous or semi-simultaneous fashion. Please check the guide below to see if your country is included:
Where can I watch Card Captor Sakura Clear Card TV Anime? – A useful guide
If you watch the anime via one of these channels, you’ll be supporting the creators and helping to make Card Captor Sakura even more popular worldwide.
This is not really a review. I had written a very long review for the episode but I lost EVERYTHING because WordPress didn’t save my draft and the session expired or whatever and I simply do not feel the motivation to write everything again.
I am really sorry if you were looking forward to read this review and I apologize for being late and not very active for the past month. I have spent the last month traveling on vacation and couldn’t really find the time to update my site as I normally would.
I just want to say that the episode was good, specially at the end because there was a twist. A twist of a twist. At first everybody thought the identity of the Mysterious Cloaked Figure would be Akiho, then CLAMP surprised us by showing Syaoran in the manga. Then, everybody assumed that the anime would follow the manga and show Syaoran in this episode too, but then CLAMP surprised us by showing Akiho. We have been fooled twice.
I really had a lot more to say but I will leave that for upcoming reviews, for both the manga and the anime. Since this was not the final episode, there will be other episodes to review.
Regarding my hopes for season 2, I think I would like it to have less episodes, if less episodes means better animation quality. I just prefer a shorter but better animated season than a longer but with underwhelming animation. I think 13 episodes would be enough, but it also depends a lot on how much longer the manga will last.
Thank you for sticking around and reading my reviews during this “ride”. See you next season!
16 thoughts on “(not a) Review: Card Captor Sakura Clear Card arc TV Anime – Episode 22”
Leave a comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Chibi Yuuto's CHRoNiCLEs 
I understand all too well that feeling of apathy when you write out a long essay only to accidentally lose all your work. 😬 Please don’t apologize, I hope you had a wonderful time on your trip!
Let me just take the time to say that “Rocket Beat” has really grown on me. I sat down and listened to the whole thing just for this final episode, and everything from the melody to the lyrics seems to be a perfect fit for the series. It’s what I wanted “Clear” to be, ahaha.
The episode was kind of a let-down for me animation-wise — I mean, it was totally fine, but the action scene was kind of boring, Sakura’s face looked wonky in a few shots, and not seeing the Sakura Cards was a disappointment. Story-wise, though, I actually prefer this twist on the MCF more. We all know it isn’t really going to be Syaoran under the hood in the comic (and if it is, it’s just Kaito controlling him), so having Sakura find out about Akiho and keep her memories of the encounter sets up an interesting moral dilemma for the inevitable continuation. How is Sakura going to cope with an “enemy” who isn’t even aware of what she’s doing?
Poor Cinzia already knows about this, but I flipped out when Clow’s theme from the original series played during Kaito’s final scene. Who knows what Masafumi Mima was hoping to achieve there.
I agree that somewhere around 13 episodes for a potential second season would be best. Assuming we have only one more volume to go, it would be a good amount of space to animate the remaining comic content while including some more character-based filler episodes. The Meiling episodes had almost nothing to do with the comic, but they were the highlight of the show for me (and for a lot of other fans, it seems!). On the other hand, an OVA would be the perfect thing to bundle with Vol. 6, wouldn’t it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Poor Cinzia already knows about this, but I flipped out when Clow’s theme from the original series played during Kaito’s final scene. Who knows what Masafumi Mima was hoping to achieve there.”
ahahaha! when i heard clows theme attached to kaitos scene i instantly thought “oh wow…! i wonder what panicle thinks of this?!” i could almost hear the explosion of words in that moment! XD
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for thinking of me, aha!
LikeLike
Thank you Pan, for being so nice and understanding. I was feeling very inspired and I wrote a long piece but I simply had no motivation to do everything again. It was hard enough to do it a few days after the episode first aired.
I am on the “Rocket Beat” too. I prefer it over CLEAR, big time.
and not seeing the Sakura Cards was a disappointment.
Very true!
Poor Cinzia already knows about this, but I flipped out when Clow’s theme from the original series played during Kaito’s final scene. Who knows what Masafumi Mima was hoping to achieve there.
I didn’t even realize that was Clow’s theme, but a Clow freak like you would know. Very cool!
On the other hand, an OVA would be the perfect thing to bundle with Vol. 6, wouldn’t it?
It’s a big mystery but I don’t think it will end with volume 6. I don’t know… I wish it would but I guess it will continue for longer.
LikeLike
poor akiho… she’s so lovely yet so dangerous! and she has absolutely no idea. i have heard its dangerous to interrupt someone who’s sleep walking! she has some dark, aggressive inner inner mind going on there for sure! so i cant make out if shes dreaming or if she’s in a trance? like in the manga it seemed she went into a trance as if there was some sort of spell cast on the robes. i dont think (???) kaito wants to hurt sakura at all. only to use her and her powers for whatever forbidden thing he’s going to attempt. (revive the dead maybe?) momo seems to be his moral compass, and is at the ready to stop him for when he looses his head and goes out of control, which seems likely. i also preferred the twist in the manga.
i liked the fight scene. i loved the lead up to that scene where sakura stops mid sentence hearing the sound of clocks, then opening her blinds we have MCF stalking her again!! i thought sakura handled the situation well. she was focused and pretty much defeated every hit attempt MCF made against her, until MCF strips her of every magic tool she has sakura was done for. i was sooooo so happy kaito appeared and did his time magic. but i was somehow hoping sakura would remember something/ or for that deja-vu feeling to stick.
excited and very hopeful for another series and movie! i really dont mind how many episodes they do, im more than happy for any ccs! i wonder if they’ll do a third series with a new “enemy”. id actually love to see sakura & co finish junior high!
LikeLike
*i was sooooo so happy kaito appeared and did his time magic. he saved both their lives.
LikeLike
I think Akiho was in a trance. I think she was somewhere between her normal self and her “fake” self (aka the Akiho we know).
LikeLike
We better get a second season, we just HAVE to. I don’t want this to become one those shows that doesn’t receive another season and viewers are left with a cliffhanger. There’s little incentive for viewers to buy a series that isn’t complete, unless they know it’s going to continue. The original series played it safe by having solid endings to each season (except the first, but the show was very monster-of-the-week at that point, so it could have ended fine with “and then she continued capturing cards to the end of her days”). This new series has set up a bill they better pay up on, but I’m not too worried, it’s just a question of when.
I’m glad they finally showed the dream that Akiho and Sakura were referring to as the “scary dream,” because I was confused in the manga. At first I had thought they were referring to the one where they both collapsed, but those dreams seemed different from the “scary dream” they were describing. I’m glad we got clarification that it was indeed a separate dream. And it looks like they’re doing their damnedest to hide who said “You can’t return anymore,” with the voice tampering thing haha. Although, I might have imagined it, but the second time we see that dream with Sakura, it sounds like the voice tampering was slightly less, and it sounded like Kaito underneath it?
Now I’m more confused about the amusement park! Last week’s episode made it seem like everyone had forgotten the amusement park, possibly because of time reversal, but with Kero’s discussion with Yue, it sounds as if they DO remember, but just they never questioned the disappearance of it and rebuild of Eriol’s house, which is also fishy… Maybe their memories have been tampered with, and they as beings with magical power are the first to notice? The moment with Sakura and recalling the Hope Card seemed very significant but she mentions nothing that would clue us into whether she’s remembering it like normal, or she’s having a memory that she doesn’t remember.
I like Sakura’s hair style with the clip Yukito gave her! Very cute!
“I hope people will interpret words in a way that makes them happy.” Is this going to be important? Is this referring to what we heard in the dream?
They held off showing Syaoran and the Clow Cards, that was a bit disappointing. I guess they’re still trying to hold off on revealing what he’s doing.
Fantastic and exciting confrontation, loved it. Very fitting for the season finale, and leaves us hungry for more!
For someone who used a lot of energy to turn back time, Kaito sure does carry Akiho while balanced atop a pole as though it were nothing lol
Something that always confused me, but why is Sakura dead-set on the key not going to the MCF? She acknowledges in her spell that the key is masterless, and therefore not hers, so when someone comes along that might indeed be the true master (since the key responds to them), why does she try to stop it? This confrontation finally gives us a legitimate reason for why Sakura is trying to stop the key (the MCF was fricken trying to KILL her), but in the dreams before, I was always very confused by Sakura’s response to the key seeming to want to go to them.
The response of why Momo stuck around Kaito was interesting. She wants to see the activation of the “taboo magic” and also some other reason involving Sakura. Are they trying to revive Nadeshiko? Do they know something about her premature death?
Damn it, even the final scene of SakuraxSyaoran-ness was left off-screen! Come on now! This is just cruel for a poor SxS fangirl! lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
“The response of why Momo stuck around Kaito was interesting. She wants to see the activation of the “taboo magic” and also some other reason involving Sakura. Are they trying to revive Nadeshiko? Do they know something about her premature death?”
yes!! so i did interpret that momo line right! i wasn’t 100% sure if she was talking about sakura or akiho but it seems it was sakura after all!
in the manga it really seems like nadeshiko and her family is behind everything this time rather than clow reed (or yuuko) ^^. id like to hear more about how nadeshiko died, i always guessed it was an illness, but i wonder if it was something more sinister like a curse? touya might know something about it.
“the MCF was fricken trying to KILL her”
i know right!? and it was without any hesitation too! 😮 MCF was so intent on killing sakura, she snatched away sakuras weapons to do so! sakura was definitely on top of the fight till then. the stakes, and the plot just rocketed up to the sky!! this is exactly why i want to know whether MCF is in a trance like in the manga, or if she’s dreaming/sleep walking. if its a trance via the robes who’s cast the spell on them in the first place? who’s the real master mind? i doubt it’s kaito. i think he’s trying to protect akiho from whatever/whoever it is.
ohhhhh sakuras face when she saw it was akiho before kaito stopped the time! oh my heart just broke for her! she was devastated it was really akiho!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“yes!! so i did interpret that momo line right! i wasn’t 100% sure if she was talking about sakura or akiho but it seems it was sakura after all!”
Haha, well don’t take my word for it, I’m just spitballing ideas, but glad to know I’m not the only one thinking this!
“id like to hear more about how nadeshiko died, i always guessed it was an illness, but i wonder if it was something more sinister like a curse? touya might know something about it.”
Right? Before I thought the sudden importance to Nadeshiko was quite random since she only served as character development before, but thinking back to Tsubasa, her “death” there was also of unnatural means. I doubt the anime will go down that road, but who knows, maybe the manga will!
“this is exactly why i want to know whether MCF is in a trance like in the manga, or if she’s dreaming/sleep walking. if its a trance via the robes who’s cast the spell on them in the first place? who’s the real master mind? i doubt it’s kaito. i think he’s trying to protect akiho from whatever/whoever it is.”
My theory is that Akiho has a split personality, and maybe it comes out when she’s dreaming or when she puts on her magician robes.
LikeLike
“Right? Before I thought the sudden importance to Nadeshiko was quite random since she only served as character development before, but thinking back to Tsubasa, her “death” there was also of unnatural means. I doubt the anime will go down that road, but who knows, maybe the manga will!”
yeah the same goes for clow huh? in ccs we all thought he just died of natural causes/ old age. but in tsubasa turns out he was still alive and dealing with his accidental mess. and i cant quite remember but was he fighting with fei wong behind the scenes…? or at least attempting something to stop him that likely resulted in his real death (??) anyhow TRC gave the deeper darker truth behind everything.
interesting how nadeshikos death in TRC was by stopping time for too long. and here in ccs clear card we see kaito struggling by turning back time too far.
LikeLike
I think we will definitely get a second season, don’t worry 😉
Now I’m more confused about the amusement park! Last week’s episode made it seem like everyone had forgotten the amusement park, possibly because of time reversal, but with Kero’s discussion with Yue, it sounds as if they DO remember, but just they never questioned the disappearance of it and rebuild of Eriol’s house, which is also fishy… Maybe their memories have been tampered with, and they as beings with magical power are the first to notice?
The whole business with the amusement park and Eriol’s house is still a bit foggy…
Something that always confused me, but why is Sakura dead-set on the key not going to the MCF? She acknowledges in her spell that the key is masterless, and therefore not hers, so when someone comes along that might indeed be the true master (since the key responds to them), why does she try to stop it? This confrontation finally gives us a legitimate reason for why Sakura is trying to stop the key (the MCF was fricken trying to KILL her), but in the dreams before, I was always very confused by Sakura’s response to the key seeming to want to go to them.
Yeah, me too. The key was never hers to begin with, but since she’s creating the clear cards, maybe she also created the staff/key?
LikeLike
Chibiyuuto-san, I follow you for quite a while and love your inputs but…. You are not being to harsh on the “quality” of the episodes? We could have a Fairy tail catastrophe here and I don’t think is like that. I’m picki on quality too, I think is rather quite nice and enjoyable. I don’t think we get something else…I’m just saying so you don’t feel disappointed when it doesn’t happen.
Please just take it as a random observation from a stranger. I wouldn’t like if you banned me or something, I do love your site very much ❤️. Just don’t forget is Sakura-chan, we get to demanding because she is so perfect basically hahah XD.
Now we get back to the manga and wait in the agony CLAMP put us through.
Matta ne!
M.Belen
LikeLike
Hi Belen! First off, thanks for following my site for “quite a while” =) means a lot to me! Nice to meet you and thanks for your first comment here.
I apologize if I’m being too harsh xD There are definitely worse animes than Clear Card, but there are better ones too! I loved the first 11 episodes, but the latter half was kind of disappointing. I wanted the same quality as shown on the first 11 episodes. As a CLAMP fan, I always hope for the best, design-wise. I am still hoping that they will fix things around in the DVD/BD release.
Please just take it as a random observation from a stranger. I wouldn’t like if you banned me or something, I do love your site very much ❤
Oh no, please! I would never do such a thing. You are free to express your opinion here ❤ Thank you for sharing!
Please come back again! Matta ne!
LikeLike
More like “quite a while” I mean like forever. Don’t remember when it started but feel proud! Was long ago Hahaha.
No worrys, I know what you mean, I didn’t notice that change , but maybe because I haven’t seen the episodes all in one consecutive order, so week a week I didn’t perceive that change. Maybe that was their plan al along XD.
Anyways, thanks for not banned me XD. Looking forward for the next post (about Sakura or anything related to CLAMP)
Matta ne! ❤️
LikeLike
Ok I don’t know if anyone has thought of this but could kaito be Fei Wang Reed in anyway. I haven’t read all of Tsubasa but I started thinking (when I noticed a similar vibe in the design with Akihos crest on the back of the robe she was wearing and compared it to Fei Wang Reeds crest). I made a list of other very odd similarities that I’ve noticed, can anyone look into this.
-Kaito could have used Akihos family crest and modified it to his own (making it more bat like) maybe as a resolve to Akiho.
-Kaito is able to rewind time with his magic and Fei Wang Reed was revealed to be in a Clow Country cut off from time.
-Fei Wang Reed wanted to bring someone back to life so maybe Akiho dies at the end of this story which causes Kaito to begin his story as Fei Wang Reed in order to bring Akiho back to life.
-By looks alone if 20 – 30 years pass from the end of Kaitos story in Card Captor Sakura, He could be a close physical looking age to Fei Wang Reed by the start of Tsubasa.
-If Kaito does become Fei Wang Reed perhaps the reason why Fei Wang Reed Met Fai directly in tsubasa (in Fais backstory) might be some sort of sympathy he felt towards Fai initially due them both having the title “D” in there names.
-In Tsubasa Fei Wang Reeds minions seemed to wear similar hooded clothing as Akihos Robe (had the same vibe minus the claw weapons)
I know this is kinda a crazy idea but I was also around during the Watinuki is Clow Reed subject so this cant be to much worse.
LikeLike