Card Captor Sakura. Perfect Edition, Vol. 2

カードキャプターさくら [Cardcaptor Sakura] #2

by Clamp, Yupa (Translator)

Nemmeno le competizioni sportive sono al riparo da bizzarri incidenti! Una fitta pioggia di petali di fiori comincia improvvisamente a cadere dal terrazzo della scuola, violenta come una tempesta. Sarà opera di una Clow Card?! Ma le sorprese non sono finite: nella classe di Sakura è appena arrivato un nuovo compagno, Li Syaoran, proveniente da Hong Kong. Nelle sue vene scorre il sangue di Clow Reed e, a quanto pare, anche lui sta dando la caccia alle carte...

Adattamento testi: Anna Giuliani
Adattamento grafico: Luca Genovese
Lettering: Paola Paganotto
Revisione: Andrea Renghi

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Shojo, Romance, Magic

197 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 1997

About the author

Ōkawa Nanase 大川七瀬
[born: 2 May 1967; Ōsaka, bloodtype: A]

Mokona Apapa もこなあぱぱ
[born: 16 Jun 1968, Kyōto; bloodtype: A]

Nekoi Mick 猫井みっく
[born: 21 Jan 1969, Kyōto; bloodtype: O]

Igarashi Satsuki 五十嵐さつき
[born: 8 Feb 1969, Kyōto; bloodtype: A]


CLAMP originally began in 1989 as a twelve-member dōjinshi circle, but by 1990, the circle had diminished from twelve to seven. Of the remaining seven, Tamayo Akiyama, Sei Nanao, and Leeza Sei left the group during the production of the RG Veda manga. Other former members of CLAMP also included Soushi Hishika, O-Kyon, Kazue Nakamori, Yuzuru Inoue and Shinya Ōmi. Currently, there are four members in the group.

In 2004, CLAMP's 15th anniversary as a mangaka group, the members changed their names from Nanase Ohkawa, Mokona Apapa, Mick Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi to Ageha Ohkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Satsuki Igarashi (her name is pronounced the same, but written with different characters) respectively. The August 2004 issue of Newtype USA, a magazine specializing in events of the anime and manga subcultures, reported that the members of CLAMP simply wanted to try out new names. In a later interview with Ohkawa, it was revealed that initially Mokona wanted to drop her surname because it sounded too immature for her liking, while Nekoi disliked people commenting that her name was the same as Mick Jagger's. Ohkawa and Igarashi, wanting to go with the flow of Nekoi's and Mokona's name changes, changed their names as well.

In 2006, they made their first USA public debut at Anime Expo in Anaheim, California. They were well received at the convention, with 6,000 fans in attendance at their panel.

Reviews

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Am i the only one totally weirded out by the multiple student-teacher relationships in this manga?

[Sonia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love this series. I mean when i was a little girl, this anime was my life. I watched every episode, bought the cards, and even later learned of the uncut japanese version, I watched it. I was nuts about this series. The manga series and anime are different. minor changes. This volume though made me cringe.

Tomoyo is the cousin of Sakura once removed (?) and she is in love with Sakura. The problem I had with this volume is the fact that Tomoyo's mother is trying to carve her daughter into looking like Sakura's mother (whom she was in love with and the cousin) another major cringe worthy aspect was one of Sakura's friends was in love with her teacher and vice-versa. Did i mention she is in elementary? That is just a NO. he even proposes to her in this volume and i wonder where her parents are as well.....

The anime did mention some of these aspects but it was very subtle. So, for now, i prefer the anime.

[Sesana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I cringed through the entire volume. First there was the discovery that Sakura's parents married when her mother was a 16-year-old high school student and her father was her teacher. And then there's the even more squicky subplot of one of Sakura's classmates (in fourth grade) apparently accepting a proposal from one of their teachers. (Did I mention that they're fourth graders?) Next to that, Tomoyo and her mother's shared legacy of unrequited love for a cousin can almost pass you right by. (That was more sad than anything else, though Tomoyo's mother apparently trying to get her to look more like Nadeshiko was... a little weird.)

[Glire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shaoran ha aparecido.



No le doy mas estrellas sólo porque de verdad me descoloca todo eso de la relación de Rika con su profesor. El profesor como mínimo debe tener como 20 años, y Rika tiene 10 años. No quiero basar toda mi calificación del tomo en eso, ni juzgar demasiado porque tal vez es cultural, tal vez en Japón eso no está mal visto. No lo sé. Y si ignoramos ese hecho, todo lo demás sigue siendo genial.

[Aru - bookstoshine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apareció LI 😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Danny Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omfg con este tomo, me encantó mucho, mucho, mucho, esa relación de Tomoyo-Sakura me encanta, esto es mucho fangirleo, fanboyleo, como sea, me encanta, aparte esos guiños del hermano de Sakura con Yukito y Syaoron askldjklasdjkla, es genial, me gusta más todo eso que lo de las cartas, pero me alegro que Sakura vaya mejorando para atraparlas, ¡me encanta!

[Kami · Rating 3 out of 5]

- I am not ok with teachers going out with students, especially 4th graders!! EW!! I can' believe Sakura's dad and mom had a teacher/student relationship too!

- This new guy, Syaoran, is weird! I'm still trying to figure out if he is gay or if there is something else about Yukito that hasn't been revealed yet.

- The illustrations still crack me up!

- That sword card is really cool! I want that one!

- I don't quite understand all the different outfits Sakura has to wear when she goes out to find a Clow Card, but they are hilarious!! I liked the one with kitty ears!

[Azur · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main storyline is wonderful but why is everybody's love life weird as heck? (I'm not talking about the homosexual relationships, they are perfectly fine.) 1.Sakura's mother was 16 and Sakura's father was 27 when they got married and he was her teacher. 2. One of Sakura's classmates in 4th grade has a crush on her teacher. While that is not uncommon and seemed innocent at first, it becomes ultra creepy when the teacher gives her a (engagement) ring as a secret Christmas present. None of the other characters critisise this or show any other sign that this isn't normal to them.

[herdys · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read one star reviews and I don't care what people say about cousins loving each other being incest or the teacher romance. CLAMP have always done things like that. If you think they are gross then don't read the manga. I don't believe this is a reflection of real life, it's called fiction. *rant over*

I read this when I was a teenager and discovered manga. I loved it then and I still love it now, just in a different way.

[dechireame · Rating 5 out of 5]

Syaoran Li bitches !!!!

[Dyah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marks the appearance of Li Syaoran.
But the way he's smitten with Yukito is ridiculous, I think.

[Angelika · Rating 5 out of 5]

podobało mi się bardzo (jeśli pominiemy questionable wątek z riką 😅)

[Meryl Guante · Rating 4 out of 5]

Que emoción! 🥰

[⋆☆☽ Jen ☾☆⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never get over the fact that a 10 years-old girl is engaged with a 25+ years-old man.. Who happens to be her teacher, too lmao
THIS ISN'T LEGAL, SO WHY IS THIS HAPPENING IN A MANGA THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FOR LITTLE GIRLS??? LIKE, HOW?
It didn't even bother me 20 years ago and I literally forgot about it in the meantime, but now I'm like

[Vera · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I were to judge this single-handedly based on Sakura's story, it would be a 5-star review, but adults proposing and crushing on what? 10 year old girls? That part is not ok and although I could have ignored it, I don't think that's a very good picture to pass on to kids reading this.

[Soundless · Rating 2 out of 5]

Technically I liked it more than vol 1 but these teachers casually dating 4th graders really freaks me out, what the heck.

[Éloïse]

J'adore Sakura, mais Terada-sensei qui se fiance avec Rika-chan (qui a 10 ans), c'est extrêmement creepy... 🙅🏼‍♀️

[Pablo (Cicatricesdelibros) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es el único manga de este estilo que captura mi imaginación y con él mi corazón. El tema va por el tema de la magia que me parece fascinante la originalidad y lo creativo, una especie de Pokémon con magia pero claro muy distinto. Sin embargo, por otro lado fue que lo ví cuando era muy chico (12 o 13 años) y aunque no era mi gusto (siempre fui fan de dragon ball, caballeros del zodiaco, etc cosas nada que ver), esto lo ví por error pero me atrapó.

Esa magia es la que se me viene al recuerdo al leer... La magia de la sorpresa de algo que puede cautivarte sin aviso y tanto o más que las cosas que son evidentes que te atraen.

Tanto los mangas como los cómics tienen un "lenguaje no verbal" por medio del dibujo, diseño y otras características ajenas a la escritura que, si no es para tí la historia o no estás familiarizado, pues no lo captas y no te llega, es así de sencillo. En este caso con Sakura, capto cada detalle. Es fascinante lo que hace lo gráfico.

[Sarah Couture · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bon, il y a eu plusieurs aspects étranges qui m’ont dérangé.

On y apprend que la mère de Sakura (16 ans) a épousé son professeur (25 ans). Le mariage est légal au Japon dès 16 ans avec l’accord des familles.

La meilleure amie de Sakura semble amoureuse d’elle (du moins les indices le laissent penser), mais on apprend qu’elles sont cousines.

Une élève de la classe de Sakura (10 ans) se fait offrir une bague par leur enseignant (?!) en lui disant de la garder jusqu’au fiançaille. 🤢

J’ai conscience que la culture japonaise n’est pas pareille à la mienne, mais tout de même 🥲

[Okuta Otherside · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this volume finally we can know more about Sakura's parents and Tomoyo's mom past. Also Li Syaoran is appear in this volume too! More shounen-ai and shoujo-ai hints, more complex clowcard to seal and we get more info about Clow, the magician that makes the clowcard. I personally love this volume more than volume 1 and can't wait to starting read the volume 3!

[Jonah Ableman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chat gpt translation: I think this volume was more interesting than the last one. Some strange things happened in this book—like a perverted teacher and the fact that Sakura’s mother got married as a teenager. However, with the appearance of cool new characters and an intense love triangle (or maybe a love pentagon?), I was really drawn in. I definitely want to read the next volume!

前回より面白かったと思う。この冊ではちょっと変なことが起こった。変態な先生とか、さくらちゃんのお母さんが十代時に結婚したこととか。しかし、カッコよくて新しいキャラクターたちが現れてすごい三角関係(5角関係？)もあったので本当に興味になりました。次の冊も読んで見たい！

[Rocio.ratoncilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encanta tanto el dibujo como la historia de las cartas, aunque no recordaba que hay algo turbio en estos mangas, la diferencia de edad en cuanto a ciertas relaciones…, aún así le doy 5 estrellas porque me encanta todo lo demás

[bella ⋆ฺ｡*:･ · Rating 5 out of 5]

ai como eu me divirto lendo as aventuras da sakura sabe 🥹💗

[lyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

hows this full of gay people and pedophiles ?

[Julie ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shaolan 👀
Il y a quand même des trucs chelous je vous jure 🤣
Mais j'adore 🥰

[Bibliothecat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for the complete series



While not as big as similar titles such as Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura is definitely a manga household name. Elementary Schooler Sakura finds a book in her father's library which not only proves to be magical but also releases the lion-like creature Kero-chan who tasks her with finding all the magical cards the book once contained. The cards were created by the mightiest magician to have lived - Clow. With each card Sakura adds to her collection, her own magical powers grow.

CLAMP
Cardcaptor Sakura already wins points simply by being a work of CLAMP. The art is as gorgeous as one can expect and it's almost unavoidable to read if one wants to delve into the multiverse these artists have created. It's definitely one of their bigger works, especially as it features the characters that are later featured as the protagonists of CLAMP's crossover work: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE. Although this manga's art is a tad less intricate and almost simple in the use of screen toning, there's something very light and loveable about it and it's undeniably adorable.

Magical Girl
I've always struggled to view Cardcaptor Sakura as a magical girl manga. It undoubtedly is, but I do find it drops some of this genre's typical tropes - and I mean that in the best way possible. Sakura doesn't actually transform through any magical means. She wears a different 'magical girl' costume for most chapters, but they are all tailored by her best friend Tomoyo and are really just for variety and cuteness (and surely the artists having their fun) rather than any magical process that all other magical girls go through. In fact, all the magic is much more akin to more traditional witches and wizard's and even draws on Chinese mythology. One thing I also really appreciate is that Sakura is just your normal girl who is collecting magical cards to stop them from causing havoc rather than a girl (or group of girls) pitched against an evil force to save the earth from certain doom. It just has a much lighter and appropriate feeling to it.

Characters & Plot
It definitely starts off very episodic, but it has a nice underlying plot that becomes more solid toward the second half of the story. I find myself more invested in the main story rather than the individual episodes in which Sakura finds yet another card. The plot itself is to an equal amount about the mystery behind the cards as well as Sakura's daily life with her family and friends. Unfortunately, if we're purely looking at the plot, I can't deny that I find Cardcaptor Sakura a little boring at times. It is a bit strange because Sakura and the male protagonist Syaoran are among my favourite manga characters. I absolutely adore these two and this series features a lot of other likeable characters such as Kero-chan and Tomoyo. It is, therefore, a little baffling that their plot is sometimes a little underwhelming, though it does not change that this is still a manga I hold dear.

Romance



This is where it gets complicated. CLAMP are known to have rather unconventional romantic couples. And despite Cardcaptor Sakura being one of their most innocent and light-hearted works, I think it is also easily the most controversial romance-wise. As mentioned above, I love Sakura and Syaoran and even more so as a couple. Mind you, these two are about 10 years old and their relationship doesn't develop until very late into the series - an embrace is as far as they get. Yet it's almost that innocent setup that makes them such an adorable couple - it doesn't need to be romance focused for these two to be an exemplary match.

When it comes to homosexual characters, I find that CLAMP has always been ahead of time, though not necessarily in a realistic way. On one hand, it is great that multiple sexualities are included throughout the CLAMP world. On the other hand, it is treated almost too idealistically. Don't get me wrong, equality is important. But there is truth to non-straight persons having to face certain difficulties in daily life that others might not. In Cardcaptor Sakura, as well as most other CLAMP works, the appearance of a homosexual character is almost taken for granted - it sometimes feels as though the whole of it takes place in an ideal parallel world. I believe that both in reality and in other fiction, there's bound to be a character or two who at least consider the situation around a homosexual character. This is probably even more true when one considers that this series is from the 90s.

The only true issue in regards to romance lies with a certain age gap. Mind you, I am not in the least against relationships with age gaps - fiction or reality alike. 10 years, 20 years - where to draw the line? I don't think there is anything wrong with an age gap as long as it's a relationship built on mutual feelings and care rather than an older party taking advantage of a younger one. You can't really choose who you fall in love with and age seems a trivial thing when you truly love someone. In the same sense, I have no issues with certain 'taboo' relationships such as student-teacher, provided again the feelings are genuine and neither party is taken advantage of. I know people in real-life who have loved and married their former teacher - they're just about as happy as any couple I know. A relationship like that brings its difficulties, but in my mind, it really comes down to how it's handled more than anything else.

Now, while I neither mind age gaps nor student-teacher relationships, I do believe there is a certain threshold of how young the younger party can be. Realistically, there's a massive difference between an 8-year-old dating an 18-year-old and a couple of, say, an 18 and 28-year-old. Cardcaptor Sakura blows all caution to the wind and introduces the relationship between the 10-or-so-year-old Rika and her teacher Terada. Now Terada might be as young as 20, which would result in an age gap of about 10 years. I don't see an issue with a 10-year gap, but the fact that Rika is around 10 makes this a really awkward couple. While everything is kept at a perfectly innocent level - there are clear signs that they're staying apart until she is old enough - the fact that Terada is even considering a 10-year-old is just not right. The only thing that makes this readable to me is the fact that none of the young characters, the protagonists Sakura and Syaoran included, behave like the 10-year-olds they're meant to be. I often seem to get this issue when it comes to manga, but most characters appear a good couple of years older to me than they are actually meant to be. I would much rather think of Sakura and co. as 14-year-olds, and that already makes the whole Rika business a tad less of a shocker.

Interestingly, while Rika and Terada receive a lot of scorn from readers everywhere, there is another very similar couple which is rarely called out. There are clear hints of a budding - and encouraged - romance between yet another 10-year-old pupil and his female teacher. Their age gap is likely similar to that of Rika and Terada's, yet it does not receive nearly as much backlash. It seems people have a bigger issue when the girl is the younger party which frankly is quite unfair - I believe both are equally problematic.

So, coming to an end, Cardcaptor Sakura has its oddities and even boring moments - the romance must really be taken with a grain of salt or a flexible imagination. But it is also an adorable and loveable series with some of my very favourite and memorable characters that I can't help but love.

[melhara · Rating 2 out of 5]

OMG. I am only giving this manga an extra star for nostalgia's sake.

I know I gave Vol. 1 five stars but there are some really disturbing aspects about Vol. 2 that I somehow never noticed before (when I read the manga and watched the anime as a child).

Vol. 2 had a bunch of really weird/disturbing relationships going on.

First, we discover that Sakura's mom was only 16 when she married her 27-year-old teacher. LIKE WHAAAAT?? That means Sakura's dad was a pedophile!!
I guess Sakura takes after her mom... What with her crush on Tsukishiro and whatnot (a fourth grader in love with a sophomore?) BUT, in Vol. 2, we also learn that Li also has a huge crush on Tsukishiro (love triangle?)

Then, we discover that Sakura's bff Tomoya's mom was in love with Sakura's mom (who also happened to be her cousin). Like mother like daughter, Tomoya was also in love with Sakura (so... they're related? Wouldn't that be a tad incestuous??!)

And finally, the most disturbing thing of all, was the fact that Sakura's classmate Rika has a relationship with their teacher. SHE'S ONLY NINE-YEARS-OLD!

For a children's manga, I did not find the romance aspects appropriate.... I don't mind the gay stuff but I just cannot endorse pedophilia.

----------------------------------------------
Average rating for the entire series: 2.5/5
My reviews for the rest of the series:
Volume 1 | Volume 2| Volume 3 | Volume 4 | Volume 5 | Volume 6| Volume 7 (Master of the Clow, Vol 1) | Volume 8 (Master of the Clow, Vol 2) | Volume 9 (Master of the Clow, Vol 3) | Volume 10 (Master of the Clow, Vol 4) | Volume 11 (Master of the Clow, Vol 5) | Volume 12 (Master of the Clow, Vol 6)

[Ace · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Sakura opens a book in her father's library, she accidentally frees the Guardian of the Seal and now must collect the escaped Clow Cards. Cue the cutest, most tooth-achingly sweet adventure ever! Given that the target audience for this is kids, older readers may feel a little disenchanted with how easily everything is solved. And not to mention, this is volume where things get weird.

Sakura is a fourth grader. One of her classmates is engaged to their teacher. Sakura's mother was a student when she married Sakura's father -- who was her teacher. Tomoyo's mom is obsessed with making Sakura look like her mother -- whom she was in love with. Tomoyo is in love with Sakura, there's definitely something in the air between Touya and Yukito... it's total hormonal insanity.

That said, I like how CLAMP didn't stereotype all of these LGBT crushes -- unlike a lot of literature, which follows stereotypes of how gays/lesbians should act -- these characters felt more like people to me. So three stars for this reason, even though I want to demote it to two for all the weird romance. I just can't get over all the weird student/teacher relationships. Eep!

[Karla Jaime G-R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qué está pasando!? Aló, policia!? Jajajaja Creo que las CLAMP se pasaron un poquito con el asunto de Rika y el profesor. Definitivamente quisieron romper todas las “normativas del amor” no solo en género, si no también en edad Jajajaja pero vale! Hay que verlo como lo que es, un manga de magia y ficción nada más. Veo algunos reviews que están escandalizados, pero está claro que este manga no es para niños, aunque tampoco puedo defender que una niña de 4to grado de primaria esté comprometida con el profesor! Qué fuerte! Quiero pensar que allá en Japón las chicas de 4to grado son mayores jajaja quiero pensar eso! Jajaja déjenme engañarme jajaja

En fin, en el anime jamás son claros con la presencia del profesor y tampoco con los sentimientos de todos (tooooodos) los personajes. Aunque a estas alturas, para serles sincera, no sé si fue mi inocencia de niña que no se dio cuenta de nada o que verdaderamente en el anime lo ocultan muy bien Jajajaja. 😂

Cartas Clow atrapadas: Flor, espada, trueno y sombra. ✨

PD: Syaoran no se lleva ninguna carta Clow hasta el momento! Parece que solo fue a Japón a enamorarse Jajajajaja 😂

[Theocrat · Rating 2 out of 5]

aww. I actually enjoyed reading the majority of it too. The first half of Chapter 9 would've actually been my favorite chapter of the ones I've read! However, the second half of Chapter 9 is why I'm quitting reading this.

This book, in particular, had quite a bit of promotion of DEGENERATE and SINFUL lifestyles. The first time was subtle, but I definitely minded it. If it was just that, I would just prevent my own kids from reading it. However, it was not! The second time was blatantly obvious and upset me greatly. And to imagine if the author had just cut out these 2 parts of like 5 pages combined, this would still be 4 stars.

Anyways, since I'm already complaining, the age gaps are absurdly massive and even more obvious in this one, and two of them are legally and definitely should be considered to be PEDOPHILIA.

Luckily, these seem to have all been cut from the English dub of the anime in order to not offend Western sensibilities. Who would've known that the West is actually more based than Japan in some cases?