Cardcaptor Sakura: Master of the Clow, Vol. 1

カードキャプターさくら [Cardcaptor Sakura] #7

by Clamp

Capturing Cards was only the beginning...

Once upon a magic night, an English sorcerer mixed Western wizardry with Eastern enchantments to create a magical deck of cards called the Clow Cards. These cards were hidden inside a dusty old book for decades, their powers virtually wasted. Then one fateful day, a young girl named Sakura Kinomoto discovered the book in her father's library. When she opened it, however, the Clow Cards were gone—and so was life as she knew it. The book's magical guardian, a diminutive winged lion, named Sakura the Cardcaptor, and after many exciting adventures, she finally retrieved all of the cards. Now Sakura has earned the title Master of the Clow.

An ominous force is brewing in Tomoeda. New enchantments are popping up all over the city, and Sakura's Clow Cards seem completely unable to stop them. But when Sakura taps into her inner power to fuel the Clow Cards, she unlocks a new magic of her own creation. Thus begins this 10-year-old's quest to become the greatest magician in the world!

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

183 pages, Paperback

First published November 13, 1998

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

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Dyah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another new and mysterious character appears. His name is Eriol.
And I don't like him.

[Joseph Hare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Cardcaptor Sakura, which is why I want to be honest about my opinion that this volume is lacking. It spends almost the entire time setting up the premise for certain events and not nearly enough time with the events itself. What saves it from a two star rating is the fact that no matter how dismal a scene is, the characters are brilliantly written and their complex relationships are endearing. I hope I find the next volume to be more of a classic fun Cardcaptor story.

[Angelika · Rating 5 out of 5]

ale przyspieszenie akcji 👀 jak zwykle super się czytało

[nara ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is getting very interesting since new characters are starting to appear (I already knew them from the anime adaptation, though). Still nice to see them again.

PD: Please could Tomoyo be more adorable? I love her.

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was younger I watch the anime for this manga and I adored it.
Now after reading it I can't help but love it more!
I would say this is one of the rare true childrens manga out there that can be read by all ages.

[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.

[Theresa ♫ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dude, the last time I read this book was YEARS AGO. YEEEEEEEEEARS AGO, meaning the 5th grade.
And I'm a freshman in high school right now, so that's saying something, right??

But I do remember Cardcaptor Sakura. And I liked this series, especially the MOTC series.

Since I can't remember EVERY SINGLE BIT of Cardcaptor Sakura: MOTC, I will try to make this review short and snappy. (And...I have to read like 18 other books and one of them is due to my school library TOMORROW!!!! HYAH!

So basically, this book was adorable. ADORABLE. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHDORABLE. It's also extremely original and I've never read a book like it!! EVER!!! EVER!! This is a one of a kind series.
And the romance is adorable. I loved the situation where there is someone trying to confess but always getting interrupted AND how the person getting confessed to is so incredibly dense.
Even though it gets me sitting at the edge of my seat, I just love the suspense! I LOVE IT!!!

So basically the story is originally original. The story is cute. I liked it. 3 SPARKLY SPARKLY STARS!!!!!
So if you're a fan of mahou shoujo manga, you'll love this one.


-I'll show you a sweet dream, next night.

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good...but not great.

[Natali TabaiBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damas y caballeros, arrancamos la segunda parte de la saga y donde todo se torna un poco mas raro, nuevos personajes que amo con todo mi ser. Aparece nuestro querido Eriol como nuevo compañero de clase de Sakura, justo cuando Li se queria volver a Hong Kong pero bueno nuevo personaje sospechoso lo hace quedarse para “vigilarlo”. Si, Li, todos sabemos que es solo por Sakura, no te engañes a vos mismo. Tambien tenemos al pequeño Spinel! Un kero version remasterizada. Y no solo personaje nuevo cerca de Sakura sino de Touya tambien Akitsuki hizo su aparicion! Debo admitir que este personaje era uno de los que mas me llamaba la atencion cuando era chica y miraba el anime. Insisto que la naturalidad con la que CLAMP maneja este mundo es tan iincreible y avanzado para su época, mas autores deberían seguir su ejemplo.

Por lo pronto voy a decir que las cosas se le ponen complicadas a Sakura cuando un gran poder (CLOW) comienza a causar problemas en su ciudad, a pesar de tener las cartas Clow atrapadas y selladas ahora su nueva mision es convertirlas a todas en las cartass Sakura. Animo! vos podes! Todo va a estar bien!

[Vie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sakura: (in a letter to Ms. Mizuki) We have a new student in 5th grade, class 2, today. A boy named Eriol Hiiragizawa. He seems like a nice guy. But... (out loud) ...it doesn't seem like I just met him for the first time... Hiiragizawa...
Eriol: Me, neither.
Sakura: (surprised) H-Hiiragizawa!
Eriol: Oh, I'm sorry to surprise you. It doesn't feel like I'm meeting you for the first time, either...
Sakura: It's rather strange.
Eriol: Maybe we've met before. Perhaps we've met each other before we were born.

These are my favorite note from this volume:
- Eriol has come to the school.
- Kero's longing feeling for his previous master.
- And Suppi's arrival, my cutie pie one (sorry Kero), can't wait for next volume when Kero will force him with the sweet food.



DO I NEED TO SAY MORE? BECAUSE THIS IS THE BEST.

[Sandra Girard-Demontigny · Rating 5 out of 5]

It had been a while since I had read Sakura's book and I really missed it. It was really good and I really devoured it. I can't wait to see what will happen in the next book. I will probably read it later in the day since I have it with me. I like Sakura's character so much. It reminds me of my youth.

Ça faisait un bon moment que je n'avais pas lu de livre de Sakura et ça ma vraiment manqué. Il était vraiment bon et je l'ai vraiment dévoré. J'ai vraiment hâte de voir ce qui se produira dans le prochain tome. Je vais probablement le lire plus tard dans la journée étant donné que je l'ai avec moi. J'aime tellement le personnage de Sakura. Ça me rappel ma jeunesse.

[Harumichi Mizuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ini adalah buku CCS yang pertama kali kubaca waktu SMP. Pinjem dari teman. Hahaha. Senang sekali bisa memilikinya sekarang.

Muncul Eriol, Nakuru (Ruby Moon), dan Spinnel Sun sebagai tiga karakter baru misterius di sini. Shaoran langsung cemburu berat begitu melihat Eriol langsung berakrab-akrab dengan Sakura. Dia sampai batal pulang ke Hong Kong, loh! Eciyaaah!

Kehadiran Eriol tentu saja untuk membuat "kekacauan" di kota Tomoeda agar Sakura bisa mengerahkan kekuatannya untuk mengubah Clow Card menjadi Sakura Card.

Edan lah Eriol. Di sini dia ngendalikan Syaoran buat nyerang Sakura. Ujian buat cardcaptor makin gawat aja.

[Abi]

Llegó un nuevo compañero para Sakura que es una especie de reencarnación de Glow y parece traer problemas... Encima llegó un alumno más también a la escuela del hermano y le está apurando la declaración de amor a los tortolitos.

Por si fuera poco, interrumpió cuando al fin Touya se le iba a confesar a Yukito. Deja nomás, dejame sufrir con su bromance porque a este ritmo van a estar juntos a los 80 años.

De paso, llegan nuevas vivencias y aventuras "malévolas" a la vida de la prota, aunque más me parece de crecimiento personal que otra cosa. Me gusta mucho el diseño nuevo de las cartas y que Sayoran se esté poniendo más las pilas.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading manga by candlelight! We had a power outage.

I never really clicked with Eriol or the other new characters introduced in this run. I do, however, love that Sakura has to save Syaoran from Eriol using the Sword card here. It's a nice reversal of the Sword arc in the first series.

Also, I forgot about the teddy bear thing, which is a shame because it is adorable, but that also means I forgot that it starts with Rika. Poor Rika. The series thinks they're treating her well when in fact they're horrible to her.

[Soobie is expired · Rating 3 out of 5]

I nuovi tipi non mi piacciono per niente: Eriol è viscido come Moggi, Naruku è appiccicosa come una cozza e non lascia in pace il mio adorato Tōya.

Però adoro come Syaoran sta lentamente capendo di chi è innamorato. Anche se non riesco a far pace con l'idea che tutti loro sono in quarta elementare.

Ormai ho passato la metà. In questi giorni assurdi non rimane altro che leggere... e andare per campagne con il cane.

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sakura may have mastered the Clow Cards, but when dangerous enchantments start popping up in her town and causing trouble, she'll need to unlock an even deeper power if she hopes to protect herself, the Clow Cards, and her loved ones! CLAMP begins a new and exciting arc with decent setup and age appropriate romance for fans seeking to jump in once again. What sort of dangers will Sakura and her friends face from these new powers?

[diana ᥫ᭡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5★ Creo que el problema de este tomo es que hay demasiada introducción, casi resumiendo los seis tomos anteriores…Y la nueva chica que entró en la universidad de Touya llamada Nakuru es muy mamona. Prefiero mil veces a Meilin. Lo único bueno es que entró Eriol. Al final se recuperó un poco con lo de los osos de peluche y que cuando uno los regala y los llama con el mismo nombre, las dos personas siempre estarán correspondidas en el amor.

[Karla Jaime G-R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este se podría considerar la segunda temporada de Sakura Card Captor 🤓☝️ Un nuevo misterio con nuevos retos que dejan agotada a Sakura.

Cartas Clow transformadas: fuego y espada

PD: Aquí entre nos, cuando veía el anime de niña, me preocupaba y sentía pena cada vez que Sakura se desmayaba jajaja la vivía al 100% 😂

[Ikayuro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhh, it's been so long since I've read these!! They've been sitting on my bookshelf for about 15 or more years, now, and I figured it was time to revisit them.

I'd forgotten just how much I enjoyed the second "season" of this series; we're introduced to new characters and a brand new plot, along with a helpful recap of the previous events. The art remains top notch, as well!

[Genesis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tomoyo will always be my favorite. She is so mature. Her reactions when Eriol first show up and how Li is so jealous. My favorite part was when they go to the store to get the bear supplies and she tells sakura "I want the person I love to be happy more than i want their love returned " and then "if the person I love is happy, that's all i need to be happy"🥰🥰🥰

[Amanda C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Representing entire series: Volumes 1-6

I like the sequel series more than the original, because while it still has that episodic feel, the emotional storylines are so good. The Toya/Yukito arc is probably my favourite, but it's all just teeth rotting sweet.

[Sophia Northfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun cutsy girly magical girl manga with innocent romance and fantasy

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this first installment to this series. I found the first 6 volumes for twenty cents a piece at a thrift store. What a deal for such good manga.

[Aimé Corona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amo a Syaoran <3

[Tefy Lima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Las cosas se estan poniendo color de hormiga. Estoy ansiosa por ver que pasa

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood favorite, still one of my favorite times doesn't change my opinion

[Brujaxa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estoy muy intrigada por los últimos acontecimientos, no me los esperaba en absoluto.

[✨Sky✨ ♏ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 stars

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I'm happy that I can finally continue the series!