Today I embarked on a magical journey, filled with adventure, and color, glorious glorious color. To bring this tale into context, Sakura Tange is a minor character in Gatchaman Crowds and a major character in Girl Friend BETA. In the latter, she deftly plays Chloe Lemaire, a role requiring speaking Japanese with a distinctly non-Japanese accent; furthermore, Chloe is French, so she speaks French occasionally, though it tends to be limited to "oui" ou "non". Sakura's immense talent in this voice led me to take an interest in her role as Sakura Kinomoto, the titular character of Cardcaptor Sakura. Starting the show, I was blown away by Sakura Tange's convincing and powerful performance as Sakura; many young girl characters in art tend to be one-dimensional or given little relevance in the story, but here we can see an empowering character. Sakura Kinomoto is veritably awesome, greatly elevated by her voice actor.
Directed by Morio Asaka, Cardcaptor Sakura (CCS) is a dynamic, fun adventure. Let's start with him. He performed directorial duties on some shows but most familiar to me are Gunslinger Girl and Ore Monogatari. To my knowledge, I felt that both relied on directing to bolster some of the jokes or action(that's not to say that they were not funny, but rather that the directing strengthened them more). So I had at least some expectation that a show by this guy would be good.
Though the show follows Sakura Kinomoto in her daily life, which may seem quite inaccessible by anyone who is not a 10 year old girl, it uses changes in perspective to flesh out her personality. Really, the plot, if described blandly, probably would stop most people short from watching the show. (Unless you're a sicko like FireFlinger who's into that kind of thing.) For example, the show, towards the beginning of the episode, uses a wide-panning shot to portray Sakura, facing the night in her outfit, setting her up for an epic clash with the forces of darkness; she's also showered in light from buildings, suggesting her as the needed hero. Facial expressions also seem to be hilariously used to plainly express emotions. Through these visual techniques, CCS episode 1 becomes a rather remarkable work of art. Rather than speak in generalities, I would like to hone in one particular scene, depicted below. Here Sakura grows suspicious of some unknown presence in her house's library. So she goes to investigate, baton in hand.
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| Figure 1. Sakura Kinomoto holding a baton while peering into a bookshelf in her house's library. |
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| Figure 2. Depiction of the Clow Book which is supposed to contain the Clow Cards. |
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| Figure 3. Kero-chan, the jerk, threatens Sakura with a spoon. |
One strongly appealing element of the show is its excellent use of color, in addition to light-dark dynamics, as shown above. Sakura's brilliant green eyes are a prominent feature that highlight her mood. But furthermore, Kero-chan is depicted as yellow, providing a partial contrast to Sakura. Really, I am not sure how to explain the use of color. But CCS is a gorgeous work of art, especially considering the fact that it came out at the turn of the century. Sakura's character design is also rather on-point.
Now, anyone who knows me is wondering "why hasn't he mentioned the music yet?" Well, this is for you punks. Often orchestral in nature, the music is rather soothing and melodic and in love with woodwind instruments. In short, it sounds like fairy tale music, and convincingly interjects in the show, allowing for greater sonic enjoyment. Naturally, the voice acting intersects well with the music. No such situation where you think the music contradicts the visuals or the characters. The opening and ending themes work within this cohesiveness while adding a pop element - so these musical themes work well with the music and the general atmosphere of the show. (For an example where I think an opening or ending theme doesn't fit the feel of a show, look to AGE's opening theme 1 by Galileo Galilei.)
Having read the manga, I have noticed, at least so far, that comparatively little was adapted in this episode. That is not necessarily a bad thing, though I find the manga slow. However, these reasons are more down to personal preference than quality - rather, this is material that I seem to enjoy even more when animated. So I was rather surprised that they chose to cover a specific amount from the manga - this show is not rushed in the slightest. In my view, the visual components, along with the voice acting especially in Sakura's case, lifts this show, at least so far, over the manga.
Ultimately, this show is the sort of thing a weeb like FF would really enjoy. The visuals are stunning, Sakura Tanga makes an excellent Sakura Kinomoto, and the directing keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat. Even though I found the same segment somewhat slow in the manga, I found myself giving rapt attention to the show. Admittedly, the seventy-episode length is rather daunting, but considering what a strong first episode that was, I think I can manage. Kudos, Madhouse.
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