Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Cardcaptor Sakura Blu-ray Movie Review

A stunning new 4K restoration of a beloved anime classic.

Cardcaptor Sakura is one of the greatest anime series of all time. Based on the beloved original manga by CLAMP, the fun and adventurous series is executive produced by Kiichiro Okamoto, Akira Watanabe, and Yasuko Uchizawa. The animation is produced by Madhouse (Chobits, Trigun). Originally broadcast on Japanese television network NHK, Cardcaptor Sakura is a landmark achievement in animation.

Sakura Kinomoto (Sakura Tange) begins her journey as an ordinary 10 year old girl with plenty of time on her hands. Sakura enjoys spending time with her older brother Touya Kinomoto (Tomokazu Seki) and her adoring widowed father, Fujitaka Kinomoto (Hideyuki Tanaka). Sakura loves her dearly departed mom and she tries to look out for her older brother and her father (to help out the family unit).

Meanwhile, Sakura unexpectedly stumbles on to a mystical book within her father’s study: an enchanted book with a cute (and cuddly) cat-like guardian named Kerberos (Aya Hisakawa). Yet the guardian of the book fell fast asleep and magical cards escaped from the book! Now Sakura must find all of the missing cards and put them back in the magical book before the escaped spirits cause havoc on the community.

Seeking to find all of the escaped card spirits, Sakura becomes the hero “Cardcaptor” Sakura and joins her best friend Tomoyo Daidouji (Junko Iwao) on new and exciting adventures. The journey becomes even more intense when an unexpected stranger joins her class: the rebel boy Syaoran Li (Motoko Kumai). As Li joins the journey, the next chapter of the mission arrives. Can Sakura capture all the magical cards?

At the heart of Cardcaptor Sakura is the wonderful cast of characters. As the central protagonist of Cardcaptor Sakura, Sakura Kinomoto is a kind-hearted, brave, and adventurous girl who cares a lot about her family and friends – making sure that her father, brother, and best friend are all a part of her life and journey every step of the way. Adapting to the role as cardcaptor, Sakura excels at fighting these escaped spirits and bringing them back home in the Clow book. With the help of Kerberos as her guide, Sakura goes on a much bigger mission than she ever expected at the start of the journey.

Best friend Touya is a wonderful addition to the series and she is determined to help Sakura capture the cards. Gifted with a keen sense of fashion, Touya selects a wide array of colorful and creative costumes for Sakura to wear while she dukes it out with the array of magical card spirits she needs to re-capture. Meanwhile, the addition of Syaoran Li later in the series, expands the dynamics of the fun with the mysterious boy cardcaptor.

The complete saga.

The animation on Cardcaptor Sakura is first-rate and one of the most compelling elements of the entire production. The series features exceptional art direction by Katsufumi Hariu (Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie, Macross Plus). One of the best anime series ever, Cardcaptor Sakura excels with showcasing stunning animation that highlights the breathtaking background animation, layout art, and line art. Everything is impeccably detailed and compelling.

Cardcaptor Sakura also features impressive character designs by Kumiko Takahashi (Ouran High School Host Club, Witch Hunter Robin). The character art-work is distinct and memorable. Each of the central characters on the series is uniquely illustrated. The art style is more unique in comparison to many productions and these strong character designs play a huge role in that component of the series. Exceptional craft.

The visual component of Cardcaptor Sakura is similarly enhanced by stunning cinematography by Hisao Shirai (Jin-Roh - The Wolf Brigade, Millennium Actress). Shirai is an outstanding cinematographer and a artist who understands the importance of lighting and highlighting the right details in the animation. A cinematographer who traditionally works in anime feature-films, Shirai provides Cardcaptor Sakura a more cinematic aesthetic than many anime series. A superb effort.

The score composed by Takayuki Negishi (Tokyo Mew Mew, Amazing Nurse Nanako) is exciting and energetic. The thrilling score provides the action sequences with plenty of pizazz and robust style (enhancing the experience). The music is beautiful, melancholic, and haunting in good measure. Highlighting the characters and the deep dimensions of the story, composer Negishi provides a remarkable score that is essential to the series.

Written by Nanase Ohkawa (Magic Knight Rayearth, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card), Cardcaptor Sakura is one of the best anime series from a screenwriting standpoint. Each episode has a strong story with a solid beginning, middle, and end. There are often too many anime series with mediocre plot-lines and lazy or predictable elements. Cardcaptor Sakura, on the other hand, tells a compelling story which is faithful to the original manga.

Directed by Morio Asaka (Chobits, Nana), Cardcaptor Sakura is one of the greatest achievements in the entire medium of anime (film or television). The series is one of the most cherished anime series of all time for a reason: the characters are exceptional and the storytelling is remarkable. Asaka capably handles the production duties by assembling a great team of animators and the artistry unfolds. Cardcaptor Sakura showcases the exquisite filmmaking of Asaka and his keen understanding of filmmaking. No anime fan should go without seeing Cardcaptor Sakura.

Cardcaptor Sakura Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Anime Limited, Cardcaptor Sakura is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The release is newly remastered and has been sourced from a 4K restoration of the series. Anime Limited put forth a lot of effort to retain the 4K restoration released in Japan and the release offers the best quality English friendly presentation for the series. Colors are phenomenal and look stunning on the release.

Compared to the previous release from NIS America, the Blu-ray presentation is much more engaging and robust looking. The color reproduction has never looked better than it does on this release. The transfers show a strong amount of detail as well. Though the release does have some slight DNR, it doesn't seem to detract much at all from the experience. The transfer is sharp, clean, and quite beautiful.

Cardcaptor Sakura Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound (with English subtitles). The upgrade to surround sound (duplicating the 4K restoration release in Japan) is another element improving on the release. The surrounds are well engaged and highlight the original score. Most television anime series have stereo audio and the addition of surround sound makes the whole experience more immersive. The dynamics are also noteworthy. The audio is crisp and clear sounding.

An optional English 2.0 PCM Dual Mono is also provided. Please note that a few episodes of the series were not dubbed for this archival international English dub and are only available in Japanese with subtitles. The "Cardcaptors" US dub is not provided on the release (and was even more of an abbreviated version – to speed up to the introduction of the male protagonist). The dub is an interesting curiosity more than a preferred option for viewing Cardcaptor Sakura.

Cardcaptor Sakura Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Clow Cards Arc:

Clean Opening Episodes 1-8 (HD, 1:21)

Clean Opening Episodes 9-35 (HD, 1:21)

Clean Ending Episodes 1-35 (HD, 1:11)

The Sakura Cards Arc:

Clean Opening Episodes 36-46 (HD, 1:20)

Clean Opening Episodes 47-70 (HD, 1:20)

Clean Ending Episodes 36-45 (HD, 1:11)

Clean Ending Episodes 47-69 (HD, 1:11)

Cardcaptor Sakura Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cardcaptor Sakura is one of the best anime series ever made. The wonderful storytelling, outstanding animation, and exciting action- adventure makes the series a must-see for anime fans. As a fan since childhood myself, viewing the series subtitled on VHS and DVD, it is a joy to see the classic receive a stunning new 4K restoration available on Blu-ray in an English friendly option for the first time in the world. The Anime Limited collectors edition includes a stunning art box, booklet, and two individual cases with each story arc. The release is a must-have for fans. Please Note: In order to view the release in the United States and other Region A territories, one will need a region free Blu-ray player as these discs are REGION B locked. Highly recommended.