Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card - Part 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card - Part 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

A must-see return to the beloved Cardcaptor Sakura anime series.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card is a sequel series to the beloved anime classic that inspired an entire generation. The series was revived from acclaimed manga group Clamp (Chobits, Cardcaptor Sakura) and given new life. Produced by animation studio Madhouse (Cardcaptor Sakura, Trigun), Cardcaptor Sakura is as entertaining as always in its anime version. Fans of the original series should consider the Clear Card arc a must-see continuation. Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card - Part 1 includes episodes 1 through 11.

Picking up where the original Cardcaptor Sakura anime series concluded, Sakura is attempting to return to a normal life after the action-packed events which unfolded before her. Syaoran has just recently returned to Sakura's home town of Tomoeda and the two are now a couple. Still attending junior high school, Sakura continues to spend time with her best friend Tomoyo and her cute flying buddy, the mystical Kerochan. Even so, the ordinary life Sakura desires might not be possible: Sakura dreams of a mysterious figure and soon her magical cards are erased and become “clear cards” that she must seek out and re-acquire one-by-one. Can Sakura solve the mystery of the clear cards and return to a normal life?

The characters of Cardcaptor Sakura remain one of the most vital elements of the series. Sakura is one of the best anime heroes to ever grace television and would be a great role model to young girls. The character is a confident, smart, and hardworking youth who wants to make the world a better place (helping others by collecting the mystical cards). The series explores friendship and family in a way that is continually compelling: Sakura has good relationships with her brother, father, and friends. The ongoing story of the character is one that continues to make Cardcaptor Sakura a engaging and wholesome anime.

Nice to be back.

After so many years outside of production, fans might be worried that a sequel series would not be able to live up to the original. The concern is certainly understandable as there are many revivals which simply fail to muster anywhere near the same level of brilliance as the original. This is luckily not the case with Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card. The sequel manages to glide right back in to the original anime world with relative ease and remind viewers why the original was so beloved in the first place. The storytelling remains engaging and the characters are some of the best in anime.

The animation is stunning in the sequel production. The striking cinematography by Akane Fukuhara (One Punch Man, No Game No Life: Zero) gives the series a lush visual aesthetic while the original animation art direction by Tomoyuki Shimizu (The World Is Still Beautiful, Ushio & Tora) adds an impressive visual style that can sit proudly alongside the original production. While fans might feel the original is superior given its cell-based animation, the sleek production quality of the sequel is still quite impressive to behold.

Another area where the sequel series impresses is in the music. The original score composed by Takayuki Negishi (Cardcaptor Sakura, Tokyo Mew Mew) adds a vibrancy to the series that is impossible to ignore. The action scenes are engaging and enticing while the dramatic moments are heartfelt and poetic. The music highlights the series in all the right ways and is the perfect backdrop to the animation. The opening theme song (“CLEAR”) is also an amazing new piece by Maaya Sakamoto (who composed the original series opening theme as well).

Morio Asaka (Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits) returns to the directors chair and will remind fans of the brilliance of the original series by rekindling some of that original magic. Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card is just a pure joy to watch from start to end and the entire first batch of episodes is worth seeing. The pace and rhythm of each episode is engaging. The visual element of the series is balanced well with the storytelling. Asaka delivers a fun follow-up. Though the first batch of episodes starts off somewhat slow compared to the original anime (as the beginning of the story might remind some of a epilogue), as the episodes progress forward things become even more interesting. No fan of the original Cardcaptor Sakura will want to go without seeing this sequel.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card - Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card – Part 1 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. This is a stunning presentation of the television series. The high quality and ambitious animation style looks outstanding in high-definition. The character designs, background art, and clow-cards are all brought to life in stunning clarity and detail. The line art looks crisp and clear throughout the entire batch of episodes.

As the set unfolds, the occasional action sequences are well encoded and never seem to suffer from any egregious compression artifacts or other such anomalies. Everything looks colorful throughout while maintain a naturalistic style that seems to duplicate the animation well. This is a top-notch effort from Funimation. The only minor nitpick would be the occasional minor banding (but it is never too distracting and only occasionally shows up as an issue).

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card - Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The audio quality on the set is truly extraordinary. Dialogue reproduction remains altogether crisp, clear, and easy to understand from beginning to end. The music score is similarly well reproduced and manages to give some extra depth and dimensions to the animation.

The crisp highs are lovely sounding and the surround sound track for the English dub adds some nice ambiance to the experience. The occasional action scenes are also well enhanced by use of the surrounds (with a nice emphasis on the rear speakers for the sound effects). The LFE might be a bit on the light side but the crisp detail in each audio track makes the experience all the more enjoyable.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card - Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One:

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Prologue: Sakura and the Two Bears (HD, 26:42) is an episode length prequel episode.

Disc Two:

Episode 09 Audio Commentary

Textless Opening Song "CLEAR" by Maaya Sakamoto (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song "Jewelry" (HD, 1:32)

Trailers (HD, 6:14)

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card - Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Clear is a must-see follow-up to the original anime. Given the fact the original is one of the most beloved anime series of all time, the production team had no small task in front of them. The sequel is engaging, entertaining, and mysterious throughout the first batch of episodes. The Blu-ray release from Funimation features an impressive video-audio presentation. No fan will want to go without this essential set. Highly recommended.