Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card - Part 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

An exceptional collection of Cardcaptor Sakura.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card – Part 2 is the exciting continuation of the sequel series to the original anime classic, Cardcaptor Sakura. The follow-up anime is adapted from the manga by the original creative team, Clamp (Chobits, Cardcaptor Sakura). Produced by acclaimed animation studio Madhouse (Cardcaptor Sakura, Paranoia Agent), the beautifully realized sequel is a must-see for any and all fans of the original. Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card - Part 2 includes episodes 12 through 22.

Sakura continues to struggle with finding all of the magical clear cards that have spread out all across her hometown of Tomoeda. The journey is far from over as she once again decides to take up the mantle of Cardcaptor. Using the help of her best-friend Tomoyo (who continues to aid with the costuming and prep) while her magical flying buddy, Kerochan, remains by her side, Sakura is determined to do her best to capture every missing card! Juggling her daily life isn't simple.

Sakura battles the clear cards while also spending her daytime cooking, cheer-leading, and developing her relationship with Syaoran. A new friend also enters the equation: the easy-going Akiho. As Sakura begins to become closer with Akiho, she even gets a chance to meet the girl's personal butler, Yuna. Despite a new friend, Sakura still must face her biggest challenge to date: the mysterious figure that continues to haunt her dreams. Who is the mysterious figure and what connection do they have to the clear cards?

The second batch of Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card episodes add more action-packed adventure. The first set has a somewhat leisurely pace at times (despite being a pure delight). These episodes amp up everything significantly and the clear card battles become more challenging for Sakura as the storyline progresses. Several of the episodes spend a considerable amount of time focusing on Sakura's relationships – especially the developing friendship with Akiho and her long-time friendship with Tomoyo. The series also showcases the close connection between Sakura and her family members: brother Toya and father Fujitaka. The character-driven elements make the production more engaging to watch unfold.

Something to cheer about.

The animation remains one of the best elements of Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card. The art is stunning throughout each episode and makes a big impression. The character designs are true to the original series and are not given completely new styles to differentiate it from the original. The background art remains organic and beautiful: showcasing the greenery of the outdoors in Japan. The art work is exquisite and large scale. Tomoyuki Shimizu (The World Is Still Beautiful) provides the series with exceptional art direction.

The music composed by Takayuki Negishi (Cardcaptor Sakura) is another reason to return to this fun anime world. The beautiful music score adds a sense of charm to every episode: enhancing both the quieter slice-of-life elements and the action-adventure as Sakura battles clear cards. The songs are essential too (and set two includes new opening/ending themes).

Morio Asaka returns to the directors chair. The original filmmaker behind the beloved Cardcaptor Sakura anime, Asaka continually proves to be the right choice for the adaptation. Each and every episode is filled with continual charm and a sense of adventure. The production is handled well throughout the entire batch of episodes. The visual aesthetic is jubilant and engaging.

What makes Cardcaptor Sakura so compelling after so many years? Perhaps it is the sense of adventure. Perhaps it is because Sakura is one of the greatest heroes in any anime series. Perhaps it is because the character continues to prove to be a great role model for young girls. It is because of all of these things. Cardcaptor Sakura continues to be a must-see anime essential.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card - Part 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card – Part 2 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. As with the first collection of episodes in the Clear Card arc of Cardcaptor Sakura, Funimation has done an exceptional job of bringing the animation to life in high definition. Throughout the episodes, the level of clarity and detail on display was truly impressive. The art is stunning and creative. The animation is well reproduced and showcases the character designs, background art, and action scenes with the level of detail fans will hope to find.

There are no egregious issues in regards to compression artifacts and other such anomalies. The only minor drawback is occasional minor banding and it is so slight that most viewers won't notice or be bothered by it. Fans of the anime will be quite pleased with the terrific quality of the video. The encode is consistently nice and clear throughout (and never seems to strain with compression woes during the action scenes).

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card - Part 2 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). There is something magical about the presentation and the crisp clarity it offers throughout the entire batch of episodes. During the entire batch, dialogue remained clear and easy to understand. The original score music similarly sounded lush and vivid (adding a sense of depth to each episode).

The opening/ending theme songs sound quite impressive. The surround sound option on the English dub is immersive sounding with solid integration of the surround speakers and the mixing allows for the score to open up in a splendid way. Action scenes are similarly enhanced from the more immersive sound mixing. An excellent encode by Funimation.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card - Part 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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

Textless Opening Song "Rocket Beat" (HD, 1:32)

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

Textless Closing Song "Rewind" (HD, 1:31)

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card - Part 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Based on the beloved manga by Clamp (Chobits, Cardcaptor Sakura), Cardcaptor Sakura: Clow Card is an entertaining follow-up to the original. The animation is superbly produced and the episodes are engaging from beginning to end. If there is one drawback to the second Clear Card collection, it is the knowledge that the manga is still ongoing and that the series is currently in hiatus. The series has not received a renewal (yet) or a cancellation – and the arc is far from over. One can hope that it won't be long before the production comes back for the rest of the story. Highly recommended.