Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed Card Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed Card Blu-ray Movie Review

Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie 2: The Sealed Card is an exhilarating and ambitious anime film following the beloved anime television series. Featuring stunning animation produced by studio Madhouse (Cardcaptor Sakura, Di Gi Charat), Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie 2: The Sealed Card is a classic masterwork from the studio. A must-see for fans of the anime series and newcomers alike.

Featuring production by Bandai Visual, Kodansha, Madhouse, Shelty, and Shochiku, Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie 2: The Sealed Card is an essential anime film. The second film is even more exciting than the first film in the franchise. Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie 2: The Sealed Card features a stunning theme song performed by Chaka. Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie 2: The Sealed Card features exceptional voice performances by Sakura Tange, Aya Hisakawa, Motoko Kumai, Junko Iwao, Masaya Onosaka, Megumi Ogata, Tomokazu Seki, and Yukana Nogami.

Based on the original manga created by CLAMP, Cardcaptor Sakura features production by Kazuhiko Ikeguchi (All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku, Cowboy Bebop), Kouichi Tsurunari, Shinji Komori (Steamboy, X), Tatsuya Ono (Chobits, Galaxy Angel), and Tsuyoshi Yoshida (Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie - Conqueror of Shamballa, Saiyuki: Requiem). Executive produced by Naoki Gokida, Shigeru Watanabe (Akira, Blue Submarine No.6), Syuji Miyajima, and Yasuki Iwase, Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie 2: The Sealed Card is an impressive work of art.

The tale of Sakura Kinomoto (Sakura Tange) seems to be coming to a close. Sakura managed to finish capturing all of the mystical Clow Cards that escaped from the book that held them – unleashed everywhere. With the 52 Clow Cards now managed, Sakura dreams a peaceful and fun summer.

Everything seems to be going fine except for the thought of Shaoran Li (Motoko Kumai) remaining on Sakura’s mind. Despite the quest being seemingly over, unexpected new mystery awaits. What will Kerberos (Aya Hisakawa) do to aid Sakura? The Nothing Card (Maaya Sakamoto) also enters the equation. Past and present collide – can Sakura find true love or will her feelings fade into the past?

Sakura is an incredible lead protagonist. The character is essential to the journey. The epic adventure just wouldn’t be the same without her and her role in the saga. The character is also well designed, featuring character costume designing by CLAMP (the original creator of the manga). The design element is something that became a fan-favorite element of the series.

The chief animation direction by Hisashi Abe (Chobits, Gunslinger Girl) is one of the most remarkable things about the film. Abe is a talented animation director and the artistry alongside art director Yūji Ikeda (Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone, Ninja Scroll) helped bring the best out of the production. The team of animators brought so much talent to the forefront of the feature-film. Each sequence in the film has an incredible array of colors and visual flourishes that add a lot to the experience. The cinematography by Hisao Shirai (Cardcaptor Sakura, Galaxy Express 999) is exquisite, ambitious, and engaging throughout the feature-film – elevating the animation.

The score composed by Takayuki Negishi (Cardcaptor Sakura, Lupin III: The Secret of Twilight Gemini) is fantastic and a huge part of the charm of the film. Negishi made an essential score with the anime series and the feature-film sequel expands on the original by continuing to utilize the memorable themes at the backbone of the production. The music is sweepingly romantic, adventurous, epic, and serene. Exploring all the elements requisite for a classic anime series, composer Negishi made one of their best scores for Cardcaptor Sakura and the sequel film does a great job expanding on the original series music.

Written by Nanase Ohkawa (Cardcaptor Sakura, Magic Knight Rayearth), Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie 2: The Sealed Card is a exciting and well-paced film. The script gives a lot of great moments to Sakura alongside her friends and allies. The characters are all given good moments to shine. The scripting manages to find adventure that feels anew and epic in scope.

Directed by Morio Asaka (Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits), Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie 2: The Sealed Card is even more entertaining than the original feature film. The second feature-film does a great job with expanding the ending of the original anime series (the second film taking place following the series production sequence). The film is thrilling and provides a fun send-off (at the time) to the series. Everyone who considers themselves a Cardcaptor Sakura fan will enjoy it.

Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed Card Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie 2: The Sealed Card is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The video quality appears notably superior to the presentation on the first feature film. Though both films feature older high-definition masters (created in Japan closer to the time of the format's creation), the second film features notably better color reproduction and depth. The detail is impressive on the release. Colorful animation shines and the filmic visuals add a lot to the experience.

Though Discotek uses an older master in some respects, it is currently the best available presentation of the film. Well worth seeing for fans. Even so, I would buy the film again if a 4K restoration in line with the 4K scanning completed for the original anime series is someday provided (as featured on the 4K restored complete series set released by Anime Limited in the United Kingdom).

Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed Card Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of audio options: Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (with English subtitles), Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 (with English subtitles), English Dolby Digital 5.1, and English Dolby Digital 2.0. The lossless audio sounds crisp and engaging. The Japanese surround sound is especially jubilant, engaging, and enticing. The surrounds are actively used and the soundstage feels epic. A fantastic sound presentation capably reproducing the sound direction by Masafumi Mima (Cardcaptor Sakura, Attack on Titan).

Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed Card Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Leave It to Kero: The Movie (Short Film) – The shot film plays directly following the feature-film presentation or can be accessed by the extras menu. Though this is a ridiculously cute and fun film featuring Kero, the short plays immediately after the main-feature presentation – so including it as something part of the "extras" package does seem a bit superfluous.

Theatrical Trailers (HD, 1:57)

Television Spots (HD, 1:25)

Vintage English Credits (SD, 8:05)

Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed Card Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie 2: The Sealed Card is a remarkable achievement in anime filmmaking. The epic scale of the film is phenomenal and the animation is breathtaking. There is so much to appreciate. The Blu-ray release features a solid high-definition presentation (though the film could use a newer restoration scanned in 4K) alongside lossless audio. The release comes with a nice o-card slipcover. Recommended.