Superheroes with pink and lace:Cardcaptor Sakura
When I came home, Briony insisted I had to sit down and watch this with her. I was hesitant, because I remember watching Cardcaptors, the English dubbed version when I was a kid, and not being very impressed. It was Pokemon for girls --- which just goes to show, you can never, ever judge an anime from its English dub. Both Pokemon and Cardcaptor Sakura were horribly mangled in their English translations: scenes and entire episodes cut and spliced so they could be marketed to the translators' ideal Western audience --- Pokemon for younger children, Cardcaptor Sakura for the boys. Of course, as we all know, boys can't deal with girls in the spotlight, or the idea of other boys who like each other. So! Snip snip.
Cardcaptors is actually Cardcaptor Sakura. It's her story: she's an adorable nine year old who bickers with her older brother Touya, crushes hard on his best friend, has classmates who are all awesome to each other, flails a little at her best friend Tomoyo's crush on her. She becomes the cardcaptor when she comes across a book of cards in her father's basement. But these are magic, sentient cards, Sakura has magic abilities she didn't know she had, and she accidentally sets them loose. Kero, their guardian, charges her with their capture and guardianship. She is pink and frilly, scared of ghosts and ghost stories, is athletic and clever, and sometimes horribly absent-minded. She is allowed to be all of these things and be a powerful superhero. You see the <3?
There are...a couple of uncomfortable-making subplots in the anime. But here be a list of the things that make Cardcaptor Sakura awesome:
The Kinomoto Family: Comprised of Sakura, her Dad Fujitaka and her older brother Touya. Most adorable fictional family in the history of families. Touya calls his little sister monster, teases her to death, and is also indescribably sweet to her. Fujitaka is best dad ever. He wears an apron to cook breakfast for his kids. He makes sure the kids have cake waiting for them in the fridge!
Also: everyone in the family does their chores, and has to make time for their chores. There is no: that stuff's for girls, or that stuff's for the adults, or that stuff's just invisible because no one cares about a superhero who also vacuums, amirite?
Same sex crushes everywhere!: Touya and his best friend Yukito, Tomoyo on Sakura, Sakura on the pretty teacher with long red hair. Shaoran Li's crush on Yukito is only about the most adorable thing ever. Also! It's primarily the male characters who get the angsty emotional AUGH FEELINGS WHAT DO I DO WITH THEM arcs, while Sakura just keeps on catching cards and being awesome.
Sakura's best friend Tomoyo: adores her best friend to bits. On finding out Sakura's secret, she has an entire wardrobe of pretty outfits for Sakura to wear when she's off Cardcapturing, and films Sakura on her adventures. She cheerleads when Sakura is scared, reassures her through self doubt, and makes Sakura and Kero sweets.
This is a show where everyone is awesome to each other: No seriously! Sakura's class is made up of people who cheer each other on and pat each other on the back. Well...there are moments, Especially with Shaoran and Mei Li. But people get over themselves, and people grow up, which another nice thing about this anime. The kids grow up.
It's hilarious. It's very, very good at being funny whether it's Sakura fantasizing about squashing Touya, when she's flailing over Tomoyo's crush, or whether it's an epic mishap while Cardcapturing.
In conclusion, people. Sakura is awesome.
Cardcaptors is actually Cardcaptor Sakura. It's her story: she's an adorable nine year old who bickers with her older brother Touya, crushes hard on his best friend, has classmates who are all awesome to each other, flails a little at her best friend Tomoyo's crush on her. She becomes the cardcaptor when she comes across a book of cards in her father's basement. But these are magic, sentient cards, Sakura has magic abilities she didn't know she had, and she accidentally sets them loose. Kero, their guardian, charges her with their capture and guardianship. She is pink and frilly, scared of ghosts and ghost stories, is athletic and clever, and sometimes horribly absent-minded. She is allowed to be all of these things and be a powerful superhero. You see the <3?
There are...a couple of uncomfortable-making subplots in the anime. But here be a list of the things that make Cardcaptor Sakura awesome:
The Kinomoto Family: Comprised of Sakura, her Dad Fujitaka and her older brother Touya. Most adorable fictional family in the history of families. Touya calls his little sister monster, teases her to death, and is also indescribably sweet to her. Fujitaka is best dad ever. He wears an apron to cook breakfast for his kids. He makes sure the kids have cake waiting for them in the fridge!
Also: everyone in the family does their chores, and has to make time for their chores. There is no: that stuff's for girls, or that stuff's for the adults, or that stuff's just invisible because no one cares about a superhero who also vacuums, amirite?
Same sex crushes everywhere!: Touya and his best friend Yukito, Tomoyo on Sakura, Sakura on the pretty teacher with long red hair. Shaoran Li's crush on Yukito is only about the most adorable thing ever. Also! It's primarily the male characters who get the angsty emotional AUGH FEELINGS WHAT DO I DO WITH THEM arcs, while Sakura just keeps on catching cards and being awesome.
Sakura's best friend Tomoyo: adores her best friend to bits. On finding out Sakura's secret, she has an entire wardrobe of pretty outfits for Sakura to wear when she's off Cardcapturing, and films Sakura on her adventures. She cheerleads when Sakura is scared, reassures her through self doubt, and makes Sakura and Kero sweets.
This is a show where everyone is awesome to each other: No seriously! Sakura's class is made up of people who cheer each other on and pat each other on the back. Well...there are moments, Especially with Shaoran and Mei Li. But people get over themselves, and people grow up, which another nice thing about this anime. The kids grow up.
It's hilarious. It's very, very good at being funny whether it's Sakura fantasizing about squashing Touya, when she's flailing over Tomoyo's crush, or whether it's an epic mishap while Cardcapturing.
In conclusion, people. Sakura is awesome.