Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Episode 13 Review: Sakura and Welcome Back, Meiling

This Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card review contains spoilers.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Episode 13

Our lord and savior Meiling is back. Blessed be. I always really liked Meiling back in the original series. A wholly original creation for the anime (she never appeared in the manga) she added a nice wrinkle to the Sakura/Syaoran romance but most importantly was just a fun character on her own. She was abrasive and mean at times but ultimately a great friend.

This time around she serves a totally different function, as an outside observer. We’re now in the second round of Clear Card (as you can tell by the opening sequence) and we’ve settled into some patterns. Syaoran is vague as hell. Sakura’s crush for him is huge but as always doesn’t want to bother him.

Meiling comes in to question all of that. She acts as a sounding board for Sakura’s inner struggles and brings some much-needed perspective on it. A big theme that’s touched on is loneliness. Sakura worries about Syaoran being all alone. She wants to help but is afraid. 

Meiling adds some much needed context to Syaoran’s living situation, that everyone in Hong Kong wanted him to stay but he came back specifically for Sakura. At first it seemed like Sakura was really sad about that and I was so here for it. Knowing Syaoran came back specifically for her is a lot of pressure I wish had been explored. A great lesson to tackle would have been, “don’t uproot your life solely for one person.” Instead it all comes back to Syaoran just being vague about whatever secret he’s hiding.

While Meiling was much sweeter this time around I wish there had been a little of that abrasiveness from her original appearances. It would have been great to see her just shut down Sakura’s cuteness and go, “No. Just talk to him, idiot!” That wouldn’t have quite been in line with the cuteness of this show but I think it could have been helpful.

Sakura (and Yukito with Toya, actually) don’t press people for answers they really need. Syaoran and Toya have reasons for why they’re being so vague but come on, these are people you love. Talk to them! I can excuse Syaoran for it since he’s younger but come on, Toya! Yukito is your boyfriend!

Even still, that sort of uncertainty can bite a relationship in the ass. Meiling prodding Sakura to externalize her worries could have gotten this series’ arc moving a little faster.

Still, we’re already setting up next week’s card capture adventure which looks like it could take up a large chunk of the episode so we’ll see. Maybe that level of danger will get Meiling’s emotions going enough to give Sakura the advice she needs. That or Syaoran will reveal what’s going on. Doubtful but hey, I want to see these two kids happy.

Shamus Kelley is a pop culture/television writer and official Power Rangers expert. “You appeared in my dreams a few times.” Wow, be more bisexual Sakura. Follow him on Twitter!