Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Episode 4 Review: Sakura and the Lovely Transfer Student

This Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card review contains spoilers.

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Episode 4

It’s tough for TV to make me laugh out loud when I’m alone. I might chuckle or smile but something has to really be over the top to get me to even chuckle by myself.

The moment when Sakura told Tomoyo there could be a card Tomoyo just starts darkly chuckling. This is also right before the commercial break so it’s played to be REALLY ominous. I knew what it was leading to but the direction of the scene just heightened the comedy to a level where I couldn’t help but laugh my ass off.

One thing Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card is really great at is just having these moments that let the audience have fun with the characters. A similar moment happens later on in the episode where Kero delivers perhaps the greatest line in the entire history of Cardcaptor Sakura,

“If you try hard enough you can make that a pun!!!”

He’s so hyped on that! So pleased with himself that he could even POSSIBLY think of a pun. Kero is my hero.

Moments like these do slow the pace of the episode down but I’m starting to wonder if that’s such a bad thing. Maybe in our world of shows that deploy twist after twist and huge set piece after huge set piece it’s nice to have a show that can just breathe and let us spend some quiet time with its characters.

Not everything has to be an earth shattering revelation or deep thought provoking content. Perhaps Card Captor Sakura: Clear Card just wants to be a nice warm hug of a show. If that’s the case, I can get behind it. 

This week still had an engaging story and wasn’t all over the place like last week. We also only had one (beautifully animated) card capture with a card that wasn’t a carbon copy of a Clow Card! The battle also featured Sakura calling out new instructions to her cards after she already activated them. Varying her tactics like this goes a long way to making even the Carbon Copy Cards (what, they are!) interesting. If they can stick to a structure like this episode every week? I’m on board.

We’re introduced the titular Lovely Transfer Student, Akiho, and uh… Look, I get Sakura is a very friendly person but did anyone else get a little flirty vibe between her and Akiho? I know girls in these shojo shows will blush at the drop of a hat but that whole “I would like for us to become friends” bit was hella gay.

I know this show isn’t going to do anything to jeopardize Sakura and Syaoran but my boy was totally lookin’ a little jealous. There is nothing more intense than a case of middle school drama. We don’t really need to go there with this show but I won’t lie, I’d watch it.

Speaking of gay things, WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH TOMOYO. I know in the old show she was all over Sakura and clearly had a massive crush on her but I hoped they’d ditch that in this new series. Sakura has a man now! NOPE, Tomoyo has dialed up her lesbian to an eleven, specifically instructing Sakura on how to pose for her new video and shooting her from multiple angles.

You know, if Sakura isn’t going to go for Akiho maybe she can send her Tomoyo’s way. Good lord, that girl needs someone else to obsess over.

The only real strike against this episode was Syaoran calling Eriol. Oh, yay, more mysteries and secrets. I know we’re only four episodes in but legit every single episode has introduced a new, seemingly separate, mystery. You can’t keep doing this every week. Start teasing out clues to the mysteries you’ve already introduced.

I’ve seen enough recent anime to know if you introduce this many mysteries it’s bad sign that they don’t have adequate resolutions for them planned. (Digimon Adventure tri. has been especially bad about this.)

Ending aside, this could be the perfect template for Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card moving forward. Let’s hope the series can improve on it as we go. 

Shamus Kelley has to start thinking of puns. It’s the Kero way. Follow him on Twitter!