Title -Card Captor Sakura
Alternative title(s) - Oh! I'm reviewing both the original and the dub, but I still don't want to say it! I know! Take the title, subtract "akura", drag the "s" to the end of the second part of the name and you get its alternative title! Ida!
Genre(s) - Mah
shjo, fantasy, comedy, etc.
If you're wondering why there are two versions of the review of the anime, the answer is simple. I decided to do this because as much as I love this series, I had no choice. I wanted to give this series a high score, but because of the dub, I can't. If you want to see the other version, go here.
I really wanted to give a high score here my fellow fans! Sadly, I can't. You know why? I'll explain why after I give background information first.
For those who don’t know, "Card Captor Sakura" is based on a 1996 manga by Clamp. The anime came out a couple of years later. There are 70 episodes and 2 movies.
A ten-year old girl named Kinomoto Sakura opened up a mystical book. To go on with her family, Fujitaka, Sakura’s dad, is one of the professors at a university and her mother, Nadeshiko died when Sakura was only three and when Tya, Sakura’s brother, was ten. Anyway, Sakura opens up the book and cards come out. There’s also what looks to be a stuffed doll as we first see it named Kerberos, but Sakura just calls him Kero-chan since he’s too cute to have a formal name.
Kero-chan tells Sakura that she is the chosen person. She must retrieve the cards, who were created by an English creator named Clow Reed, or disaster would strike. Who knows what will happen? So, Sakura, Daidji Tomoyo and the rest of her friends must do whatever it takes to prevent any type of disaster. Oh. Tomoyo is also Sakura’s cousin, as their mothers, Nadeshiko and Sonomi, are cousins.
Okay. I’m done giving out some background information. So, why is it that I can’t give a high score on this series? That’s simple. I have to grade both the subbed and dubbed version. Blame the dub! I really, really can not stand the dub! I was never involved here and neither was Pioneer who brought forth a sub only version.
Hmmm? You don’t know what is wrong with the dub? First off, the dub goes under a new name, but I don’t like saying it since it ruins the theme of the series; thus I won't mention it here. Second, the voices sound great...if I wanted to see the future dub of "Marmalade Boy". Of course, I said this back when the "Marmalade Boy" anime was still a fan sub series.
What else? The music is weak, compared to the original’s work. I never like music being changed and I don’t see how it helps here. The worst part lies in the fun and that starts to affect the categories. What up with Tomoyo-chan in the dub? (Yes, dropping the apostrophe with an "s" was intentional there. =P) Name change, personality change, this is not Tomoyo-chan! This is some gaijin who got some magic and managed to look like her!
The point is that the series as a whole got messed up as it was being dubbed. Story has been altered in a bad way. The music has been changed for the worse. The characters don’t sound right. Come to think of it, the only character who had a real good voice that reall stood out in my mind is Fujitaka, but we hardly hear him overall. The dub is that bad.
I know there is one last statement I want to say. Oh yeah. If you see a low score here, it’s not because the series has a childish feel as some people say, since people like me watch it and there’s some teenage themes as well, but it’s because of the dub.
Fun - 3
Japanese version - fuzzy, light-hearted, enjoyable, fill in any other nice adjective here.
Dub - rough, dark, terrible, fill in any other vice-like adjective here.
Life - 3
Japanese version - a real keeper.
Dub - a real sleeper.
Story - 5
Here’s where the series starts to fall flat and it won’t stop from here. As I continue on, the scores will get lower and lower. It just keeps getting worse and worse.
The Japanese version has the story kept in tact. It’s a simple story about a girl catching cards to save the world. There are also fun events that go along the way.
The dub is totally different. When it was played on television, episode eight was played first to let Shaoran shine. There’s also a particular scene involving Sasaki Rika-chan and her deal with Terada Yoshiyuki-sensei in the episode after. To put it in simple terms, the dub is a shnen version of the original and it turned out to be bad. "Card Captor Sakura" should not act like a shnen series and there are other issues as well.
If there is a general flaw that applies to both versions, it’s that there's one reason I prefer the manga more than the anime and guess who that reason is? Mei Lin. I didn't really care about her and her not being in the manga did help the story quite a lot. Sure, I like Nogami Yukana (Mei Lin's seiy
), but I just couldn't get into her character. You know? Oh and at times, the series can drag on for a while.
Audio - 4
The Japanese version has music that people love. Gumi’s Catch You Catch Me, the first opening theme is one of my favorite songs in anime. What’s even better is that there’s a Eurobeat version of this song.
The seiy: wonderful, though there were times that got me wondering why Hisakawa Aya-sama played as Kero-chan. True, she’s from the Osaka area and Kero-chan is supposed to speak in the Kansai - * dialect. Well, at least it works in a way.
Oh! I have to say this. This is the anime series that made Tange Sakura-san shine. She is the seiy who brought us Sakura's "Hoeee?" sounds.
The dub’s audio is a different story. Majority of the voices don’t fit, like the voice of Tomoyo-chan’s gaijin. The music does not capture the spirit of the series. It’s not great.
Art - 10
You have your Clamp art right here. So, you know what to expect in terms of both the good and the bad. Yeah.
To be more specific, Clamp has been known for bringing out some of the best art ever. The artists have always brought out elegancy in their art. If there’s a weakness they have, it’s that at times, some of the body parts they draw are a bit too big.
"Card Captor Sakura" is no exception. The characters look really good, though Tya is the only guy who looks like a Clamp guy. The best way to explain this is that Clamp usually does not draw boys that do not have a feminine touch in their looks. The Li cousins, Shaoran and Mei Lin, Mizuki Kah-sensei, they’re fine. Well, enjoy this part while you can because this is the only category that gets a high score from me.
Overall - 5
To sum it up, "Card Captor Sakura" equals “Sugoi na!” ^_^
"The pathetic dub of 'Card Captor Sakura'" equals...uh, yeah! The dub is that pathetic. Enough said.
Remember the statements I said before I gave the scores here? So, should you watch the series? Yes, but I want you--no. I beg of you to watch the original.
+
You have the nice art and the Japanese version is wonderful in every way.
-
Mei Lin isn’t that great as a character, the series can drag on for a while from time to time and the dub really hurts the series.
Date of creation - 3/8/03
Last update - 8/10/04
* Kansai is the western part of Japan that includes places like Osaka, Nara and Kyto and the accent there sounds funny, yet interesting.