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Cardcaptor Sakura Anime Streamed on Crunchyroll

August 10, 2014

Cardcaptor Sakura Anime Poster

Catch You, Catch Me! At the Otakon panel this week, Crunchyroll announced that all 70 episodes of the Cardcaptor Sakura anime will be streamed starting on August 12, at 6 pm PST. Woohoo!

I’ve been eyeing the new set and have yet to drop the cash for it. I’m excited that it’s being streamed on Crunchyroll. My first viewing experience of it wasn’t that great, since it relied on youtube videos that were scarce to find. Finally I can watch it in its entirety with correct subtitles. Apparently there will also be some English dub episodes. (I highly advise you to stay away from those and just enjoy the adorable Japanese seiyuu <voice actors>.)

The attempt to bring the series renamed Cardcaptors to a young American audience back in the early 2000’s was a huge failure. The 70 episodes were condensed to 39, and backstory was erased leaving holes in the storyline. If that happened to be your introduction to this series, I urge you to give Cardcaptor Sakura another chance.

The History:

Cardcaptor Sakura began as a 12 tankoban shoujo manga series written and illustrated by the manga group CLAMP. The manga was originally serialized in Nakayoshi from May 1996 to June 2000. The manga series was awarded the Seiun Award for Best Manga in 2001. Then the series was adapted into a 70-episode anime by MADHOUSE that aired from April 1998 to March 2000. The anime won the Animage Grand Prix award for Best Anime in 1999. The series was praised for being accessible by older viewing audiences and for the high quality of animation.

So what’s this magical girl anime really about, you ask? Here’s a breakdown:

Season 1

Ten-year-old Sakura lives a pretty normal life with her older brother Toya, and widowed father Fujitaka. Or she did… until the day she returned home from school to discover a glowing book in her father’s study. After opening the book and releasing the cards within, Sakura is tasked with collecting each of these magical cards, while trying to live the life of a normal fourth grader. In the monumental task of collecting all the cards, Sakura must rely on her friends and family, and decide what she finds most important in life.

Season 2
Sakura’s journey to recapture the Clow Cards continues. With most of them captured, she finds that the remaining cards are going to put up a fight. Along the way, she must also navigate the struggles of moving on to the fifth grade and contend with the ever-evolving romances in her life. And before long, she discovers that there’s a not so pleasant surprise waiting for her at the end of her card-capturing journey…

Season 3
After a harrowing journey to collect the cards and prove her worth as their master, Sakura finds herself in a whole new world of trouble as mysterious events begin to threaten the small town of Tomoeda. To make matters worse, Yukito seems to be having some unexplained troubles of his own. With no cards left on the loose, Sakura must form a special bond with her cards to quell each new disturbance, and discover what could possibly be causing them before the lives of Tomoeda’s residents are damaged beyond repair!

If you like magical girl anime, are a CLAMP fan, or just enjoy action and romance don’t miss out on this chance to view the entire series on Crunchyroll while it’s available!

Cardcaptor Sakura Anime Streamed on Crunchyroll

August 10, 2014

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