# Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card (Japanese: カードキャプターさくら クリアカード編, Hepburn: Kādokyaputā Sakura Kuria Kādo-hen, lit. "Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Saga") is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by the manga group Clamp. It is a sequel to Clamp's manga Cardcaptor Sakura and focuses on Sakura Kinomoto in junior high school. The manga was serialized in Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine between the July 2016 and January 2024 issues, with the chapters being collected in 16 tankōbon volumes. A 22-episode anime television series adaptation produced by Madhouse, featuring the cast and staff from the original series, aired from January to June 2018, which loosely adapts the first 24 chapters.

## Plot

Sakura Kinomoto is starting junior high school alongside her friends and her boyfriend Syaoran Li, who had just returned to Tomoeda, and the two start dating after having been in a long-distance relationship since Syaoran's return to Hong Kong a few years earlier. During her first year in junior high school, Sakura encounters a number of magical incidents in Tomoeda, similar to what she experienced in Elementary School. After having a prophetic dream about a mysterious cloaked figure, all of the Sakura Cards turn blank and are rendered completely powerless, thus starting her quest to find out what is wrong. In doing so, Sakura and her friends, along with her guardians and protectors Cerberus and Yue, discover and capture new cards, using the new and much stronger mystical dream key. Eriol, Spinel Sun and Ruby Moon appear as supporting characters, as does Kaho Mizuki, having returned to England, but continuing to aid Sakura and her protectors from afar. Sakura's brother Toya also acquires new magic which he intends to use to help Sakura when the time is right. Sakura ends up befriending a transfer student named Akiho Shinomoto (who has traveled with and lives with her butler and guardian Yuna D. Kaito in Eriol's old house), who has similar personality traits and likes to Sakura. Akiho also treasures Momo; what she believes to be a stuffed toy but is actually a magical guardian similar to Cerberus and Spinel Sun. Akiho is also in love with Kaito; something that Sakura realizes. Sakura also meets Kaito, from whom Syaoran detects supreme levels of magical power which are greater than those possessed by Eriol.
Due to her growing powers, Sakura has gained the ability to create new cards, often during times of great emotion, whose images represent her friends and loved ones. Syaoran’s mother Yelan tells him of a prophecy that if Sakura’s growing powers are left unchecked they could bring her disaster. Working with Eriol and the Sakura Cards, Syaoran takes possession of them for Sakura’s safety despite the fact that he endangered himself by doing this. Syaoran keeps these things secret from Sakura, often acting withdrawn as a result of his guilt, but eventually reveals all. Syaoran returned earlier to Japan earlier than expected both to prevent his mother’s prophecy from coming true; knowing that Sakura has not yet learnt to control her powers; with him and Eriol having known people who have suffered as a result of his powers. Sakura suspects sadly that Syaoran only returned out of the sake of his mission and not out of love for and wanting to be with her, but she is reassured when Syaoran tells Sakura that his mission was only part of the reason he returned sooner; he just wanted to see her again as soon as possible. Knowing that Kaito (whose magic makes him appear older than he really is) is a sorcerer, Syaoran tries to reveal this to Sakura, but Kaito places a spell on Syaoran to prevent him from mentioning his name to her (Sakura later breaks the spell). At moments when Kaito’s cover is blown, he uses time magic to revert things back to how they were before. As time progresses it is revealed that Kaito not only knows about Sakura’s double-life as a Cardcaptor but also her ability to create new cards (explaining his reason for moving to Tomoeda) and has been causing the magical incidents so that Sakura can create a card that he needs for an unknown, mysterious purpose.

## Media
### Manga

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card is written and illustrated by the manga artist group Clamp. It was serialized in monthly shōjo (aimed at young girls) manga magazine Nakayoshi from the July 2016 issue sold on June 3 to the January 2024 issue sold on December 1, 2023. A bonus chapter was released in March 2024. The chapters were released in a collection of 16 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha between December 2017 and April 2024. Kodansha Comics released the series in English both digitally and in print.

### Anime

A 22-episode anime television series adaptation aired from January 7 to June 10, 2018 with Morio Asaka, Nanase Ohkawa and Madhouse returning from the original anime series to direct, write and produce the new adaptation, respectively, loosely adapted from the first twenty-eight chapters of the manga. Kunihiko Hamada replaced Kumiko Takahashi as the character designer from the original series. The main cast from the original anime also returns to reprise their roles. An original video animation prequel titled Sakura and the Two Bears, which bridges the stories of the "Sakura Card Arc" and the "Clear Card Arc", had its world premiere at Anime Expo on July 1, 2017 and shipped in Japan as a DVD bundled with the special edition of volume 3 of the manga on September 13, 2017.
The first opening theme for the series is "Clear" by Maaya Sakamoto, while the first ending theme is "Jewelry" by Saori Hayami. Funimation premiered the simuldub on January 24, 2018. The second opening theme is "Rocket Beat" by Kiyono Yasuno while the second ending theme is "Rewind" by Minori Suzuki. The series was released in Japan on Blu-ray and DVD in eight volumes from May to November 2018. In 2019, Funimation released the series in two Blu-ray sets of 11 episodes each in North America on February 5 and July 2. Funimation released the complete series in one Blu-ray volume on August 11, 2020.
A sequel was announced at the Sakura Fes event on April 1, 2023, and will adapt the remaining story until its conclusion.

### Video game

Bushiroad and Monster Lab created a mobile game for iOS and Android titled Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Happiness Memories and launched it on October 3, 2019. The game's theme song is "Flash" by Maaya Sakamoto. In May 2020, Bushiroad and Monster Lab announced they were ending services for the game on June 30, 2020 due to the "state of the game" and "current operations situation."

### Drama CDs and bonus manga stories

To date, 2 Clear Card Drama CDs and 2 bonus manga stories have been released in Japan. Both Drama CDs were released with special editions of Clear Card Volumes 7 and 8, respectively. The first bonus manga story was released with Volume 8 of the Blu-Ray release of the Clear Card anime. The second, entitled “Until We Meet Again,” was released with a special edition of Clear Card Volume 10.

## Reception

It was reported in April 2017 that over 1 million copies of the manga were in print in Japan. In reviewing volumes 1 and 2 of the manga, Erica Friedman, founder of Yuricon called the sequel "honest-to-goodness", and said that those who enjoy the original series will enjoy this manga, and said she was happy with "this kiddy ride full of pretty art and nice kids", but gave low-ratings for yuri themes.
The anime adaptation received mixed reviews. Miranda Sanchez of IGN reviewed the first two episodes of the series, praising the storytelling, and animation style, but was critical of the second episode, calling it "mundane". Geordi Demorest of Anime Feminist criticized the series, arguing that while the original Cardcaptor Sakura is beloved for its "LGBTQ-inclusiveness," this sequel seems "less actively progressive" and is missing the original focus on "explicitly representing LGBTQ characters". Lynzee Loveridge of Anime News Network wrote that she was unsure whether the series added "anything worthwhile to characters' stories" and argued that it is a "facsimile of the previous series," with no traditional villains. Tim Jones and Stig Høgset of THEM Anime Reviews gave the series a more positive review. Jones said he had some hesitation to start the series, as it was three years after Sailor Moon Crystal, while Høgset called the show like "a fun family reunion" and praised the background art for the series.
Timothy Donohoo of CBR claimed that the series was "largely forgotten" by fans and the anime industry because it was a "disappointing affair for many" because it ran for 22 episodes and called it a "mediocre rehash" of the original and "painfully mediocre". Charles Solomon of Animation Scoop praised the series for its animation quality, but said that the series "faltered" by copying the original series "too closely", had an ending that was too abrupt, and stated that elements like Tomoyo’s love for Sakura "fell by the wayside." Jack Eaton of Gamerant noted that the series did not receive "the same critical and commercial success" as the original, and called for a "a second chance at a sequel" which is more fitting than this series, or a remastering of the original. Shamus Kelley, in his review of the final three episodes of the series for Den of Geek, criticizing the ending as a "convoluted mess", called the plot "heavy-handed", noted the series focus on Tomoyo's "endless obsession with Sakura", and praised the series as "really fun" but fighting "against itself." In reviews of other episodes within the series, Kelley criticized the plot as "fairly lackluster", not expanding on possible queer themes, "lazily aping" the original series, and described the plot as creepy.