Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card - Episodes 4-6 (Review)

By: EyeSpyeAlex and RaeAfter a brief hiatus, we’re back to bring you more Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card goodness! Need to catch up? Check out our previous review here!We have a new character alert! Sakura’s class is host to a new transfer student, Akiho Shihomoto. Sakura quickly befriends Akiho and brings her into her circle of friends. With Sakura’s help, Akiho quickly learns where the best shopping places are, and realizes that she belongs in the choir club with Tomoyo. It only took a short amount of time for Akiho to immerse herself and become one with the group!Sakura is also making strides in the romance department. Li gives Sakura permission to call her at any time, and even allows Sakura to make lunch for him. When the group goes out to see the cherry blossoms, he accidentally eats lunch beforehand. Seeing how upset this makes her, Li makes sure he eats Sakura’s home made lunch. For middle schoolers, the whole exchange is surprisingly intimate.Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card would be incomplete if it meant Sakura didn’t secure any new cards. These latest episodes introduce us to her three newest additions: Action, Gravitation, and Record. What makes these latest captures so curious is that each card subtly (or in Gravitation’s case, not so subtly) is alluring to Sakura. She feels their presence on a subconscious level, and is beckoned to them. Even more curious is that Li cannot sense their presence whatsoever - something that seems to greatly affect him.There are still some areas where the show excels - the themes of friendship are definitely at the forefront, and Sakura and Syaoran’s relationship continues to be adorable. The art and animation, as well as music, are absolutely lovely. However, it’s not perfect.Despite having an incredible mystery surrounding the cards, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card spends maybe too much time on Sakura’s friendships. It’s gotten to the point where the card encounters feel forced into the storyline. At one point Sakura zones out at the dinner table and sees the mysterious hooded figure, and it’s barely acknowledged. Part of the draw of the original Cardcaptor Sakura was the various cards - how could they be defeated, and captured? How could they help Sakura save the day later on? So far, many of the Clear Card episodes focus the majority of their time on Sakura, her friends, and their shenanigans, while the cards make a brief appearance here or there and are solved fairly quickly. While the show continues to be beautiful, the plot needs some serious work to be considered a well-rounded show.New episodes of Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card air Sunday’s on Crunchyroll and VRV platforms.