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lemons_and_uwus's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
literarygoblin's review against another edition
3.0
• this is a really cute series that is probably a great deal of fun for younger readers
• I was charmed by parts of this book, but overall I found the pacing to be confusing and some of the plot points lackluster
• the artwork is super stylistic and beautiful, although occasionally some of the imagery was unclear
• I was charmed by parts of this book, but overall I found the pacing to be confusing and some of the plot points lackluster
• the artwork is super stylistic and beautiful, although occasionally some of the imagery was unclear
fantasmariana's review against another edition
4.0
Nostalgia total. La historia de Sakura quizá no sea la más original en cuanto a magical girls, pero sin duda tiene un lugar especial en mi corazón. Fue un shock leer que la mamá de Sakura tenía 16 y el papá 25 cuando se casaron... Ahora justifico el odio de Sonomi por Fujitaka ya que en el anime nunca lo entendí bien a bien xD
saramarie08's review against another edition
5.0
Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.
Fourth-grader Sakura Kinomoto, with her latent magical ability, accidentally sets free a deck of magical cards, called Clow Cards, from inside a book in her father’s study. She’s also awakened “Cerberus,” nicknamed Kero-San, the Guardian of the Seal, who gives Sakura the key to the book and the ability to capture the cards again. These cards have gone out into the world and will wreck havoc in their own ways depending on their magical affinity. Sakura must capture the cards and use their abilities to capture even more cards.
Helping her out is her best friend, Tomoyo, who films Sakura’s exploits using a handheld camcorder, and designs all of Sakura’s amazing outfits. Tomoyo makes a new one for each new outing Sakura takes, which often happen at night when the Clow Cards are at their strongest. While collecting all these mischievous cards, Sakura navigates fourth grade, her crush on her brother’s friend, Yukito, and her affinity for anything athletic.
Some things in this story definitely haven’t stood the test of time, especially the tech in the story (pagers, camcorders, VHS tapes), but the majority of this story is timeless. Sakura is a very relatable kid, especially to the elements that make her human, like having crushes and being good at a particular subject in school. Tomoyo is also a really sweet character who uses her family's riches to explore her burgeoning talent for clothing design, and who expresses more than just friendship-type-love for Sakura, but Sakura is completely clueless. The other major selling point for this series is its humor. CLAMP can be absolutely campy, and Kero-san is the big cheese-ball in this series. There are plenty of little funny one-liners that are right in line with elementary/middle school humor that younger students will find enjoyable.
The illustrations by the CLAMP group are always extremely detailed and beautiful. The detail around the eyes is something particular to this group that is a hallmark of all their stories, and they also excel in fantastical clothing, which here is utilized in all of Sakura's amazing outfits.
This series was also one of the foundations of the Magical Girl genre being so popular in the U.S. Its importance to the genre and the appeal the characters and story have, even to modern audiences, make this one that is a great investment for school libraries.
Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 4-8
Fourth-grader Sakura Kinomoto, with her latent magical ability, accidentally sets free a deck of magical cards, called Clow Cards, from inside a book in her father’s study. She’s also awakened “Cerberus,” nicknamed Kero-San, the Guardian of the Seal, who gives Sakura the key to the book and the ability to capture the cards again. These cards have gone out into the world and will wreck havoc in their own ways depending on their magical affinity. Sakura must capture the cards and use their abilities to capture even more cards.
Helping her out is her best friend, Tomoyo, who films Sakura’s exploits using a handheld camcorder, and designs all of Sakura’s amazing outfits. Tomoyo makes a new one for each new outing Sakura takes, which often happen at night when the Clow Cards are at their strongest. While collecting all these mischievous cards, Sakura navigates fourth grade, her crush on her brother’s friend, Yukito, and her affinity for anything athletic.
Some things in this story definitely haven’t stood the test of time, especially the tech in the story (pagers, camcorders, VHS tapes), but the majority of this story is timeless. Sakura is a very relatable kid, especially to the elements that make her human, like having crushes and being good at a particular subject in school. Tomoyo is also a really sweet character who uses her family's riches to explore her burgeoning talent for clothing design, and who expresses more than just friendship-type-love for Sakura, but Sakura is completely clueless. The other major selling point for this series is its humor. CLAMP can be absolutely campy, and Kero-san is the big cheese-ball in this series. There are plenty of little funny one-liners that are right in line with elementary/middle school humor that younger students will find enjoyable.
The illustrations by the CLAMP group are always extremely detailed and beautiful. The detail around the eyes is something particular to this group that is a hallmark of all their stories, and they also excel in fantastical clothing, which here is utilized in all of Sakura's amazing outfits.
This series was also one of the foundations of the Magical Girl genre being so popular in the U.S. Its importance to the genre and the appeal the characters and story have, even to modern audiences, make this one that is a great investment for school libraries.
Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 4-8
suria_go's review
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
evyautumn's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ekeiser8's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
iyllia's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
5.0
keikoreadsmanga's review against another edition
4.0
Wow! This is more fruitful than the animated series!
I tried watching at least 3 episodes of the anime before I opened this volume! And it's just sad that the anime didn't follow the story faithfully. There are also few arrangements with any signals of queerness which is a shame, ehem, the bicycle scene with Touya and Yukito. Must be the Japanese censorship, no? So, I guess, I won't watch the anime anymore (augh, even though I love the sequence and the art, really nostalgic) I'll just continue reading this.
I love that Clamp is not afraid to put queerness (shounen and shoujo-ai) in her work, considering this is a publication from the 90s. And I saw how homophobia spread like a plague throughout the world in that decade (and the decades before that of course). So, it put a smile on my face.
But, despite Clamp's bravery to create this masterpiece, I have to give it 4 out of 5 stars because of the detail about Sakura's mother being a minor (16 years of age) when she married Sakura's father (25 years of age)—and he happened to be her teacher. I'm not into that, and I guess the world is not ready yet for that kind of relationship too.
I tried watching at least 3 episodes of the anime before I opened this volume! And it's just sad that the anime didn't follow the story faithfully. There are also few arrangements with any signals of queerness which is a shame, ehem, the bicycle scene with Touya and Yukito. Must be the Japanese censorship, no? So, I guess, I won't watch the anime anymore (augh, even though I love the sequence and the art, really nostalgic) I'll just continue reading this.
I love that Clamp is not afraid to put queerness (shounen and shoujo-ai) in her work, considering this is a publication from the 90s. And I saw how homophobia spread like a plague throughout the world in that decade (and the decades before that of course). So, it put a smile on my face.
But, despite Clamp's bravery to create this masterpiece, I have to give it 4 out of 5 stars because of the detail about Sakura's mother being a minor (16 years of age) when she married Sakura's father (25 years of age)—and he happened to be her teacher. I'm not into that, and I guess the world is not ready yet for that kind of relationship too.
aude's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0