It was fun to return to the world of Cardcaptor Sakura. Clamp has a very distinctive style to their art that made reading this a lot like a feeling of nostalgia and fondness. Sakura is a little older than the last time we saw her and jumping into a new adventure when she has a dream about clear cards and wakes up to find all her previous cards were now blank and see through. Thankfully she has a lot of familiar faces to help her solve this mystery. I’m curious to see where this story goes but I’m happy to do it.

I've been well aware of this series for a long time and i knew the image of the magic characters but i enjoyed reading it so much. It was a joy to read and learn more about the story of why the cards were clear. I enjoyed it but at times the story was visually unclear for me to follow.

When I was younger, I stayed up late ( by my standards) to watch the series in English. It was my first brush with anime related shows. My sister carried on from there though and became the ardent follower she is now. I therefore have the background information to enjoy the adventures that the characters are constantly involved in.

I may not have read the other books preceding this, but I was happy to find this one. The story picks up from a moment of peace, where all the tasks required off of Sakura seem to be at an end. She has tracked all the cards, converted them all and she holds the key to control them. Then the peace is disturbed.

This was just the first volume and I am looking forward to the second one, since I am not sure what happens next. Considering this is a short graphic novel, the review cannot be any bigger. It was a fun read and is something I am sure fans of Sakura would definitely read.

When I was younger I devoured every episode and film of the Cardcaptor Sakura anime and still proudly own every original UK available volume of the first two manga arcs series. I loved a lot of CLAMP's work and Cardcaptor Sakura was my absolute favourite so it goes without saying that when it was announced in 2016 that one of my all time top magical girls would be back with a new manga and anime series I may have lost it a little and reread all the manga immediately and became instantly filled with nostalgia. 

Clear Card overlaps just ever so slightly with the epilogue at the end of the last volume of Cardcaptor Sakura: Master of the Clow (the second and original final series of the manga) but it the overlapping feels natural and it wasn't until I reread the last volume again that I even realised, it feels natural and is a good way to start this new series. 

In addition to the overlapping we are also treated to a few pages of factoids about characters established in the previous books and what part they play in the story which is a fantastic idea for new and old readers. For the readers who are returning to the series it's a good way to refresh the memory as the last book was published way back in 2000! This is also a good way to introduce new readers who may just be picking up these books for the first time and it means they can just happily buy this book and be relatively up to speed with the relevant information needed instead of having to put it back and read the other ten volumes first which a lot of brick and mortar book stores just don't stock anymore. This makes the book accessible to everyone and is a great feature which is very on theme with the theme of the book itself as the recap itself is told by Sakura's familiar Kero in his adorable winged teddy bear form. 

It may have been (gulp) eighteen years since our last foray into Sakura's world but absolutely none of the  feel of the book has changed. I was worried that, like many things remembered from childhood that my younger self may have put the series on a pedestal and recalled only the good and worried that my older self wouldn't get the same enjoyment from it (a little like the first episodes of Pokemon or Power rangers which now feel rather cringe worthy to the twenty nine year old version of me). I was so glad to have been wrong. There is still the same humour and that light cutesy feeling to the whole story but with that underlying seriousness and threat that the original series did so well which I feel to be important in a story where the hero's best friend makes her individual outfits for every occasion. 

The pacing is managed well and as this volume is divided into chapters as they would have been released originally in serial form in the shojo manga magazine Nakayoshi, you can still enjoy the effects of some of the cliffhangers left at the end of each, even if it's only for as long as it takes to turn the page I still find it thrilling to experience those jaw dropping moments mostly in the way they were intended. 
Much like the plot, art and general feel of the books the characters are still very much the same characters we came to know and love. Tomoyo is the adorable best friend who wants what is best for Sakura, still has a closet full of wonderful outfits for her and has not given up trying to film her best friends important moments. Kero is often playing video games and thinking about his stomach first making him still the most relatable character for me! As with his character previously Syaoran doesn't say especially much but what he does say is important and he still carries that intense air about him, even more so in this volume because, as the synopsis suggests he certainly seems to be hiding something. 
I'm delighted to add that although it really doesn't feel like any time at all has passed we do have some new art and designs that are just gorgeous. Cardcaptor Sakura has always been a very beautiful manga but some of the updated designs just feel so new and fresh in a way that I think really brings it up to date in a way I hadn't expected and am excited to see more of. 

If you're a fan of the magical girl troupe, either in anime or manga I highly recommend this be something you pick up, the anime episodes are also being released but there is always an extra depth and feeling in reading the original manga first I find and I believe this series to be no exception. Although I've gone on about my own nostalgia about this series and how it's still very true to the older first books don't let that put you off if this would be your first dip into the Cardcaptor world, it's a brilliant jumping on point and one I certainly hope you'll enjoy as much as I have.

To be honest, I never had the chance to finish the original Cardcaptor Sakura manga, or the anime, and so never found out how the series was concluded back in the 90s, but how could I say no to an ARC of the sequel to this mahou shoujo legend? It's been - unbelievable - three years since the last time I sat down and read a manga, and getting back to a good old magical girl story felt absolutely refreshing! While not much happens plot-wise in volume one besides the heartwarming reunion with well-loved characters, CLAMP's ever changing art style is a feast for the eyes! The artists return to old Sakura's soft strokes and cute costumes with flowery ornaments on every page, incorporating modern twists such as smartphones. Which made me feel incredibly old somehow. I don't know what it is about CLAMP's storytelling, but they continue to deliver highly addictive reading material decade after decade.

It's been a while since I've seen something new in the Cardcaptor Universe! Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card begins where CCS left off. Sakura is starting middle school and Syaoran is back in town (maybe permanently). But strange things are happening throughout Tomoeda. The Sakura cards have become transparent and not only a new staff, but new cards have presented themselves to the Cardcaptor. Who've responsible for this? And what secrets are Syaoran and Eriol hiding this time?

Except for a few things, such as more advanced technology, Clear Card feels like a seamless transition from the original CCS mangas. Following Cardcaptor style, the art and plotline is saccharine cute, but the art (as always with CLAMP, is solid. I'm already interested in where this story is going! It's been a while since I've been able to experience Cardcaptors with fresh eyes. Feels like childhood.

4/5 stars

'Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card' is sort of the sequel to the original Cardcaptor Sakura story that swept so many girls around the globe off their feet, as it starts where the original manga left off. It is utterly nostalgic and heartwarming to return to Sakura's world, excited to see my childhood favourite characters in new adventures. CLAMP's art is mesmerising as always, but since a few years have passed since the original maga finished, their art is much more polished, while it retains all those characteristics that make CLAMP's art unique. The story itself is very interesting and I'm very much looking forward to see where this new adventure will lead.

I definitely recommend this volume to all fans of Cardcaptor Sakura, although I am certain they are all already very excited about this release. For new readers, perhaps it would be best to start with the original series first, since events that happened there are constantly mentioned throughout this volume and it would be very confusing.

New story featuring Cardcaptor Sakura as she enters middle school, with adorable art (as always). After a scary dream, all of the Sakura cards have gone blank (hence the title) and weak, prompting Sakura and company to search out the why of it all. I am thinking that the new developments mirror Sakura's personal growth. At any rate, new Cardcaptor Sakura!!

It's really nice to return to the world of Cardcaptor Sakura in this sequel series to the original. The art is the same and it's just as cute. I hope to read the rest in the future. And the anime is following closely to the manga.