‘Cardcaptor Sakura’s New Anime Has A Hilarious Tech Gap

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card was a grand return years in the making, and anime fans have been excitedly waiting to see what comes from the rest of the new series.

One thing they didn’t expect to see, however, was that Sakura not only was older but had gotten her hands on new technology as well.

During the first episode of the new series, Sakura calls her friends in London on a completely updated piece of technology. With a touch screen, headphone jack, this new phone is a far cry from the communicators Tomoyo’s father developed seen in the first Cardcaptor Sakura series.

The new phone hasn’t been confirmed as one of Tomoyo’s father’s creations, but hopefully it is in order to keep the spirit of the original series alive. Regardless, this major jump in technology reflects the major jump in the series that includes new powers for Sakura.

For those unfamiliar with Cardcaptor Sakura, the series follows Sakura, an elementary student who discovers she has magical powers after accidentally releasing a set of magical cards from a mysterious book. CLAMP’s original manga ran for 12 volumes from November 1996 to July 2000.

CLAMP launched the Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card sequel manga in June 2016 and follows Sakura in junior high school. After a prophetic dream about a mysterious figure, the Sakura Cards turn blank and are rendered completely powerless. Sakura and her friends then set out on a quest to find out what is wrong. Along with her guardians and protectors, Cerberus and Yue, Sakura must find and capture the transparent cards using a new, and much stronger key.

The original characters all are returning, but are middle school aged. Director of the original 1990s series and films Morio Asaka is returning to direct the new series for Madhouse. CLAMP’s Nanase Ohkawa is handling the composition, and will contribute to the scripts. Animation director for the previous series and films Kunihiko Hamada is the character designer, and CLAMP’s Mokona will handle costume and card designs. Masafumi Mima will sound direct, and Takayuki Negishi is composing the music. Maaya Sakamoto will also be returning to perform the opening theme song, “CLEAR.”

The original 1990s series will also be receiving a 4K remaster that scans its original 35mm film negatives digitally into 4K. The 11-disc set features the anime’s two seasons: the “Clow Card” arc, which ran for 46 episodes from April 1998 to June 1999, and the “Sakura Card” arc, which ran for 24 episodes from September 1999 to March 2000.