Episode 2 is one of my favourite episodes in the series, if only because of the Tomoyo screentime. Yes, I'm a Tomoyo fanboy, possibly because I, like Kyon, am kind of attracted to weird girls. Tomoyo's weirdness is only the surface of it, though; if you put aside the rampant Out-Of-Character situations that pop up now and then, she turns out to be the most fascinating and likeable character in the entire show, in my opinion. However, I'm obviously biased, so take that as you will.

I don't have a whole lot of CHECK!Points in this recap, largely because I tried screencapping everything I thought was moe, and ended up with pretty much every scene with Tomoyo in it and nothing to say about them but Tomoyo-chan moe~. So we'll just take it as a given that every time Tomoyo comes on screen, add in a CHECK!Point. It's the Moe Check drinking game, or something.

In this episode, "Sakura's Wonderful Friend", Tomoyo learns of Sakura's brand new title of Cardcaptor, and decides to use stage direction and expert camcorder skillz to replicate a true mahou shoujo series. Especially the henshin sequences, apparently.

Sakura is woken up the next morning after the Fly card incident by Kero-chan. Exactly how he managed to be awake before Sakura is never fully explained; maybe he's just a morning person. Actually, that would make a lot of sense.

So if you were to wake up and see this sight floating in front of you, would you need therapy? No? Never mind, then.

Sakura and Touya engage in the usual morning sibling banter. This lovely expression on Touya's face is brought to you by a well-placed footstomp. Imouto Power!

Sakura leaves for school early, because she has cleaning duty in the morning. She takes a short detour on the way, so that we can be treated once again to Yukito being all bishounen.

CHECK!Point: Sakura receives a bouquet of flowers from Yukito to put in their class. It's kind of sweet, really.

Sakura is the first to class, and Tomoyo arrives soon after. Tomoyo takes this opportunity to reveal that she's been stalking Sakura all this time. Well, she just shows Sakura a video of Sakura flying across the moon the previous night, but one has to wonder why, if Tomoyo's story about testing her new camcorder is true, she would choose the moon of all subjects to film, and that she would be filming it at exactly the time Sakura was flying across it. Presumably Tomoyo wasn't really affected by all the commotion and wind caused by the Fly.

In any case, Sakura is understandably alarmed. Her consternation grows when Kero-chan bursts out of her bag, implying that he wanted to see what modern-day schools were like, but not really thinking his cunning plan through.

Upon elaboration of Sakura's new magical girl status, Tomoyo immediately appoints herself Sakura's fashion coach. Yanno, if I were after rogue magical cards that might well kill me, and I'm not confident in my ability to recapture them, I don't think I'd be worried that much about frilly dresses and cool-looking poses.

Still, it's worth it just to see Tomoyo's sparkly-eyed expression.

The next day, everyone finds evidence of poltergeist activity. Why the desks are all piled up like that is never fully explained; it's MAGIC, after all.

That pile of furniture looks very unstable. I imagine that a teacher or two had come along soon enough and shooed all the students away.

Kero-chan confirms that it's a Clow Card based on rather skimpy evidence. He recommends a trip to the school at night, which Sakura immediately tries to veto, due to her fear of ghosts. Hoe~

Tomoyo and Kero-chan overrule her anyway. Sakura ends up meekly going along, mostly due to Tomoyo's urging. There are so very many lines I can use right here, but sadly the canon pairing is not loli-yuri.

Tomoyo introduces her bodyguards, who certainly look the part. Sharp black suits, shades even at night, a perpetually grim expression. Possibly their resumes include the defense of presidents and the covering up of aliens, ESPers, and time-travellers.

I suspect at least one of them is skilled in espionage. Sakura should conduct a sweep of her house for hidden cameras.

Tomoyo, I know your hobby is making clothes for your dearest Sakura-chan, and she does look cute in those clothes, but to be perfectly honest, this is really creepy.

Sakura wears the clothes anyway. Tomoyo and Kero-chan help her change. Think about that for a bit.

Sakura meets the culprit of the episode, and the laws of nature and physics begin to break down.

Now, that black thing is supposedly a sentient blob of shadow. This blob of shadow had apparently built itself up by collecting lots of other shadows, and, somewhere along the way, gained significant mass, composition, and a distinct third dimension.

How this is possible, and what the shadow is made of, are questions that are never fully explained. It's MAGIC.

A grasping tentacle of shadow snags the flying Sealing Wand. The minds of ten thousand lolicons descend into the gutter.

Sakura tries desperately to escape from the shadow-tentacle's grip and keep the show G-rated. Kero-chan laments that lighting the place up would deal critical damage to the shadows, but it's impossible to make the sun rise. Tomoyo breaks into the school's power room and shows him the wonders of modern floodlight technology.

The true form of the Shadow is revealed, and it is not, alas, a mysterious figure in a wide-brimmed fedora, suit, and cape, who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men. Rather, it turns out to be a sort of Ringwraith.

Despite probably having been traumatized by fighting a tentacle monster at night wearing a revealing outfit, Sakura decides to thank Tomoyo with a present the next day. She finds her self-appointed videographer in the AV room (trying so hard not to pun inappropriately here) enjoying the fruits of her labours.

In the school. Watching a magical battle. By a known student of the school. Involving tentacles. In an unlocked room.

I can only surmise that if challenged, Tomoyo can claim that it's not MAGIC, but merely CG.

CHECK!Point: Victolee!

This episode's Kero-chan ni Omakase deals with this episode's battle costume. Kero-chan doesn't really have a lot to say about it other than the hat and the big bow making it cute; I have to agree.

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