It is apparently very true in my case that any reference to Card Captor Sakura would be enough to send me into paroxysms of bliss. Part of this is, I think, the relative age of CCS, especially when compared to recent outings like Tsubasa Chronicle and XXXHolic. CCS is a popular anime, but I believe Chobits beat it out for even more popularity, and I can barely find any other CCS fans anyway, compared to the overwhelming representation of stuff like Gundam.

And recent references to it (which are not in Tsubasa Chronicle) are rare. References to my other anime fandom, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, are fairly easy (some would say too easy) to encounter, since it is a new anime. The time of CCS was before the time of huge Megami posters and easy trading of pictures on imageboards, or even prior to the explosion of English-speaking anime blogs, which probably does not help its case.

This is, incidentally, one reason why I'm blogging CCS. It feels like some sort of repayment for allowing me the passion to create this anime blog in the first place, and I figured that instead of wishing that some other blogger cover the series, I may as well do it myself.

But that is beside the point of this post, which is the release of CLAMP's new CLAMP in Wonderland video, titled, imaginatively, CLAMP in Wonderland 2. For those unfamiliar with the concept of the CiW videos, they are short (maybe five minutes or so) music videos featuring pretty much every CLAMP creation at the time of release. The first one was vintaged 1994, three years before mine beloved CCS was released, and featured characters from (among others) Magic Knight Rayearth and CLAMP School Detectives (I think; it's been a while since I saw it, and I forget where I put it) set to "Anata dake no Wonderland" (by Junko Hirotani). Since I'm not so much a fan of CLAMP as a specific fan of CCS, it provided me with some entertainment, but was ultimately not as memorable as I hoped it was.

Yeah, I'm selfish. I admit as much, since I did rail in the beginning of this post against the lack of CCS material on Teh Intarwebs, but am guilty of being just as ignorant of the Old Days Of Anime.

This one, though, caters to people like me, and shares much the same appeal as Tsubasa Chronicle or, more accurately, Kingdom Hearts: these are the settings we recognize, the characters we are familiar with, the series we know. Like the debate on the merits of Lucky Star, points of familiarity work wonders with regards to enjoyability.

This post will be an exercise in seeing how many screenshots I can squeeze out of a video less than six minutes long. Also, expect it to be edited fairly often as I gain more information about who the unrecognized characters are.

CLAMP has an advantage in starting this CiW. While the previous one used something along the lines of Miyuki-chan in Wonderland as a loose premise, the multiverse-spanning adventures of Tsubasa Chronicle and its tie-in XXXHolic allow for a handwave excuse to explore the worlds of CLAMP.

Cue "action!" by Maaya Sakamoto. Start up the band…

We start out in the world of XXXHolic, where Life Goes On as usual for the cast, with Maru and Moro playing with both Mokonas, Yuuko looking on as a lord looks upon his vassals, and Doumeki irritating Watanuki by doing nothing whatsoever. The Mokonas suddenly decide to go on a journey for some unknown reason, since it's not like we have dialogue in this.

I seem to remember that Yuuko was supposed to be slender and willowy. I don't actually remember her having such large… tracts of land.

First stop, Magic Knight Rayearth. Hikaru, Umi, and Wind Goddess Fuu (yes, I'm biased) sit atop Rayearth in giant mecha (according to meganeshounen, Final Fusion) form. Rayearth is very obviously CG, which kind of detracts from the immersion a fair bit. Rayearth also possesses two pairs of wings for no discernable reason other than Rule of Cool: one feathery and one batlike, possibly to represent the angel/demon duality or something.

From the sky, suddenly, Kobato from Kobato Exam, which I last heard was CLAMP's latest manga project (formerly temporarily known as Kobato), along with Ioryogi, her fire-breathing demonic dog plush familiar thingie. Kobato looks a lot less loli here than her manga incarnation, I have to note.

Ioryogi lets loose with the Flame of Orochi, which gets met with another fireball from a familiar leonine shape, resulting in an inevitable explosion which blows the two Mokonas away. Where the Mokonas came from in that scene and why they are there is left unexplained.

Cerberus (aka Kero-chan) and Spinel Sun (aka Suppi-chan) from Card Captor Sakura make their appearance. Exactly how they managed to trade places without Ioryogi's fire immolating them both in the interruption is probably explained only by MAGIC.

Kobato, in an effort to win yet another Darwin Award, clamps Ioryogi's mouth shut, possibly in a belief that Fighting Is Bad, and thus accidentally sets fire to her own umbrella. Her stint as Mary Poppins over, she begins plummeting to the ground, while Kero-chan and Suppi-chan look on in mild embarrassment.

We see a bit more of Kobato And The Effects Of Gravity, before randomly cutting away and leaving her fate uncertain.

The Mokonas are now held aloft by balloons from who knows where, while a Phantom Thief and his kindergarten loli float by in the background. Said Phantom Thief (Akira Ijyuin) and the loli (Utako Okawa) are from Man of Many Faces (manga), which I actually own, although I can't imagine why.

Dav reveals that the Tiger Riders are Chun Hyang and Mong Ryong from The Legend of Chun Hyang: Shin Shunka-den. I believe I've seen Chun Hyang turn up at least once in Tsubasa Chronicle, but wasn't sure whether she was a Reference or All-Original.

The flying girl in the white robe is Shirahime from Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess Tales. This one I'm pretty sure I've never seen before outside of a CLAMP in Wonderland video, while hastening to note that she may have turned up in an episode of Tsubasa Chronicle which I have not seen, but considering how depressing legends of Yuki-Onna tend to get, I probably don't want to know anyway.

Mokona-with-wings also appears for no apparent reason, while Mokona-of-XXXHolic has Eyes Open Wide, which never fails to creep me out.

Transition sweep: Kouhaku from Wish (manga, and short music video). I remember being extremely frustrated by the plot device of always having some sort of interruption before the Big Reveal, although that turned out to be part of the plot.

The cast of Chobits. I have to admit that it does look a lot cleaner art-wise than CCS, although this may be a result of updated technology. The characters are (not counting the Mokonas) Hideki Motusawa (the guy), Erda/Chii (girl in white), Freya/Dark Chii (girl in black), Sumomo (pink doll), and Kotoko (kimono doll).

Transition sweep: Primera from Magic Knight Rayearth, says meganeshounen. I don't remember her at all, but then I've only seen one of the OAVs, so it's not like I know that much about the series.

She also appears in Tsubasa Chronicle as an idol singer. Twice in the anime, I believe.

According to meganeshounen, the person in white with the big sword is Yasha-Ou Ashura-Ou (thanks, CJ Blackwing) from RG Veda, and gender is apparently not applicable.

Further from meganeshounen: fist-pumping brown-haired guy is Ryu-ou, and the girl just behind him is Souma. Apparently all of these appeared in Tsubasa Chronicle in various guises. From CJ Blackwing, the guy grabbing Ashura-Ou in the last screenshot is Yasha-Ou.

The scene take board reads "Mount of [something]", and the last word looks like "Detats" or "Potato" or something. Yeah, I dunno. Misha does point out that CLAMP's name apparently comes from "a pile of potatoes" or some such, so there's another reference.

Gouhou Drug (or Legal Drug, if you prefer), I'm guessing. I've never read this one, but it's a pharmacy, and that's the only CLAMP story I know of which takes place in such.

Hinata Asahi (the girl), Shirou Asou (the man), Waka and Tono (the bears), all from Suki Dakara Suki (manga). I never did read past a few pages of it, mostly because I didn't actually own it, but borrowed it from someone else while waiting.

I haven't a clue.

The Legal Drug characters again, presumably.

Tokyo Babylon, I'm assuming. I know nothing more than that.

Angelic Layer! I loved the manga for being a (relatively) short, sweet story, and kind of liked the anime, but felt that it introduced a lot more complications than needed. The red fighter toy robot (aka Angel) is Hikaru (yes, named after the one from Magic Knight Rayearth), the humans are Misaki Suzuhara (the girl), Koutarou Kobayashi (the school uniformed guy), and Ichiro Mihara/Icchan (the guy in glasses and lab coat), who I'd say I'd like to grow up (well, grow up more) to become if he didn't get arrested so often.

The Angels in the last picture are, from left to right (not counting Hikaru and Mokona), Ranga (the dancer), Shirahime (the slow-but-powerful one), Blanche (the nurse), Suzuka (the one controlled by Koutarou's five-year old sister Hatoko), Athena (the final boss and Misaki's inspiration), Wizard (the only male Angel in the manga and one of the most powerful), Mao (the one with a "Chinese fighting style"), and Alice (the one with insane balance).

Yeah, I'm a geek. I actually like the tournaments in Angelic Layer, mostly because one of the overriding morals of the series is that it's just a game, and all the Serious Business which permeates stuff like Yu-Gi-Oh is, well, far too serious.

Also, Misaki and Hikaru are very cute.

Clover (manga), which has some of the most artsy arrangements I've seen in manga. It's also told in anachronic order, and is one of the more depressing stories I've read.

Kamui Shirou (guy in the foreground with spatula) from X, along with who I think is Arashi Kishuu (girl with long hair) from the same series, and, according to Anonymouse, Yuzuriha Nekoi (girl with her back to us with short hair). Note the ads on the ceiling for CLAMP School Detectives.

I didn't take the screenshot, but Kamui is stunned due to White Mokona slurping up the okonomiyaki he was about to spatula up. In a short while, he'll actually tear up in impotent rage.

Like so.

I can't really criticize him: when it comes to food, I will defend the things I like to the death. And okonomiyaki is just delicious.

I think Kamui's dining companion is Fuuma Monou, also from X, but I could be wrong.

Obviously only a duel with spatulas can settle this, no matter the cost.

Duklyon: CLAMP School Defenders. I know nothing else about this.

The blonde girl in the middle of the first pic kind of looks a bit like the titular Miyuki from Miyuki-chan in Wonderland, but I can't be sure. The others I don't know. Then again, it's been a while since I last read the manga, so they could all be from there.

According to Ojamajo_LimePie, the red-head in the last picture wearing what looks like underwear is Karen Kasumi, and the the brown-haired woman to her right is Satsuki Yatouji, both from X.

YES.

YES YES YES YES YES.

OH GOD YES.

I've always wondered, in that gut-tingly "oh gods that would be SO COOL" kind of way, what it would be like if CCS were to receive a remake using the same VAs (next to impossible since Sakura Tange's retirement, I am aware) but with cooler special effects. I mean, imagine the Final Judgement with Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha level Instant Runes CG.

If, for some reason, you've stumbled across this post without reading any others and am wondering why I'm not introducing the characters as I did for the others, I may as well: the girl with the pink wand is Sakura Kinomoto, the boy in green is Li Syaoran, and the dark-haired girl (WHO IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BLUE EYES, DAMN YOU MADHOUSE) is Tomoyo Daidouji, the absolute best character in all of anime history, all from the absolute best anime ever, Card Captor Sakura.

Forgive my hyperbole; I do not do this often, save to express the depths of my love for this show.

TOMOYO-CHAN

SAKURA-CHAN

L-O-V-E LOVELY SAKURA

L-O-V-E LOVELY TOMOYO

While ferrying the two Mokonas on the Sealing Wand enFly-ed, Sakura and Syaoran notice three dragons carrying their alternate universe counterparts: yes, the characters from Tsubasa Chronicle have arrived. I've made my thoughts about TC clear before, but for those who don't know, let's just say that it could have been better, but maybe it's just not to my tastes, and the alternate universe versions of the CCS characters are too, well, alternate.

From top to bottom: Syaoran, Sakura, Fay D. Flourite, and Kurogane. (No, not that Kurogane, although he did take his handle from this one.)

The Tsubasa Chronicle characters assault the Fortress of Mana. No, I don't know what's going on really.

I just realized that apparently the Tsubasa Chronicle characters have inadvertantly brought the Card Captor Sakura duo of Sakura and Syaoran into a world red with war and strife and ancient mystical laser beams. Hurt Sakura-chan and you DIE, villains. This I swear.

The two Mokonas emerge from a manga which looks so familiar but which eludes me at the moment (Anonymouse believes it to be Tsubasa Chronicle, or to be more precise Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, and CJ Blackwing confirms it to be volume 9 or 10), to find themselves staring at a shelf full of CLAMP works. It's all very meta now.

The credits song is "Oh! Yeah!!" by ROUND TABLE featuring Nino, and has Ioryogi (from Kobato Exam, if you've forgotten since way back at the beginning of the post) in a cycling-propelled car thingie. Along the way he encounters all sorts of odd creatures and situations, which probably don't really mean anything except to those deep within the fandom of CLAMP.

So. Sixty-eight screencaps from a video five minutes and forty-three seconds long. This is what you get when I screenshot without concern for readability or such. I suppose I'm expecting to receive further information about the characters and references I've missed after I post this entry, yoroshiku onegaishimasu. As mentioned, I'm not so much a CLAMP fan as a Card Captor Sakura fan who nevertheless has seen more anime and read more manga than is probably good for anyone.

Oh, right, I forgot. Sixty-nine screencaps, including the closing shot, which I've come to expect from anime, but which nevertheless gives me the warm fuzzies deep down anyway.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 30th, 2007 at 1:19 pm and is filed under anime, card captor sakura, tsubasa chronicle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.