SYNOPSIS: Cardcaptor Sakura Act 01 (Spoilers)
By Melissa McCarthy
March 19th, 2000

CREATED BY: CLAMP
PRODUCED BY: Mixx Entertainment’s Chix Comix (English Version)
TYPE: Mahou Shoujo/Kodomo
CONTENT: [there’s nothing whatsoever that could possibly offend anyone here!]
INTRODUCES: Kinomoto Sakura, Kerberos, Kinomoto Touya, Kinomoto Fujitaka, Tsukishiro Yukito, Daidouji Tomoyo
DEATHS: none

The Story:

There’s a scene of Tokyo Tower at night. The quiet is broken by running footsteps. A young girl (Kinomoto Sakura) and her ultracute sidekick (Kerberos, or Kero-chan) chase a rather demonic-looking bunny-type critter.

When they catch up, Sakura makes a speech and goes through some flashy motions with a key-like staff. She takes out a Clow Card called Windy and uses it to contain the bunny critter. Sakura and Kero face the camera and make the victory sign.

A bell rings. Sakura wakes up to find the previous scenes playing on TV. Kero is watching a tape of them. Kero tells Sakura she’s late. She asks why he’s watching the video again, and he says he likes to watch himself because he’s so good-looking.

Sakura stops the tape and takes it out of the VCR so she can return it to her best friend, Tomoyo, who is the only one who knows Sakura is the Cardcaptor. Kero is furious because he’s missing the best part. Sakura, even later than she was, hurries downstairs for breakfast. Her brother, Touya, teases her and calls her a monster. Her father, Fujitaka, is oblivious to their fighting and brings in more food. Her mother died when she was three.

Touya gets up to leave for soccer practice as Sakura starts eating. She shoves her food into her mouth, straps on her rollerblades, and hurries after Touya. He tells her not to hurry so much.

Touya’s best friend, Yukito, arrives. Sakura is in love with him, because he’s very sweet to her. He says hello to her and says she’s up early. Touya says she wolfed her breakfast, and Sakura hits him. Yukito, ignoring the fight entirely, asks if she’s worried about something; Touya told him she hasn’t been sleeping well lately. Touya says an empty mind has no worries.

The three reach Sakura’s elementary school. Yukito and Touya, who are in high school, keep going. Yukito throws Sakura a candy. She stands there with a dreamy look on her face, until Tomoyo interrupts her. Sakura gives Tomoyo the video. Tomoyo tells Sakura she looks beautiful in it and says Sakura is the only one who can save the world.

Two months before, when Sakura started the fourth grade, she opened a book in her father’s library. Kero-chan came out, thanking her for awakening him. She thought he was a toy, but he said he wasn’t, and that his real form was much better; he was stuck in “toy” form because his magic was low.

Kero-chan explained that he was the Creature of the Seal, protecting the magician Clow Reed’s book. The powerful Clow Cards, having escaped the book while Kero-chan was sleeping, would become real and do evil. Sakura woke Kero-chan, proving that she can use magic.

Kero-chan took a key and magically gave Sakura power. He presented her with a magical staff, and the Cardcaptor was born.

The flashback ends. Sakura says Kero tricked her, but Tomoyo says most people couldn’t be cardcaptors. She asks Sakura how many cards she’s collected. Finding out it’s only three so far, she takes Sakura’s hand and tells her to work hard, because she’s protecting them all.

Tomoyo says she’ll videotape Sakura again next time, and she’s already designed the next costume. Tomoyo designs a new costume for every card Sakura must capture. Tomoyo is sweet enough (despite being very rich) and close enough to Sakura that Sakura doesn’t have the heart to tell her the outfits are silly.

In gym, Sakura vaults over something. The teacher says she did a great job. Tomoyo tells her she’s great at sports, and Sakura says she likes it.

Nearby, Touya is playing soccer, watched by an adoring group of girls. Tomoyo, looking dreamy, says Touya is great too. Sakura is unimpressed, then spots Yukito. She pushes a few girls away from the fence so she can see him better.

Yukito turns, spots Sakura, smiles at her, and starts running toward her. There’s a flash of light, and Yukito falls. Touya goes to see if he’s all right. Seeing Sakura, he stretches out Yukito’s mouth. Sakura has a fit.

A huge wind sweeps across the field, knocking everyone down. It’s caused by a gigantic bird, which then disappears. Tomoyo asks Sakura if she’s okay. Sakura doesn’t answer, wondering if the bird was a Clow Card.

End of Act 1