Cardcaptors - Tests of Courage (Vol. 1)

Let me tell you that this first volume of Cardcaptors will NOT disappoint you. It has 3 exciting episodes. Granted, it is not the first episodes in the series, it's 8, 12, and 17 (Nelvana did dub all 70 episodes, BTW).So, let me summarize what they are about...1. "Sakura's Rival"Sakura has a mysterious dream of this boy. When she goes to school, a new exchange student arrives, and it's the same boy in her dreams! His name is Li Showron, and he is from Hong Kong. And also, he is Clow Reed's descendant! Li finds out Sakura was the one who accidently released the cards. Now the Thunder card appears, and Sakura has to go capture it, but Li shows up also. Will they be able to capture it?2. "Time and Again"Sakura had failed her music test. At home, she practiced just to see if she could do it correctly, and she could. Too bad she couldn't do it over again...or so she thought. The Time card is on the loose, and the day rewinds over and over again. Kero has to keep playing Zylon Warrior on a difficult level over and over, Sakura has to keep taking the same music test, and Li always scores a goal when the soccer ball comes flying at him. Will they be able to stop this never-ending time loop?3. "The Cave"Li, Sakura, Madison, and their other classmates, are on a fieldtrip at the beach. One night, they have to go do the ancient shrine walk, where they go in groups of 2 or 3 with a candle to leave a gift at the shrine inside the cave. Sakura is terrified of going inside after Nikki's ghost story, but Madison drags her in. Suddenly, everyone vanishes, and only Sakura and Li are left. Is it a Clow Card, or something else?For those of you who remember Cardcaptors on Kids WB, these will bring back fond memories. For those of you who have never heard of Cardcaptors, but you love anime, check this DVD out!!!

old time favorite

Cardcaptors is the best! The characters' voices are exciting and clear. It contains action packed episodes. I like the stylish outfits and the entire artwork. Cardcaptors is very comical with plenty of action!

good

I know what you're already thinking by my bringing up the French version of Card Captor Sakura, but honestly, it plays a very important role, so sit and wait.Nelvana and Kids WB decided to "join forces" when creating an English Adaptation of this show, and instead of dubbing each episode in a proper order, the kids that they interviewed (mostly males) decided they wanted Syaoran Li into the show right away! This doesn't work, as Li doesn't even enter until the 8th episode.So, not only are the first seven episodes thrown aside (dubbed later on, some of them), the episodes are now completely out of order, making the existing plot now almost impossible to follow. Also, the music has been replaced, the new theme song is completely 'blorg', and the voices don't fit the characters at all. I love the Ocean Group and all, but...valley girl doesn't fit Sakura's description.All right, I did mention the French dub in here. Quite frankly, it's excellent. The original theme song is there with replaced lyrics, there's original music, next to no cuts; the voices are fantastic! Sakura actually sounds like a sweet, cute child. What does this have to do with anything?Nelvana dubbed it.Two versions: English and French. Who gets stuck with the butchered one? The English speaking folk, while our anime French speaking friends in Quebec are being delighted by how well the show was handled.What I don't understand is why the English version wasn't treated so well. It sickens me, along with any other anime fans.

I began with watching the US version on TV and eventually bought this set a while later to see them again. I remember enjoying this when I was younger. However, later on a friend introduced me to the Japanese subbed version. After I finished watching the japanese series (70 episodes + 2 movies), I was amazed with the depth and richness that the characters had all along. It was like watching another series all together.After reading previous reviews, I felt I needed to clear some stuff up. It is true that this was originally aimed at a young audience, but it was not originally intended for 10 year olds as it is for the US. With it's more complex story and character development, it's more appropriate for 13-16 (not because of adult content - it would simply be difficult for the younger audience to understand and appreciate the story). However, Kid's WB is intended for the younger audience and made changes in an attempt to become entertaining to them.Also, I read earlier that many character's relationships are homosexual in nature in the Japanese version. After watching the series, I feel that this is not the case. For Sakura and Tomoyo/Madison, it is true that they love each other, but this is certainly a plutonic love. They are simply the closest of friends. Toya/Tori and Yukito/Julian share a very similar relationship, but again, nothing more is implied. Also, Shaoran's "crush" with Yukito/Julian is also explained in a very non-homosexual fashion. However, this can be easily misunderstood until that point of explanation.As for the relationships between different age groups, personally, I think it is a very common and normal thing for a youger (8-12) person to have a childish crush on an older person. Whether this person is a few or several years older, it is something that is even common in our American society (such as with your older sibling's friends or a celebrity).I even see mention of incest in previous reviews, notably Mihara Chiharu/Chelsea and Yamazaki Takashi/Zachary. In the American version they are cousins. However, do not mix this up with the Japanese version. They do have a close relationship in the Japanese version that has potential to go on further, BUT they are not cousins - just childhood friends.I think the sub/dub voices are both appropriate (although the Japanese version has grown on me better). They capture their character roles (different for American and Japanese) well enough. The music was pretty nice in both series. However, they will often have completely different moods from American to the Japanese version.Overall, I still like the American version. It has its own charm. However, the Japanese version appealed to me in a far deeper sense. Instead of being simply entertaining to watch, the story went into deep detail about relationships, the background story, and had more involving humor. 10 year olds may not be able to appreciate this because they may not be able to understand it as well However, for years 13 and up, I would highly recommend watching the subbed version for an entirely different experience. It has so much more to offer that can appeal to those who can understand its complex story.I am giving this buy 3 stars because I consider it average to its comparison. While it is certainly not a bad show or a bad buy, I feel that it is somewhat empty. And Cardcaptor Sakura (jap version) fills in those gaps with a rich story.

If there are any fans of anime out there, this is worth a look. If there are fans out there with a preference for the more magical genre of anime then this should definitely catch your eye. If, however, you just wanted to sit back and indulge in a series filled lovable characters with not too over complicated personalities and a plot thick with inventive mythology and stunning scenes then this too, is for you.