Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Volume 1

I remember when I was about 5 years old I would always come home from school, turn on the KidsWB and watch Cardcaptors. I used to love that show!! Then WB left public programming and I was stuck with PBS (which is good, don't get me wrong). I always loved the theme song and always wondered if Sakura and Syaoran were EVER going to be together. I never finished watching the series and I have been meaning to look it up for a while, just haven't gotten around to it.

After meandering through the library, I saw this book sitting on the shelf. I thought the girl on the spine looked kinda like Sakura so I picked it up and began looking at it. That's when I realized that it WAS her. I absolutely could not resist taking it home with me!

I started show more reading it and liked it a lot better than the original show (at least for now), because you could actually see how close Sakura and Syaoran are to finally being together...until things become complicated (OF COURSE).

I adore chapter 1. It is my favorite and I was so close to tears. Finally, I got the emotions and reactions I had been waiting for since I was a young child. Syaoran would do anything for Sakura because he totally loves her. Finally, it's obvious and therefore official.
I can't wait to find Vol. 2. Hopefully, I can find the entire series and possibly get the happily ever after I've been waiting for, even though there's the whole memory issue...something will fix all that I hope. =) show less

I was giddy with happiness when I read the first volume of this manga. I love CLAMP manga, and in particular am a big fan of the Cardcaptor Sakura series, so when I heard about a new CLAMP series that would feature a teenage Sakura and Syaoran, I knew I would be reading it. Having picked up the first volume, I discovered it wasn't actually the characters I knew as teenagers, but characters in an alternate dimension who had the same spirits and features as their original counterparts. I was fine with that. Anime and manga are rife with alternate versions and duplicate dimensions. Also, the story line in this manga was immediately interesting. Sakura is a princess in the country of Clow, and Syaoran is her friend who works on an show more archaeological dig nearby. Her brother, Toya, is the king, and Yukito is the high priest. Syaoran's dad is the character that was Sakura's father in the Cardcaptor series. What? I have fun seeing loved characters redeployed in a new environment with new and mysterious pasts, and the whole concept intrigued me from the start. Then the plot started, and everything got better.

Syaoran and the team have just discovered an underground portion of the ruins they are excavating. Sakura comes to visit him at lunch, and she activates the ruins. Syaoran pulls her out of the strange power sucking her in, but as he does so, thousands of feathers explode away from her. He learns from Yuklto that the feathers represent Sakura's heart and memories, and they must be returned or she will never wake. Yukito sends Syaoran to Yuko, the Dimensional Witch, as the only one who can help him cross worlds to find Sakura's feathers. Meanwhile, the reader is introduced to Kurogane and Fai, two new characters who are also sent to Yuko. Their troubled pasts are only hinted at. Kurogane wants to return to his world, and Fai wants to stay away from his. Yuko suggests that all three have the same goal in mind: to travel between worlds. She grants them their wish, but they must each pay a steep price. For Syaoran, this payment is his relationship with Sakura. Even if they gather all of her memories, the one person she will never remember is Syaoran. He agrees.

The trio are given Mokona, who has the power to transport them between worlds. With Sakura, they journey to their first stop, the Hanshin Republic. They are sheltered by two characters originally from the X series, who teach them about the world and the kudan. Apparently, kudan are spirits that attach to each person, to help and serve them. Also, since the travelers are now living in Hanshin, they will attract kudan of their own. Sure enough, it's not long before the trio witness a fight in the streets, and when Syaoran runs out to save innocent bystanders, his kudan emerges to protect him.

What is not to like about the introduction to this series? I loved Syaoran and Sakura before, but like them even more now. Their relationship is sweet, and then heartbreaking. Lovely angst. Shaoran will do anything to protect her, and is already acting completely awesome in his spirited defense. I already like Fai and Kurogane, too, who are the only new characters created for this series. They exude cool, and you know they are going to be awesome as their characters develop. It is delightful watching them all bond. Fai is happy to be friends, Kurogane acts tough and disinterested but clearly is growing attached to Syaoran, and Syaoran is grateful and friendly but doesn't want to impose. Besides, his attention is mainly focused on Sakura. This series is going to have awesome fights and adventure. The story in Hanshin looks fun, and I am excited to see what happens as the three of them unleash their kudan. Clearly, all three will have extremely strong ones. And in addition to all this, there are the characters! Ashura from RG Veda, Chi from Chobits, Tomoyo from Cardcaptor, the fire kudan is from Magic Knights, Shogo and Arashi and Sorata from X, Miyuki-chan running by with toast in her mouth ... and I am probably missing some. I am super excited to read this series! The story is intriguing and looks to be epic in its own right, and then throw in the fun of rediscovering favorite characters in new lives, and the result is a manga destined to become one of my new favorites. show less

So I remember back in 2002 when the first image for TSUBASA surfaced. It was a smaller version of this cover and you never saw such fervor. This is back when scanlation was still not a thing per say. I belonged to a yahoo group called "RosettaStone" (since they had chapter by chapter relays for Fruits Basket and always had ShoujoMagic's newest releases) and every time a new tidbit came out it was epic.

Was this Cardcaptor Sakura's characters? What was the thing with the clothes? They're older! Is Clow back?

I look back on that excitement with a sort of wistfulness. you have to understand to date their longest work was X and their longest completed work was CCS at that point. CLAMP's now infamous inability to wrap up their longer works show more coherently wasn't a consideration. As fans we expected it to be epic and beautiful and heart breaking and romantic and as details of their world and it's interconnection with xxxHolic was revealed there was no doubt.

Having read this both as it was scanlated online by fans (with ever increasing snark) and the delrey domestically released volumes my emotions swung back and forth. There is SO MUCH to recommend this series. The ambitious world building, the familiar but different faces, the heart breaking choice...The look on his face...

That's why I gave this volume five stars. As the series progresses those stars will fall off and on, but for this book it's everything I wanted and hoped for. show less

In this first volume of a Clamp series it appears the authors came up with the idea for this manga out of a desire to bring together as many of their other manga characters as possible. Even though I only have a passing familiarity with the Clamp characters this did not stop me from enjoying this very good fantasy/adventure story. In this story the young princess, Sakura, is reveling in the fact that her best friend, Syaoran, has returned from an archeological dig. Sakura is in love with Syaoran and is determined to share her feelings with him but before she can a hidden dimensional gate tears apart her spirit and Syaoran is charged with the task of traveling through the dimensions to put her together again. Along the way he picks up show more two more traveling companions as well as a very happy, very cute little...thing...(umm, not sure what it is exactly). Another interesting aspect is that one of the scenes is a crossover into the manga xxxHolic (also by Clamp) which I am currently reading. I really loved the romantic and humorous aspects of Tsubasa and look forward to reading more of this series in the future. I'd certainly recommend this manga to ages 12 and up. show less

Summary (stolen from back of book):

SAKURA AND SYAORAN RETURN!

But they’re not the people you know. Sakura is the princess of Clow—and possessor of a mysterious, misunderstood power that promises to change the world. Syaoran is her childhood friend and leader of the archaeological dig that took his father’s life. They reside in an alternate reality . . . where whatever you least expect can happen—and does. When Sakura ventures to the dig site to declare her love for Syaoran, a puzzling symbol is uncovered—which triggers a remarkable quest. Now Syaoran embarks upon a desperate journey through other worlds—all in the name of saving Sakura.

Plot:

As someone who has never read much of CLAMP's works, I thought this series would not show more be for me. I started it and fell in love. The plot is engaging, each world they travel to is new and different, and the process of discovery is fantastic. Even without much knowledge of CLAMP canon I've enjoyed this series. In fact, it's only encouraged me to read more of CLAMP's works. If you're looking for a manga that has a perfectly structured plot that will keep you turning pages and waiting for the next volume, this is it.

Characters:

The summary on the back of the book really doesn't do the book justice, because it fails to mention the other three main characters, Kurogane, Fai, and Mokona. Kurogane, a stoic ninja banished from his world by his princess in order to learn a lesson, and Fai, a jovial mage running away from his world, each have their own stories that CLAMP weaves throughout the manga. In addition, all of the other characters have their own motives and reasons for their actions. In this manga especially, CLAMP flaunts their ability to create believable human beings.

Art:

I'm not sure if I should rate this category, since I have a bias, but I think the art is so beautiful. The cover art really doesn't even do it justice, because CLAMP's skill lies in their facial expressions, their gestures, their stances. The extremely long, skinny legs and arms (especially on Fai) might take some getting used to, but like all CLAMP art, it's well worth it.

Overall:

I give the series five stars, because the plot, characters, and art deserve nothing less. show less

Since the series is finished now, now I can read the whole thing without having to wait months or more for each book.

Having really enjoyed the CCS anime, seeing Sakura & Syaoran as young adults was great.

CLAMP does spectacular artwork here, even if it is a bit line busy" for my taste.

And White Mokono makes me laugh almost as much as Black Mokono from [b:XXXHoLiC Volume 1|228063|XXXHoLiC Volume 1|CLAMP|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320466822s/228063.jpg|236439]"

Growing a suspicion that I'm not a fan of CLAMP's stuff.