Cardcaptor Sakura has an interesting premise, and the art looks incredibly cute. The way the characters are designed, I can believe that Sakura, Tomoyo, and their classmates are fourth graders. Also, I wasn’t too surprised when I saw that Yukito had a “bishonen” (beautiful boy) design, since it seems like series that are aimed at a female audience tend to have a least one “bishonen” character. When it comes to the actual story, I found myself riveted in the story, especially after I started learning a little more about the characters and their backstory.
One thing that really stood out to me, though, was the depiction of relationships. Admittedly, I was initially caught off-guard when I learned about Tomoyo’s feelings for Sakura and Syaoran’s feelings for Yukito. However, I could look at it and say that in both cases, they’re still young and figuring themselves out; also, in both cases, the interest is one-sided and rather harmless.
We learn that Sakura’s mother was sixteen when she married Sakura’s father, and that he had been her teacher at the time. I did find that a little disturbing, but I have encountered the older teenage girl marrying her teacher scenario in manga before. In this omibus, it is also revealed that one of Sakura’s female classmates has an “older boyfriend,” and that the older boyfriend is their male teacher. And if that wasn’t surprising enough, the teacher is actually seen giving this girl an engagement ring. I really hope there’s more going on that what appears on the surface, or that some kind of consequence will result for the teacher over this. Otherwise, that particular relationship is pretty disturbing.
Even with the inclusion of questionable relationships, I still think that Cardcaptor Sakura is a decent story that’s worth reading.
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