Cardcaptor Sakura Omnibus Review

cardcaptor sakura

 

Cardcaptor Sakura turns 20 in 2016! Have you read this amazing magical girl manga series by CLAMP yet? Now’s a perfect chance to catch up on the first volumes with the Dark Horse omnibus.

Cardcaptor Sakura follows the adventures of an elementary school student who accidentally releases a set of magical beings in the world. This is what can happen when you open a mysterious book in your father’s library. These beings need to be returned to their home (a magical deck of Clow cards) or disaster will befall the world. Teaming up with Clow guardian Kero, costume-designing best friend Tomoyo Daidouji and exchange student rival Li Sioran, Sakura sets out to collect all the Clow Cards and save the world.

Plucky, optimistic Sakura never backs down from a challenge. Tapping into her inner strengths to overcome adversity, she’s up for the task of saving the world after school!

cardcaptor sakura dark horse omnibus

Cardcaptor Sakura by CLAMP – Dark Horse omnibus

Cardcaptor Sakura Dark Horse omnibus

If you’ve never read Cardcaptor Sakura, the 2010 first omnibus edition from Dark Horse  is a great place to start. It contains the first three manga published in the series. Sakura is just starting her collection of the Clow Cards after awakening their guardian, a mystical creature nicknamed Kero. Sakura tackles challenges as an elementary schooler. That means dealing with the new exchange student, but she’ll also need to confront her fear of ghosts to learn more about the force hurting her friends in the school’s swimming pool. And how can she stop a mysterious cascade of flowers from interrupting a race between her father and Tomoyo’s mother?

The Dark Horse Omnibus is a cost-effective option for readers on a budget. It also lets you read through the entire first story arc uninterrupted without missing out on subtle details which can be forgotten with a reading gap between volumes.

Upgrades from the original Cardcaptor Sakura manga:

  • The larger size of the Dark Horse omnibus prevents the spine from cracking after multiple readings. It also gives new clarity to the details in CLAMP’s beautiful illustrations.
  • As an enticement to veteran readers, the Dark Horse Omnibus includes over twenty bonus colour illustrations.
  • In addition, Kero’s dialogue is better translated to reflect his Osaka accent. This feature was difficult to pick up on in original English editions of the manga and enhances the natural humour of the character.

cardcaptor sakura the windy

Cardcaptor Sakura – The Windy

Cardcaptor Sakura is one of those rare manga which can be enjoyed equally by young readers, teens, and adults. Action sequences and clean resolutions give the storyline an appealing clarity. Character development and long story arcs provide satisfying depth.

Cardcaptor Sakura touches on many different types of affection without favouring one over the other. Friendship, love and family support are just as important in overcoming struggles as rivalry and competition.

The English edition of the Cardcaptor Sakura Omnibus was published by Dark Horse Manga in 2010 and is available through your local library, independent bookstore, or Amazon.

cardcaptor sakura art book

Kodansha’s Cardcaptor Sakura 20th anniversary illustration book

Kodansha, the Japanese publishing company of Cardcaptor Sakura, plans to re-release the original manga in 2016 following the release of the 20th Anniversary Illustration Book on March 23rd.


Let Mookychick's newsletter Moth flutter to your side...