As a Cardcaptor Sakura and, more incredibly still, never knew what it was actually about until now. For decades, all I could do was assume what the series' title greatly implied, that there was likely a magical girl named Sakura who had to capture cards for whatever reason.

I'm not surprised that this has, for the most part, turned out to be the case after finally starting Cardcaptor Sakura. But after watching three episodes, I can safely say that there's a lot more to the series that, honestly, surprises me. Although things could very well change drastically at any point from here on out, I thought it would be safe to at least watch the first three episodes to abide by the ubiquitous three-episode rule that, oddly enough, has a tendency of being applicable to almost too many series.

The Beginning of Cardcaptor Sakura Was Not Promising

"Kero"'s Summary of The Anime's Main Premise Had Me Worried

Everything was so new to me when I started watching that I honestly did not know what to expect when Sakura first ventures into her basement in episode 1. For all I knew, Cardcaptor Sakura could be so popular because it was secretly a horror series that masqueraded as a cute anime, like the incredibly misleading Higurashi When They Cry. After all, I was effectively spooked at first, since she goes down there because she hears some sounds emanating from her dad's library.

But then the Clow Card guardian, who Sakura later refers to fondly as "Kero," appears and starts laying out what later becomes the anime's main premise. I was initially let down by this for two reasons. The first was that, as the title implied, Cardcaptor Sakura would be a very episodic series, where each episode would likely revolve around one Clow Card that Sakura would have to capture. While this plot line has persisted through episode 3, Cardcaptor Sakura has luckily made up for this.

Cardcaptor Sakura Luckily Isn't A Typical Summoning Anime

The Fly Card Proves That Each Clow Card Doesn't Always Release a Monster

The second reason why I was initially let down was that the series implied it would be yet another "summoning" type of anime. My first impression was that for every Clow Card that Sakura captured, she would be able to summon each card's monster, just like she did with Windy. Sakura has the Windy Card from the beginning, and Windy manifests exactly how it appears on the card it is summoned from. I understandably believed that every card would function that way.

Luckily, the end of episode #1 immediately disproved my fears through the ways in which the Fly Card ended up manifesting. Instead of appearing like the bird-like creature it took the form of when it was loose, calling upon the Fly Card causes wings to sprout from Sakura's staff, which Sakura can ride upon like a broom. So, the Clow Cards can also serve as abilities rather than summoned monsters, which is exciting and not as generic as most summoning anime.

Moreover, Cardcaptor Sakura broke another implied formula as early as episode #3. The end result creates an added sense of anticipation for future episodes. Although Sakura has so far captured one Clow Card every episode, that doesn't necessarily mean she will use the last card she gained in the very next battle she fights in. This implied formula starts in episode #2 when the Fly Card she captured in episode #1 helps her against the Shadow Card.

But in episode #3, we still haven't had a chance to see how the Shadow Card manifested when Sakura uses it, making us wonder how it will function in future episodes, and the reason why I don't know for sure is because of how Sakura uses the Fly Card.

Cardcaptor Sakura Quickly Eliminates The Implied Clow Card Formula

Instead, The Magical Girl Anime Makes Each Episode More Thematic

Ironically, there's one formula that's persisted in each episode, but it's not an obvious one and therefore doesn't come across as a cliché. Since Sakura unconventionally doesn't always depend on the Clow Card she just captured, she must rely on something else, and what she resorts to instead corresponds with another part of that episode's unique story. If the last Clow Card that Sakura recently captured just so happened to be the answer to capturing the next card, Cardcaptor Sakura would have succumbed to the "serendipity" problem that plagues most fiction.

By forcing Sakura to rely on something else, it helps create a more thematic element for each episode. In episode #1, Sakura is first introduced, and a unique aspect of her character that most viewers see right away is that she wears rollerblades. It's therefore rather appropriate that her rollerblades become a critical part of her victory over the Fly card since she's new to being a magical girl and must rely on what she's familiar with.

In episode #2, she's fighting the Shadow Card, so turning on the lights becomes a key part in subduing the creature. In episode #3, Sakura must capture the Watery card at her brother's workplace, and after learning that his main job requires freezing penguin food in a cooler, Sakura is able to apply how cold temperatures cause water to freeze so that she can defeat Watery.

Cardcaptor Sakura Somehow Subverts Present-Day Magical Girl Tropes

The Anime Feels Fresher Than Modern-Day Series

Another pleasant surprise for me has been how Cardcaptor Sakura appears to subvert present-day magical girl tropes. I wasn't expecting this since the original manga came out in the 1990s and the anime debuted in early 2000. This was during the golden age of anime when many kids outside of Japan were first introduced to the genre. As a result, many series from that time period are regarded as trendsetters by today's standards, since they have helped shape many of today's anime series.

So, anyone from the present day who watches these older anime series for the first time usually feels like what they're watching is generic. But the only reason why they might come across that way is because all the present-day anime they usually watch initially copied these older series, making what that older anime invented into a cliché. Oddly, Cardcaptor Sakura feels like a fresh take on the magical girl genre even though it was one of the earlier ones.

Interestingly, all of these innovations revolve around Sakura's civilian friend Tomoyo. When Tomoyo was introduced, I was convinced that her relationship with Sakura would imitate Sailor Moon through the friendship between Usagi and Naru, where Sakura would have to hide her identity from Tomoyo. But that whole dynamic is immediately dashed by the beginning of Cardcaptor Sakura episode #2. Tomoyo learns the truth and becomes an honorary member of Sakura's team.

However, Tomoyo helps subvert expectations in another way. Ironically, Sakura doesn't transform like most magical girls. There's usually some sort of choreographed transformation, where the magical girl is suddenly wearing some cute costume. But since Sakura doesn't do any of these things and therefore isn't fitted with superhero attire, Tomoyo fills that role by dressing Sakura up in different outfits every episode. This does more than just break from conventions. It provides some much-needed diversity for the conventional routine that, while iconic, gets quickly repetitive.

While I still have a lot more to go, I am happily surprised by Cardcaptor Sakura and now have to catch up so I can watch the new sequel series. I still don't know for sure if I have already experienced the key aspects of the anime that have caught the hearts of many fans or if they will come later. While I would gladly welcome more reasons to love this show, I would also not be surprised if I now already knew every reason why Cardcaptor Sakura is iconic, even after all of these decades.