Fasten your seatbelts

So everybody everybody, what manga series did I order off the internet? Well, it's a book series I haven't been able to find in the bookstores, and my library only has a few sparse volumes. On Amazon, though, I can get the whole series. I started off with the first 6 volumes. By the way, I have seen the anime version of this manga, which, despite its flaws, I still loved. This manga, it's a 12 volume manga published by Tokyopop in America. You wanna know what I own? Actually, I think it's best I show you a picture instead. This is what I now own:





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OOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH NNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! NOT SAKURAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"

Oh yes, that's right; I have finally gotten around to collecting the manga series, and this time, I'll be able to read every volume from start to finish!

Well, before I continue, I think I should point out the obvious: I have an addiction to kawaii-ness. Between this, Sailor Moon, and Touhou, I have indulged in enough cuteness to suffocate a blue whale by now. The fact that I can tolerate such cuteness is either because of my exposure to Nintendo games as a kid, or because I'm special.

Anyways, I want to cover the differences between the manga and anime versions of CCS. And I'll be honest; the anime has a better startoff than the manga. The anime handles the introduction of Sakura's world better than the manga did. Also, like with most manga-to-anime transitions, the action sequences look better in the anime than the manga. Also, you get to hear Tomoyo-chan sing in the anime.

The manga differs in some ways. For example, Tomoyo is more overt in her adoration of Sakura. There's a scene in volume 2 that I'm pretty sure wasn't in the anime, a scene that was hilarious, cute, and sweet all at the same time. Also, there's a famous scene that doesn't exist in the anime; a scene wherein Sakura and Shaoran play one-on-one badminton to compete with each other over Yukito's attention; comes complete with shonen sports manga stylistic flair and these words from Tomoyo, "Competing for love really brings out their best." And the manga handles the subtext between Rika and Terada differently, including, yes, the part where he gives her a ring. It makes one wonder, is he just being really nice to her, or does he have something else in mind? I'm hoping it's the former. Most fanboys assume the latter. ("Lololololololol! teh PE teacher is a lolicon! lololololololol!") Then again, I read that student-teacher relationships is something Japanese people really treasure. I mean, just look at Toya and Kaho. (The black-and-white imagery makes Kaho look blonde, even though she's supposed to be red-haired.) And the first scene with Yue is quite different. For one thing, it doesn't take place in Tokyo, but rather, in the Tomoeda shrine. Secondly, Shaoran can't collect Clow Cards in the manga, (So much for Cardcaptors) so it's strictly between Yue and Sakura. But, speaking of which, the character artwork is better in the manga. It's not as good as some of CLAMP's later artwork, but it's really nice. Also, there's less filler than in the anime.

Okay, yeah, this isn't as good as Tsubasa, but it's still CCS; it's still one of the cutest, sweetest franchises ever. There are many scenes in both the anime and manga that will uplift you.

And the best part? When I read the CCS manga, I can picture Kero-chan with my own voice. Never fear, dear readers, for Sakura-chan will never falter! Why? Because everything will be all right!