Card Captor Sakura: The New Trials Anime Ending Theme

ストロボの空 - Sutorobo no Sora - A Sky of Strobes
Singer: Maaya Sakamoto
Album: Lucy
Composer: 菅野よう子 , - Yoko Kanno
Lyrics: 坂本真綾 - Maaya Sakamoto

It’s like the brightness that hits you right after coming through a long and narrow tunnel
For a while it’s nothing but a world of pure white
No one’ll wait for you to prepare yourself emotionally
When I noticed it had already begun, a tale with no end

I know
I know, the weakness I crushed in my hands
What was that sound that I heard at such a time?

Where is it coming from?
Who is calling me to stop?
That’s the sound of life that spilled out from the body, pulsating with certainty

Those who make dreams come true
Those who are loved
are fighting while accepting with all their being
Joys and equal pains

It’s like the brightness that hits you right after coming through a long and narrow tunnel
From between the clouds, the path of a new wind

What was that sound that unexpectedly knocked at my heart?

It’s okay to rely on someone
It’s okay to have more faith
The sound of life that continuously rings out as if to so whisper in my ear

The fact that rainbows disappear
The fact that there is moist ground
The miracles that I had always overlooked
were shining more beautifully than anything else

I felt like I had been forgiven for being born

Those who make dreams come true
Those who are loved
Are fighting while accepting with all their being
Joys and equal pains

It’s like the brightness that hits you right after coming through a long and narrow tunnel
For a while it’s nothing but a world of pure white

Lyrics from http://www.animelyrics.com/jpop/sakamoto/strobonosora.htm translation by Miyuki Mouse and Korean translation.


Over the years, I have received so many emails stating "I wish New Trials really is an anime or the Fourth Season of Card Captor Sakura," which made me very happy. I've always mentioned that if New Trials was an anime, I would use Utada Hikaru's "Sakura Drops" as the opening and Maaya Sakamoto's "Strobe no Sora" as the ending theme.

The first time I ever heard "Sutorobo no Sora" I immediately knew it was perfect for Card Captor Sakura because the song gives such an uplifting, refreshing feeling. First off, we already have the Maaya Sakamoto and Yoko Kanno tie-in, since the pair also did the CCS third season ending "Platinum." The song is from their collaboration album, "Lucy," which is one of my favorite albums. I mentioned before that "Koucha" from that album would be perfect as the New Trials Fourth Arc ending (if it were an anime). The album is beautiful because if you listen to the lyrics (or read the translations in my case), the songs unfold like a story of a girl's process of falling in love and heartbreak. Secondly, the lyrics of this song are truly beautiful, and I think everything about it simply embodies "Kinomoto Sakura," as you can read below.

I made this video because I got distracted while I was making the ending for Arc Four ending "Koucha," which is a bit bittersweet. I drew a ton of artwork for that video, but I had more fun making this video because it's sort a flashback to all of my favorite S+S moments. I am rather pleased with how the flashback sequence turned out. The video itself is inspired from Second Season ending "Honey" by Chihiro with Sakura watching the rain out the window. And the last frame from "Fruits Candy." Lol... This actually took longer to make than I anticipated because my computer is so slow. But it's my first time using Sony Vegas 9.0, a big improvement from the always crashing Windows Media Player. The scene itself probably happens in Arc 2 when you-know-who lives with you-know-who. Yes, it's Syaoran's house if you can't tell by the green curtains. keke... I also recreated a typical CCS preview using voice clips from Irino Miyu and Makino Yui which were very annoying to extract. I love Irino Miyu as a teenage Syaoran in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles. ^_^ hanyaan... Next will be Arc Four ending theme "Koucha." Anyhow, making this video was a trip down the memory lane for me and just proves the durability and longevity of our beloved Card Captor Sakura even after a decade (with a comeback in BluRay).

Full version of song: