Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card-hen: Episode 22 Review! (Season Finale)

Episode 22: “Sakura’s Clear Cards”

aka "The Forbidden Trials of the Small Wolf and the Nefarious Thief of the Night"

aka "Stop Callin' Cuz I'm Kinda Busy"

So, I hope what we have is a season finale of CCS Clear Card, and that we may have another season perhaps by 2019, giving time for the manga to advance. We’re pretty much caught up with the manga at this point, though I was surprised that this episode slightly diverged from the most recent manga Chapter 24, especially the ending and the cloaked figure reveal, which I’m kind of disappointed in. But I think because it is the end of a season, the animators probably wanted to end on a more positive note, rather than a major cliffhanger. I didn’t really feel much like summarizing this episode, maybe because it’s the last one. So, I’ll just do it the way I do best. 

Rock, paper, scissors shoot!

Paper!

Akiho: Darnit, I lost again.

Kaito: "There are dreams that are contrary to reality."

Momo: "Masayume" by Spitz, dreams that come true!

Sakura and Akiho shares same dreams of a man’s voice saying “You can never return,” Akiho tell her dream to Kaito, he tells her there are dreams contrary to reality, Momo later points out that there are also dreams that become reality, and Kaito says he will never let that happen. Makes you wonder what the tabooed magic he wants to activate is. I always get paranoid that tabooed magic is bringing back someone to life. I have watched too much Fullmetal Alchemist, perhaps, but that was also a theme in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle.   

Sakura: I hope Syaoran notices my new hairstyle today.

Kero-chan's best line of the episode: "I'm still hungry because I'm a growing boy!"

Yue: Growing sideways.

Mr. Mike Kant the English teacher teaches nonsense English that will never be applicable to real life to the students, and Sakura shows off her nonexistent English skills, brought to you by the Hope Card, the group has picnic lunch per usual, Yamazaki-kun explains ciao, chow, chau, Kero-chan raves he got Osaka-ben wrong, and Syaoran is tardy again, failing to connect to Eriol, and doesn’t notice Sakura’s new hairstyle again. By the way, Naoko was right in saying, “Maybe it was a bad time for him.” Tokyo and England has an eight hour difference, and since the gang is eating lunch, it should be around noon in Japan, hence a little past 4 a.m. in England. Oh Syaoran.

Mike Kant: "Dream On," feat. Aerosmith.

Cardcaptor Sakura, an English education program sponsored by CLAMP, the College Language Aptitude Mastery Program.

Yamazaki: Chowx3!

Syaoran the tardy boy: Guys, Eriol won't answer my phone call!

Naoko: It's freakin' 4 a.m. in England! Give it a rest!

Sakura: Syaoran, don't you notice anything different about my hair today?

Syaoran: The antennas are blowing eastward, a storm is coming!

Sakura and Chiharu have cheerleading practice while Akiho looks on from the music room like a stalker. Final Boss Tomoyo gets Akiho to practically fess up she’s the cloaked figure, or at that she has weird dreams about Sakura, aka Alice in Clockland. 

Sakura: It took me an hour to dutch braid my hair, baka-Syaoran!

Yandere-Tomoyo: You may think you are the enemy of this season, Minion.

Tomoyo: But never forget, I am Final Boss.

Akiho: Tomoyo-san, I always wondered, are you Kaito-san's long lost evil daughter?

Sakura: Tomoyo doesn't look like Great-Grandfather Masaki, nor Aunt Sonomi. I wonder who she takes after.

 
At home, Fujitaka is making delish hamburger steaks, Sakura finishes washing up and come out with a cute towel cap, and Touya can’t resist and ruffles up her head, telling her to go to bed before 8:00 p.m. Protective much? It's actually my favorite scene of this episode though. On a second watch, I realized that he washed his hands after making the beef patties and was wiping his wet hands on her towel cap!

Touya: Mario Kart Mushroom???

Beef patty no justsu!

Touya: Meathead complete.

Kaijuu-Sakura: GAOOO!!!

Syaoran tries to call Eriol again in the evening but the call does go through. Syaoran thinks Eriol’s blocking the call with magic, but I don’t think he’s heard of Caller ID block features. He stares at his reflection in the balcony window in the evening, rasinban out and glowing, and swears he will certainly protect her, meaning Sakura, I guess. From what I heard, I think he said “kanarazu mamoru,” meaning he will certainly protect, without a pronoun. He could be meaning Eriol for all we know. Last time we saw Eriol, he was being attacked long-distance by Kaito, after all.

"Telephone" by Lady Gaga, ft. Beyoncé.

Eriol: Hello, hello, baby, you called?
I can't hear a thing
I have got no service

Eriol: Stop callin', Stop callin'
I don't wanna talk anymore
I left my head and my heart on the dance floor

House Elf Kero-chan blow-dries Sakura’s hair, Sakura reminisces about seasons 1-3 of the CCS anime, the cloaked figure appears on a telephone pole against a full moon, Kero-chan transforms into Cerberus but is trapped in the bedroom, and Sakura and the cloaked figure have magical showdown with balls of fire and jets of water. 

 

Kero-Dobby's product placement of the week: I'll blow-dry master's hair!

Sakura: Tomoyo's going to freak out that I'm going to fight my season finale battle in my pajamas!

 As If Tomoyo would allow the final episode of Clear Card to end with me in pajamas. I guess it's a sign that we will have another season.

Sakura: Was I supposed to call Syaoran when a new card appeared? Whatever. He only calls Eriol.

Cerberus: Tomoyo's going to freak when she finds out I have no video footage of the season finale batle!

Sakura: You're right, what are we going to do, Kero-chan?

Sakura: Thank goodness you aren't Syaoran.

The cloaked figure tries to take away the Clear Cards, Sakura sees Akiho’s face behind the cloak, Kaito appears with Momo and freezes time. He eventually decides to rewind time pointing out that the number of Clear Cards at the moment is not enough to activate the tabooed magic. The process of turning back time, in order to make Sakura and Akiho forget their encounter, does take a bit of a toll on Kaito, just like Syaoran always got drained when he used the Time Card. Sakura declares she is not alone and states her signature “zettai daijobou,” everything’s going to be all right, and the ending credits kick in. We wail in despair before the extra scene kicks in with Sakura leaving for school, her father seeing her off. Syaoran is waiting for her at the end of the road. She calls out, “Syaoran-kun!”

Kaito: Seriously, Sakura? You thought it's okay to enter the season finale in pajamas?

Sakura: Let's rewind time so that this all never happened--Tomoyo's going to go berserk if she finds out she missed the season finale!

Kaito: But we've got to wait another whole year for a supermoon this big.

Question of the year: Who are Tina-chan, Rie-chan, and Triax-chan?

Yandere-Kaito: Fools, I'm the Final Boss!

And I would like to see, “Kero-chan’s Eat Till You Drop" show anytime! Kind of bummed they didn’t have a “See you next season” sort of message at the end of the episode though.  

Sakura: I really want to get Syaroan a mirror for his birthday next month. I catch him looking at his reflection in windows all the time, poor thing!

Kaito: Heavy, heavy, heavy!

Momo: It's all the sweets you make her.

Sakura: Diet is a taboo topic in CCS! Remember what happened to Syaoran last time!

Sakura: Syaoran! Guess what I bought you for your birthday one month from now?

Syaoran: Oh gosh, I know it's a mirror. Thank goodness we're going off air after this episode.

Syaoran: And who knows, I may be Final Boss yet.

Eriol: Not that I don't like you, I'm just at a party
And I am sick and tired of my phone r-r-ringing!

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