Happy Birthday Li Syaoran 2025!

 

 

Happy Birthday to our dearest Syaoran! 

I realized I haven't posted a blog in ages, and maybe I should be giving some substantive updates, but instead, we will just celebrate our beloved Little Wolf. The past year went by in such a flurry it shocked me that it was already our favorite grouchball's birthday again. Syaoran will always be my unparalleled favorite, which may be why I've been stuck on his birthday special chapter for years! My CLAMP love is getting worse with age for sure, because I have friends now who know my love for CCS. 

 

 

The best thing I did last year was to get to see in person the CLAMP Exhibition at the National Art Center in Tokyo last year, celebrating CLAMP's 35th anniversary. I first learned about it through my artist friend who I saw the CCS Exhibition with in Tokyo some years ago. The perk is she was the one who convinced me to go when I otherwise though I wouldn't be able to make the trip. Anyhow, it is a good to be able to share hobbies with friends. I meant to write a full-on blog post on the exhibition but never got around to it because it was such an overwhelming experience for a CLAMP lover and didn't know where to start. The short takeaway was it was so hot when I went even though it was in September, and it was soo crowded, so didn't get to enjoy to the fullest. But then, I was bursting with pride thinking of how many CLAMP fans there were globally. I did see the Cardcaptor Sakura Exhibition in Tokyo in 2018, so it was not my first time seeing CLAMP's artwork in real life, but I actually love CLAMP's older artwork even more so it was an amazing experience seeing, X, Magic Knight Rayearth and other iconic artwork, both color and illustrations, in real life. It was the largest CLAMP exhibition to date, and it was such a bucket list wish to see the exhibition, I made it happen even though last year was otherwise a very dismal one because of work circumstances. Anyhow, I will rave about the exhibition in another full review post in the future.  

 

The CLAMP exhibition had 10 different character variable tickets, and my first choice was the Sakura-chan "Love" ticket, but I ended getting Kohaku from Wish. The two friends I saw the exhibition with were fans of CLAMP's older work, and one of them got Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle's Syaoran "Adventure" ticket and was kind enough to switch with me, it was a win-win. If it was CCS!Syaoran, it would have been my first choice ticket of course. Anyhow, I felt very lucky to get a ticket that was pretty much my first choice. 

Let's focus back on what makes Syaoran so wonderful. I haven't seen the end of Clear Card-hen yet, so I hope he still is canonically wonderful. But he must truly be wonderful because CLAMP can't stop writing about him!  

I haven't done this in a long time. Music spotlights are hard because I have literally one new song I end up liking in a year. 

"Versailles" by Ayaka, theme song for the 2025 film "The Rose of Versailles," which I haven't seen yet, was released in January but I already knew it was going to be my song of the year. I'm pretty sure I have raved about Ayaka sometime in the past, one of the most powerful female vocalists of her era. Her songs were very much on repeat when I was writing Arc 3 era, probably Arc 4 as well. And I probably have reference Rose of Versailles, set during the French Revolution, multiple times as a formative anime, both as a Francophile and lover of history from that era. Everything about the "Versailles" theme song is perfect, from the lyrics, to the music video, to Ayaka singing from the perspective of Oscar. Her voice even fits. I literally bawled the first time I heard the song. And the second, third and fourth time. It's rare a song can make you tear up each time. I watched the original anime when I was too young to get all the nuances, but I feel like I feel more sympathetic towards the characters and the choices they made now that I am older, Oscar, Andre and even Marie Antoinette. But I will always loath Fersen. And yes, my love for Rococo fashion and macaroni curls are totally credited to Rose of Versailles and Marie Antoinette. Also it taught me early on to cope with anime ending trauma. 

    

 

Happy Birthday Sakura!

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Happy Birthday Sakura and Happy April Fool's Day! There's no season quite like cherry blossom season, as fleeting as it may be. 

I took Nendo!Sakura and NendoSyaoran out on their first outing ever, a cherry blossom date. Luckily, I found the perfect little cherry blossom tree to post them on. Unfortunately, Nendo!Syaoran lost both his shoes, arms and head in the process. In case you are wondering why he is such a grouch in all his photos. 

If you haven't checked it out already, go see Part 1 of Wish-chan's Q&A over at the New Trials: The Podcast and Audiobook/ @newtrialsthepodcastandaudi2890 

It was so much fun answering all the questions! Part 2 is on its way too!

 

 

 Music Spotlight: Busker Busker's "First Love" 첫사랑 

Busker Busker is most famous for their 2012 hit song "Cherry Blossom Ending," considered the anthem of the spring in Korea. However, my favorite Busker Busker Song is "First Love," because of the rawness and urgency of the lyrics reminiscing about one's first love. 

Also good news! Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Arc anime is finally getting a sequel!

Happy Birthday Sakura 2020!

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Happy Birthday Kinomoto Sakura 2020! #ccs #cardcaptorsakura #newtrials #wishluv #cardcaptor #카드캡터체리 #카드캡터사쿠라 #カードキャプターさくら展

A post shared by Wish-chan (@wish.luv) on Apr 1, 2020 at 12:35pm PDT

Happy Birthday to our dearest Kinomoto Sakura (and a bunch of other CLAMP characters)! This is just a short post because I am still working on other things, but I didn't want to miss Sakura's birthday. I think I mentioned before that I don't like drawing Sakura with her staff because CLAMP draws plenty enough solo Sakura artwork with her staffs. That's also an excuse because I find staffs and swords a pain to draw. It's actually a part of a much bigger group fanart that I was working on for the 20th anniversary of New Trials last year that I have been sharing little snippets of. My favorite staff will always be the star staff but what is your favorite staff? The bird staff is probably the iconic and the dream staff from Clear Card a version I am never going to draw. There, I said it.

I know the entire world is going through tough times right now, and we need all the cheering up we can get at the moment. Some of you may be undergoing social distancing and prolonged quarantines at home, others may be essential workers out on the front lines, some of you may be in areas of the world less affected by the global pandemic. But I hope you are all maintaining a good balance of public awareness and following your local government policies while trying keeping good spirit because a global pandemic is overcome through collective effort. Stay safe, healthy and happy.

And in the meantime, I leave you with a song that inspired the New Trials Sakura's Birthday Special "Pink Ribbon Trees" from so many years ago.

Today's music spotlight is an oldie, Dawn's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree." Sometimes I miss days when lyrics so effectively told a touching story as opposed to repetitive hooks and catchy phrases that are meaningless (which are addictive nonetheless). There is a reason why you always end up going back to classics at times.

Happy Birthday Sakura!!! Shirtless Syaraon fanart up!

Chosen One Li Syaoran with Dragon Wings by wishluv on DeviantArt


Happy Birthday Kinomoto Sakura (and a bunch of other CLAMP characters) and April Fool's Day! 

Yes, I know it makes sense for me to draw Syaoran for Sakura's birthday.This fanart was actually finished for Halloween, except for some final details, but I held it off because I was stuck on the background, which I didn't end up changing after all. It has a combination of everything I love, shirtless Syaoran, ripped pants, dragon wings, sword, and even the Li Clan seal ring on Syaoran's finger if you zoom in enough.

This is a scene I've been dying to draw since I wrote it, and I'm glad to have gotten that out of my system. I'm not sure if I will ever draw another shirtless Syaroan artwork though because I think he's generally too bashful to go around shirtless. Though apparently Clone!Syaoran from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle isn't. I really enjoyed the whole Dragon Isles arc a lot because it's probably the most cinematographic of the whole New Trials series--hence the movie poster-like theme of this fanart. 

I have so many CCS-related things I want to share, but for now, this is it. I am also working on the next chapters albeit rather turtle-paced. Funny story--my worst nightmare scenario, I lost the whole New Trials Word file the other day--it wasn't in my folder and freaked out especially because I did write quite a chunk recently. I haven't been even saving it anywhere else lately. Luckily, I found it mysteriously moved into a different folder and have saved backup versions of it. Whew. I saw the first cherry blossoms of the spring today though. Spring is so beautiful and work is so burdensome, and time so fleeting. 

Music Spotlight:

Imagine Dragons - "Demons" 
 


I already shared the Boyce Avenue cover of this song a few years ago when I uploaded the "Eye of the Dragon," but it fits this fanart so well (since it's based on those chapters), and this is the original version of course.



///SPOILERS FOR NEW TRIALS CHAPTER 71///

They saw Li Syaoran, with a pair of magnificent black dragon wings sprouted from his back, fly up into the crimson sky gracefully. The wings had ripped through his black shirt. A gust of wind blasted from below, whipping off the tattered remains of his shirt to reveal his chiseled torso.

Syaoran held up his hand and the seal ring, blown up by the wind, landed on his extended palm. He held it up for them to see and slipped it back onto his finger. “Let me repeat one more time. I have traveled to the Dragon Isles and have passed the dragon’s test to become the 77^th Great Elder of the Li Clan. Anybody who wants to challenge me can do so right now, or rest your case.” He glanced down from the sky at the Li Elders, the younger henchmen who had followed, at Leiyun, Jinyu and Wei, watching from not far off, and at Meilin standing off with the rest of the Star Alliance members. For just a brief second, his eyes lingered on Sakura, before turning back to the Elders.

Daifu had reached Wutai and dragged him back onto the rooftop. Doubled over to catch his breath, with his brother supporting his weight, Wutai stared hard at Syaoran, winged like a demonic angel, staring down at him with a strange look of pity, not anger. He was no longer the vulnerable boy who cowered from the Elders, who had knelt before Wutai in the Great Hall to be given another chance a year ago, maimed both in body and spirit.

Wei first dropped to his knees. “I, Li Wei, pledge my allegiance to serve and honor the new Great Elder Li Syaoran.”

With a thin smile, Leiyun also lowered his head, followed by Jinyu, Jingmei and the other younger Lis present.

One by one, the Li men and women dropped down to their knees, right arm on their chest, in a sign of deference.

Meilin stared hard at the strange sight of the proud and mighty Li Wutai glance around him helpless, watching even the haughty Daifu kneel, before finally dropping on his knees. But she did not miss the resentful gleam in his beady black eyes.  

Syaoran lifted his sword up into the sky, and a jet of lightening zapped from the clouded sky, to the tip of his blade. “By the power vested in me by the Dragonlords, I, Li Syaoran, son of Li Ryuuren, pledge my allegiance to the Li Clan, to protect and guide my bloodline as the new Great Elder and Chosen One.”  

Anybody with magic saw an etching of a great dragon facing upwards blazing in gold from Syaoran’s back. Then, the light faded, and the dragon mark disappeared.

From somewhere, Wei produced a long black silk robe with golden embroidery and placed it over Syaoran’s bare shoulders. The robe of the Great Elder.

- Excerpt from The New Trials of Card Captor Sakura Chapter 71: The Alliance of the Stars

Happy Valentine's Day and Happy 15th Anniversary of the Yahoo Group!

Syaoran's Birthday Omake #5 by wishluv on DeviantArt

I've always wanted Sakura to wear a statement green evening dress at one point in New Trials, especially after seeing Keira Knightley's green dress from the 2007 film Atonement. I still haven't watched the film, but the shade of that green dress really was alluring. I'd forgotten this thought for a while, however, until I was trying to decide on a dress for Chapter 73.5: The Hong Kong Encounter. Sakura's dress was supposed to be gold in the first draft, but it didn't feel right, and then I remembered I had been "saving up" a statement green dress all this while. Below is a concept art I did of Sakura's green backless dress when I was writing Chapter 73.5.This is an artwork I do plan on coloring eventually. I don't really share WIP frequently, and I wasn't quite sure I was convinced on the dress design, which is why I never finished this up last year.

The fanart I draw for the particular holiday never seems to really match the holiday and I have to scrap it (like the angsty Meilin and Kai artwork I was sketching for Valentine's Day). I doodled a Yue and Touya piece for Christmas last year which I never finished. Yukito's birthday is on Christmas Day, which I rarely remember. I'm never inspired to draw Yukito, for some reason. Yue on the other hand I do enjoy drawing, but his outfits are so hard to put together. I think he might be the hardest character in CCS to draw (besides Cerberus and Spinel Sun). 

I was just looking back and realized how quickly the past year passed by and was a bit taken back. This year marks the 20th anniversary of New Trials. It's all thanks to you guys that New Trials existed for 20 years, growing alongside the marvelous Card Captor Sakura franchise which has also made an awesome comeback. Again, belated Happy Valentine's Day and Happy 15th Anniversary of the Yahoo Group! The Yahoo Group really has been such an important support system, and despite it's somewhat outdated (and unreliable) platform, as a creature of habit, it really is my security blanket in a sense.



Music Spotlight:

I haven't gotten over my "I'm sick of everything on my playlist" ennui since last summer--I don't listen to as much music anymore in general lately because of this (I mean, I still do listen a lot, mainly when writing), but I have been seeking opera and then cycling back to my favorite musicals just to get through. And I supposed Korean drama OSTs because that's most readily available to me. I actually had a few more depressing songs picked out, but I realized this is the first "Music Spotlight" of 2019 (the Year of the Pig), and this is technically a Valentine's Day post, so I decide do share an uplifting song. 

Junggigo (정기고) - "D-Day" 



This song was from the Korean drama "My ID is Gangnam Beauty" and it was my rare groove last summer during my music dry spell. It's a feel-good song that puts you back into that excited campus crush, first love state of mind. Junggigo has a really soothing voice as well.

Update: Chapter 73.5: The Hong Kong Encounter A Side Completed Version is up! Happy International New Trials Day 2018!

It doesn't seem like a very big update, but, New Trials Chapter 73.5: The Hong Kong Encounter -- A Side: A Birthday to Remember, the complete version is up on fanfiction.net! I added it into the previous version, so it might be confusing to find where you left off, so I recommend CTRL+F "July 13 evening" to get straight to the new part! 

When I was writing this special chapter, it was envisioned as a movie, were New Trials an anime, and I realized it's pretty long for a special, but that's becauymose, it's not really a side story per say, but envisioned as a feature film. I had been preparing more, including artwork, (and Chapter 73.5 Side B) but with work emergency situations, I didn't get as far as I intended. But I noticed on ff.net word count that New Trials is getting very close to the 2 million mark. I'm pretty sure it might pass it with the next chapter posts. It probably has passed the mark already, if you count the Kaitou Magician Origins and Legacy of the Five Force side stories. Not that length is what matters, but it will be a landmark, nonetheless, because our readers have read over 2 million words of this story! 

This one is in dedication to all the fans of New Trials and Card Captor Sakura, for celebrating the 19th year of this humble fanfiction. Happy International New Trials Day. And let's make next year, the 20th anniversary a big one! Thank your for sticking by this story for all these years and much love to you all! 

Music Spotlight:  

Akeboshi - "Haikyo no Sofa"

I feel like I haven't done a music spotlight in a long time. I've hit another one of those stumps where I've been trying to find fresh music to listen to when writing. I had to go back and dig out a lot of old music I loved as well. I've mentioned multiple times how much I love Akeboshi over the years and included "Akikaze no Uta" in the New Trials OST before. He is one of the rare artists that I own all the discography for. He's probably most famous for his Naruto endings, "Wind" and "Yellow Moon," the best songs in the franchise in my opinion. His songs has been on the NT playlist on repeat for numerous years, since the first album, because his music always puts me into a particular mood. I love both Naruto endings to pieces, but really, I love his whole albums to listen to--you know there are a lot of artists who only their singles are good, but I can listen to all of his discography on repeat over and over again without getting sick of it after all these years. I love the way he blends Japanese and English lyrics as well because he studied music in Liverpool, and I love the Celtic influence in his music as well. The best of "Haokyo no Sofa" is when he transitions seamlessly to Japanese lyrics.

If I had to choose, his first album, the eponymous "Akeboshi," will always remain my first album, but it's really hard to pick.  

Akeboshi - "Green Eyes"

This one may not be my favorite song by Akeboshi--simply because he has too many great songs, but I think the title is self-explanatory.

Update: Happy Birthday Li Syaoran 2018! Chapter 73.5 is up!

Syaoran's Birthday Cupcake by wishluv on DeviantArt

I'm a little late with this post, because I ended up not getting as far as I wanted to. But I guess it's better than having nothing, so I posted what I could.

Chapter 73.5: The Hong Kong Encounter Side A is up on ff.net!

I've been wanting to write fluff for a long time, and Syaoran's birthday chapter might have been written before Chapter 73 was. Actually, it dates back to circa 2015, probably. You may all recognize some of the scenes from Syaoran's Birthday Omake #4.

Some of you might have correctly guessed that was actually not a dream sequence but real! Also, the good news is, I do have more of Chapter 73.5 written, but I just didn't have enough time to finish everything in time for Syaoran's birthday, unfortunately.

Happy Birthday Li Syaoran 2018!!!

Happy Birthday Sakura 2018!!!

Sakura and Syaoran Prepared for Battle by wishluv on DeviantArt

I probably shouldn't gave scrapped the Sakura and Syaoran artwork that I was working on and start on a new fanart right on her birthday, but I felt like drawing a fierce Sakura, so I am satisfied. I was really tempted to draw a scene from the April Fool's Day Massacre, but I didn't think you guys would appreciate it for Sakura's birthday out of all days. I like how shoujo-esque this picture turned out.

I was supposed to also have Part 1 of Chapter 73.5 up by today, and it's actually almost ready, but I'm holding it off because I want to move further along in other chapters first. So I promise I'm working hard on the next chapters (plural)! 

Once again, Happy Birthday Sakura 2018, Happy April Fool's Day, and Happy Easter!

Music Spotlight:

Radwimps - "Mountain Top"



I think I've mentioned Radwimps several times before, from years back, and their music never fails to impress me. "Mountain Top" is one of my favorite songs recently, and it's so beautiful and haunting, slightly different from their other works, in my opinion.

 

New Trials Character Profile: Mizuki Kai SPOILERS

Name: Mizuki Kai

Alias: Kaitou Magician/ Thief of the Night

Birthday: March 6
Blood Type: O Negative
Favorite Subject: Physics, Computer Science

Least Favorite Subject: Physical Education (not because he's bad at it but because he would rather sleep)
Club: None, but stands in for the Archery Club once in a while
Favorite Color: Blue (but everybody thinks it’s black)
Favorite Flower: Red Rose
Favorite Food: Sukiyaki
Least Favorite: Carrots
Favorite Recipe: Can’t cook
Wish List: Five Force Treasures
Most Prized Possession: Silver locket, periwinkle earrings
Powers: Not much is known expect that it is wind-based
Sidekick: Perro-chan
First Appearance: New Trials Chapter 22: No More Solitude

Mizuki Kai, age sixteen in Arc 2, is by far the most popular original character and the second most popular male character in New Trials of Card Captor Sakura as of Arc 3 (we have not taken any character popularity polls since then). He is first introduced to Sakura-tachi in Arc 2 as the mysterious "Thief of the Night" aka Kaitou Magician. Kaitou Magician was an Interpol Top 20 most wanted criminal spotted around the world including Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, Rome, London, and New York. His criminal code no. is 00603. Kai always dresses in black, and his key items are his silver fang earrings, periwinkle studs, leather jacket, silver locket and sunglasses. His eye colors is gray-blue. His natural hair color is a lustrous golden-auburn, but he currently bleaches his hair and spikes it up. He has six piercings in total, three in each ear. There is actually a meaning behind his piercings, which may be revealed later in his series. As Kaitou Magician, his key items are a long black cape with a silver clasp, a fancy top hat and many rose petals for special effect. He likes to vary his outfit underneath, sometimes going for an all-out black tuxedo or sometimes going for a more casual attire like leather pants and black turtleneck. Perro-chan, his pet parakeet and sidekick, might also have some secrets of his own. Perro-chan is usually white but sometimes changes the color of his plumage color to match Kai's mood. His favorite mode of transportation is his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, but he also drives around a modified sports car. 

//BEWARE OF SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT READ UP TO ARC FOUR OF NEW TRIALS//

History

I don't exactly remember why I created Kaitou Magician anymore, except that he was a product of a writer's block. Most original characters were introduced for a specific purpose. But Kaitou Magician just decided to waltz in one day as a guest character and then stuck around and before I knew it, he became pivotal to the plotline and got promoted from recurring character to main character status. I mentioned that Kaitou Magician's first appearance was in Chapter 22, but technically, his first presence would have been in Arc 1's New York Saga, when the sapphire ring was stolen from artist Shing in "Chapter 18: Stalked in New York," so he's been around for a long time. I began writing the Kaitou Magician Origins Special back in 2003, but I had to withhold the chapters over the years because the main plot in New Trials had not reached the point of certain spoilders yet. I am still withholding chapters, but hopefully I can release them concurrently with the end of New Trials.

I remember I chose March 6 as Kai's birthday because that was the birthday of a three-day crush I had on a hot, tall guy I met at a conference in China in high school. Of course his allure was that I only knew him for three days, though we did chat online for a while afterward, and I never saw him again. Kaitou Magician's Criminal No. is 00603 because 603 was my code name for this short-lived crush. Am I the only one who had code numbers for crushes in school days? Anyhow, hence Miho's birthday is June 3.

Mizuki Kai is fun to write about because though he gives off the impression that he is really complex and mysterious, he's actually quite simple and single-minded in his actions. He inherited his artistic temperament from his father and his meticulousness, observation skills, and logic from his journalist mother. I felt rather protective of young "Tanaka Mikai" while writing the Kaitou Magician Origins, whereas a lot of times in New Trials, I want to bonk Kai on the head for the choices he makes. The Kaitou Magician Origins Special is the growing process of young Tanaka Mikai and how he got to be who he is in New Trials. He is the oldest son of Tanaka Keisuke, the president of Kinhoshi Electronics and Mizuki Mayura, a renowned journalist. He absolutely dotes upon his younger sister, two years his junior, Tanaka Miho. Origins explores Mikai's transformation from being a model student and "prince" of Eitoukou Elementary to losing his father and leaving home to find a cure for his sick mother and how he eventually becomes the most notorious phantom thief in the world. 

By the time Mizuki Kai makes his first appearance in New Trials Arc 2, he is already a seasoned thief, Kaitou Magician, set upon stealing the Five Force Treasures. But in the process of being shot by a bullet, having a microchip planted on his most prized silver locket, and evading police, Kaitou Magician becomes indebted to Sakura and her crew and grows to become a valuable ally.

Kai is the most street smart of the whole New Trials crew. In the four years since he left home till he met Sakura-tachi, he has seen a lot of life, the depravity of human nature and the underworld of society. It's slightly different from Black Dragon Li Jinyu and the mafia, because the mafia too abides by certain codes of honor and strict hierarchy. The world that Kai was thrown into was a world without law and order, reason or logic. Kai might on the surface appear like an idealist but in actuality, he probably is the most cynical of the bunch because of the experiences he has been through. Unlike Sakura's circle of friends, he has long lost faith in humankind. He endured everything with his single-minded resolve to restore everything that was lost to his sister back to her. But the real reason he cannot return to Miho is because he has seen the dark side of human nature, and once he had seen that, he could not return back to his own naive ideals as a child. It is not so much that he doesn't believe good and salvation exists but rather that paradise has been lost to him because he has become tainted by biting into the forbidden fruit; hence he tries to shelter Miho as much as he can because he wants to protect the beauty of the world in Miho's eyes. Miho is the one thing that kept him from completely tipping over to the dark side; Sakura is lucky because Kai probably had the potential to become a very dangerous enemy should he have walked that path. Meilin and Sakura are slowly having a positive influence on Kai, though, and his joining Sakura's Alliance of the Stars in Arc 4 is a sign of his growth.

Relationships

Tanaka Mikai, though he got along with everybody in elementary school, actually had no close friends because his popularity made it difficult for people to approach him comfortably, and he too also likes to keep a distance from people. That is why he was drawn to Kamura Karin. Currently Kai still gets along with everybody at Seijou High School, since he is good-natured and hasn't quite lost his "ouji-sama" flair. Even the teachers actually like him a lot despite his truancy, hence he gets away with doing a lot more things than any other students. 

Tanaka Miho: Kai is extremely protective of his younger sister to the point of obsession. Everything he does is to protect Miho. Kai actually is very awkward around a teenage Miho and doesn't know how to act around her and also has the worst case of "sister complex" out of any of his peers.

Li Meilin: Kaitou Magician initially kidnapped Li Meilin in the middle of the Seijou Junior High cultural festival. The two had a volatile relationship because of their bad start. He is currently dating Meilin, though he never officially asked her out. What he likes best about Meilin is her hair. What he likes least about Meilin is her buns hairstyle. (Meilin: Really Kai? Really? That's what you like me for? Kai: Well, that, and you're a good cook.) Kai has a phobia of losing the people he loves the most, so he has a tendency to push away Meilin just when they get closer. They fight a dozen times a day because Meilin is hot-tempered and because Kai is so laid back about everything, he aggravates her. Their story is somewhat more complicated than what appears on the surface, hence they have a long road ahead of them.

Kinomoto Sakura: Kai actually dotes upon Sakura and sees her as a younger sister of sorts. He was really moved when Sakura tried to heal his bullet wound and also took the locket to remove the microchip in their summer escapade.

Li Syaoran: Though both Kai and Syaoran are both too embarrassed to admit it, they are to each other the closest thing to a best friend they ever had. They disagree on almost everything, but they also share certain values, such as their dedication to their families, and they have an unspoken respect for each other that nobody else really gets. Kai, even though he was student council president and on good terms with everyone in elementary school, actually wasn't close to anyone, so this may be the first time he's had a male friend close to his own age.Since they are next door neighbors, Syaoran often brings over extra food for Kai, who cannot cook. They are also unwilling the stars of Tomoyo's most popular feature film to date, "The Forbidden Trials of Small Wolf and the Nefarious Thief of the Night."

Daidouji Tomoyo: The two can be best called partners in crime. Tomoyo sometimes intimidates Kai, and he secretly believes that if Tomoyo ever fell to the dark side, she would be the ultimate criminal mastermind. Tomoyo gets a lot of help from Kai when she needs to do heavy editing for her films and for technology-related questions. He also installs all her hidden cameras for her when she needs to get special multi-angle shots of Sakura in action.

Hiiragizawa Eriol: Eriol is the person Kai dislikes the most; he is also most thankful to Eriol for looking after his sister, but Kai hates feeling in debt. He's actually extremely jealous because Miho seems to follow Eriol more now.

Mizuki Kaho: It's not shown much in the series, but the two have actually gotten a lot closer recently, especially as Kai gets Kaho's oddities, finding her ambiance rather similar to Mizuki Mayura-sama's. Kaho saved Kai's life by transferring her blood to him. The two enjoy archery together. 

Kara Reed: Kamura Karin was Mikai's first love, and she also abandoned him when he needed her the most. The two have always had a mutual understanding of each other and are interlinked so deeply that in a sense, Karin will always be Mikai's one true love. So we wonder what Kara Reed means to him now.

Perro-chan: Kai's cheeky pet parakeet, whose real identity is finally revealed in Chapter 73 of New Trials. Perro-chan has been with Kai through his early days as Kaitou Magician, and how Kai first met Perro-chan will also be later revealed in "Kaitou Magician Origins."

Kero-chan: Kai and Kero-chan are gaming partners. To date, Kero-chan has never beaten Kai in a video game.

Leon Reed: The first Kaitou Magician, and Kai's mentor, father-figure, and closest thing to a friend he had. Fun tidbit is that Kaitou Magician's Criminal No. is 00603 because it dates back to a nickname for the original Kaitou Magician. When the first Kaitou Magician appeared some 20 years ago in London, there were rumors that the handsome and dashing gentleman thief was actually a member of the British peerage. Before the name "Kaitou Magician" became known, this phantom thief in his early days was nicknamed "Earl of darkness" by some members of the police forces in Europe, based on the theory he was actually a noble. The name was a mouthful to say, so it was abbreviated to "Eod." During this time, the thief was obsessed with stealing mirrors, and one young police officer in Tokyo misread a note with "Eod" written on it reflected off from a mirror as "603," and the number somehow stuck. Japanese police began calling the gentleman thief "Kaitou Magician" and that name became what he was most well known as. Coincidentally, Leon Reed's direct ancestor, Laurence Reed, Lord Landon Reed's older brother inherited an earldom and if the family didn't fall into destitute and squander away all their property, Leon would have been the only surviving heir. That is why I indirectly mention "Earl of darkness" in Chapter 47: Shredded Fantasy.  

Nina: Kai grew to have a soft spot for young Nina while she was hospitalized at the Kinhoshi Hospital, perhaps reminded of his own sister Miho. Nina follows Kai's every word and absolutely adores him. But perhaps Kai initially approached Nina with nefarious motives, knowing her links to the Kinomoto family. However, he truly grew attached to the little girl, and even now, he drops by Eitoukou Kindergarten once in a while to give her presents and listen to her chatter about her new friends and family. Below is a really old rough sketch of Kai and little Nina at the hospital.

Music Spotlight:
 
ONE OK ROCK - "We Are"



I previously mentioned Magic's "Don't Kill the Magic" as a good theme song for the suave Kaitou Magician. "We Are" sort of fits the desperation and frustration in his youth as Tanaka Mikai See lyrics.

Happy Birthday Mizuki Kai!

Belated Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Lunar New Year!

Living Together: Sakura Blow-drying Syaoran's Hair by wishluv on DeviantArt

This one's a little bit late, but I sketches this for Valentine's Day 2016, I believe, but never finished it. I decided it to color it up for Valentine's Day this year but am slightly late because it's been so busy at work, but luckily now it's Lunar New Year break. It's junior high Sakura and Syaoran from Arc 2 era, when they were living together, which sort of makes me feel nostalgic. I feel like it's been a while since I posted actually completed artwork instead of sketches or chibis!

Happy Valentine's Day 2018 and Happy Lunar New Year!

Music Spotlight:

Cheryl Cole - "Fight For This Love"

Happy 14th Anniversary to the New Trials Yahoo Group!!! (And mini-review of CCS Clear Card Manga Chapter 20)

Beauty and the Wolf: Sakura cheers up Syaoran by wishluv on DeviantArt

I think I have been writing more blog posts in the past month than I have in the past two years combined! I would have forgotten if Amethyst Beloved didn't remind us all, but today is the 14th anniversary of the creation of the New Trials Yahoo Group by Kirei Blossom on February 3, 2004. There are many of you out there who have been great support to me and the New Trials of Card Captor Sakura community, but these two individuals can be especially considered the pillars of the New Trials fandom, both in terms of dedication and longevity. So many thanks to them, and to all of you! I wouldn't have been able to remember the history of the Yahoo Group, without a reminder from Amethyst Beloved's lovely fan website. For some reason, 2004 doesn't even seem that long ago, but here we are, 14 years later. New Trials has seen Geocities and Bravenet guestbooks (remember those), a forum, and so on, but really it's the Yahoo Group that has endured for all this time, and sort of what we always ended up going back to.

The Yahoo Group, in modern times, can be considered quite a dinosaur, by all means. It sometimes eats up posts and at least for me is a bit clunky to navigate. Yet, at the end of the day, it's still the best place for in-depth discussion of both CCS and New Trials, (especially for those of you who want to avoid in-your-face spoilers in Facebook) and there is especially revived dialogue recently for those of you who haven't joined already. Facebook is great for posting updates, reactions, and photos, but it's really hard to keep track of conversations, after all. 

The fanart of Beauty and the Wolf is chibi-art, I know, but it actually took a bit longer than I expected. Maybe because I like the subject matter so much. I love Beauty and the Beast, and when I was writing about the play for Sakura's cultural festival, I so was set on doing Cinderella, but also wanted to do Beauty and the Beast, hence that disastrous play came to be. Actually, I had wanted to write a Goth Cinderella with Tomoyo as Cinderella and Eriol as the Prince, but I just couldn't wrap my eyes around Eriol playing the Prince. Not that Li Jinyu made any better a prince, I suppose. Anyhow, we were all talking about how we miss the grumpy, scowling, suspicious Syaoran from the original CCS series. I think what made Syaoran so distinct was what a lone-wolf he was, so here is Syaoran-Wolf and a bubbly Sakura-Belle trying to get him to come out of his shell.

So Happy 14th Anniversary to the New Trials Yahoo Group, but more importantly, today's a day to appreciate all of you guys, because all of you make New Trials possible! 

I'm also including a brief Card Captor Sakura Clear Card-hen manga commentary below, so skip if you don't want to be spoiled. I actually haven't read a whole chunk of chapters in between but was captivated by a Nadeshiko cover. I love her blue dress and that she's holding sakura branches, and she looks somewhat younger here to, as does everyone in the Clear Card Arc, but for me, it felt like Amimaya Nadeshiko of New Trials was looking out at me, so I went ahead and read the chapter.

The other reason I had to read the chapter was because I saw in spoilers that Syaoran and Sakura both get to meet Sakura's great-grandfather (Nadeshiko's grandfather). That was extremely cute, and something that goes beyond my imaginations. Sonomi and Tomoyo's mother-daughter bonding time was really cute too, especially, how Sonomi remarked how Amamiya Masaki-ojii-san wanted to meet Syaoran because he's the guy that close to Sakura (aka boyfriend). This is especially significant because if you remember, Nadeshiko eloped with Kinomoto Fujitaka, hence didn't have the approval of her grandfather and family. It seems like Masaki is trying to right some of the wrongs of the past, but who knows, because the chapter cut off short. For the first time, I wondered if Masaki-ojii-san also has special powers like the vision, for who else would have Nadeshiko earned inherited them from. In New Trials canon, of course, Masaki as a descendant of Amamiya Hayashi would probably have inherited some sort of powers.

And why is poor Touya part-timing as a lobster? Can't he just tutor students or something if he needs to earn his college tuition? I probably won't be reading the manga first because I like being surprised by the anime first and then reading the manga for the details and beautiful art, but I might have to read next chapter as well to find out what's going on about Sakura's great-grandfather and what he has to give her (likely to be related to Nadeshiko). 

Music Spotlight: Beauty and the Beast - "Something There" 

   

I can never get enough of Disney's Beauty and the Beast--of course the original animated feature film would always be my favorite Disney movie ever. But I've also watched the musical on the Broadway and of course the 2017 live feature movie with Emma Watson, which I watched 4-D (which kind of made me sick). I watched it as a play at Disney World in Orlando as well and never will get tired to the music or story. In the original animated version, "Something There" is the only time we here the Beast singing. When I was little, I loved Belle's winter outfits, especially the maroon cape and the green dress she wears when the Beast shows her the library. I listened to a lot of Beauty and the Beast soundtrack, both original and movie versions while writing Chapter 73 of New Trials.

I was chocolate shopping today and realized that Valentine's Day is coming up soon , and I groaned to myself. I have started the year on such a good foot with updates, and had to question myself if I will have Chapter 73.5 ready in time for Feb. 14. I thought for a second, shoot, I should have saved Kaitou Magician Origins for Valentine's Day, and realized, wait, that's a horrible fanfic to celebrate the day.