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:

Sakura and Syaoran Fanart

An old S+S fanart I drew back in high school, years ago. But it still remains a favorite because it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside thinking of the carefree days of New Trials. It was difficult coloring because the original scan quality was so poor.


Sakura Syaoran Hug by ~wishluv on deviantART

Happy Easter!

Tsubasa Shunraiki 1 and Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Brotherhood 1

"I want to be together, forever, with the person I love. Before this simple wish can be granted, we go our separate ways."

- "Sonic Boom" - Maaya Sakamoto, Tsubasa Chronicle Shunraiki Opening

I finally got to watch the Tsubasa Shunraiki OAD/OVA. As I thought, I definitely like the new opening, "Sonic Boom," sung by our Tomoyo-hime's seiyuu Maaya Sakamoto after another listen. The lyrics are quite beautiful, as expected from Maaya. I have mixed feelings about the actual episode itself. Overall, I was more awed by the production quality of Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations. It annoys me that the whole Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles franchise has gotten such a shoddy animation treatment. Don't get me wrong, I'm ecstatic about the possibility of getting even these OVAs, but I would have preferred a solid third season without missing arcs, without having to wait months for a single episode. Lol. I don't mind that we skipped several arcs straight to the Nippon arc because we get to see our darling Tomoyo-hime again!

The best part about this first episode is Tomoyo-hime. Some of the character designs were unstable throughout the episode, but Tomoyo-hime was very lovely as usual. And it was so nostalgic to hear Maaya Sakamoto using a princess-voice again after her run of boyish-sounding characters, ie. Haruhi, Ciel and Crona. Nippon Arc is all about Kurogane, so we see little of Sakura-hime and Syaoran. But next episode will be exciting with Syaoran vs. Clone!Syaoran. Kurogane is a character that has really grown on me through the course of TRC.

On a side note, I have grown very desensitized to limbs chopped off here and there and eyeballs gouged out and whatnot. Sighs... I'm so squeamish with gore, too. Watching the scene where Kurogane chops off his arm in color made me wince a bit. But it segues very nicely into my next review.... The return of Fullmetal Kurogane!... Oops, I meant, Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric.

Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Brotherhood is awesomeness! I was a little wary at first, as I mentioned earlier, but the first episode brought me straight back into nostalgic mode for good old Edward, Al, Roy Mustang and Maes Hughes! It's taking me time to get adjusted to Roy's new seiyuu (who is King Touya in Tsubasa), but then again, Roy is one of the characters who diverges a lot from the manga to the first Bones anime adaptation. I actually like the first Bones character designs better because they're more suited for fluid animation, whereas this adaptation sticks closer to the original Hiromu Arakawa manga designs. But as can be expected from a Studio Bones project, the action, the production quality, the music, everything is executed superbly. I noticed a bit more manga elements in this first episode though, which was just an action-packed, character-slammed, never still for a moment introduction episode. Anyhow, I'm looking forward to the upcoming episodes which return back to the beginning.

I think I'm going to get very addicted to the new opening and ending soon. I originally thought Sid's "Uso" would be a better Opening Theme and Yui's "Again" a better Ending Theme, because I heard it first and was addicted immediately. But both songs are so catchy, I bet they'll wind up on my playlist. I've always liked Yui, and I wasn't sure if I would like the new opening for FMA 2, but it's grown on me really fast. The chibi ending animation for Sid's "Uso" is cute, but I would have preferred a more serious animation to match such a beautiful song (but Bones seems to have used up their budget on the Opening sequence.)

New Trials of CCS Chapter 61 Posted!

Belated Happy Birthday Sakura-chan!!! (4/1/2009)

Chapter 61: Fantasia in Memoriam is posted. This is a chapter I've been wanting to write for years, and it makes me sad because it feels sort of like a graduation ceremony for me because it took me so long to get to this point in the plot. It find the tone very different from other chapters because it is set in the Fantasy. :)

But the Fantasy is a very befitting dark force for April Fool's Day. Lol. I think this chapter was a bit lighter than the rest of Arc 4. So, I really didn't want to include the second to last scene. Sighs, but in the end, it was necessary. This is a chapter that makes your realize just how many characters there are in New Trials and subsequent specials. I wonder if anybody will be able to place all the characters and where they're from. Lol... It'll probably be impossible since some of them didn't even appear yet.

On a side note, I have a fanart of Clow Reed and spoiler character almost finished.

Happy Spring!

Utada Hikaru at Sephora New York City

All of you know how big of a fan of Utada Hikaru I am, and I was so psyched to have an opportunity to see her in person for the Utada at Sephora New York City Listening Party. Of course I would have liked to see her in concert, but it was awesome listening to her speak in English and do a short Q&A session. She recently released a new English album This is The One. Please support it in itunes or buy the album when it comes out! My favorite song on it is Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, FYI. Yes, some of you remember how obsessed I am with that song and even used it as Nadeshiko's Theme. :) Ah, sychronicity. Anyhow, I love the remix of the lovely tune.

Utada Hikaru probably introduced me to J-Pop in the first place, and her songs will always hold a sentimental value for me. Moreover, I admire her because she actually writes her own songs and lyrics. She started out so young too, and she's been through so much, and if there is a role model for aspiring singers, Utada Hikaru is one. She even has brains--she got into Columbia University though she took leave because she already has an awesome career going. Ah, she's only a couple years older than me, and she's already done so much in life; how inspiring!
She looked very beautiful and very petite! Click on the photos if you want to see larger quality. There was a mob of fans waiting outside and it was pretty cold. I felt very blessed to be able to see her inside. And I was lucky enough to be front of the line when she was passing by, so I have a short clip of her entering. (Kya, she was literally a hand's reach away from me!)



If you didn't know, Hikki was born in New York, so she's bilingual. In her interview, she was amazingly sweet and humble, but you can definitely tell she's a confidant, mature woamn. It seems like she likes drawing as well-- I loved the part where she said that she would haved liked to pursue art if she wasn't into music. There was a girl who asked her what advise she would give to an aspiring singer, and I loved Hikki's response. She said basically that no matter what other people say, it's important to know what you think of yourself. I'm paraphrasing, but she was met with a tremendous cheer. Of course my favorite moment was when she sang a line from Little Mermaid's "Part of Your World" when asked what were her inspirations growing up. Oh my gosh, I knew I loved her--she loves Disney too!



And of course, I was lucky enough to get a clip of that. It's in the second half of the clip. She sings a line of Metallia too. Lol. You will also hear Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, FYI playing in the background for a while.

I got a signed poster and a little Utada bag (and a bunch of Sephora samples). Anyhow, Utada Hikaru is such an awesome individual on top of being a talented singer and songwriter, and I hope her a long, illustrious career both in Japan and internationally. And remember to check out her US album!

Full Metal Alchemist 2 2009 Trailer

Gosh, I am such a big fan of Full Metal Alchemist if you don't already know that. The anime was perfect (albeit I was not to crazy about the departure from the manga and the ending.) Still, I think of the 21st century, FMA might be my favorite shounen anime, and I watch more shounen than shoujo. Everything about it was stellar, voice actors, music, animation quality, plot (yes, every episode was brimming with tension, emotions, etc.), the fight scenes were brilliantly executed. I do not have enough praise for FMA. I remember when I first heard of it, I thought the premise sounded grim and serious--and I thought the "guy in the armor" was older. But it's cute little Alphonse trapped in the armor. For those of you not familiar with the story, it's about two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who lose their mother. They try to use alchemy to bring her back and result Edward loses a limb and Alphonse his body. Edward sacrifices his arm to seal Alphonse's soul into an empty armor lying about. It is their quest to find the philosopher's stone in order to bring back Al's body and for Ed to regain his limbs (he uses automail as artificial limbs, hence "Full Metal.") A central theme of FMA is "to gain something, you have to give up something equivalent in return."

Yes, does this sound familiar? Yes, it sounds a lot like Youko-san's motto from XXXHolic. I always relate everything back to CLAMP, but when Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles came out, I thought, wow, some principals are a lot like FMA. Especially since we learned Fei Wong Reed wants to bring back someone? But of course, CLAMP always held a fascination with alchemy (if you couldn't tell with Clow Reed.) After all, Clow Reed was based after magi Aleister Crowley who held a fascination for the occult and alchemy. And there's of course Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone with Lord Voldemort's desire to return to a physical body. Bringing back someone from the dead is a universal theme related with humans' dread for mortality. Anyhow, I've been reading up on alchemy ever since FMA came out, which in return let me to understand CLAMP better and also the way magic theory works in CCS and TRC.

I'm excited and still a bit skeptical about the FMA remake. I like the idea of a more manga-faithful version. But truthfull, the first half of the anime did an even better job than the manga in terms of plot execution, pacing, etc. Some of the most memorable scenes were in the anime and not as striking in the manga. And the music, as I stated in an earlier post, was so spectacular I can't imagine a new OST. But I'm excited to see the latter part of the manga animated and at least Paku Romi is back. I have a weird hobby of tracing the7 degress of separation in the anime seiyuu world. Miki Shinichirou (King Touya of TRC) is voicing Roy Mustang, my favorite character, so I'm not too bitter about the change in the voice cast. Anyhow, that officially connects FMA to the CLAMP franchise. Lol... Well, I recommend FMA if you haven't already seen it. The plot has everything you can ask for--political intrigue, brotherhood, military fun, tons of action, war, genocide, a dash of romance potential, comedy, alchemy, adventure, mystery...

The trailer got me excited-the ending song sounds awesome.


Sometimes, I like trailers even better than the actual show. That happens a lot for Hollywood movies, it seems. Especially some comedies--they ruin all the best punch lines in the trailer and the actual movie is a waste of two hours, unfortunately.

The trailer for Eden of the East is AWESOME, one of the best trailers I've seen of late. (I should do an entry on trailers lol.) Interesting note is that Oasis is doing the opening song (yes, the English band that did "Wonderwall," an awesome song.) And the designs were done by Chika Umino of Honey and Clover (my favorite slice-of-life anime), hence the male lead looks like Morita-senpai! Oh, and it's Production I.G. so you know the animation is going to be stellar.


Anyhow, 2009 seems like an awesome year for anime, with Kobato coming along too for a good shoujo fix. I have to say I watched a lot less anime for the past year or two than I used to, and very few shows really have caught my attention. So, I'm excited!

New Trials of Card Captor Sakura Family Trees

I never meant my fanfiction to have so many characters. As we all know, the whole lineage of the Amamiyas, the Lis, the Mizukis, the Changs, the Reeds and the Kinomotos are very very confusing. Heck, I get confused all the time. Lol...

Moonlitdragon7 from deviantart.com has done something wonderful and made a beautiful compilation of the family trees for us. I am so grateful and impressed. Of course, there are some gaps here and there, but that is because the information is not present yet in New Trials canon. :P

So, here is the Li Clan Family Tree:

Reed and Li Family Tree by ~moonlitdragon7 on deviantART

The Kinomoto/Amamiya Tree:

Amamiya Kinomoto Family Tree by ~moonlitdragon7 on deviantART

The Mizuki/Tanaka Tree:

Mizuki and Tanaka Family Tree by ~moonlitdragon7 on deviantART

The Chang Tree:

Chang Family Tree by ~moonlitdragon7 on deviantART

The Li family tree if by far the most complicated, nee? I like how the Kinomoto and Amamiya one is so neatly tied up. Same with the Mizuki one, which is pretty much errorless. (There are some vague points in New Trials about various lineages that I left vague on purpose...) It would be interesting to see a "complete" family tree some day. And the Chang tree just makes me a little sad too. So, many thanks to Moonlightdragon7 and hope this would be great reference to everybody!

I also LOVE the twelve-point star that can be seen here: http://moonlitdragon7.deviantart.com/art/12-point-star-for-New-Trials-96872830

P.S. It makes me depressed that I can't make this blog look pretty. Oh well...