Anime Hajime Impressions: Benkyou – Cardcaptor Sakura Episodes 46 to 50

Original Run: April 7, 1998 - March 21, 2000
Number of Episodes: 70
Based on the Series Created By: CLAMP

As A Reminder:  Anime Hajime Impressions: Benkyou is not a review series. Anime Hajime’s LofZOdyssey attempts to watch an anime in Japanese with no English subtitles. Therefore, misinterpretations and misunderstandings are possible.

Feel free to leave comments, clarifications, and thoughts in the comments section below.

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Episode 41 to 45 Recap

Sakura is now ready to face the final step of her mission. She collected all the Clow Cards, and any of this series’ questions began to unravel. Among the biggest of these mysteries is the elusive Yue’s identity, who turned out to be Sakura’s beloved Yukito.

With all the cards accounted for, Sakura only needs to defeat one last opponent – Yue. However, the guardian easily defeated Syaoran, and everyone else is bared from assisting. Thus, the Cardcaptor must walk into this fight alone.

Episode 46

Japanese Title: さくらと最後の審判
Romaji Title: Sakura to Saigo no Shinpan
English Title: Sakura and the Final Judgement

Episode Summary

In shock over Yukito’s true identity, Sakura must now face the extremely powerful Yue. The Cardcaptor hesitates to raise her weapon and tries to resist a confrontation but to no avail. Yue will not allow it.

Realizing she must do something, Sakura begins her attack. To her horror, Yue can control the Clow Cards at his will. Soon, the battle becomes too much for Sakura, and Yue ensnares her in a dream designed to keep her asleep forever.

While in the dream world, which looks exactly like the one she has known all her life, Sakura goes about her day as she did before encountering the cards. However, everyone seems distant, and Sakura can’t shake the thought she is forgetting something important. This feeling of uneasiness consumes Sakura and cloaks her in a thick air of loneliness.

With all hope seemingly gone, Sakura’s cards call out to her, showing her the person she forgot – Yukito.

Back in the real world, Ms. Mizuki manages to break Yue’s spell, freeing Sakura. Spurred on, the Cardcaptor summons the full might of her magical power, which is enough to overtake the Moon Guardian. In a haze of magic, Sakura meets the specter of the wizard Clow himself, who warns of coming hardships.

With the fight won, Yukito reverts to his original form, and Sakura’s task comes to an end. Thus concludes the Clow Card storyline.

Principle Characters

Episode 47

Japanese Title: さくらと不思議な転校生
Romaji Title: Sakura to Fushigi na Tenkousei
English Title: Sakura and the Mysterious Transfer Student

Episode Summary

The start of season three.

A lot has changed since Sakura’s battle with Yue, and she thinks her days of fighting are behind her. She is wrong.

Unbeknownst to Sakura, three mysterious figures are lurking in the shadows.

At school, Eriol Hiiragizawa, a transfer student from the U.K., joins Sakura’s class. Although Eriol makes friends with everyone, he gives Sakura and Syaoran an odd feeling they cannot interpret.

Elsewhere, Sakura’s brother, Touya, is also dealing with the arrival of another transfer student, Nakuru Akizuki. Like Eriol, Nakuru has a strange cloud about her.

Back at home, Sakura and Cerberus are taken by surprise when the Clow Book begins to glow. To their astonishment, the book transforms, now bearing the title “Sakura.” Before they can make sense of this change, the two sense the presence of an intense power.

Upon meeting this foe, Sakura is horrified to discover her magic will not activate. Thus, she must retreat for the moment.

Principal Characters

Episode 48

Japanese Title: さくらとめざめた星の鍵
Romaji Title: Sakura to Mezameta Hoshi no Kagi
English Title: Sakura and Farewell to Meiling

Episode Summary

To discover why Sakura’s abilities didn’t manifest, Cerberus suggests talking to Yue.

The Cardcaptor invites Yukito over, who then transforms into the Moon Guardian once they are alone in the house. Together, the trio decides to face this opponent once more.

Whatever the foe might be, it effortlessly defeats Cerberus and Yue. With her friends in danger, Sakura taps into a new source of magic, Star Power. This allows Sakura to increase the strength of her Clow Cards and defeat her enemy.

However, Sakura notices that the card she used to win has changed.

Principal Characters

Episode 49

Japanese Title: さくらとキケンなピアノ
Romaji Title: Sakura to Kiken na Piano
English Title: Sakura and the Dangerous Piano

Episode Summary

Due to the intensity of her new powers, Sakura’s energy is quickly drained. When Sakura fails to show up at school, Tomoyo and Syaoran go to check on her.

When Sakura tells them how the Clow Card transformed, they realize Sakura is no longer using Clow magic. Instead, she is producing her own. Therefore, the cards have now become Sakura Cards.

The next day, Sakura finds Eriol playing the piano. While chatting, Sakura fails to notice Eriol cast a spell on the keys.

Later, Sakura and Syaoran are walking through the halls when they hear Tomoyo scream. Following the noise, Sakura and Syaoran see that the piano Eriol was playing earlier is on a destructive rampage. 

Sakura, Syaoran, and Tomoyo lure the piano to the roof. Sakura uses her new Star Power to force the piano over the edge, defeating it.

Principal Characters

Episode 50

Japanese Title: さくらと小狼とみえない糸
Romaji Title: Sakura to Syaoran to Mienai Ito
English Title: Sakura, Syaoran, and the Invisible Thread

Episode Summary

While at school, Eriol manages to put a possession spell on Syaoran.

At the end of the day, Sakura sense another powerful force. She meets up with Syaoran and Tomoyo to investigate. Although they find no foe, the spell Eriol cast goes into effect, commanding a resistant Syaoran to attack Sakura.

The Cardcaptor realizes that invisible strings are controlling her friend. She successfully cuts the wires, freeing Syaoran the magic.

In an unknown location, Eriol is revealed to be a mage with powers similar to those of a Cardcaptor. He is joined by a Cerberus-like creature named Spinel and Nakuru Akizuki, a spirit conjured by Eriol, whose real name is Ruby.

Principal Characters

Thoughts and Impressions

So the Clow Card storyline came to an end, and I must say, it was satisfying. Additionally, if this were a proper review, I think it would have made a fitting end to the series. Any more and the show would risk going overboard.

However, we still have another season left to go.

I will leave my mind open, but at the moment, I do not care about this second plotline that much. After all, the story we had been following for so long already came to an end. The territory we find ourselves in feels like a forced continuation.

We will seem if I am jumping the gun.

Thanks for following along with me. If you’ve seen this series and feel I am wrong in my descriptions, please let me know in the comments below. I wouldn’t want to put this show in an inaccurate light.

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For Anime Hajime, I’m LofZOdyssey, and I’ll see you next week for Cardcaptor Sakura Episodes 51 to 55.