Clow Cards
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The Clow Cards (クロウカード Kurō Kādo?) are fictional magical items and characters from Clamp's manga and anime series Cardcaptor Sakura.
In the second half of the series, they become known as Sakura Cards (さくらカード Sakura Kādo).
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[edit] History
The Clow Cards were created in Hong Kong by the sorcerer Clow Reed. They were the result of a combination of both Eastern and Western magic that formed the basis of an entirely new type of wizardry unlike anything else seen at the time.
To contain the incredible power of the Clow Cards after his passing, Clow Reed locked them into the Clow Book. In addition, he assigned two magical beings (whom he also created) to guard the Clow Cards--Cerberus (represented by a golden, winged lion on the Clow Book's front cover) and Yue (represented by a winged, crescent moon on the Clow Book's back cover). The two guardians watch for anyone who would be capable of becoming the new master of the Clow Cards, with Cerberus, Beast of the Seal and The Selector, being the advocate of the new candidate and Yue, the Judge, passing the final judgment of worthiness.
[edit] Role
Each Clow Card has its own personality, ranging from good-natured to mischievous, and its own special powers which are mostly centered around an elemental force or a specific task.
Each Card also has an alternative form used to interact with others. This form varies with each Card but is usually a humanoid (often female) or an animal. Other forms include regular objects, such as a book, sword, and padlock. At the start of the anime, Sakura Kinomoto accidentally releases the Cards from the Clow Book in which they were sealed. The first half of the series follows Sakura as she recaptures all of the Clow Cards.
In the second half of the series, Sakura has passed the Final Judgment and is declared the new Master of the Clow. As a result, the Clow Cards lose their affinity with Clow Reed. Sakura must realign all of them under her magic, thus transforming them into Sakura Cards (Star Cards in Cardcaptors). These have a pink color scheme as opposed to the red scheme of the Clow Cards.
Sakura is also capable of creating new Cards, evidenced by the creation of the nameless card at the end of the anime (Episode 70).
There are 19 Cards in the manga and 53 Cards in the anime. The original 19 Cards from the manga also have some new abilities in the anime. Also, like most manga-to-anime transitions, the plots are not exactly the same. In this case, the Cards were captured in a different order and also through different plots and tactics.
The Clow Cards fall into three categories: those under a specific sign, those under a specific element, and those created for a task or purpose. Some Cards may belong to more than one category.
- Elements: Fire, Earth, Wind, Water
- Signs: Sun, Moon
- Tasks: Various (i.e movement, levitation, reflection)
[edit] Alphabetical order
[edit] Order by capture
Here the Clow Cards are listed in the order of capture in the original Japanese anime and with their original names. In the English dub, the capture order is slightly different, and the naming convention is changed (i.e. The Watery becomes Water Card). In the American adaptation, most Cards are not shown at all or shown very briefly (in a flashback, for example).
[edit] Order by transformation
Here the Clow Cards are listed in the order of transformation into Sakura Cards in the original Japanese anime. This order may be different from what is aired in the English dub (where they are called Star Cards after transformation).
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Transformations not shown: |
[edit] Captured in Manga
Here the cards captured in the Manga are listed in alphebetical order. The manga only featured 19 cards, unlike the anime.
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Characters
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Clow Cards
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| Episode Guide: Clow Card Arc: 1-18, 19-35, 36-46 | Sakura Card Arc: 47-59, 60-70 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
