Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle
Synopsis:
Sakura is the princess of Clow - and possessor of a mysterious, misunderstood power that promises to change the world. Syaoran is her childhood friend and leader of the archaeological dig that took his father's life. They reside in an alternate reality where whatever you least expect can happen - and does. When Sakura ventures to the dig site to declare her love for Syaoran, a puzzling symbol is uncovered - which triggers a remarkable quest. Now Syaoran embarks upon a desperate journey through other worlds - all in the name of saving Sakura.
Why You Should Read This:
Since ShinmenTakezo is keeping the world depressed(?) with Akumetsu, I figured I'll offset it with something more..... cheery(???).
I find CLAMP to be very similar to TYPE-MOON. They both have distinct style of world building and like to incorporate different philosophies and themes into their worlds. Tsubasa Reservoir Chronice, commonly abbreviated as TSR, is in many sense CLAMP's most ambitious work to date. With a few exceptions, most of the character designs of this series come straight from the pre-existing CLAMP universe, with the beloved characters from Cardcaptor Sakura acting as the main protagonists. Despite that, you don't need any prior knowledge of CLAMP series to enjoy it.
The best part this series for me is the different adventures and world encountered in the first part of the series. The main cast has to learn different powers and abilities for each world they go in, which keeps things fresh and interesting. Usually when a series goes down this route of learning new powers every arc, it feels cheap and forced, but CLAMP managed to weave it nicely with the main plot. You also get a taste of wide range of different genre such as fantasy, mystery/detective, racing, etc.
The series goes into a lot more darker tone on the second part, with crazy plot twists here and there (I won't spoil it). I personally thought final wrap-up of the series was a bit weak, and it definitely could have been delivered better as it can be quite confusing on what's going on. Despite some flows, I still respect CLAMP for what it tried/managed to pull off.
Overall, it's an excellent series with likable cast, good adventure, combined with some really nice scenes with great art.
Edited by ruggia, 19 April 2015 - 09:36 PM.