Sakura
Kinomoto was your average fifth grader until something mysteriously drew her to
the basement of the library.
There she opened a book that would forever change her life.
It was an ancient book containing magical cards created by a powerful
Magician long ago.
The cards are scattered and the guardian declares her the Cardcaptor.
She must battle and capture each of the escaped cards.
It’s hard work and the cards wreak havoc on the town in their confusion,
but, with the help of her friends she manages to do it.
But after defeating (and befriending) her rival, passing the final
judgment, and being declared the Card Mistress, more troubles await Sakura.
In season 2 Sakura finds she must transform all the
cards to Star cards, powered by the magic of her own star.
This creates quite a strain on her still new magic, but her magic grows
strong as she transforms the cards.
At the same time strange things start happening in Sakura’s town. Sakura
transforms and uses the cards to stop each magical disturbance.
In the end she faces her foe, a boy who is also her friend, and
transforms the last two cards (with her ex-rival’s help) saving the town and
completing her task.
Having transformed all the cards her magic is now strong enough to
sustain the cards and her guardians.
The magician boy who caused the disturbances explained that he was
pushing her to transform the cards before they ‘died’.
He is indeed a friend.
In the end he goes home, as does Sakura’s rival turned friend.
But was he just a friend?
A constant thread in the show is the relationship
between Sakura and Li, her rival, who is a descendant of Clow Reed.
These two are first rivals, then friends and partners.
In the end, Li declares his love for her, but she is unsure of her own
feelings. The final scene is of Sakura crying as she thinks of Li, from her
fallen tears a new card is formed – it is Love (hope in the English dub, but
love is sooo much better!)