[Faeverily]

OMG I spent hours working on this. Like, you don't even know. Sign up for myanimelist.net and go here: http://myanimelist.net/manga/9/Tsuba...oNiCLE/reviews. If you scroll down, you'll see mine (at the bottom of mine, there's a 'Helpful' and a 'Not Helpful' button). Please click on 'Helpful'? For me? It'll only take you a minute T__T

If you review Tsubasa, I'll love you forever. It doesn't even have to be long, one paragraph will do as long as you contribute. It'll attract so much more attention to Tsubasa. I beg of you!

And yes. I'm an attention whore.

Please read my whole review. This was my very first one and I worked really hard on it.

There's a reason why CLAMP has a cult-like following all over the world (including Italy). There's also a reason why Tsubasa is in the top rankings every single time a tankōbon comes out in Japan. It's been licensed for release in English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Thai, and Brazilian Portuguese. I've even seen a couple Vietnamese scanlations running around somewhere on the internet. Meanwhile, the US is still hooked on Bleach and Naruto (Tsubasa has a better rating than these series, by the way).

Story --------------------- 10

I have no doubt at all that Tsubasa is the most incredible, epic crossover series to date. I strongly suggest that you read Cardcaptor Sakura and Magic Knight Rayearth before you start this series (and are somewhat familiar with Chobits), otherwise you won't enjoy it NEARLY as much. Why do people even start reading this without having a basic understanding of CLAMP's past works? Why read a crossover series if you don't know the crossovers? The more CLAMP works you have read, the more you get out of the experience. Though not necessary, you should definitely read xxxHolic with Tsubasa. The two series intertwine so heavily in the later chapters...you'll gain a lot of insight that way.

Even though it's classified as a shounen manga, it appeals equally to both genders. Tsubasa is original and fresh, which is to be expected from a CLAMP work. It's the kind of story that sends a refreshing but ominous chill down your spine, especially in the later chapters. I'm warning you that it slowly, but steadily grows to be extremely dark and depressing. The story plays out to be almost worthy of Greek tragedy. It becomes so unpredictable that it's out of this world, and you can only anticipate what happens next. I definitely recommend this if you like CLAMP, magical adventures, fighting action, or forbidden romance. Did I mention there's clones, time-travel, and vampires? Yeah, this is a trippy manga.

Plot ----------------------- 10

In the beginning, it grabs interest. However, the pacing begins to slow down due to filler chapters, repetitiveness, and childish innocence. It was frankly pretty boring, but I didn't drop this series because I heard it would get better. At the Acid Tokyo arc, things begin to pick up with MAJOR plot twists being introduced left, right, and center. These 'twists' had been foreshadowed frequently before. The sheer number of storylines that come together will definitely threaten your state of mental health, as they are very confusingly executed. Tsubasa begins to rely so heavily on symbolism that it can only be labeled a huge mind screw. However, CLAMP appears to be tying up all the loose ends in xxxHolic, and I applaud them from allowing the plot unfold at its own natural momentum.

It was at this time when I renewed my love for Tsubasa. It was also around this time when the plot spun out of control and became much "darker". Prepare for bucketloads of blood and angst. The story does a complete 180. Some people liked the first half of the series more...when no one was dying, Fai wasn't emo, Syaoran and Sakura's personalities were yawn-worthy, and the plot lacked depth. Hey, if boring and cutesy floats your boat, you shouldn't be reading CLAMP. They enjoy making their characters go through living hell and back. But they do this artfully. And they like to torture their readers.

Did I mention that every single time a new chapter came out, people would start panicking and screaming "WTF?! I WAS WRONG!" and then proceed to curse at CLAMP for making them look like idiots? And these very people are CLAMP 'worshippers'. Don't even think about coming up with theories. To quote some of my friends: "Even Einstein's brain would implode trying to understand the time paradoxes in this series. The plot's not just deep, it's BOTTOMLESS." "In fact, my brain expired three months ago." "Ohkawa has an even stranger mind than Salvador Dali, Quentin Tarantino and John Lennon put together."

There are still many unexplained questions about this series, but the vast majority of it makes sense if you have the patience to look up theories on the internet, re-read Tsubasa, and research symbolism (there's a reason why I'm going to take a Critical Theory class). All the true Tsubasa fans have already done this, while the other fans start trashing this series simply because they lack the potential to understand it. You can't just stare at a page and expect to soak up all the information like a sponge. This is a manga that makes you THINK. I'm quite sure that CLAMP will spoon-feed explanations to everyone in xxxHolic's ending, so make sure to check that out.


Art ----------------------- 10

Beautiful. Just beautiful. It's the typical highly detailed hair, heavily stylized eyes and human figures, and elaborate clothing from our four lovely ladies. Over time, the art undergoes a heavy transformation. It's obvious, but not so obvious that it'll bother you.

FIRST HALF: The characters are drawn in a stretched-out style. The lines are thin and there is little use of screentone. This takes a while to get used to, but once you do, it makes the story more enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, the art was beautiful and top-notch from the start. But it dims in comparison to the art that follows after. This drawing style suits the gentle atmosphere of the first half.

SECOND HALF: The stretchiness is less exaggerated and the lines are thicker. The art grows to be even more detailed, sleeker and takes on a more serious tone. The heavy use of screentones in the second half makes the panels stunning and filled with emotion. It just manages to take your breath away. The backgrounds might even be TOO detailed, to the point where it's hard to see what's going on. I honestly wish that they used their old shoujo style to draw Tsubasa, however. That kind of art would have translated better onto paper with the story's emotional, psychological, and tragic beauty.

Character ----------------------- 9.5

Context is huge in this category. Every single time I re-read Tsubasa, I discover something new about the characters. You have to read slowly, and ask yourself questions. "Why did she do this?" "Why did they exchange that look?" "What did he decide when he closed his eyes in that panel?" Tsubasa is the kind of manga that you can't read through quickly. You have to think, analyze, and theorize. One of the main reasons that people give Tsubasa a low rating is because they aren't in tune to the characters and read through the whole thing without giving it a single thought.

ABOUT THE CROSSOVER CHARACTERS: This is a real treat for CLAMP fans. People who say that the creators were just lazy obviously aren't familiar with them. In a story where countless characters came and went, do you really expect that people would remember their names? What makes these characters memorable is the fact that their personalities and traits were unraveled when they were the main focus of a different series. The very roots of their hearts, or 'souls', are essentially the same. If you've read most of CLAMP's works, you know in EXACT DETAIL the lives, natures, and pasts of EVERY single minor character in Tsubasa (in an alternate universe). Isn't that amazing? I was struck with waves of nostalgia whenever the characters from RG Veda and X/1999 appeared. Ah, good times.

Syaoran, Sakura, Fai, and Kurogane have distinct personalities. They change tremendously. They lie and distance themselves from each other in a way that just breaks your heart. They find the meaning of true strength and break the chains that bind their pasts. They make horrible mistakes and end up paying greatly for them. One thing that Yuuko said to Fai was, "To all the young ones in your group, you are no longer someone who passes through their lives and is forgotten. You have become someone very important to them. Your hardships are their hardships too."

Our characters become EXTREMELY well-developed and have their own ways of thinking. It's impossible not to relate to them, and you are dealt painful blows to the heart with the countless numbers of obstacles that are thrown between them. I would have liked a little more development for Syaoran and Sakura, though. Their love is too "pure" for me, and they're a bit too kind-hearted for their own good. Fai and Kurogane are the ones that truly shine in this category. They're so human that it scares me to death.

Enjoyment ----------------------- 10

I enjoyed Tsubasa tremendously, and am mourning over the fact that it has ended. It was a great 6 years, CLAMP. I confess that I have no idea what to theorize and obsess over now that it's over. Tsubasa is definitely worth your time. The huge majority of reviewers have given Tsubasa a "10"! So why not give it a try? You CERTAINLY won't regret it. This poetic, visually breathtaking work will stay lodged in your mind for a long time to come. You'll be begging CLAMP for more.

....teehee.

[Superbia Squalo]

I have to say, i disagree with your scoring. You admit it's faults, but still give it a perfect score?
Such as the filler content and general first half of Tsubasa, just because the plot twist at Tokyo caused great excitement it still doesn't wipe the fact the first half became generic and repetitive.
To be honest, although the review's pretty darn decent, it seems biased on scoring because you enjoyed it and feel forgiving, when you should take a more neutral standpoint for writing it.

[shamu_orka]

I also wouldn't give TRC such a perfect score. That's why I don't like writing reviews - I hate to say bad stuff about series I love.

Your review was very good. Thanks for quoting me! :d

[Kujaku-san]

Off topic but..... Shamu-chan!!!! You need to hurry up and join the Tsubasa community on LiveJournal! We neeeeeeeeed our Yuko!

[kaylachan1990]

Excatly review, you should receive a reward for all the time and effort put into this.




Oh and Shamu-orka, we really do need our Yuuko over there.

[Kujaku-san]

Originally Posted by kaylachan1990

Excatly review, you should receive a reward for all the time and effort put into this.




Oh and Shamu-orka, we really do need our Yuuko over there.

In other words Clow is bored of his cards and wants to sex you up

[Stickninjasllama]

Nice review. It made me want to read it all over again. Finding more symbolism has nothing to do with it.

For the record, I enjoyed the both the 'boring cutesy' stuff as well as all the 'blood and angst'.

Yeah, this is a trippy manga.

You have no idea how much I love that sentence. XD

Originally Posted by Kujaku-san

In other words Clow is bored of his cards and wants to sex you up

Isn't he always?

[x_EternalBlessing]

I absolutely love your post. That long summary of yours really got to me because it's basically the excact same feeling I have towards this series.

Now, I know to all of us, even the big obsessive fans, it was a very confusing series. Although I was, and still am hehe, obsessed with it, I understood a lot and tried to comprehend everything.

I really get ashamed when I hear someone say "Um..this is too confusing I'm gonna stop reading and just start another manga." or something along the lines of giving up on it. I remember I used to let my friends borrow my manga all the time, this being one of the series I lent them, and a few of them just asked me to stop letting them borrow it because they were too comfused. I can kind of understand because if you don't read online, like most of my friends, and have to wait to see it when a volume comes out every 3 months or so, that you would forget things and have to be explained again. But i wouldn't necessarily give up on it.

This series is really worth your time if you like long plots with many amazing characters and Clamp made Tsubasa AND xxxHolic interesting by making them cross-overs. Seeing their characters from their other series return like this in Tsubasa and Holic was amazing. Even CCS Syaoran and Sakura. I'll always love Clamp for that.

ABOUT THE CROSSOVER CHARACTERS: This is a real treat for CLAMP fans. People who say that the creators were just lazy obviously aren't familiar with them. In a story where countless characters came and went, do you really expect that people would remember their names? What makes these characters memorable is the fact that their personalities and traits were unraveled when they were the main focus of a different series. The very roots of their hearts, or 'souls', are essentially the same. If you've read most of CLAMP's works, you know in EXACT DETAIL the lives, natures, and pasts of EVERY single minor character in Tsubasa (in an alternate universe). Isn't that amazing? I was struck with waves of nostalgia whenever the characters from RG Veda and X/1999 appeared. Ah, good times.

I agree, if you're not a reader of Clamp and haven't read their other series, you can't judge them for their ideas in just one of their mangas. It's not fair to them. If you don't like Tsubasa, it's fine, that's your opinion. But don't critisize the author's as if you know that all of their series will be the exact same as Tsubasa because they're all unique in their own way and they do a great job with every single one of them. Especially Trc, Holic, and CCS.

[shamu_orka]

Originally Posted by Kujaku-san

In other words Clow is bored of his cards and wants to sex you up

Only if he gives me that KxY (KeroxYue) pr0n he has

[Evan_Angel]

I absolutely loved your review! I KNOW it took time and effort to write that and I bow to your paitents and time that it did. I don't think I could have done that. I like your review and I actually quite agree with most of the story!

Originally Posted by Faeverily

Fai and Kurogane are the ones that truly shine in this category. They're so human that it scares me to death.

XDDD That made me crack up laughing!!!