12 Days of Anime #12: Cardcaptor Sakura

Done yearly by the always entertaining Scamp over at The Cart Driver, I bring you my own 12 Days of Anime. Leading up to Christmas and Boxing day, you'll see a post about a moment of anime each day.

To kick this off, nothing could be more fitting than one of my first anime ever.

Some of you may know I grew up outside of Europe. My childhood was spent watching whatever cartoons were dubbed, most of which was the Smurfs. That was until I discovered anime, and Cardcaptor Sakura is the first one I remember.

Admittedly Sailor Moon was my first anime, but quite frankly I don't remember anything from it. Well......the transformation sequence is about it. Cardcaptor Sakura on the other hand drew me in almost instantly and became my favourite weekly anime.

Now when I revisit the anime for a watch, I realise how much more mature the story was from what I remember. From the yuri undertones of Sakura's best friend Tomoyo - innocent when you're a child watching this anime - to the "interesting" romance developments with the other characters.

Funny how age makes such a big difference with viewing experience. When I watch an episode nowadays I find myself laughing at things I found interesting about the series back in my youth. So much yuri and yaoi that makes me reconsider what the series was meant to be about.

Yuri/yaoi vibes aside, there's still something about Cardcaptor Sakura. Not only was it my first anime that I remember, it's the first CLAMP work that I was introduced to.