Syaoran v. Syaoran rematch!
Creative Staff:
Writer/Artist: CLAMP
Translation: William Flanagan
What They Say
In the world of dreams, the two Syaorans fight over Princess Sakura’s feathers and the princess herself. But while one Syaoran has always been a powerful mage for good, the other has become a killing machine using Fai’s magic. Their brutal battle will be to the death, but whose death remains to be seen!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Syaoran and Syaoran face off again in the World of Dreams with Sakura as the helpless onlooker. It’s a furious battle that takes up half the volume. The details are difficult to follow when the three transport out of Dreams back to the Country of Japan in mid-fight, but the climactic conclusion is crystal clear. In the end, it is neither Syaoran that falls but Sakura’s soul! Scarcely do we have a chance to react than Kyle unexpectedly appears to take Sakura’s body and disappears from Japan, as does the Syaoran image.
Considering the pace and tone of the fight, it was clear it was building to something dramatic, and I had a feeling Sakura would play a key part. However, I did not expect her to sacrifice herself so completely. In the midst of the fight and the immediate aftermath, the truth is revealed about Fei Wang’s intent behind the memory feathers and what the Sakura we’ve been following all this time actually was. Once I got over the shock of the revelation, I felt a little cheated. Two of the main characters we started with aren’t really who we thought they were, and after becoming so attached to them, it’s jarring for Sakura to point (the original) Syaoran to someone else.
At any rate, this volume closes with Fai, Kurogane, and Syaoran all in the clothes they originally wore to Yuko’s shop, and as the next arc begins, it does feel like a kind of reboot with the wild goose chase for feathers over and the real target, namely Fei Wang, in their sights.
In Summary:
A shocking revelation in the heat of battle turns everything you’ve assumed about one of our main characters on its head. I felt somewhat betrayed that CLAMP did this so late in the game after all the effort they’ve done in getting their readers emotionally invested. At this point, the original quest of collecting memory feathers falls by the wayside as Syaoran and company head to the Kingdom of Clow to confront Fei Wang for what looks to be the final stages of this manga.
Translation notes are included as extras in this volume.
Content Grade: B-
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Del Rey Manga
Release Date: October 27th, 2009
MSRP: $10.99
