Clow Card Arc: 19-35

Timeline: late August, last day of summer vacation

Characters Introduced:

• Wei, Syaoran's butler and Meilin

Characters Emphasized: Sakura, Syaoran

Key plot points and revelations:

• Syaoran reveals his superstitious nature when he refuses to share a library cubicle with Sakura and Tomoyo, citing that it predicted bad luck with women.
• Tomoyo points out to Sakura that she read one of the thickest volumes on the reading list, hinting she's a bit of a brain in class.
• Kero catches Syaoran having to use a dictionary to look up simple words, and Syaoran admits he has a problem with Japanese kanji.
• For the first time, thanks to Move's unpredictable actions, Sakura is forced to rely solely upon her magical senses to catch a Card.
• Syaoran invites the girls over to his place so Sakura can change into dry clothes, probably the nicest thing he's done so far. We finally see where he lives, a luxurious-looking apartment close to the park, and meet his servant/caretaker Wei. Wei tells Sakura that Syaoran lost his father when he was very young, and his mother asked Wei to look after the boy.
• To the surprise of everyone, a Chinese girl enters the apartment and leaps on Syaoran with a hug. She calls him Syaoran, and when she notices that Sakura is wearing his t-shirt, she becomes furious and starts to hit him.

Timeline: early September, first day of school

Characters Introduced:

• Meiling Li

Characters Emphasized: Sakura, Syaoran, Meiling

Key plot points and revelations:

• When Syaoran enters the room, he's markedly pale and haggard compared to his usual tough-and-healthy look. When Meiling enters the room, it's clear that her presence has exhausted him and he is desperate to escape it.
• Terada-sensei explains that she is from Hong Kong and cousin to Syaoran. Meiling is quick to add that she is actually his fiance, and obviously believes Sakura wants to take Syaoran away from her.
• Syaoran asks Meiling why she came, and she answers that she was lonely for him. He explains that he's not going back until he gets the Clow Cards, but she doesn't particularly care about that. She reminds him that a fortune-teller in Hong Kong predicted someone else would get them, a reminder that clearly grates on his nerves. It's only after he makes it clear he won't return home without the Cards that Meiling decides she will get involved and 'help', so that he can collect them faster.
• Meiling is just as competitive as Syaoran, and indirectly challenges Sakura to a gymnastics competition. It begins a long trend of Meiling forever trying to one-up Sakura at a number of things, though she rarely succeeds. Sakura, however, isn't interested in competing at all.
• We learn Toya holds a first-degree black belt in karate.
• Meiling meets Sakura and the others at the park, revealing that she knows all about the Clow Cards and intends to participate in the captures.
• Meiling displays impressive martial artist technique against the Fight Card, demonstrating what skills have been taught to the children of the Li family.
• Syaoran shows up later, revealing that Meiling went after the Card without his knowledge. We learn Meiling has no magic of her own. Syaoran comes across as extremely protective of Meiling's safety, probably because she is without magic. He also comes across as condescending.

Timeline: early September

Characters Emphasized: Meiling, Sakura

Key plot points and revelations:

• Sakura is well-known among her classmates as one of the fastest, winner of the day-long marathon the year before. Yamazaki is also made out to be a good runner.
• Meiling's determination to win this race is given an odd twist in that she is equally determined to lose to Syaoran. She adamantly repeats the phrase "One-Two Finish", as if it's unthinkable to beat him. This demonstrates that she has no simple crush on Syaoran but literally worships the ground he walks on, and would gladly sacrifice anything of her own for his gain.
• Her zeal to beat Sakura, however, is also proof that she regards Sakura as some kind of special threat to her relationship with Syaoran. She's not bothered by any of the other girls (or boys) in the class winning. So learning to run marathons seems less about any inherent competitiveness and more a facet of her jealous possessiveness of Syaoran.
• During the race, both Syaoran and Sakura funnel all their speed and energy into a short spurt of the race when Yukito is watching, another moment of competition between the two of them for his attention.
• For all his grumbling, Syaoran shows his soft side when Meiling refuses to be driven back to the finish line. She comes across as quite obnoxious about this whole race thing, but he knows it's important to her and that she'd rather die leaving such a task uncompleted. He proves it by carrying her to the finish line on his back.

Timeline: early September

Characters Emphasized: Fujitaka

Key plot points and revelations:

• It's our first chance to see Towa University, the school where Dr. Fujitaka Kinomoto earns his living as a professor. We glimpse him teaching a large class about Mesopotamian culture, though it's not clear if that is his specialty.
• The episode shows the deep care and love between father and daughter, with little input from Toya and not a mention of Nadeshiko. It's the only one of its kind in that respect. The exchange of notes with the prepared bento boxes sum up their closeness perfectly.

Timeline: mid-September

Characters Emphasized: Tomoyo (It is the first time that the Card flashed during the commercial break eyecatch features someone other than Sakura.)

Key plot points and revelations:

• With this episode we're back in the winter uniforms of long sleeves.
• For the first and only time Meiling almost brushes up against the truth of Syaoran's feelings for Yukito, when she walks into a conversation concerning how Yukito will be spending the night at the Kinomoto's. However, no one enlightens her on the whole truth.
• Meiling announces that she is just as good a singer as Tomoyo is, but we are never given the chance to hear for ourselves.
• Sakura didn't want to go to her school at night at first because of what happened with Shadow, but after Yukito told her that he wanted to hear the mysterious voice even for just a little bit, Sakura finally agreed to go.
• Syaoran is still reluctant about Meiling participating in card captures, and even after two captured with Meiling attempts to order her home now. She refuses to go.
• When Meiling messes up and pulls open the door, thus startling the Card into fleeing, it's Sakura that sticks up for Meiling and defends her against Syaoran's abuse. It's a repeat of Sakura's careful overtures of friendship with Syaoran when he first appeared fifteen episodes ago.

Timeline: mid-September

Characters Emphasized: Sakura

Key plot points and revelations:

• It is the last episode in the series in which Syaoran does not make at least a brief appearance.
• We see much more of the house than we ever have before. For the first time, we learn that Fujitaka's room has an organ, though no one in the family has ever mentioned music.
• Left alone in the living room, Tomoyo has to make conversation with Toya and Yukito without Sakura for the first time.

Timeline: mid-September

Characters Emphasized: Toya

Key plot points and revelations:

• When most of her class was witness to the mimics naughty actions in the shopping plaza, Syaoran is the one who unequivocally knows she didn't do it. He doesn't exactly defend her, but he does try to warn her.
• For the first and only time, Sakura uses the Clow Cards for fortune telling. Although it isn't exactly to see the future, but to understand the hidden cause of a current mystery. One wonders why she didn't try it when none of them knew what was happening in the third season.
• Sakura's psychic magic jumps several notches in response to the need, like the strength of adrenaline. Intuitively she knows that the Card has targeted Toya, and she also senses where they are.
• For the first time, Sakura literally begs Syaoran to help her find the Card and her brother.
• Toya reveals to the Card that he'd sensed her actual nature right away, proving his own abilities. Although he appears to mistakenly believe she's a ghost, this is his first brush with a Clow Card since the Mist, and definitely the longest. It's most likely here that he begins to figure out that something unworldly is going on around his sister.
• Syaoran flies on Sakura's winged staff for the first time.
• When Mirror is revealed, she drifts over to Toya and kisses him, and whispers an apology. It's the beginning of a rather strange crush on her Mistress' big brother, one that he treats with patience and respect.
• It's the first time a Card seems to have attacked Sakura just because of who she is, establishing that at least some of the Cards have figured out she's the one gathering them.
• For the first time since the first episode, Sakura mentions that Kero predicted a big catastrophe if she fails to collect all the Cards. He assures her that it's nothing physical, but in a chillingly ominous moment mutters under his breath that it would be far worse - for her.
• A suspicious-looking redheaded woman is shown out in the driveway, looking at the Kinomoto house. The writers of the show seem fond of introducing new characters at the last minute of an episode (witness Syaoran and Meiling).

Timeline: mid-September

Characters Introduced:

• Kaho Mizuki

Characters Emphasized: Kaho

Key plot points and revelations:

• Toya begins his habit of staring suspiciously at Kero whenever he gets the chance.
• Kaho and Sakura meet, and Kaho begins her habit of unerring predictions with the comment that they will see each other again tomorrow. Sakura is dazzled by Kaho's beauty.
• Kaho Mizuki is introduced to the class as a long-term substitute math teacher, surprising Sakura. Syaoran's reaction is one of instant suspicion and dislike, and he tells Sakura he can sense something.
• Syaoran uses his magic to rescue Tomoyo, without even waiting to be asked by Sakura.
• Kaho shows them the crescent-shaped 'moon bell', and demonstrates its destructive power upon the Clow Card. When Sakura seals Maze, the Card flies to her. Absurdly, Sakura asked her to turn her back while she was doing the sealing, as if Kaho could not know about the Clow Cards. After Kaho gives her Maze, Sakura asks no questions about the power of her bell or how she knew about this magic.
• Toya enters the shrine and is plainly shell shocked to see Kaho there. They address each other by first name.

Timeline: late September

Characters Emphasized: Toya, Kaho

Key plot points and revelations:

• For the third time Sakura has her dream of the Final Judgement, this time with the silhouette of Kaho before the moon.
• Sakura meets Kaho at the Shrine by chance, and we see Kaho dressed in the traditional garb of a shrine mistress.
• When Kaho sees the way Sakura fawns all over Yukito, she tries to tell her something and then stops herself. Probably that he's meant for someone else, so she shouldn't get her hopes up.
• Syaoran fumes when he hears that Sakura is spending time around Kaho, but nobody else cares about his concerns. It's another example of why he's a good counterpart for Sakura, as he's a little less trusting. He glares at Kaho, but she only smiles at him, and this seems to unnerve him.
• When Fujitaka hears the name of Sakura's new teacher, he is immediately troubled and mumbles something about Toya under his breath. Whatever happened between the two, it's obvious he knows at least part of it.
• Syaoran, Sakura, and Kero go to the Shrine very late to capture the Card. Starting with Maze there is a trend of many Cards appearing at the Shrine, probably attracted to the new power living there.
• Syaoran and Sakura have a minor bonding moment in the tree when Kero leaves, and talk about their feelings for Yukito. It's the first time they've directly admitted their crushes to one another, most likely the first time Syaoran's ever admitted it period. We learn Yukito transferred to Seijou in the third trimester of the previous year, which makes it about right after Christmas, his 'birthday'.
• Sakura becomes witness to Toya and Kaho's first meeting, and hears Kaho 'predict' that she'll see Toya again tomorrow. It's an exact copy of what she told Sakura when they first met too.
• When Kero explains the nature of the Return Card to Syaoran, he adds that it's a full moon. The implication is that a full moon makes some Cards much stronger, surely those that come under Moon jurisdiction.
• Kaho reveals that Toya has told her he loves her, and that she loved him too. Then she explains that it's over because she's going to study overseas. She also tells him that they will both have someone else they love by the time they meet again.
• Kaho murmurs something about a catastrophe befalling this world as she look at the full moon, in near exact copy of Kero's words, and then turns to look directly at Sakura even though Sakura should have been well hidden. She begins to say, "I'm sure that..." The likely continuation of this sentence is, "I'm sure that everything will be alright", Sakura's famous mantra that will come up in Episode #40.
• Sakura hugs Syaoran in gratitude for rescuing her, their first real contact, and he turns tomato red.
• While the kids are distracted, Kero glares right at the moon and says "Yue" for the first time.

Timeline: late September

Characters Emphasized: Meiling

Key plot points and revelations:

• For the first time Meiling begins to (very tentatively) respond to Sakura's venture of friendship. She rescues Sakura when her home ec skillet of oil starts to smoke and burn, and asks her about Twin Bells. In the final moment of the episode, she gives Sakura a Cooking Card because she knew she wanted one.
• Sakura and Tomoyo catch Meiling in the act of buying a charmed Romance Card, which seems to terrify her. Her frantic denials hint at a gnawing fear underneath that she knows Syaoran doesn't love her the way she loves him, but to admit it could cause her entire world to collapse. She is especially apoplectic when Syaoran spots the card.
• Meiling and Toya and Yukito meet for the first time, but Sakura makes the mistake as introducing her as Syaoran's cousin. When she corrects her with 'fiance', Syaoran becomes horribly embarrassed and bolts, mortified that Yukito heard it.
• When Sakura activates her staff and invites Syaoran to hop on, he hangs back and hesitates. He's already been on it once before, so the hesitation comes from some other reason than doubt about the staff's safety. Most likely he's uncomfortable being that close to Sakura since their hug in Episode #27
• In the frantic fight to seal Shot, Sakura and Syaoran start to display the fruits of their long partnership. Without needing to speak she communicates her plan to use Mirror, and he understands even in the heat of battle. It's a moment of progress in their teamwork.

Timeline: early October

Characters Emphasized: Sakura, Syaoran

Key plot points and revelations:

• For the first time we learn that Rika's special talent is baking cakes. We also learn that her father out of town on business a lot, not insignificant when you factor in her crush on the teacher. She says they both like strawberry shortcakes at lot, and gives Terada a slice.
• We also learn that Meiling is just as bad at baking cakes as Rika is good, in spite of her apparent ability to cook anything Chinese or Japanese.
• Though he affects most of the time to not care about Meiling's feelings, Syaoran goes out of his way to tell Meiling that their failed cake in class was not her fault.
• This episode does not clearly reveal who controls The Sweet after capture. However in Episode 46, Sweet is shown to be in Sakura's possession when Yue pulls the cards away from her.
• At the final scene, Syaoran watches Sakura give her cake to Yukito and Toya, along with Tomoyo. He seems less jealous of her closeness to Yukito at this point, and more wistful. The four appear to be having a lot of fun, and something in his eyes looks like he would like to join them. When Meiling pounces on him, he shrugs it off and marches home like always.

Timeline: mid-October

Characters Introduced:

• Rei Tachibana

Characters Emphasized: Rei

Key plot points and revelations:

• Sakura meets Rei, a sixth-grader who loves sprinting and is up for competition at the Elementary Track Meet next week.
• This episode marks the first time Sakura feels morally conflicted about capturing a Card -- her desire to see others happy warring with her mandate to seal the Cards and to do what is right.
• Toya's athleticism is reaffirmed when Fujitaka remembers how he once broke the school record in sprinting.
• Although Syaoran is very no-nonsense about sealing away Dash, Sakura catches him in the act of being humane at the end of the episode. For seemingly no reason whatsoever, he activates the Card and allows Rei a tiny glimpse of him just before her sprint in the Meet. When Sakura confronts him about it, he denies it to her face. Whether he was driven to this random act of kindness out of a sense of long-dormant decency, or because he wanted to make Sakura happy, is a question only he can answer.

Timeline: mid-October

Characters Emphasized: Naoko

Key plot points and revelations:

• When the quartet and Kero meet up in the plaza to capture the Card, it's Meiling and Kero who get in a fight over who's better suited and more rightfully due the Card. By this point, Syaoran and Sakura have essentially given up arguing and become partners.
• When Naoko finishes reading what had been written into the Nameless Book, she says aloud that it was about a magician. Given that this book/Card was Clow's creation, it seems most likely that the story was about him. She goes on to create characters that are animals with wings, hinting that the book may have mentioned Keroberos and Yue in their winged form.
• Syaoran had to ask Meiling if she'd seen the translucent princess, using her as the acid test to find out whether it was a ghost. This infers he can see ghosts, just like Toya.
• Naoko is not at all upset to find her book disappeared during the night, embracing the idea that she's had a brush with the supernatural. She truly adores mysteries.

Timeline: late October

Characters Emphasized: Cerberus, Syaoran

Key plot points and revelations:

• Syaoran panics at the thought of sleeping inside Sakura's room, and when she gets close he turns markedly red.
• Kero and Kaho meet, rather briefly, though Kero has no chance to notice because they are looking for the missing Syaoran and he's not even in his own body. But he does make a note of what she looks like.
• We end the episode rather comically with a dream on the part of Syaoran, the first time we ever spend so long in his perspective. It's a very humanizing scene for him.

Timeline: November

Characters Emphasized: Sakura, Syaoran

Key plot points and revelations:

• In the beginning, when Syaoran sees Sakura, he blushes
• Sakura dreams about the upcoming Judgement again. For the first time, she shares this dream with Kero. He specifically hears "long hair and a full moon", and after she's left the room mutters the name "Yue".
• We discover that Meiling hates the cold. Syaoran doesn't seem very fond of it either, but he doesn't complain about it half as much.
• Terada and Rika spend some quality time together learning to skate.
• Kaho is unaffected by the Card that freezes everyone else in the rink, likely because the card is moon-influenced and leaves her alone.
• This is one of the more exciting and action-packed captures, and another good marker of the teamwork between Sakura and Syaoran. When she's knocked to the ice and almost passes out, he punches at the film of ice growing over her to free her, clearly determined to save her at any physical cost to his fists. In the final moment of the series, she makes eye contact with him and smiles, and he promptly falls to the ice. It's the beginning of a long, slow slide into love.

Timeline: November

Characters Emphasized: Sakura, Yukito

Key plot points and revelations:

• Kero glares out the window at the moon, and again says "Yue."
• Chiharu and Yamazaki enter the contest together, in what could almost be a date.
• We learn the official flower of the town is the nadeshiko, Sakura's mother's namesake. This won't come up again until the finale of the series in Movie #2, the Nadeshiko Festival.
• Syaoran and Toya get to have another quick glaring contest, one that throws off sparks.
• Kaho and Yukito have a moment to talk while Sakura is distracted. She drills him about when he moved to Tomoeda and the grandparents that he lives with, apparently coming to the conclusion that he is the mortal shell for Yue. She tries to tell him something, but is interrupted.
• The full moon seems to be gaining in strength. The very sight of it triggers visions of Sakura's dream, and she passes out.
• When everyone's become worried enough, Syaoran actually offers to help Toya go look for Sakura and Yukito.
• This is the second episode that features no card capture, but instead of using it to explore the past and the circumstances of Sakura's family, this episode is laden with foreshadowing. Sakura is finally beginning to understand that something about the full moon is ominous, at least for her, and she shows a little fear of it at the end of the episode.

Timeline: early December

Characters Emphasized: Sakura

Key plot points and revelations:

• Again she dreams of the Judgement. This time it is in class, and when Sakura sees her teacher after waking up she finally makes the connection that Kaho could be the woman in her dream.
• Tomoyo points out she's been in a daze since Episode #34, demonstrating the powerful effect that foreboding had on her.
• We learn Yamazaki is good at knitting, cooking, and gymnastics as well as running.
• Meiling and Sakura are beginning to really establish their friendship. Meiling gives Sakura advice on picking out the perfect Christmas present for her special guy, and later talks about Yukito with Sakura when they're at the festival. Once Meiling realizes that Sakura's heart is set on someone other than Syaoran, she loosens up quite a bit and becomes very friendly.
• Meiling tells Sakura that she often goes to Christmas festival with Syaoran in Hong Kong, and mentions that he has older sisters.
• At the cafe, Syaoran blushes his usual blush at Yukito, then again when he sees Sakura's smile. Both Toya and Tomoyo notice.
• To defeat Fiery, Sakura uses two cards in unison for the first time. And apparently it's unheard of to use two elemental cards together, period.
• With the capture of Fiery, Kero's magic takes a leap in power. He can now produce miniature flame and sparkling sun magic.
• As a season finale, the episode concentrated mostly on Sakura's conquest of a particularly strong Card, and made sure to at least briefly cover all the supporting cast. Relationships are either reaffirmed or hinted to be experiencing some kind of small change. At the end of the episode, when Yukito invites her back next year, Sakura does not even seem very giddy. Instead, she seems disquieted by the march of time and wonders just what stands between her and the next Christmas.