Sometimes, you don't realize how formative a series is until you sit down with it as an adult, rereading it once more. For me, one of those series is CLAMP's classic Cardcaptor Sakura.

I'd watched the American adaptation, Cardcaptors, when I was three years old, and along with Pokemon and Disney Princesses, when I was little, it was my favorite thing ever. It also, coincidentally, happened to be my first anime ever. Meanwhile, the manga, which I'd originally read in middle school, has a special spot in my heart. Finding out the series and I were the same age recently, I gave it a re-read and was blown away. So, to say that this series gives me nostalgia is an understatement.

Cardcaptor Sakura follows the adventures of Sakura, a Japanese middle schooler, who lives with her father (a widower) and her high-school aged brother Touya (who has supernatural powers). Meanwhile, she has a crush on his best friend, Yukito. (Oh boy!)

Sakura accidentally releases a bunch of magic Tarot cards--called Clow Cards, made by the ultra-powerful magician Clow Reed--and has to, as the series' title implies, catch them. With the help of her best friend Tomoyo, who has cute costumes to spare and tapes her adventures, and the guardian of the Clow Cards, Keroberos (AKA "Kero"), she'll try to catch every card. And, when a new rival arrives on the block, Syaoran Li, she gains a new rival--or is he a friend...?

Now, fast-forwarding past all of that, after a bunch more stuff happens that would be massive spoilers (yes, I know this is a children's series from 1996, so you can probably figure out what happened, but bear with me here), Sakura has to deal with a bunch of weird happenings going on around town, and appears to be being "tested". What is going on? And, more importantly, what's up with the mysterious transfer student, Eriol? Also, why does Yukito keep on passing out? Is everyone okay? Can Sakura save the day?

I was worried about the quality after watching the... meh Cardcaptors localization, but I was pleasantly surprised that my nostalgia goggles were... actually right! IT WAS BETTER THAN I REMEMBERED! I actually began to cry while reading it because it made me so happy. It's sweet, but not overly so. I got engrossed in the relationships of the characters. I gasped when confessions of love were interrupted, cheered when characters shared their love (finally!). It was as if I were a new reader once more, and as an adult, I was still amazed at how the authors didn't patronize their presumed readers. It's a series that, even if I am an adult, I can read and genuinely enjoy for a bit of lighthearted fun that is very well-done.

Still, the one thing that amazes me the most about Cardcaptor Sakura, all of that aside, is the fact that its cast is more diverse than most series I've seen, even nowadays. Whether it's the cast's sexualities, their ethnicity (most are Japanese, but there are characters from other areas of the world as well), or the fact that this series has canon gender-non-conforming characters, CCS may be vintage, but it's unbelievably progressive in comparison to most series aimed at children. Sadly, this was all removed from the Cardcaptors localization. But, in the original manga it's all there in its wonderful glory, as CLAMP said themselves in an interview about the series:

"I wanted a story with a protagonist who had an open mind towards different family structures, different kinds of love, and different perspectives from society."
-- Ohkawa, CLAMP

And that's why CCS is so important. I'd post screencaps, but I don't want to spoil the romantic surprises! It's inclusive, it's adorable, and it's a ray of sunshine that the world so sorely needs right now. While not perfect by any means, Cardcaptor Sakura really deserves a read. If you have the chance to read it, I'm sure it will make you smile.

Find it at your local library, or buy it here on Amazon. If you're interested in the anime (the original Japanese, mind you, not the Cardcaptors dub), you can watch it on Crunchyroll.