Originally a Japanese shoujo manga written by Clamp in May 1996, "Cardcaptor Sakura" will be returning to TV screens with the latest installment: "Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-Hen" in early 2018.
"Cardcaptor Sakura" first hit TV screens when it was picked up by Japanese animation studio Madhouse and turned into a 70-episode anime. "Cardcaptor Sakura" aired from April 7, 1998 to March 21, 2000. Between the year 2000 and 2017 a few movies have been released, and a prologue to the newest "Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-Hen" arc was released in September.
The story in the upcoming installment takes place four years after the events in the first one, and features a 14-year-old Sakura in junior high. According to Polygon, familiar faces from the old series such as Syoaran Li, Tomoya, and the rest of Sakura's friends and family will be returning.
Familiar characters are not the only ones who will make a comeback. A Twitter post from the anime's official Twitter page stated that voice actors Nozomu Sasaki, Emi Shinohara, Yumi Touma, Ryoka Yuzuki, and Katsuyuki Konishi would also be returning to work on the project as well.
In the 1996 anime, Sakura accidentally opened up a book and unleashed several Clow Cards created by a powerful sorcerer. The story revolved around her quest with Keroberos, the beast of the seal, to collect these escaped Clow Cards in hopes of preventing catastrophes around the globe. Unlike the anime that came before it, "Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-Hen" will follow a different story and will link both the "Sakura Card Arc" and the Clear Card Arc."
Those who want to watch the 1996 anime before they jump into "Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-Hen" will be happy to know that the entirety of it is available for streaming on Crunchyroll.
"Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card-Hen" will premiere on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018, at 7:30 a.m. Japan time on the NHK BS Premium Channel.
