Card Captor Sakura Card Captor Sakura, volume 1 original by CLAMP / Kodansha copyright 1996 CLAMP French translation by Reyda Seddiki copyright 1999 Média Système Édition ISBN 2-84518-002-0 English translation v1.1 by Mahousu, February 2001, no copyright asserted; provided freely as an aid to understanding the original.

Note: The French version is a mix of flipped and unflipped. For the most part, they've tried not to flip (and used panel rearrangement instead) where it didn't materially affect the flow. However, this does mean you'll notice some minor reordering of the dialog from the Japanese version. I thought about putting everything in the same order as the Japanese version (which I also happen to have), but decided that since this was supposed to be a translation of the French version, it would be better not to.

Also, I don't know why they call him Kelo instead of Kero.

Editor's note:

You will find within each volume of the series CARD CAPTOR SAKURA a bookmark card representing the characters of the series. Collect them and guard them carefully... They will prove very useful to you!

Card Captor Sakura vol 1.
CLAMP

Note: Card Captor Sakura, vol 1 is the creation of

CLAMP

Satsuki Igarashi

Nanase Ohkawa

Mick Nekoi

Mokona Apapa

Clow Card

The Clow

When the seal is broken

The plague will be unleashed on this world...

Card Captor Sakura

Sakura:

I've finally caught him

Kelo:

Sakura!!!!

Sakura:

Key of occult power

Unveil your true appearance before me

I, Sakura, by our bonds command you!

Liberation!

Kelo:

Sakura, the card!

Sakura:

Understood!

Card, work of Clow

Lend your force to my key

That the magic of this card may inhabit my key, and that its power may become mine!

Card:

The Windy

Sakura

Sakura:

Windy!

O wind, form the chains of redemption!

Sakura:

Return to the form

Which is yours!

Clow card!

Background:

Victory!

Sakura:

Mmmh...

Oh, la la!

What a racket!

Narr:

My name is Sakura Kinomoto. I'm a fourth grader at Tomoeda Elementary.

Kelo:

It's late, Sakura!

Sakura:

Good morning! You're watching that video again?

Kelo:

Look, there, my face!

Clearly, with this beautiful a model, the image is better!

Classic! Such allure! Great looking kid!!!

Narr:

My favorite subjects are music and P.E. I hate math.

I'm a girl who's always in shape!

Ah, you're wondering what that video was just now?

Sakura:

Yes, it's real!

Narr:

Well, you see...

Kelo:

Whatchu all doin'? That's the best part!

Sakura:

I have to return this to Tomoyo today.

Kelo:

My bestest profile, honeybuns!

[Yeah, well you come up with a better translation, then!]

Narr:

This videotape was recorded by my classmate and best friend,

Tomoyo Daidoji...

A movie? No, you're wrong!

It's for real!

This fidgety teddy bear intrigues you? (Right here)

Kelo:

Me, I'm Kerberos.

Sakura:

We call him little Kelo!

Kelo:

It's Kerberos, I tell you!

Sakura:

Kelo is fine too!

It's too long Ker-be-ros.

Kelo:

I have a name that commands attention, no need for this diminutive!

Narr:

You see, it's not a teddy bear.

He really is alive.

He's not a cat or a dog either.

So what is he?

It would be too long to explain to you...

Sakura:

Oh no! I'm going to be late!

Narr:

Yes, yes! I haven't talked to you about my family yet!

Sakura:

Good morning!

Toya:

What are you all worked up about?

Sakura:

I am not worked up!!

Toya:

Listening to you walking,

I thought Godzilla was in the house!

Sakura:

Hey, I'm not a Godzilla!

Toya:

It's true that you're too small for a Godzilla...

Narr:

It's my mean older brother, Toya, who's a junior.

He goes to Seijo High, which is right next to my school. Maybe it's due to the difference in ages, but it's no use fighting with him, I never win!

That must be because he's the biggest. It's so irritating!

Narr:

One day for sure, I'll become as big as a telephone pole, and I'll crush him flat!

Like that!

Papa:

You two stop fighting so early in the morning!

Narr:

It's my papa, Fujitaka.

He's a professor of archaeology at the university. He's nice, and is very good at cooking and sewing.

I adooore him!

What? My mother? Ah well, she died when I was very little.

I was three years old, so I don't really remember mother that well.

Narr:

But I'm not sad: I have my papa.

And then, even if he is mean, there's my brother.

And Kelo!

Kelo:

I told you, Kerberos!

Toya:

Gossoosan. (It was good.)

Sakura:

Eh? You're leaving already?

Toya:

There's soccer practice this morning.

Papa:

See you tonight!

Sakura:

Gohihoohama! (Hit has hery hood!)

Papa:

Are you all right?

Papa:

See you tonight!

Sakura:

See you tonight!

Kelo:

She shouldn't go so fast!

Sakura:

Wait for me!

Toya:

Why are you in such a hurry? Your classes don't start until later, right?

Narr:

It's because my brother goes to high school every day with him!

Narr:

Ah!

Yukito:

Good morning!

Arrow:

In Sakurascope

Sakura:

Hooooooooooo!

Toya:

Yo!

Yukito:

Good morning, Toya!

Good morning, Sakura, you're very early today!

Sakura:

Uh, yes!

Toya:

Godzilla is capable of devouring her meal in five minutes!

Godzilla, er, Sakura:

Grr!

Arrow:

With all her might!

Narr:

Yukito Tsukishiro.

He's a junior, in the same class as my brother.

I could never have believed that he'd be the friend of that lout of a brother of mine!

He is so sweet and so cute!

Yukito:

It seems that recently you've been lagging a little in the morning, Sakura!

Sakura:

Me? Uh... How?

Yukito:

Toya's the one that told me.

Maybe you stay up too late, and then in the morning you have trouble getting up.

You can't manage to fall asleep at night? You have worries?

Toya:

Worries! As careless as she is!

Sakura:

Ah, I'm here.

Yukito:

See you later!

Sakura:

Aaah, Yukito...

Tomoyo:

You're managing things pretty well!

Sakura:

Wa!

Tomoyo!

Tomoyo:

A farewell present. You're quite gifted.

Narr:

This girl, she's Tomoyo Daidoji; she's the one who shot the video.

Sakura:

Hello, you!

Tomoyo:

Good morning, Sakura!

Sakura:

Thanks for the cassette!

Tomoyo:

I did as good a job as the subject deserved?

Sakura:

Well...

I was a little embarrassed!

Tomoyo:

But no, you see! You're reassembling the Clow Cards to prevent the cataclysm from striking our world!

You are the one and only, the intrepid heroine of our planet!

Sakura:

Yeah, right!

Narr:

Well, yes!

I'm reassembling these things called Clow Cards...

These aren't ordinary playing cards.

Arrow:

Flashback

Narr:

It was two months ago, when I had just started 4th grade (CM1).

In my father's library, I found this old book...

It's when I decided to open it

that my long hunt for the Clow Cards began.

Narr:

Kelo surged out of the cover of the book.

His real name is Kerberos; he's the protector beast of the book.

Ah, he didn't always have his current form.

Actually, he's a lot bigger. But he must lack sufficient magical energy now, so he takes the form of a teddy bear...

The true appearance of Kelo is terribly imposing.

Or at least, that's what Kelo told me.

I haven't seen it yet...

Kelo:

Howdy, y'all! How's things shakin'?

Sakura:

Wha?

Kelo:

Oh, so's you-all's the one what woke me up!

Thank-y kindly!

Sakura:

But what's with this southern accent?

Kelo:

Shucks, it's normal, this book done spent a long time down in Osaka!

Footnote:

In the Osaka region, to the west of Tokyo, they speak in a dialect a little different from the standard language. The inhabitants of this region are proud of their cultural difference, a bit like the Marseillais in France. That's why we gave this accent to Kelo in this translation.

[OK, OK, no one could be "proud" of that mishmash I had Kelo speaking there. I won't subject you to any more of that nonsense.]

Kelo:

The Osaka accent had time to infiltrate the book!

Sakura:

So how's this thing work? Where are the batteries?

Kelo:

I'm the beast of the seal who protects the book! I'm not a toy, honeybuns!

Sakura:

Protector beast of the seal? What are you talking about?

Kelo:

Hmm, you're staying pretty calm. I thought I'd see you surprised or fall over backward... hmm...

Sakura:

It's because your story doesn't make much sense to me...

Kelo:

This book!

This isn't an ordinary book! It encloses the so-called "Clow Cards."

Book:

Empty

Sakura:

Yeah, but there's nothing in it!

Kelo:

Oh no, that's terrible!

If the Clow Cards materialize outside of the book, they will commit bad acts.

Sakura:

Yes! Yes!

"Bad acts"... for example, stealing snacks or picking flowers, not doing your homework and staying up too late at night...

Kelo:

Super Osaka fan blow! Baf!

It's nothing like these ridiculous little things!

Clow Card

When the seal is broken

The plague will be unleashed on this world...

That's not a bluff, you can believe me!

The Clow Cards were created by a sorcerer of unimaginable power named Clow Lead.

They have magical properties.

Kelo:

Each of the cards is alive.

They each were given their own name, appearance, and characteristic enchantment.

For example, the wind card possesses a storm magic,

The fire one a magic of flames.

Great power resides in the cards

Which Clow has fashioned.

Not only do they act according to their characteristics, but nothing in nature can stop them.

So, Clow himself made this book...

In which he imprisoned the cards.

And he placed me in the cover, as the protector beast, to guard them.

Kelo:

So, uh, why aren't the cards here?

Well, it looks like something might have happened while I was asleep in the cover.

Sakura:

And you call yourself a guardian?

Kelo:

That's just the way it goes!

Drat it!

OK, here's the problem!

You can't open this book without possessing at least a minimum level of magic powers.

The fact that you opened it and woke me

Signifies that you possess certain propensities toward magic, kiddo.

Kelo:

Your name?

Sakura:

Sa...

Sakura!

Kelo:

So, now, Sakura, y'all get up now!

Sakura:

Wha?

Kelo:

Key of the seal!

Before you stands the signatory of the contract

This girl, Sakura!

Kelo:

Oh Key

Transmit your power to this girl!

Liberation!

Kelo:

Sakura, take the scepter!

Kelo:

Yahoo! The Card Captor

Kelo:

has just been born!

Sakura:

Hey!?

Box:

End of flashback...

Sakura:

When I think about it...

Kelo really tricked me there.

Tomoyo:

But no, it's not what you think!

You're the Card Captor

Protector of our town!

How prestigious!

Narr:

Tomoyo's been in the same class as me since third grade (CE2)

She is intelligent, very pretty, and the daughter of the head of the Daidoji Corporation (or something like that). She's very rich but is a nice girl.

Narr:

She's the only other one to know about my collecting the Clow Cards.

She's always ready to help me.

Tomoyo:

So,

How many cards have you assembled by now?

Sakura:

Just three!

Tomoyo:

Hang in there, Sakura!

It's because you labor in the shadows that we can live in peace!

Sakura:

Tomoyo...

Tomoyo:

You'll let me film the rest, right?

Your costume is going to be even more spectacular! [lit., blinding]

It's already been designed!

Narr:

It's true!

The clothes that I wear

During the hunt for the cards are all made by Tomoyo...

Caption:

This

Or that

No, I'm too embarrassed!

Tomoyo:

For such a unique activity,

You must have appropriate clothing!

But promise me the video for a souvenir!!

Narr:

She's a nice girl, but she's a little [a lot, I say]

original!

Tomoyo:

Lalilala

Kids:

Hi!

Morning!

Box:

1 Sakura Kinomoto

Born: April 1

Blood type: A [not O!?]

Favorite subjects: Sports, music

Least favorite subject: Math

Activity: Majorettes

Favorite colors: Pink, white

Favorite flower: Cherry blossom [of course!]

Favorite dishes: Omelettes, noodles

Least favorite dish: Konnyaku (Japanese vegetable) [My dictionary gives a translation of "jelly-like food made from the starch of devil's tongue root." Yum!]

Culinary specialty: Pancakes

Would like... A new satchel (i.e., randoseru)

Shirt:

[Only fractionally readable; it's a paragraph about sunflowers. It's actually the same as the original - yes, her shirt was in French there too.]

Teacher:

Yes!

Very good, Kinomoto.

Tomoyo:

You're really gifted in sports!

Sakura:

Heh, heh! It's just that I like P.E.!

Girls:

Toya, you're cute!

Tomoyo:

It's awesome to see you two together, you and your brother!

Sakura:

Yeah, my bro is on the soccer team.

Why is the high school field right next to ours?

Oh, Yukito!

Sakura:

I can't see Yukito very well!

What a big lump that brother of mine is!

Tomoyo:

Uh, Sakura?

Sakura:

Kyaa, Yukito!!

Yukito:

Saku...

Sakura:

Aaaaaaaah!!

Toya:

Ah, Yukito!

Sakura:

I'm going to kill him!

Kids:

Kyaaaaa!

Wahhhh!

Sakura:

What?

Sakura:

<A bird?>

Tomoyo:

You OK, Sakura,

You didn't get hurt?

Sakura:

<I'm sure it was a bird>

<But it was so huge...>

<It's not possible!>

<A Clow card?>

Caption:

To be continued

Satisfied? Dissatisfied? Puzzled? Have something to add? Mail me at mahousu@gmail.com

Uncopyright by Mahousu; provided freely as an aid to understanding the original. Have fun! [The original is, of course, copyrighted as marked above. You should still have fun, though.]