Cardcaptor Sakura - A Lady Hero Manga with Lots of Rainbow Love

Cardcaptor Sakura by CLAMP

One of manga’s most enduring classics, Cardcaptor Sakura follows fourth-grader Sakura Kinomoto as she seeks to pacify the monsters accidentally unleashed when she opens the spell book of the legendary magician, Clow Reed. Along her journey to protect the people of Tokyo, she is aided by friends, family, and rivals, all of whom stir up the drama with their crushes and secret agendas. Fantasy action and emotional revelations grip Sakura as she unravels the mysteries that surround her.

This manga is unforgettable. The reader can’t help but fall in love with Sakura, the optimistic hero, Tomoyo, her loyal best friend, and Toya, her tough-but-always-there-for-her big brother. Yet the world of Cardcaptor Sakura is not all cherry blossoms and sunshine. Running throughout the story is an undercurrent of grief as the characters cope with the past death of Sakura’s mother. The story reveals how one person’s life touches many others as the Kinomoto family and their friends find healing each day through love for one another.

This manga consistently challenges gender stereotypes by depicting a young woman who discovers her own power and stands as a hero to save the world. While Sakura herself may never develop feelings for another girl, same-gender crushes and romances spring up at every plot twist. Over time, everyone falls in love with somebody else. We’re all used to love triangles, but by the third volume, this story is a veritable love hexagon! Not only is the complex dance of attractions riveting to the reader, but it also affirms the truth that tender affection can grow between any two people. Love isn’t about finding a set of body parts that compliments yours. It’s about finding that one human being you connect with, body, heart, and soul, and protecting that person from pain and defeat, and sharing a mission worthy of everything the two of you have to give. Ultimately, Cardcaptor Sakura calls us to find the strength in ourselves to stand up for justice and embrace love with courage.

This manga has recently been released in four thick omnibus books.  It's the second title I’ve reviewed by the team of four fabulous women authors who call themselves CLAMP.

This series is known for being compelling to readers of all ages. I was lucky to discover it for the first time in college, which was a very dark time in my life. Sakura’s innocence reinvigorated my child-like spirit, and Toya’s absolute-hotness convinced me that yes, I was in fact gay, and how could I not be when men like Toya Kinomoto existed?! I wish I had met these characters when I was just starting to read. They could have helped me replace angsty self-rejection with a hopeful love for life!


Review by Aaron Walsh.  Add your review of "Cardcaptor Sakura" - individual issues or the series - in comments!

Tokyo Babylon - A Gay Teen Supernatural Manga

Tokyo Babylon written and illustrated by CLAMP

CLAMP’s classic drama, Tokyo Babylon, follows sixteen-year-old onmyoji (exorcist) Subaru Sumeragi as he helps tortured spirits find peace amid the suffering and destruction of modern life. From the beginning, Subaru is pursued by another man, Seishiro Sakurazuka, a seemingly kind-hearted veterinarian with spiritual powers who often shows up to save Subaru from certain death. At first, Subaru’s shyness and strict demeanor make him reluctant to accept Seishiro’s affections, but Subaru’s rambunctious twin sister, Hokuto, constantly encourages him to open his heart to Sei-chan. Over time, as Subaru discovers his true feelings, mystery builds around Seishiro’s dark side, which always lurks just beneath the surface. This series is deep, emotionally-compelling, and heart-breaking. It explores the purpose of life, the nature of love, and the struggle of maintaining one’s ideals in an oftentimes harsh and broken world. The characters are so real that they haunt the reader long after the last page is turned. Thankfully, their story doesn’t truly end here, for they return years later in CLAMP’s X/1999.

My one hesitation in suggesting this manga is that I’m afraid for some, it may romanticize violent or abusive relationships. As we discover the depths of Seishiro’s depravity, the reader is led to hope for his redemption, to dream that he and Subaru can find a way to be together. In the world of manga, fervent dreams of unconditional love and forgiveness are wonderful. But in real life, this kind of thinking can lead to social isolation, black eyes, and murder. Remember that Tokyo Babylon is ultimately a tragedy, not a map for living one’s life. If you’re a romantic like me, then by all means, never give up hoping for Seishiro’s salvation, but also hope that Subaru finds the strength to let him go and find love someday in a healthy relationship. Remember that sociopaths never make good boyfriends. Trust me on this one.

Tokyo Babylon is composed of seven volumes. This series has no explicit sexual content, but there is plenty of violence and creepy occult goings-on. I didn’t read Tokyo Babylon until I was over sixteen. If I had tried it at a younger age, there’s a good chance I would have been plagued with nightmares and general trauma.

The team of authors, who name themselves CLAMP, are a fascinating and prolific team of manga artists. To learn more about these four incredible women, check out their Wikipedia site here.

Here are the other covers:

Review by Aaron Walsh. Add your review of "Tokyo Babylon" (any or all of the books in the series) in comments!