Now as someone who doesn't really watch much of this genre I don't have a lot to compare CCS to, but that is because frankly most anime like this doesn't interest me that much. I often find myself bored by what feels like the same unrealistic romance tropes portrayed in magical girl shoujo, the classic girl meets boy and immediately falls in love after some heroic type antics. Don't get me wrong, classic idealized romance can be enjoyable from time to time, but in a long series of over 40 episodes or so the constant fawning over each other can get repetitive. The ability to stray away from this overused trope is what I believe makes Cardcaptor Sakura worthy of high praise.
The relationships between all the characters in CCS progress so naturally and fluidly throughout the show, that by the end I felt much more fulfilled in terms of how the characters relationships had grown and matured than I have from any other romance anime, specifically in the relationship between Sakura and Shaoran.
Starting off early in the series, Shaoran is introduced as Sakura's rival, competing with her in the quest to collect all the Clow Cards. Now if we were taking the route that most shoujo seems to go in, they would fall for one another after a few episodes and spend the rest of the series blushing around each other as they fall head over heels in love. But that isn't what happens. The two start off as rivals not only in card collecting, but also in the game of love, when Shaoran develops a crush on Yukito, the boy Sakura has already set her heart on. What results is a heartwarming rivalry-turned-friendship between two kids struggling to understand their feelings of what love truly is. The transition between rivals to friends is so seamless, that you don't even notice it happening, and by the time you do, another development is beginning to blossom. The heartfelt yet realistic transition from friends to lovers.
As the series go on, you notice the two start to develop feelings for each other, even in the smallest of ways. The blooming of young romance is portrayed in such a realistic and lovely way, that one cant help but smile at every little kindness the two show each other, as the growth is so much more meaningful than a relationship in which one or even both the parties involved are in love with the other from the start. Even though the romance isn't portrayed in the typical flashy and exciting way, it is in my opinion more fulfilling than those that are, since it feels so personal and real. Watching these two kids slowly fall for each other is truly an endearing experience, and I wouldn't change a thing about it.
Another thing I believe CCS deserves high praise for is the normalization of homosexual relationships exhibited in the show. Instead of portraying these feelings in a taboo or fetishy way, they are portrayed as normal, and not treated any differently than if these feelings followed the same heteronormative path that they usually do in media. The romantic feelings that Shaoran harbors for another boy are treated just the same as Sakuras' feelings for that same boy, both accepting each other as equals on the same playing field in terms who will win Yukitos' affection. I rarely see homosexual relationships portrayed in such a healthy and seamless way in media, the only time I really see it explored at all is if it is the main plot point of the show, and the way CCS shows that homosexual relationships don't have to be a made a big deal out of is extremely progressive, especially for it's time. This kind of representation is so important for members of the gay community, because it demonstrates how love is not legitimized by gender, rather that feelings are feelings, and we can't help who we fall for.
Full of lovable and complex characters, all of which grow off each other in a coherent and flawless way, Cardcaptor Sakura is what I believe to be a masterpiece in the world of shoujo anime, and I wouldn't change a thing about it. The way the feelings of young love are so perfectly executed in this show outshines all the other romance series I have watched, and I believe this show deserves so much more appreciation because of it.
