Re-watching it as an adult in Japanese I slowly remembered bits and pieces of it.
The show is far better than I thought it would be, I didn't expect to like it that much, I just thought it would be a fun nostalgia trip. But Cardcaptor Sakura is a complete masterpiece.
This is peak wholesome! It belongs in the #1 slot of the iyashikei genre. Yet there's far more to it than that. This show is a romance unlike any I've ever seen before.
Everything about this show is perfected to a level which you rarely see. The animation, though the style may look dated to some is beautiful and brimming with beauty, artistry, cuteness, mysteriousness and conveys a child-like sense of adventure and wonder I haven't felt in over a decade.
The music at first seemed lacking to me, but as I continued watching the show I grew to appreciate the subtleness and nuance of the pieces. Tracks like "Oomide ga Kiechau" / "My Memories Will Disappear" in particular stand out as unbelievably beautiful. It turns out to all anime soundtracks doesn't need a bombastic orchestra, choir or pipe organ to sound epic or bring tears to your eyes. The Japanese intros are also god-tier, I've learned all the lyrics.
The story is one of the most complex, subtle, and believable romances I've ever seen and it is all cleverly disguised a magical girl story. Not to say the magical girl aspect of the show isn't great too, it's one of the greatest. The staff of sealing chants are permanently engrained into my memory and I couldn't be happier.
Colour me not just surprised but utterly shocked at how good this show is. I have been emotionally moved to a degree I could not have predicted if someone hit me right in the face with it.
10/10
As for the English dub, let's not talk about that.
