Sakura Cardcaptor's manga is basically the same anime story told in a somewhat different way. Unlike its animated counterpart, it lacks filler, goes to the point, develops more quickly and explains certain details that the production of the anime decided to discard or modify. Here we have 19 Clow cards as opposed to the 52 of the anime; Meilin does not exist here either.

As such, this work have strengths and weaknesses very similar to those found in the anime. Its true strong point are its characters. Sympathetic, adorable, human, through them are explored the different types of affections that can arise in human experience: love between people of different ages, unrequited love, true love, etc. The interactions between the characters and the development of their relationships are one of the most well-worn and fun parts to see in all of history.

Beautifully drawn, CCS have a fine and delicate art with thin lines that manage to give a clean and sweet appearance to the drawing. The detailed expressions of the characters are supported by highlights and background drawings (mainly flowers) that highlight their emotional states, very convenient for a story that mainly talks about feelings.

The plot performs like a standard Maho shojo, but adds elements that make the formula feel pretty fresh. For example, Sakura uses a different costume in each chapter and the spells are conjured through a set of cards that must be captured. The design of the cards and the costumes is very good and exhibits talent and imagination on the part of the authors.

However, as in anime, the plot suffers from certain defects. I will always complain about the lazy way in which the outcome occurs during the Judgment of Yue. And how did not deepen properly in the Clow Cards (being the central aspect of the series). The way in which most of them are trapped is very loose too, without any strategy or anything like that.

The abuse of plot conveniences here is even more notorious than in the anime, especially in the arc of the Sakura Charts. Arch that, in my opinion, was quite unnecessary. However, the manga have a quite different ending to the anime and explains more details about the relationships and plot. It's worth reading if you liked the anime.

To conclude, I want to say that CCS is a beautiful story, whose main theme is human relationships and how love can be displayed in different ways in human experience. However, it could have been better executed and has very important defects that do not allow me to consider it more than an average sleeve.

All in all, it is a true coming-to-age story for young girls with valuable lessons and, above all, it does a better job than a lot of many similar works in dealing with feelings and the human heart.