The all-female manga artist group CLAMP has been quite successful in the anime industry. Several of their series have made the transition to animation from Chobits and Magic Knight Rayearth to Cardcaptor Sakura and Angelic Layer. The surprising thing is that there are still many more titles on their resume. The latest of which is Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.

Originally published as an on-going manga in 2003, the anime adaptation of Tsubasa contains a whopping 52 episodes. Many would consider the series as a form of homage to CLAMP's other works. Fortunately you don't have to be familiar with the intricacies of their other franchises in order to appreciate the show. Granted if you know most of the references it helps to tie everything together and it certainly enhances your experience but it's not necessary.

The main stars of Tsubasa are childhood friends Sakura and Syaoran, who you may recognize from Cardcaptor Sakura. They live in a fantasy-like realm known as The Kingdom of Clow and have an unspoken love for each other. Syaoran is the son of an archeologist and spends most of his days excavating ruins while Sakura is actually the princess of the land. Things seem to be going well for the two though one day something strange happens and changes their relationship.

Sakura is bestowed with special powers of unknown origin and when they manifest themselves she finds herself not in control of her body. One night she begins to glow purple and levitates towards the ruins where Syaoran is working which is kind of, you know, not normal. Out of the blue she sprouts wings and begins to merge with a strange rune on the wall, as if she was traveling through it. Naturally Syaoran is freaked out by this and does what he can to save her which is basically jumping up and pulling her away. In the process her wings shatter and Sakura is left in an unconscious state.

Meanwhile in other worlds two more characters find themselves in a spot of trouble as well. Kurogane is a fierce warrior that behaves like a reckless samurai. He wants nothing more than to be the strongest person in the world though he has become something of a nuisance and is hit with a curse that will weaken him every time he kills. The other guy, Fay D. Flourite, has just trapped his king into an endless slumber and wants nothing more than to leave the world he lives in. As if drawn to her by fate, Kurogane, Fay, and Syaoran all travel at the same point to go see a woman known as the Dimensional Witch (Yūko from xxxHolic).

The Witch offers the trio the opportunity of a lifetime at the price of their most prized possessions. They will travel as a group through countless dimensions and alternate worlds looking for Sakura's lost feathers. The feathers were from her shattered wings and each of them represents a fragment of her memory. Without them she'll die, so you know that Syaoran is willing to lay his life on the line.

At this stage in the series Tsubasa shows its true colors as a traveling buddy anime. So far it hasn't broken into stereotypes but with different lands to reach and people to meet it's a sure thing that we're going to see a lot of development along the way. Heck, in this first volume Fay, Kurogane, and Syaoran form a bond a lot quicker than you'd expect. A good portion of these first five episodes deals with the trio and how they bond with each other. Fortunately there is a fair amount of action tossed in between the exposition of the plot and character development which definitely break up the slower pace.

In the end Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle seems well-deserving of the hype that surrounds the release. CLAMP's series are sacred among otaku and without a doubt this show will be added to that revered list in no time. There is an epic feeling that you'll get while watching the first volume and I can only hope that the rest of the series will satisfy in such a way. As it stands this is a solid introductory volume and certainly worth picking up whether you are versed in other CLAMP series or not.

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle is presented on DVD with a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer. The show features some downright fantastic character designs that, while simplistic, are very endearing and unique. Unfortunately I can't say that the video quality is as impressive.

I found much of Tsubasa to be hazy with a soft appearance and a distinct lack of contrast. Shadows were relatively flat and the palette didn't seem to be as vibrant as it should have been. There was also a fair amount of compression artifacts that cropped up in the darker areas of the image. This could have had a lot to do with the mastering process for the DVD but some of it could have also been a byproduct from the show's production. Overall this volume doesn't look "bad" but it certainly doesn't achieve high marks for quality. "Mediocre" is about the best that you could say for it.

Fortunately the audio for this release is far less problematic than the video. For options you'll find a 2.0 track for the original Japanese and 2.0/5.1 selections for English. For my first viewing I watched the show in Japanese and found it to be acceptable in terms of all around quality. The soundstage is noticeably subdued for this track but things improve once you turn on the 5.1 English language. The rear channels come to life with a fair amount of music, sound effects, and ambient noise making their presence known. It may not have been the most immersive track that I have listened to before but it was certainly acceptable.

Surprisingly Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle's first volume includes a good amount of bonus material. For starters there are some trailers for other FUNimation products and some textless animations. In addition to the lighter fare is a character bio-like inclusion known as "Faces in the Crowd". This particular feature is supposed to shed light on the characters you'll meet in the show but this first installment only takes a look at Toya Kinomoto, who plays a small part in these five episodes.

More information about the world of Tsubasa is available in the form of the World Guide. This feature provides us with a look at some concept art along with some notes about The Kingdom of Clow and city of Hanshin. A Character Guide is included as well with a similarly presented pile of artwork and information. And finally some Character Auditions are available but they are not presented quite like you'd think if you have seen auditions for other shows. Instead of showing us a video with behind the scenes shots all we get here is a montage of audio clips. It's kind of lame to say the least but I suppose it's better than nothing.

If you're a fan of CLAMP then you already know about Tsubasa. The show comes from a fantastic manga and has a rich history available before it even began. The first volume here presents us with five episodes that set the tone of the series and offer a glimpse at what's to come. While the pacing may be a little slower than I typically enjoy, I got into the show easily enough and am anticipating the next volume. There are some spotty problems with the video but it's hard to tell whether or not this is due to FUNimation's mastering or Bee Train's production. Either way you look at it though, this is an important release that has a lot of potential.

Check out more of my reviews here. Head on over to my anime blog as well for random musings and reviews of anime, manga, and stuff from Japan!