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. Through a series of events she becomes unconscious and begins to lose parts of herself in the form of feathers. Syaoran is instructed to visit the Dimensional Witch and once there is introduced to Kurogane and Fay. The three essentially all seek the same thing and the Witch sends them on an adventure to restore Sakura's feathers.

In the previous volume Tsubasa wrapped up the Kudan world and gave Sakura back yet another feather. After that particular endeavor Syaoran and his companions traveled to a new realm thanks to Makona. This new dimension wasn't entirely unlike what you'd expect to see from feudal Japan. There is a definite societal structure in play but the townsfolk seem to be ruled by a dictator with some magic. As it turns out his source of magic (hijitsu in this case) is actually one of Sakura's feathers and for the rest of the volume Syaoran and friends worked their hardest to get it from his grubby fingers.

In this third installment the first episode shows the final moments of that particular story arc. Syaoran confronts the overlord by himself and tackles a group of innocent people from the village who have fallen under the dictator's spell. Thanks to a little hijitsu from the girl that had been aiding them the overlords spell is broken and the feather is finally claimed. Memories come flooding back to Sakura and for much of this volume we explore the flashing images from her past.

The next episode doesn't have a lot to do with anything because it stands alone with no subsequent adventure or story. The group finds their way to the side of a lake and catch a little bit of well-deserved rest. Sakura reminisces about her birthday but notices the lack of someone whom she can't quite put her finger on. Naturally it's Syaoran but considering the cost for traveling dimensions was Sakura's total forgetfulness regarding him it's not surprising. At the bottom of the lake there is a tiny village but that doesn't have much or anything to do with the storyline here so the group moves on to the next world.

This new environment takes up the remainder of the disc. For two episodes we are introduced to the inhabitants of a wintery village and witness some interesting happenings. It would seem that a golden-haired phantom has been stealing the town's children at night and taking them somewhere undisclosed. Syaoran and friends are accused of being involved (since they are outsiders) but that theory is promptly debunked. Without revealing much in the way of detail Sakura leaves one of these fateful nights to discover exactly what's going on and it's up to the group to track her down.

Tsubasa's third volume continues the journey and really brings CLAMP's universe to life with a breathtaking perspective. The characters and story are well-realized and I have no complaints in that regard. There is one area that is beginning to get on my nerves though. I understand that this is a traveling buddy show but I can't help feel strung along most of the time. Snippets of some bizarre villain are dropped in at random intervals and the drawn out stories do little to push the pacing forward.

Overall Tsubasa is a fun show with some powerful character development and moments in between the slow bits. If you were ever a fan of any CLAMP series then there is no doubt you're going to fall head over heels for Tsubasa. To this point the series has offered some good quality though we'll see if the trend can continue or if it will fizzle out. For now the series is still strongly recommended.

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 (and oddly proportioned), 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.

The third volume of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle once again includes some relatively light bonus material. The Character and World Guides return as well as the "Faces in the Crowd" profile-like feature with cameos from the CLAMP universe. Other than this fare all you'll find are some trailers and textless animations.

The quality has been maintained with Tsubasa so far but a few points in between have given the impression that it is wavering. After three volumes I am starting to get the impression that I'm being strung along in regards to the story. Developments happen so few and far between that you may feel yourself growing bored. However, the writing is solid and the fleshed out characters are the backbone of the story. I'm still on bored for a strong recommendation but my enthusiasm is wavering slightly after these episodes.

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