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 the storyline involving the feudal Japan setting ended as Syaoran and company took down the overlord that was threatening everyone with his evil hijitsu. Another piece of Sakura's soul was recovered and the troupe was sent packing on the way to another location post-haste. The disc finished off with a cold story about a village in winter that is plagued by a golden-haired phantom who steals their children.

The latest installment of Tsubasa comes into focus just after Sakura has followed the phantom to her layer. Syaoran and the others have discovered the doctor is actually the one behind everything going on in the village and they confront him on it. As is the case with most anyone doing something "wrong" the doctor has his own reasons for his actions. Basically he just wants to take Sakura's feather for himself and naturally there is a big fight that ensues. As Sakura gets her feather back and the children are returned home, our heroes travel to the next realm in search of another piece of the princess' soul.

In the next world the group appears smack-dab in the middle of a fighting tournament. In this battlefield the victor gets a special treasure and considering Mokona wigs out it would seem that it's a feather. While the guys are practicing to enter the tournament to win the prize they also meet a fighter who is battling to save his loved one. He and Syaoran share a lot in common and the similarities seem to extend beyond simply their passion. I won't give away what exactly lies in the treasure chest or who wins but let's just chalk this episode up to another good one for the series. Whatever the case this tournament episode is merely a one-shot and little results from it with regards to the bigger picture of the show.

The next storyline is interesting as it brings our heroes to a strange world where demon-hunters make a living and strangers are "welcome". On their first night in the town they are attacked during the night and decide that through fighting demons they may find Sakura's feather. There are some nice action sequences here though this portion of the story feels a little out of place somehow when you look at the rest of the show. Still, it's another entertaining episode and it's nice to see the show back on multi-episode stories after the standalone one.

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. With the fourth volume of the series the show continues to chug along though I must admit that the formula is starting to wear a little thin. I need to see more of the "villains" and know what their up to rather than see the group travel around from place to place looking for feathers. Let's hope that the next volume sheds some light on some things.

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 fourth 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. The ending for the phantom episode was interesting and the demon-hunting storyline had its merits. I do have to admit that while I was entertained I have this nagging doubt in the back of my mind that the show is actually going places. Hopefully the next volume will break the mold as it were and take the series in new directions. For now I'm still going to recommend this show.

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