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 cold village plagued by a phantom lady reached its conclusion. In the end it turned out that the doctor was the one behind it all and he sought Sakura's feather for his own means. The climactic battle was satisfying to say the least and it certainly put some nice finishing touches on everything. Following that storyline Syaoran and friends traveled to a world with a fighting tournament where they met a guy not entirely unlike our hero. The series went back on the multi-episode story arch formula with a new location filled with demons and strange things that go bump in the night.

With the fifth volume I'm pleased to report that the demon hunter storyline encompasses every episode here. It adds a lot of depth to the characters and gives them time to grow within the setting rather than constantly jumping from one locale to the next. In these episodes Syaoran and company fight some more strange demons in an effort to gain some notoriety among the hunter society. In the first battle here they don't fair so well and another party actually winds up taking their kill. It would seem that the demon was too powerful for them which leads to Syaoran deciding that his powerful kicks aren't nearly enough for this world.

With new found determination Syaoran approaches Kurogane in an effort to learn the ways of the sword. The training lasts for a good deal of this volume and we see Kuro really put Syaoran to task with some harsh exercises. In between it all there is plenty of mystery afoot that keeps the level of intrigue going. If you have been watching Tsubasa then you already know that the undertones are just as important as the action.

Some mysterious people show up and Sakura's memory comes forth through her subconscious while she's out of it. There are some tender moments that come from this and it possibly foreshadows some events in the future. Until we see that storyline come to fruition there is still the matter of Sakura's feather and some more demons to deal with. As the volume progresses the mystery only gets deeper as Syaoran seems to recognize one of the demons. Unlike the previous installments this one actually keeps the story going and doesn't offer a conclusion. It leaves you hanging for the next volume rather than offering a one-shot deal and to be quite honest I wish the series did that sooner.

This fifth volume feels more robust with several points of interest and a very fluid storyline. Unlike the previous outings for Tsubasa this one sunk in its claws and really drew me in with the intrigue and action. This season is nearing its end and I suppose it's kind of ironic that I feel it has finally found its way. Hopefully this trend will continue in future volumes as it continues to explore some interesting territory!

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.

Like the previous volumes, the fifth one includes Character and World Guides, a feature called "Faces in the Crowd" which is basically just a profile featuring cameos from other CLAMP characters, and textless animations. It's too bad really, this is a show with a lot of interesting bits and I really wanted to see how it all came together. Where are interviews, commentaries, and "making of" features? It's sad that nothing else of substance has been added here.

Up to this point I was beginning to have doubts about Tsubasa and the direction that it was going. With a boatload of new locations and one-shot travels the series felt like it was losing its original focus. Fortunately this volume brings it all back with four strong episodes that really flesh out the demon hunting storyline. The characters, background story, and plot all received some fine development in this installment. Hopefully the quality will continue as the first season comes to a close. This series comes recommended.

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