Episode 16: "Sakura and the Rainbow of Memories" or "The Summer House"
Introduction to the Experiment
Episode 15
Episode 16: Sakura and the Rainbow of Memories (Card Captor Sakura) or The Summer House (Cardcaptors)
The Kinomoto Family (plus Kero) and Yukito are going to spend two days at a summer home in the country. It's a very nice country house. After they arrive, the men go shopping while Sakura wanders around, stumbling upon another house down the road. A kindly old man lives there and invites her for tea. Later that night, Sakura tells everyone else about the old man and how she's going to visit him the next day. Her father encourages her to do so. That night, she calls Tomoyo and tells her about the old man. The next morning, Mr. Kinomoto gives Sakura some cookies to give to the old man. She goes to the old man's house and visits him inside. He has a little girl's room in the house. It turns out he once had a granddaughter but she has since died. After that relevation, they play tennis together. After they have tea and the cookies, the old man lets Sakura try on his granddaughter's favorite dress and tells her to keep it. Sakura also discovers a painting of a rainbow. The old man tells her that his granddaughter painted it because he loves rainbows. Later that night, Sakura and Kero wonder about what to do for him. But then Sakura gets an idea! The next day, Sakura announces that she's leaving and tells the old man to go up on the balcony of his granddaughter's room. As she goes, she tells him that she's sure that his granddaughter is in the same place as her mother and that she is happy. This brings the old man to tears. Sakura and Kero hide in the bushes and Sakura uses the Rain Card to create a rainbow. It turns out at that old man is, in fact, Nadeshiko's grandfather and Tomoyo's mother has been there the whole time, making tea and sweets for Sakura behind the scenes. It also turns out that Mr. Kinomoto knew the whole time that the old man was his dead wife's grandfather.
Here is how the English version goes: They're staying there a week instead and Sakura knows the entire time that the old man is her grandfather (Natasha's father). The rest of the story is exactly the same except Sakura and her grandfather talk about how she is like her mother and Samantha (Madison's mother) is not there, making tea and sweets behind the scenes.
Wanna see it?
Card Captor Sakura Episode 16 (All)
Cardcaptors Episode 16: Part 1/3
Cardcaptors Episode 16: Part 2/3
Cardcaptors Episode 16: Part 3/3 (The sound suddenly kicks out on this part. I don't know why. So you'll have to turn up your volume settings.)
Man, oh man, is this episode boring. The sad part is this story is in the original manga and it's just as boring there. So, I wasn't looking forward to this plot line. There isn't even a capture in this episode!
Card Tally
Sakura: Windy, Fly, Shadow, Watery, Rain, Wood, Jump, Illusion, Silence, Thunder, Sword, Flower, Shield, Power, Mist, Float
Current number: 16
Li: Time, Storm
Current number: 2
Wow, I'm disappointed in you, English version! What a lame title for this one. That's the best you guys could come up with? The Japanese version is the better title.
As I mention in the summary, the only major change is that in the English version, they explicitly state several times that the old man is Sakura's grandfather. Thank God! I never understood why all the secrecy about who the old man is. Why can't he just tell her? It makes absolutely no sense! And does Sonomi have nothing better to do with her time? Doesn't she have a company to run? I would say "a daughter to raise" but in the Japanese version, Tomoyo might be going away for her competition so Sonomi may be free to stalk Sakura. At least in the English version, Madison and her mother are actually socializing with each other! Making Sakura just know that the old man is her grandfather is much more logical and actually makes for a better storyline since it doesn't just come off as some creepy old man making some strange girl play dress up with him. And even if the old man wasn't her relative, why doesn't the old man clarify that his granddaughter as a young woman because the way he tells her, it seems like she was ten years old when she died! In short, changing it from Sakura being totally unaware of who the old man to her actively going to visit her grandfather was a much needed and appreciated change.
The only bad thing about this change is that the speech Sakura makes about how the old man's granddaughter lives in the sky and is happy is lost. I will admit, it brought a tear to my eye. But the good far outweight the bad in the case of this change.
Beyond that change, nothing really is changed. As I said, the story is pretty much untouched besides Sakura acknowledging the old man as her relative. Seriously, the only cut scene is Sakura explaining that she has homework and the scene where Sonomi reveals herself to the audience. That's it.
Now for the plot holes:
1. The obvious one in the Japanese version: Why doesn't he just tell that they're related? No, seriously, why? I can't think of one good reason.
2. Mr. Kinomoto gives Sakura the cookies to give to the old man. When she see her to go to the house, she no longer has the cookies in her hands. Her dress doesn't seem to have pockets. But she manages to go fetch them when needed. Where did she keep the cookies?
3. Sakura's mother died long after her youth. Why does her room still look like that? Did she never come back to the summer home after her tenth summer? Did her tastes never change? In the English version, this is even weirder because they say that this is her actual childhood home. Then again, my childhood room is still untouched and it looks like a ten year old still lives there (my current room is another room in the house and looks more appropriate for my age) even though it's currently a guest room. So, that might be the case here but the point stands.
The change in the English version caused two plot holes:
4. Why doesn't Tori or Mr. Avalon go visit Sakura's grandfather? Do they not like him?
5. So, if the grandfather lives all alone in that house, who was the second figure in the window when Sakura looks back at him? It's a GHOST!!! MWA HA HA HA!!!
In conclusion, by changing one important detail, the English version resolved a major plot hole and personal irritant of the storyline without causing massive damage to the plot of the episode. With this in mind, I judge these episodes to be...
Different, with the English Cardcaptors being the superior.
Episode 17
Episode 15
Episode 16: Sakura and the Rainbow of Memories (Card Captor Sakura) or The Summer House (Cardcaptors)
The Kinomoto Family (plus Kero) and Yukito are going to spend two days at a summer home in the country. It's a very nice country house. After they arrive, the men go shopping while Sakura wanders around, stumbling upon another house down the road. A kindly old man lives there and invites her for tea. Later that night, Sakura tells everyone else about the old man and how she's going to visit him the next day. Her father encourages her to do so. That night, she calls Tomoyo and tells her about the old man. The next morning, Mr. Kinomoto gives Sakura some cookies to give to the old man. She goes to the old man's house and visits him inside. He has a little girl's room in the house. It turns out he once had a granddaughter but she has since died. After that relevation, they play tennis together. After they have tea and the cookies, the old man lets Sakura try on his granddaughter's favorite dress and tells her to keep it. Sakura also discovers a painting of a rainbow. The old man tells her that his granddaughter painted it because he loves rainbows. Later that night, Sakura and Kero wonder about what to do for him. But then Sakura gets an idea! The next day, Sakura announces that she's leaving and tells the old man to go up on the balcony of his granddaughter's room. As she goes, she tells him that she's sure that his granddaughter is in the same place as her mother and that she is happy. This brings the old man to tears. Sakura and Kero hide in the bushes and Sakura uses the Rain Card to create a rainbow. It turns out at that old man is, in fact, Nadeshiko's grandfather and Tomoyo's mother has been there the whole time, making tea and sweets for Sakura behind the scenes. It also turns out that Mr. Kinomoto knew the whole time that the old man was his dead wife's grandfather.
Here is how the English version goes: They're staying there a week instead and Sakura knows the entire time that the old man is her grandfather (Natasha's father). The rest of the story is exactly the same except Sakura and her grandfather talk about how she is like her mother and Samantha (Madison's mother) is not there, making tea and sweets behind the scenes.
Wanna see it?
Card Captor Sakura Episode 16 (All)
Click to viewCardcaptors Episode 16: Part 1/3
Cardcaptors Episode 16: Part 2/3
Cardcaptors Episode 16: Part 3/3 (The sound suddenly kicks out on this part. I don't know why. So you'll have to turn up your volume settings.)
Man, oh man, is this episode boring. The sad part is this story is in the original manga and it's just as boring there. So, I wasn't looking forward to this plot line. There isn't even a capture in this episode!
Card Tally
Sakura: Windy, Fly, Shadow, Watery, Rain, Wood, Jump, Illusion, Silence, Thunder, Sword, Flower, Shield, Power, Mist, Float
Current number: 16
Li: Time, Storm
Current number: 2
Wow, I'm disappointed in you, English version! What a lame title for this one. That's the best you guys could come up with? The Japanese version is the better title.
As I mention in the summary, the only major change is that in the English version, they explicitly state several times that the old man is Sakura's grandfather. Thank God! I never understood why all the secrecy about who the old man is. Why can't he just tell her? It makes absolutely no sense! And does Sonomi have nothing better to do with her time? Doesn't she have a company to run? I would say "a daughter to raise" but in the Japanese version, Tomoyo might be going away for her competition so Sonomi may be free to stalk Sakura. At least in the English version, Madison and her mother are actually socializing with each other! Making Sakura just know that the old man is her grandfather is much more logical and actually makes for a better storyline since it doesn't just come off as some creepy old man making some strange girl play dress up with him. And even if the old man wasn't her relative, why doesn't the old man clarify that his granddaughter as a young woman because the way he tells her, it seems like she was ten years old when she died! In short, changing it from Sakura being totally unaware of who the old man to her actively going to visit her grandfather was a much needed and appreciated change.
The only bad thing about this change is that the speech Sakura makes about how the old man's granddaughter lives in the sky and is happy is lost. I will admit, it brought a tear to my eye. But the good far outweight the bad in the case of this change.
Beyond that change, nothing really is changed. As I said, the story is pretty much untouched besides Sakura acknowledging the old man as her relative. Seriously, the only cut scene is Sakura explaining that she has homework and the scene where Sonomi reveals herself to the audience. That's it.
Now for the plot holes:
1. The obvious one in the Japanese version: Why doesn't he just tell that they're related? No, seriously, why? I can't think of one good reason.
2. Mr. Kinomoto gives Sakura the cookies to give to the old man. When she see her to go to the house, she no longer has the cookies in her hands. Her dress doesn't seem to have pockets. But she manages to go fetch them when needed. Where did she keep the cookies?
3. Sakura's mother died long after her youth. Why does her room still look like that? Did she never come back to the summer home after her tenth summer? Did her tastes never change? In the English version, this is even weirder because they say that this is her actual childhood home. Then again, my childhood room is still untouched and it looks like a ten year old still lives there (my current room is another room in the house and looks more appropriate for my age) even though it's currently a guest room. So, that might be the case here but the point stands.
The change in the English version caused two plot holes:
4. Why doesn't Tori or Mr. Avalon go visit Sakura's grandfather? Do they not like him?
5. So, if the grandfather lives all alone in that house, who was the second figure in the window when Sakura looks back at him? It's a GHOST!!! MWA HA HA HA!!!
In conclusion, by changing one important detail, the English version resolved a major plot hole and personal irritant of the storyline without causing massive damage to the plot of the episode. With this in mind, I judge these episodes to be...
Different, with the English Cardcaptors being the superior.
Episode 17