Episode 52: "Sakura's Sheep Warning" or "Trouble at the Park"
Introduction to the Experiment
Episode 51
Episode 52: Sakura's Sheep Warning (Card Captor Sakura) or Trouble at the Park (Cardcaptors)
Baseline Version: English Cardcaptors
There is going to be a lot of jumping back and forth in this, sorry about that.
Sakura is starting to doze off in class. The topic of the lesson involves sheep, that's all that really matters here. In the English version, Sakura has a dream sequence where she sees Clow Reed and is running through hallways and stuff before nearly falling out of her seat. This is not in the Japanese version - Sakura just falls asleep and Li has to stop her from falling out of her seat, much to both of their embarrassment.
In the English version, Sakura is explaining that some spell prevented Yueh from returning to his temporary form so she had to transform the Shield Card. Li remarks that must have been a powerful spell and Madison remarks that is why Sakura has been so tired. Li explains that whoever cast the spell must be very powerful and Sakura acknowledges that they must know about the Clow Cards and about Kero and Julian. Li warns her to be on the lookout and she says that she always is. Sakura remarks the larger issue is that she is so tired. Madison says that she'll get her strength back once all of the Cards have been transformed. True, but Sakura still has a lot of Cards left.
The Japanese version of this scene is completely different! Sakura is explaining what happened last episode with the teddy bear. Li bitches that she didn't call him; she explains that there was no time. He asks her to call him next time something happens and she agrees. Tomoyo then pulls out cell phones for Sakura, Kero, and Li to use so they can call each other. Sakura is super happy about this development and Li blushes. He looks over at his bag, where the bear he made is peeking out. He shoves it into his bag while Tomoyo smiles knowingly. Sakura remarks that the problem is that she's so tired. This leads into a really long sequence with Tomoyo gushing about Sakura having new Cards and that she has to come up with a new "finishing pose".
In both versions, Eli is looking on, remarking that Sakura is having a rough time but Julian is having an even rougher time. Julian is standing by himself, wondering what's wrong with him lately: he's hungry no matter what, he's having memory problems, and he's so weak/tired. Tori sees him and walks over to him. He starts to say that he knows why Julian has been off lately and that he knows who he really is. Just as he is about to clarify, Ruby jumps out of the tree. She had been napping and heard this conversation happening, which was much more interesting than her nap. Oh, and Tori's coach is looking for him. Tori asks if Ruby is being annoying on purpose and she plays dumb. Tori leaves to go see his coach. Ruby thinks to herself that Tori is on to her but Julian doesn't seem to be. She snarkily asks him if he really had no idea what Tori had been about to tell him. Julian is puzzled. The Japanese version plays this scene slightly differently but the gist is essentially the same.
Later that night, Sakura is making dinner. In the English version, Sakura and Kero discuss how tired Sakura has been. Sakura wonders if the piece of paper with the Clow symbol is some sort of clue. She then wonders if it's a sign that she doesn't have what it takes. Kero tells her not to say that but she starts to look sad. Kero snaps that she shouldn't be feeling sorry for herself - she's the "Chosen One" and she just has to give it her all. She agrees.
In the Japanese version, Sakura is explaining about Tomoyo's obsession with her new finishing pose. Sakura then mentions that she now unable to use the Clow Cards and wonders if that has to do with that piece of paper with the Clow symbol. Kero looks at it and Sakura looks sad. He tells her that they can't do anything when she's sad so she has to be happy!
In both versions, the doorbell rings. It's Julian, to return a book to Tori. At least that how it starts but Julian then transforms into Yueh without warning, scaring Sakura half to death. Yueh asks if he can come in (in the Japanese version, Yueh just snarks that Sakura should get used to it already. Man, I hate Yueh in the Japanese version).
The English version adds a scene here. In their house, Eli remarks to Spinner Sun that Sakura recognized the symbol but not its meaning. Spinner Sun says that she has a lot on her mind lately. Ruby then mentions that she also has to worry about "poor, exhausted Yueh". Eli asks how her mission is going. Right on schedule but Tori seems to know what is going on even if Julian doesn't. Spinner Sun scolds Ruby for being too slow; she nearly let "the cat out of the bag". Ruby sarcastically wonders if they can find a bag to throw Spinner Sun in. Eli tells them to stop fighting and they are working together.
Sakura is in the kitchen, humming loudly to prepare snacks for her guest. The versions differ here.
In the English version, Yueh says to Kero that he is growing weaker and the moon can no longer sustain him. He has to draw on Sakura's power but she is not as strong as Clow Reed yet. Kero asks how long they have until he completely loses his power. He doesn't know but eventually he won't be able to return to his "borrowed" form at all. Yueh says it is all that Sakura can do to just transform and use the new Star Cards. Kero transforms at this point and then says that she is growing stronger with each Card she changes. However, until all of them are changed, her powers are limited so Yueh needs to conserve his energy because he'll be needed. Yueh reminds him that he can't depend on Sakura's power much longer. Keroberos then says that if he disappears, so will Julian, which mustn't happen. He then mentions that Sakura has been seeing Clow Reed in her dreams - could he be trying to tell her something? Yueh doesn't know but he does say that for "some of us, death is only the beginning". Keroberos proposes staying in their true forms as much as possible. Keroberos then asks what Yueh will do since he can't depend on Sakura's power. Yueh says that there is another source. Keroberos asks who that is. Yueh just advises him to trust him.
In the Japanese version, the conversation is essentially the same with these differences:
1. Yueh says that he won't be able to return to his true form much longer.
2. Yueh states that Yukito is eating more to sustain him but that won't work.
3. Keroberos clarifies that he's fine because his source is the sun. Yueh needs to "reflect" a power source, which is why he is growing weaker.
4. Keroberos asks if Yueh thinks the weird stuff going on is Clow's doing. Yueh doesn't know but he confirms that he felt Clow's presence.
5. When Yueh brings up the other person who can provide power, at Keroberos' confused response, he just says, "However... Yukito..."
Back to both versions briefly: At this point, Sakura comes in with snacks but Yueh is apparently done with them and just announces that he's changing back now, much to Keroberos' annoyance since it is much harder for him to hide in his true form. Julian is bewildered as to why he is no longer at the door.
The English version cuts this following bit: Sakura and Kero discuss in a vague sort of way the difficulty of getting Yukito out of there. Sakura then gets a call on her fancy new cell phone: it's Li and apparently something is up at the park. The next scene is Sakura, Kero, Tomoyo, and Li at the park. There is then a long sequence with Sakura being embarrassed about being in one of Tomoyo's outfits with Kero pointing out that, um, you called her and you knew this would happen, dummy.
Both versions proceed from here. Li states that he senses a presence. Is it Clow Reed? Li doesn't know (in the Japanese version, Li points out that he's never met Clow Reed so he wouldn't know what his presence feels like). Sakura senses the presence coming from the direction of the Penguin Slide so off they go.
There is a giant hole in front of the slide. The presence is definitely down that hole so down Sakura flies to investigate. Kero starts to follow her but a magical barrier over the hole prevents him, no matter much he hits it. Li tries his Lightning spell - nope. Kero transforms and shoots fire at it - nope.
Meanwhile, Sakura flies down to the bottom of the hole, only to realize that Kero's not with her and she's alone. Something lands on her head - it's a sheep plushie. While Sakura is pondering why that would be down there, a ton of other sheep plushies start falling on her, burying her as she screams.
Up above, her friends hear her scream. This prompts Li to start pounding at the barrier with his fist but that doesn't do any good either. Meanwhile, Eli and his crew are watching all of this. Ruby and Spinner respectively about Li's determination and how it's pointless. Eli says that it's one of Li's better qualities.
Meanwhile, Sakura is still buried under the stuffed sheep. She considers what Cards to use, rejecting each one until she uses the Erase Card - that Cards takes all of the sheep away so Sakura can fly back up and the barrier goes away.
After her friends establish that she's all right, she explains what happened down in the hole, confirming that it's the same presence she keeps feeling (English = the one in her dreams, Japanese = Clow Reed). Crisis now averted, they contemplate what to do about the giant hole. Their solution is for Sakura to use the Power Card to move the Penguin Slide over the hole. The Japanese version has this sequence where Sakura is really embarrassed to use the Power Card but the English version just gets on with it. The effort of using the Power Card causes Sakura to collapse to her knees.
Eli is looking on with his crew still. In the English version, Spinner Sun asks if Sakura passed his test. She did but there are more tests to come. In the Japanese version, Spinel Sun asks if Eriol is having fun. He is but things are going to get more fun.
So, uh, Sakura fights against some stuffed sheep. I got nothing. Kind of a letdown after last episode.
I prefer the Japanese title this time around. The English title could describe a dozen other episodes. Seriously, why does everything happen at this stupid park?!
If you've skipped the summary, I'll let you know that the two versions differ quite a bit. When I first watched the English version, I was so lost. When did Sakura change the Shield Card? Why are the kids suddenly at the park for no reason after the Yueh scene? What is going on?!
I completely expected the Japanese version to have these key scenes that the English version was cutting for some reason (although I was puzzled - usually the English episodes are 18 minutes long compared to the Japanese episodes being 25 minutes long. This episode in English is 20 minutes long so I wondered why it was so jumpy when so little appeared to be cut) and it would all make perfect sense and the Japanese version would automatically be the superior. Easy analysis.
Nope. Every cut scene was either redundant or so stupid that I can hardly blame the English team for cutting them. This episode is pretty eye-rolling in the Japanese version. I hate to say this but it was mostly because of Tomoyo - she is obnoxious in this episode and her jokes go on way too long. Sakura in the Japanese version was pretty annoying too - I'll never get why Sakura is embarrassed to use the Cards sometimes. Why would having Li and Kero see her use the Power Card be so embarrassing?!
So why was the English episode longer than normal? Because they added scenes. Good and interesting ones! The irony is that those added scenes were blended in so seamlessly that I didn't even notice that they weren't in the Japanese version until I was doing this write-up. Keep in mind that the main accusation of the English version is that they cut key scenes and then relied on flashbacks when they got into trouble. These added scenes are not flashbacks - they either create tension or move the plot forward. Those cut scenes were not that important.
The English version is not completely off the hook. The scenes that were part of the original that follow a cut scene were so jumpy and badly edited that it was distracting. My favorite sloppy edit is an establishment shot of a written schedule of "where are the members of Kinomoto family tonight" that wasn't cut fast enough so you can still see it in a "Drink More Coke" kind of way. And the scene where the kids are in the park - I think the "Sakura takes a phone call" scene should have been kept because it is very abrupt switching from Yueh's scene to the park scene so I was bewildered for a moment what had happened.
Another odd moment in the English version is Sakura's actress delivery when Li points out that the presence can't be Clow Reed (because he's dead). Sakura's "Oh yeah!" sounds like Sakura had never considered that before! Like, did she forget he was dead or something? Not a mistake per say but it made me laugh.
There are two major plot holes I want to talk about:
1. This one is related to this particular episode but I doubt that this is the last time this will happen so I'm addressing it. It is heavily implied that Yueh is aware of what happens when he's Julian, right? Why weren't the first words out of his mouth something like, "Hey, Sakura, there's this Ruby woman at your brother's school who has essentially threatened me multiple times. Could you investigate her and make sure that she's not connected to this evil stuff happening?" Seriously, why haven't Yueh told Kero or Sakura about Ruby? She's not subtle - I get why Tori isn't calling the cops but Yueh (through Julian) should be able to put 2 and 2 together.
2. Related to that, because this is something that has happened earlier but this episode just made it very obvious. Why exactly can't Kero and Yueh tell Sakura about the subjects of their conversation, especially the part where Yueh is growing weaker and may vanish? Sakura isn't just some nice girl they both happen to know, she's their Master. This is important information that Sakura needs to know as their Master so she can at least address it or come up with a plan. It just boggles my mind why they exclude her from their conversations about whether it's Clow or how Yueh is going to survive. Yes, Sakura will be upset but then at least she could help them think of a solution.
And one minor plot hole:
1. Why did Li put his sword away when trying to hit the barrier? Wouldn't a pointy metal object designed to pierce things be more effective than a little kid's bare fist? Just saying.
While the English version was jumpy, the Japanese version had content that was just dumb and the English version added material that was more engaging so I judge these episodes to be...
Different, with the English Cardcaptors being superior!
Episode 53
Episode 51
Episode 52: Sakura's Sheep Warning (Card Captor Sakura) or Trouble at the Park (Cardcaptors)
Baseline Version: English Cardcaptors
There is going to be a lot of jumping back and forth in this, sorry about that.
Sakura is starting to doze off in class. The topic of the lesson involves sheep, that's all that really matters here. In the English version, Sakura has a dream sequence where she sees Clow Reed and is running through hallways and stuff before nearly falling out of her seat. This is not in the Japanese version - Sakura just falls asleep and Li has to stop her from falling out of her seat, much to both of their embarrassment.
In the English version, Sakura is explaining that some spell prevented Yueh from returning to his temporary form so she had to transform the Shield Card. Li remarks that must have been a powerful spell and Madison remarks that is why Sakura has been so tired. Li explains that whoever cast the spell must be very powerful and Sakura acknowledges that they must know about the Clow Cards and about Kero and Julian. Li warns her to be on the lookout and she says that she always is. Sakura remarks the larger issue is that she is so tired. Madison says that she'll get her strength back once all of the Cards have been transformed. True, but Sakura still has a lot of Cards left.
The Japanese version of this scene is completely different! Sakura is explaining what happened last episode with the teddy bear. Li bitches that she didn't call him; she explains that there was no time. He asks her to call him next time something happens and she agrees. Tomoyo then pulls out cell phones for Sakura, Kero, and Li to use so they can call each other. Sakura is super happy about this development and Li blushes. He looks over at his bag, where the bear he made is peeking out. He shoves it into his bag while Tomoyo smiles knowingly. Sakura remarks that the problem is that she's so tired. This leads into a really long sequence with Tomoyo gushing about Sakura having new Cards and that she has to come up with a new "finishing pose".
In both versions, Eli is looking on, remarking that Sakura is having a rough time but Julian is having an even rougher time. Julian is standing by himself, wondering what's wrong with him lately: he's hungry no matter what, he's having memory problems, and he's so weak/tired. Tori sees him and walks over to him. He starts to say that he knows why Julian has been off lately and that he knows who he really is. Just as he is about to clarify, Ruby jumps out of the tree. She had been napping and heard this conversation happening, which was much more interesting than her nap. Oh, and Tori's coach is looking for him. Tori asks if Ruby is being annoying on purpose and she plays dumb. Tori leaves to go see his coach. Ruby thinks to herself that Tori is on to her but Julian doesn't seem to be. She snarkily asks him if he really had no idea what Tori had been about to tell him. Julian is puzzled. The Japanese version plays this scene slightly differently but the gist is essentially the same.
Later that night, Sakura is making dinner. In the English version, Sakura and Kero discuss how tired Sakura has been. Sakura wonders if the piece of paper with the Clow symbol is some sort of clue. She then wonders if it's a sign that she doesn't have what it takes. Kero tells her not to say that but she starts to look sad. Kero snaps that she shouldn't be feeling sorry for herself - she's the "Chosen One" and she just has to give it her all. She agrees.
In the Japanese version, Sakura is explaining about Tomoyo's obsession with her new finishing pose. Sakura then mentions that she now unable to use the Clow Cards and wonders if that has to do with that piece of paper with the Clow symbol. Kero looks at it and Sakura looks sad. He tells her that they can't do anything when she's sad so she has to be happy!
In both versions, the doorbell rings. It's Julian, to return a book to Tori. At least that how it starts but Julian then transforms into Yueh without warning, scaring Sakura half to death. Yueh asks if he can come in (in the Japanese version, Yueh just snarks that Sakura should get used to it already. Man, I hate Yueh in the Japanese version).
The English version adds a scene here. In their house, Eli remarks to Spinner Sun that Sakura recognized the symbol but not its meaning. Spinner Sun says that she has a lot on her mind lately. Ruby then mentions that she also has to worry about "poor, exhausted Yueh". Eli asks how her mission is going. Right on schedule but Tori seems to know what is going on even if Julian doesn't. Spinner Sun scolds Ruby for being too slow; she nearly let "the cat out of the bag". Ruby sarcastically wonders if they can find a bag to throw Spinner Sun in. Eli tells them to stop fighting and they are working together.
Sakura is in the kitchen, humming loudly to prepare snacks for her guest. The versions differ here.
In the English version, Yueh says to Kero that he is growing weaker and the moon can no longer sustain him. He has to draw on Sakura's power but she is not as strong as Clow Reed yet. Kero asks how long they have until he completely loses his power. He doesn't know but eventually he won't be able to return to his "borrowed" form at all. Yueh says it is all that Sakura can do to just transform and use the new Star Cards. Kero transforms at this point and then says that she is growing stronger with each Card she changes. However, until all of them are changed, her powers are limited so Yueh needs to conserve his energy because he'll be needed. Yueh reminds him that he can't depend on Sakura's power much longer. Keroberos then says that if he disappears, so will Julian, which mustn't happen. He then mentions that Sakura has been seeing Clow Reed in her dreams - could he be trying to tell her something? Yueh doesn't know but he does say that for "some of us, death is only the beginning". Keroberos proposes staying in their true forms as much as possible. Keroberos then asks what Yueh will do since he can't depend on Sakura's power. Yueh says that there is another source. Keroberos asks who that is. Yueh just advises him to trust him.
In the Japanese version, the conversation is essentially the same with these differences:
1. Yueh says that he won't be able to return to his true form much longer.
2. Yueh states that Yukito is eating more to sustain him but that won't work.
3. Keroberos clarifies that he's fine because his source is the sun. Yueh needs to "reflect" a power source, which is why he is growing weaker.
4. Keroberos asks if Yueh thinks the weird stuff going on is Clow's doing. Yueh doesn't know but he confirms that he felt Clow's presence.
5. When Yueh brings up the other person who can provide power, at Keroberos' confused response, he just says, "However... Yukito..."
Back to both versions briefly: At this point, Sakura comes in with snacks but Yueh is apparently done with them and just announces that he's changing back now, much to Keroberos' annoyance since it is much harder for him to hide in his true form. Julian is bewildered as to why he is no longer at the door.
The English version cuts this following bit: Sakura and Kero discuss in a vague sort of way the difficulty of getting Yukito out of there. Sakura then gets a call on her fancy new cell phone: it's Li and apparently something is up at the park. The next scene is Sakura, Kero, Tomoyo, and Li at the park. There is then a long sequence with Sakura being embarrassed about being in one of Tomoyo's outfits with Kero pointing out that, um, you called her and you knew this would happen, dummy.
Both versions proceed from here. Li states that he senses a presence. Is it Clow Reed? Li doesn't know (in the Japanese version, Li points out that he's never met Clow Reed so he wouldn't know what his presence feels like). Sakura senses the presence coming from the direction of the Penguin Slide so off they go.
There is a giant hole in front of the slide. The presence is definitely down that hole so down Sakura flies to investigate. Kero starts to follow her but a magical barrier over the hole prevents him, no matter much he hits it. Li tries his Lightning spell - nope. Kero transforms and shoots fire at it - nope.
Meanwhile, Sakura flies down to the bottom of the hole, only to realize that Kero's not with her and she's alone. Something lands on her head - it's a sheep plushie. While Sakura is pondering why that would be down there, a ton of other sheep plushies start falling on her, burying her as she screams.
Up above, her friends hear her scream. This prompts Li to start pounding at the barrier with his fist but that doesn't do any good either. Meanwhile, Eli and his crew are watching all of this. Ruby and Spinner respectively about Li's determination and how it's pointless. Eli says that it's one of Li's better qualities.
Meanwhile, Sakura is still buried under the stuffed sheep. She considers what Cards to use, rejecting each one until she uses the Erase Card - that Cards takes all of the sheep away so Sakura can fly back up and the barrier goes away.
After her friends establish that she's all right, she explains what happened down in the hole, confirming that it's the same presence she keeps feeling (English = the one in her dreams, Japanese = Clow Reed). Crisis now averted, they contemplate what to do about the giant hole. Their solution is for Sakura to use the Power Card to move the Penguin Slide over the hole. The Japanese version has this sequence where Sakura is really embarrassed to use the Power Card but the English version just gets on with it. The effort of using the Power Card causes Sakura to collapse to her knees.
Eli is looking on with his crew still. In the English version, Spinner Sun asks if Sakura passed his test. She did but there are more tests to come. In the Japanese version, Spinel Sun asks if Eriol is having fun. He is but things are going to get more fun.
So, uh, Sakura fights against some stuffed sheep. I got nothing. Kind of a letdown after last episode.
I prefer the Japanese title this time around. The English title could describe a dozen other episodes. Seriously, why does everything happen at this stupid park?!
If you've skipped the summary, I'll let you know that the two versions differ quite a bit. When I first watched the English version, I was so lost. When did Sakura change the Shield Card? Why are the kids suddenly at the park for no reason after the Yueh scene? What is going on?!
I completely expected the Japanese version to have these key scenes that the English version was cutting for some reason (although I was puzzled - usually the English episodes are 18 minutes long compared to the Japanese episodes being 25 minutes long. This episode in English is 20 minutes long so I wondered why it was so jumpy when so little appeared to be cut) and it would all make perfect sense and the Japanese version would automatically be the superior. Easy analysis.
Nope. Every cut scene was either redundant or so stupid that I can hardly blame the English team for cutting them. This episode is pretty eye-rolling in the Japanese version. I hate to say this but it was mostly because of Tomoyo - she is obnoxious in this episode and her jokes go on way too long. Sakura in the Japanese version was pretty annoying too - I'll never get why Sakura is embarrassed to use the Cards sometimes. Why would having Li and Kero see her use the Power Card be so embarrassing?!
So why was the English episode longer than normal? Because they added scenes. Good and interesting ones! The irony is that those added scenes were blended in so seamlessly that I didn't even notice that they weren't in the Japanese version until I was doing this write-up. Keep in mind that the main accusation of the English version is that they cut key scenes and then relied on flashbacks when they got into trouble. These added scenes are not flashbacks - they either create tension or move the plot forward. Those cut scenes were not that important.
The English version is not completely off the hook. The scenes that were part of the original that follow a cut scene were so jumpy and badly edited that it was distracting. My favorite sloppy edit is an establishment shot of a written schedule of "where are the members of Kinomoto family tonight" that wasn't cut fast enough so you can still see it in a "Drink More Coke" kind of way. And the scene where the kids are in the park - I think the "Sakura takes a phone call" scene should have been kept because it is very abrupt switching from Yueh's scene to the park scene so I was bewildered for a moment what had happened.
Another odd moment in the English version is Sakura's actress delivery when Li points out that the presence can't be Clow Reed (because he's dead). Sakura's "Oh yeah!" sounds like Sakura had never considered that before! Like, did she forget he was dead or something? Not a mistake per say but it made me laugh.
There are two major plot holes I want to talk about:
1. This one is related to this particular episode but I doubt that this is the last time this will happen so I'm addressing it. It is heavily implied that Yueh is aware of what happens when he's Julian, right? Why weren't the first words out of his mouth something like, "Hey, Sakura, there's this Ruby woman at your brother's school who has essentially threatened me multiple times. Could you investigate her and make sure that she's not connected to this evil stuff happening?" Seriously, why haven't Yueh told Kero or Sakura about Ruby? She's not subtle - I get why Tori isn't calling the cops but Yueh (through Julian) should be able to put 2 and 2 together.
2. Related to that, because this is something that has happened earlier but this episode just made it very obvious. Why exactly can't Kero and Yueh tell Sakura about the subjects of their conversation, especially the part where Yueh is growing weaker and may vanish? Sakura isn't just some nice girl they both happen to know, she's their Master. This is important information that Sakura needs to know as their Master so she can at least address it or come up with a plan. It just boggles my mind why they exclude her from their conversations about whether it's Clow or how Yueh is going to survive. Yes, Sakura will be upset but then at least she could help them think of a solution.
And one minor plot hole:
1. Why did Li put his sword away when trying to hit the barrier? Wouldn't a pointy metal object designed to pierce things be more effective than a little kid's bare fist? Just saying.
While the English version was jumpy, the Japanese version had content that was just dumb and the English version added material that was more engaging so I judge these episodes to be...
Different, with the English Cardcaptors being superior!
Episode 53