Let me tell you this: I will read CCS AU's like no tomorrow. If I even see a oneshot of such an AU, you bet I am going to read it. My love for CLAMP is right there in my username for the love of Godoka. On that note, Yes, I will see every magical boy/girl imagining of a particular work anywhere, fanfic or otherwise. The magical girl genre has a soft spot for me and no, I don't consider it feminism on the Japanese feminism bar. Hell, I don't consider CLAMP much feminist either (yes, they got guys breaking barriers with their house husband tendencies and the fact their soulmates is both het and same-sex) yet they are still one of my favorites. I simply enjoy the genre and just let me enjoy something I like without the cries of feminism or any other -isms. Yes, people should take a stance to be more diverse and progressive but having that does not mean it would automatically be good. Big Hero 6 has problems with its race, both in the comics and the movie, but the story is solid enough. I do understand the necessity of diverse media but can't people just enjoy something regardless of lack of progressiveness? I'm annoyed to see people put down flawed characters and designate entirely by their bad traits. I saw this across fandoms from VLD to HeroAca. It's annoying and I made it a point to not interact with fandoms.
And yes, I love CCS far too much. I love both the anime and manga. I am currently reading the Clear Card arc and I am loving it. I will see the anime adaptation as well.
I mean the OVA is closer to the manga after all. And it's not like they are doing the reboot a la FMAB treatment. The anime is fine on its own and all they need is just a special. Considering how CLAMP has creative control in the original anime, I am not surprised. Come on, CCS Sealed Card is basically one big hint to the beginning of TRC. CLAMP didn't disown it, unlike the TRC anime.
I think I heard a dub about a CCS Clear Card dub. Given my dislike for the Cardcaptors dub, imagine my surprise when I heard the dub for the second movie. From then onward, I am expecting a pretty good dub from Funi. I mean they got MHA under their belt with legit good dubbing and I know they can do the pretty good dub. Even Haikyuu got a pretty good dub job; admittedly, I know it comes from another studio but still the quality of the HQ dub in comparison to Free...is amazing. At least in HQ, it sounds natural and flowed well. While Free! is a bad dub under Funi's care, I'm still optimistic about the future dubs.
Anyways, let's get moving.
brilliant lights will cease to burn (by my hands I'll reignite them): Midoriya Izuku is quirkless. This, he knows very well. This is also what he knows: Weekends and vacations are reserved for walking neighborhood dogs. The elderly are the most powerful people on Earth. Local gods are picky eaters. Trust is a feeble, feeble thing. Magical cards are incredibly difficult to seal, especially when the world thinks you're a vigilante. Heroes are not magicians, but magicians can be heroes. Becoming a Cardcaptor-slash-magician wasn't on Izuku's bucket list, but he'll be damned if he doesn't make the best of it.
Review: It basically Deku as the Cardcaptor and future Master of the Cards. We are going to see him capture the cards, pass the Final Judgment, officially become the Master, meet Yue, and transform the cards into Deku Cards.
However, as expected of Deku, he wanted to learn more about magic and get a handle on magic. He's just done in this situation right now: being an accidental vigilante (because he is the only one who seals them) and now getting caught up in situations that he shouldn't be doing like getting arrested or meeting spirits and yokais. It's amusing though because due to the new chaos in his life, Deku now has such a busy schedule. It's hilarious because his secret keepers called him a magical boy, even giving him a magical girl-inspired outfit. His fans commented on how cute he looked in his new costume. Most of his gadgets are also magical-girl-inspired too with the exception of smoke bombs. Then there's the issue of his magical potential to become an incredible magician.
I enjoyed how the fic made a part of the city an Expy of Tomoeda. Deku is basically the Kinomotos here, helping the people. It does help that his new wish was similar to Sakura was to make everyone happy and to smile. Like everyone who met Deku like him enough to protect him from the securities because they know Deku is the kindest, sweetest, gentlest person they know who was willing to help anyone.
I noticed that the heroes who helped and saw Deku's actions as heroic because they can see they can barely do any damage to these 'villains'. And they are so out of their depth. They don't consider magic existing or that this might be something they can't handle. They are doing their jobs as heroes and I feel they are being the scapegoats just because they don't have the capability to fight these so-called villains. Everything thinks Deku has a quirk even though those who knew Deku knew he is using something that is not a quirk. Even Kacchan knew this and probably just laughing in the faces of the media who think it's a team. The fans are way too hard on the pro heroes and don't know the details that Deku and his secret keepers knew. Deku doesn't blame the heroes or his fans for their lack of knowledge of the world of magic. The magic that is far more powerful than any quirk they know and have.
Speaking of magic, this magic was based entirely on CLAMP canon. Like CLAMP, it crossovers with xxxHolic, the main staple of the CLAMP universe. Let me tell you this: it's very spoilerific if you don't know CLAMP canon. Just a warning. If you know your CLAMP, you would recognize certain events and rules and such and such. Seriously, I was internally screaming when I saw the fic was using CLAMP's famous rule of names.
I make this a problem with the MHA fandom and their refusal to see Kacchan as a flawed character. He's an asshole but he's an interesting and well-written asshole. The narrative does not excuse his actions. Hell, his only friend in UA is Kirishima. He was nearly killed, kidnapped, his rescue was shown in full HD in front of Japan, he got punched in the face metaphorically and physically by his classmates and Deku especially, failed the Hero License Exam, didn't even have a Hero Internship. This fic made Deku and Bakugou's relationship on a standstill with Deku actively avoiding Bakugou until he does something in his life that is not being a huge ass. Deku called him an anomaly and didn't deny or confirm they are friends. It wasn't bashing which is a good thing. The only thing I can describe Bakugou in the fic and his relationship with Cardcaptor Deku is a standstill.
While Mineta hasn't appeared, I will say this: do not bash him. Punish him for his sexual harassment or paint his actions as bad that he either didn't realize because he's a teenage boy or that he could redeem himself; Make him the butt monkey or punish him repeatedly each arc or time like Kacchan in canon; make him take responsibility for his actions! Just don't bash him, please don't. Character bashing is one of the least creative things an author should do.
At it isn't bashing.
The OC's are nicely done. They are their own individuals and because of their friendship with Deku, they are protective of him and cheered him on. They don't know why Deku is doing this but they are supportive of him and will protect him.
Honestly, I can't wait to see the Final Judgment and the change into Deku Cards. Really, I rather want to have people actively help him, an active hand in his card capturing duties and later the Deku cards.
Inheritance of Cards and Demons: When Kinomoto Sakura died, she set it up so that her cards would go to the person who not only deserved them but needed them. Vanishing across dimensions, they reappear in Assiah. Just in time for new Junior High School student Okumura Rin to find them. And so the cycle begins again. But when the new Master is also the Son of Satan, nothing is going to be easy.
Review: Unlike the other fic that has some reference to CCS, this is a fic that takes a lot including the romantic portion. This fic is more CCS than the other fic. Hell, both of these fics even took on Sakura's invincibility spell as their own and her wishes as their own. And they're both the successors of the Sakura Cards, now Rin/Deku Cards.
The other fic employed more CLAMP stuff than this one though. While both build upon the canon of the magic of the CLAMP world, this one just referenced events. The other fic doesn't reference the events as much as they have the people instead because the people made all the difference and of course, these people won't say anything unless asked or have to take a lesson or anything. I felt it was more like a bit of trivia and have so little impact on the story as much. Hell, even referencing the fact the worlds seemed to be breaking down in the TRC due to Fei Wong Reed's machinations with Mephisto knowing about it just made it trivial. The only thing CLAMP-like that made any sense and made things more viable was Yuuko's quote of hitsuzen. Any other thing the fic references of CLAMP was too trivial and didn't impact the story at all. At least Rin spread the idea of inevitability to his friends.
This is just a nitpick but sometimes sentences repeat itself or could have been better phrased. Some sentences tell outright rather than let the action speak for itself. I know it's not a manga but at least show the actions rather than stating the obvious. It's nitpicky. Sometimes it can be best to tell when it is most effective (see Shouto Todoroki) but show, don't tell is still an effective rule of thumb.
Due to the changes the world of CLAMP made to the BA, Rin matured better and freer from his ordeals. His family has no clue why he was acting the way he is, out of touch with his maturity. He even has friends by his side, no matter how much he tried to push them away.
I think the best feature of the fic would be character development. Everyone matured one way or another. Rin is much different from canon Rin because of his experiences as a magician. Considering that we're in quite a whammy chapter in Aoex, this fic doesn't excuse the fact Yukio can be an ass and had serious issues. Rin knew about these issues and hoped his brother went to him to talk at least but alas, Yukio defected to the enemies' side with all the madness he cannot control. Even with the new revelations, Mephisto kept... I think it's inevitable Yukio would go to Lucifer's side. I mean the foreshadowing and the hints had been growing in large amounts. In this fic, the pair finally reconciled and talked it out before Yukio fell into a downward spiral.
Nothing can say more canon divergence than the fact it has well-written individualistic OC's. I love the OC's a lot, even those who would have been expies of their counterparts in the original CCS series. Both fics have well-defined OC's that fit into the fic's canon.
I also like how the fic expanded on new cards and worldbuilding. Now, the crossovers extended to even Detective Conan and Lyrical Nanoha. Although like the CLAMP thing, it's like trivia and has zero impact on the actual story but the worldbuilding. Worldbuilding is exactly that but not to the point of needless impact. The OC's have more impact on the plot, even if they only appeared for a couple chapters. Their presence was felt by the characters that even the original Aoex cast knew this. Even in the ending, we got the OC's there with Naoko frightening the shit out of Todo.
It's a long read although I'm sure people who read fanfics would find it a fast read though.
And that's all I suppose. Maybe my next Fanfic Rec Post would be Magical Girl AUs.
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