Parents' Guide to

Cardcaptor Sakura

By Lien Murakami, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Cute action-packed magical girl anime with romance.

TV WB, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon Kids' Animation 2001
Cardcaptor Sakura Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 8 parent reviews

Valerie T
Valerie T Adult
September 24, 2020
age 13+

Very cute, some adult themes

Japan has a way of cramming adult themes into kid's content in a way we wouldn't normally in the west. Most of the time the show is very cute, with some fun action in it. But you have to realize the fifth graders have a crush on a tenth grade boy who turns out to be dating another tenth grade boy, who spends the night with him a lot without anyone knowing they're dating. Little things like this might not be a big deal to a lot of people but it's a detail I feel like parents should know going in.

This title has:

Too much sex
2 people found this helpful.
Ella.Shine
Ella.Shine Parent of 5-year-old
January 30, 2018
age 5+

Adorable and touching

The show is so cute and has wonderful positive messages of acceptance. Great for open-minded families raising their kids to accept people as they are. There are some LGBT+ characters, or at least suspected, and that's great! They're people too and have every right to be represented. There's very mild violence, but no more than any other kid show (looking at you Disney, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network).

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
1 person found this helpful.
See all 8 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Ten-year-old Sakura (voiced by Sakura Tange) is a fourth grader who lives with her widowed archeology professor father and teenaged brother. One day after school, Sakura accidentally unleashes a collection of magical "Clow Cards" from a locked book she finds in her father's office. Keroberos (Aya Hisakawa, called Cerberus in the English version), the guardian beast of the seal on the book appears and informs Sakura that she must have some magical powers within her or else she would not have been able to open the book. He also argues that since she loosed the magical Clow Cards, Sakura is now responsible for retrieving the lost cards to prevent an unspecified world-wide catastrophe. Each Clow Card has the ability to manifest as a malevolent spirit that could wreak havoc unless they are sealed away in a card where they can be used as needed. Keroberos gives Sakura a magical key and guides her in her task to collect and seal all of the Clow Cards.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (8):
Kids say (17):

CARDCAPTOR SAKURA (not to be confused with the American dub Cardcaptors) is a classic of the magical girl sub-genre of anime and shojo manga (manga written for girls). Part of the appeal of the show is the artwork (although, one has to question some of the outfits poor Sakura is forced to wear) and adorable characters. For example, Keroberos, whose true form is a huge winged lion, spends most of the series as a cute stuffed animal sidekick with a sweet tooth. Sakura herself is an incredibly likeable girl who is thoughtful, romantic, athletic, modest, and brave. She reluctantly takes on the role of cardcaptor and is initially fearful of the dangers but she almost always pushes through her fears to do what's needed.

Cardcaptor Sakura relies on a lot of anime and magical girl conventions, but it's unique in that it is generally well written and much of Sakura's situations are grounded in her reality. The solutions Sakura comes up with for defeating certain Clow Cards are things that any kid could think of given enough time. Finally, there is a lightness to the dialogue as the characters tease and joke with one another. The relationship between Sakura and her brother Toya is believable. The series, as a whole, has a nice balance of action, humor, good characters, and design and is well worth seeking out.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about crushes and obsessions. Sakura has a school girl crush on her teacher and her older brother's best friend. How are her crushes similar or different to those in real life where tweens obsess about singers or other popular figures?

  • Why are Sakura's skirts so short? Girls: How would wearing a skirt that short make you feel? What kind of attention would you get? What other anime conventions do you notice?

  • Sakura loves to roller blade. What are some of your favorite outdoor activities and sports? How can kids to find a balance between their indoor and outdoor lives?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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