Dear Chibi,

Over 2 months, Hubby and I finished all 70 episodes from the Cardcaptor Sakura DVD Collection. I found it thoroughly enjoyable, even though at times it can feel a bit repetitive (The Clow Cards all start to feel the same after a while). There are also quite a few filler episodes which could easily be cut out, but every little interaction between Sakura and Syaoran make it worthwhile for me :3 THEY ARE JUST SO ADORABLE I DON’T CARE THAT THEY’RE 10 :’D

The final movie “The Sealed Card” is the ultimate finale to the Cardcaptor Sakura anime. It takes place 4 months after the end of episode 70 and it heavily focuses on this pairing. This is a brilliant movie for all Cardcaptor Sakura fans, but if you want Sakura and Syaoran to get together, you will love this movie!

(Poor Hubby, he was rooting for Meilin D:)

“Sakura Kinomoto has come a long way since first being chosen to be a cardcaptor. She’s captured all the cards, made new friends and gained some insight into her own heart. Now, she faces her ultimate challenge, finding the strength to confess her feelings to her true love. While struggling with her heart, a mysterious force has begun stealing her cards and threatens to take away what she truly cherishes. Can Sakura find the inner strength she needs to take on this final challenge?”

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Dear Chibi,

I’m not usually a fan of April Fools, but this year I was tempted to try something myself. The idea came to mind because so much Sailor Moon merchandise have been released over the last 3 years, and so much more are coming. I wondered if I’d be able to convince people of this new Proplica of the “Moon Kaleidoscope”?

I quickly photoshopped this image together while I was at work (bad, I know :P) This beautiful 3D render of the Moon Kaleidoscope is actually created by digitalAuge. The background was ripped off an official proplica image, and I slapped on Sailor Moon’s 20th Anniversary logo and added a fine print. Of course, the fine print in the real promos are in Japanese ;D

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Dear Chibi,

YASSSS~ Cardcaptor Sakura collection is here! :’)

I really enjoyed this anime in my teens when it was first shown on Cheez TV in Australia. Sailor Moon had already stopped showing at the time, and I was curious to check out another mahou shoujo (magical girl) series. I was first drawn towards the pretty art style and was expecting to see her transformation (much like Sailor Moon), but of course that doesn’t actually happen because Sakura doesn’t transform XD. She simply puts on a different fancy costume designed by her best friend and wingwoman Tomoyo. Kind of trivial but cute :D

Cardcaptor Sakura follows the story of a cheerful girl named Sakura Kinomoto, a ten-year-old fourth grader who lives with her father and older brother Toya. One day, Sakura accidentally releases a set of magical cards known as ‘Clow Cards’ from a mysterious book found in her basement. These cards were created by a sorcerer named Clow Reed and contain spirits with unique magical abilities. Cerberus, the Guardian of the Cards emerges from the book and chooses Sakura to retrieve the missing cards.

The first 20 or so episodes mostly revolve around Sakura collecting the Clow Cards, with the overarching plot picking up its pace in Season 2. The show has plenty of humour, action and LOTS OF CUTEEEE (I’m a huge sucker for the romance ~Syaoran-kun <3).

10+ years later and I’m re-watching the show again. This time around, I’m forcing getting Hubby to watch it with me ;D He doesn’t know anything about this show, so you can imagine me peeking at him every few seconds to see his reaction ;D So far so good..we’re up to episode 7!

The English version that I grew up watching was censored and cut. Here’s the Cardcaptor Sakura collection, remastered, uncut and provided in original Japanese audio with English subtitles. Sweet!

Cardcaptor Sakura Collection 1: Clow Book. I LOVE THIS ART!

The DVD’s only special features are the textless opening and closing songs. It would be really nice if there were other bonuses included.

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Dear Chibi,

‘Evangelion: 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo’ is finally out in Australia on blu-ray! 3.33 is the third of four films released in the ‘Rebuild of Evangelion’ tetralogy, with the final film yet to come.

Let’s have a closer look at the packaging~ (Click here for Evangelion 1.11 and 2.22)

This is the limited edition version which comes with a slipcase and a mini booklet.

The box is a bit wider than the previous two movies because the booklet is bigger and sits outside the disc case.

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Dear Chibi,
Well, it’s here guys! Madman released Sailor Moon Season 1 Part 2 DVD last week, which marks the completion of the first season – YESSS!

Click here for a closer look at Sailor Moon Season 1 Part 1 DVD.

Beautiful choice in cover art. THIS LOOKS AMAZING. Look at all the pink and shinies!

This DVD contains 22 episodes, from ep 25-46. This volume actually excites me a lot more than the first one, because the story really starts to pick up its pace once the fourth Sailor Soldier is introduced- Kino Makoto/Sailor Jupiter. AND SHE COMES IN RIGHT OFF THE BAT at episode 25. And of course, we also get the introduction of Sailor Venus.

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Dear Chibi,

YESSSSSSSSS. I am shedding happy tears :’D I’ve finally got a hold of Madman’s newly released Sailor Moon Season 1 Part 1 on DVD! I was over the moon when I first heard Madman had officially acquired both the 90s Sailor Moon anime (all 200 episodes and movies!) and Sailor Moon Crystal. This is a pretty big deal, as Sailor Moon has never been released in Australia complete, remastered, uncensored and uncut :D WOOO!

This new release features a brand new English dub by Viz Media. Having grown up watching the original English dub by DiC, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the change. However, I came into the first episode feeling rather refreshed by Stephanie Sheh’s take on Usagi. I had this massive smile on my face the entire time. I hope the other major characters have suitable voices too. But of course, if you prefer to watch it in Japanese, that too is available with English subtitles.

I know a lot of you might be curious about the video quality, compared to the DVDs released in the US. Instead of following suit with Viz Media, Madman used the same video masters as the European release~ which I believe is a fantastic choice! I was very pleased with the video. Everything looks so pretty and detailed! This DVD seems to tick all the boxes.

Lets have a look at the packaging:

Ooohhh..niceeee.

This DVD comes with 4 discs and contains the first 24 episodes. The extras include behind the scenes of the new English dub as well as textless songs. It uses the original 4:3 aspect ratio.

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Dear Chibi,

After seeing the first two Madoka movies late last year, I was curious to see what would happen in it’s third and final movie: Rebellion. I thought the ending of the second movie wrapped up nicely, and had a sense of completion. Luckily, the third movie didn’t feel like it was made for the sake of continuing, but genuinely had some new concepts to explore. And frankly, seeing as the first two movies were simply a rehash of the animated TV series, I’m sure fans would appreciate the new content. The animation and art look stunning as usual (It has some majestic action scenes *_*).

However, the ending has left me with rather mixed feelings. It has one of those confusing Evanglion-type finales, where you’re left wondering “What just happened?” I mean it kinnnnnd of makes sense, but I don’t know if its for the better or worse. It changes your whole perception of a character you thought you knew and loved. HAH. I hope that wasn’t too spoiler-ish.

What did you think of Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Movie – Rebellion?  Are you satisfied with the ending, or do you want a sequel? Share your thoughts in the comments below (Spoilers allowed ;D)

Now, let’s have a look at this Collector’s Edition Blu-ray…shall we? ;D

This Collectors Edition Blu-Ray comes with a bunch of goodies:

Inside the case, you’ll find two postcards by Madman:

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