Release date: July 29th, 2001
Word count: 11,921
(Note: Be sure to read the blog post for Chapter 30: Lone Thief of the Night before reading ahead!)
Thoughts: As this special takes place during the summer and before Kaitou drops in and Syaoran and Sakura go off to Tokyo, it's clear that this event happens between chapters 30 and 31.
Uncle Wutai is a horrible, horrible person. Sometimes I think Leiyun is bad, but ultimately Wutai is the worst.
Syaoran asks himself if Leiyun could have been able to succeed at obtaining the Clow Cards instead of failing. I think that if someone who was Touya's age sweet-talked Sakura into giving him the cards, she would have respected her elders and went through with it.
Syaoran lucked out with getting sick. If Sakura went through with having a big party and inviting all of their friends, he would have been even more miserable.
In the flashback, five-year-old Syaoran gets a puppy for his birthday. Has anyone ever watched a video compilation of people receiving pets as presents? Sweetest thing ever!
Sakura comments how the two of them never fought face to face. That made me think of the upcoming April Fool's Massacre but even that was fixed.
I forgot that Kaitou makes an appearance in this chapter. The fact that he visited Meilin when he was in Hong Kong which is how she was able to send Syaoran's gift (A Dating Manual For the Hopeless Guy) is delightful. This is also the chapter when Tomoyo gives Syaoran the "best of" Sakura moments video. I think both items will make a comeback as the series progresses.
When Kai is protesting about how smart he is, he slips the fact that he was a straight-A student and class president. He backtracks immediately but this could be the first hint of Kai's old life.
When Sakura takes Syaoran star-gazing, he talks about how Li-sama's patron animal was the great wolf. I didn't remember that. I do remember that Reed's was the unicorn, Amamiya's was the dragon and Mizuki's was the Phoenix. Did Chang only have Mokona?
I completely blocked out the fact that this chapter recounts in detail the death of Syaoran's beloved pet, Eagle.
Syaoran hugs Sakura for giving him his most precious birthday. That moment was wonderful.
Wow, this chapter ends with an author's note dated ten years in the future! It's rare that we get Older!Wish-chan's thoughts among those that belonged to her teenage self.
Fanart spotlight: Wish-chan has spoiled us with so many chibi omakes over the years in honour of Syaoran's birthday. Here are two of my favourite panels from Syaoran's Birthday Omake. I think Sakura would have figured out the meaning of what's in the mirror if Syaoran didn't send so many mixed messages in Arc 1.
Wutai is the worst >_< Leiyun leaves me conflicted because like Tomoyo I too feel like I want to know more about him and his plans... but like Sakura I know there's something off about him. But Wutai is just terrible. Not only does he bring pyschological and emotional manipulation and conflict towards Syaoran but he also gives big brothers a bad name (he does stand out as being a terrible older brother when pretty much everyone in NT and CCS are wonderful family members [with the exception of Chang Ryouta]) and he is terrible to his only son.
ReplyDeleteReading about Eagle reminded me of our dog Lady who is also a golden retriever. My mother got my stepfather Lady back in September since he was feeling depressed about his older brother's death and about his own health. Lady has been an uplifting force and brought such a change in the house that even though she can be silly and a bit spoiled she warms everyone's hearts. So reading about Syaoran's change when Leiyun got him Eagle was nice to read because I was able to make a real life connection.
Syaoran saying that he thought his father had become a star and was watching over him reminded me of The Lion King lol.
I was shocked to find some foreshadow about Syaoran leaving in Arc 3 though at the time it was just him being worried about his future which is understandable after talking with Wutai. I also caught that little slip that Kai had.
I have always absolutely loved the gifts Syaoran received because they are too funny. The Dating Manual for the Hopeless Guy feels like something Meilin wrote describing Syaoran's initial actions towards Sakura lol. Meilin may come off as too much at times but she is always so sincere in everything and she always means well, especially when it comes to her feelings and wishing Syaoran the best. Though as much as I love Meilin's gifts (the book, the card, and the wooden dog carving) Sakura getting Syaoran a mirror is the best one by far lol! Everyone still makes fun of her.
My favorite line has to be from Perro-chan. "At that moment, the parrot flapped up in front of them comically, singing “Sha la la la, kiss the girl. Kiss the girl.”"
If my thoughts are right, Perro-chan may have teased Mayura and the G5 relentless.
To answer your question about the G5 and their animals... I was always confused in this chapter because Shulin's animal was the dragon. Hayashi's was the wolf. Based on what I remember from Chapter 50 the theory is that Wolfie-chan is actually Hayashi's patron animal's pup. So I guess one of three - either Shulin was with Wolfie-chan before he became a dark force/Sakura created him and then turned into a dark force, or there was another puppy and Shulin took care of it but then it went rogue and thus this special, or Shulin already had a dog in Shanghai. Landon's animal was the unicorn and Mayura's the phoenix. With what we know now Ruichi's animal was Moonie-chan but it's still unconfirmed with the White Tiger aka Byakko-chan was actually Risa's animal. We see in Chapter 61 that she seemed to like small cute animals such as tabby kittens, chicks, and rabbits running around the house.
After many, many months of storing your comments in my queue I am finally diving in and reading your interesting thoughts. Thanks for sharing that story about Lady! When I was growing up I always wanted a cat and now that I've had one for six years, I am absolutely loving the experience. Especially since he's so affectionate instead of being indifferent like the cat stereotype.
DeleteThanks for elaborating on the G5 and their patron animals. I think when NT is over Wish-chan should have a NT AMA so we can get all of the answers to these discrepancies!