The Cardcaptor Sakura Exhibition Feels Like A Portal Into One Of The Most Iconic Anime

Not unlike a masked bug man doing martial arts, there's a fondness in anime culture for the magical girl. Stories of love, friendship and overcoming the odds are universal- even if the 90s would have you think they were only marketable to women.

Even if you'd never heard of a Clow Card in your life, you'll want to go check out the Cardcaptor Sakura exhibition over at Incubase Arena Malaysia, Farenheit 88. Running from April 12th to June 11th, The Enchanted Museum is a loving celebration of CLAMP's magical girl masterpiece with a focus on the exact feelings that keep it so fondly ingrained in everyone's childhood memories.

Going Through The Cardcaptor Sakura Exhibition

Arguably one of the most impressive rooms in the Cardcaptor Sakura exhibition, the first hall is filled with giant books- all recounting everything you'd need to know about Cardcaptor Sakura. From its publication history to a massive relationship chart, it's a great primer for those who might have missed out on Cardcaptor Sakura growing up.

If you're a fan, it's also a great re-introduction to familiar faces. From characters like Syaoran and Tomoyo to even Sakura herself, it's this room that really sets the tone for the rest of the exhibition: Cardcaptor Sakura is less a Shonen-style story about capturing the Clow Cards and more of a story about love in all its forms- it just happens to be punctuated with Clow Card action.

I think that focus on bonds and relationships is really where the exhibition shines- every room has seemingly been touched by Sakura's magic, such as the Flower room that lets guests stick flowers on the walls amid a flurry of petals. This room doesn't even actually feature any art from Cardcaptor Sakura- instead it features descriptions of flowers and their meanings in flower language.

While previous exhibitions were more focused on the settings, the Cardcaptor Sakura exhibition constantly ties its rooms into the relationships Sakura has with the rest of the cast. There's one particular room that features recreations of Sakura's various outfits- including the iconic pink-and-white from the start of the series. Every outfit is even lovingly described, like it was a friend you hadn't seen in a while.

The Real Magic Was Love All Along

Of course, the real meat of the exhibition is the Maze of Memories- while no photos were allowed, this labyrinth is full of copies of manga pages from Cardcaptor Sakura and the Clear Card Arc- complete with the margins still on the page. I love seeing pages like this- raw and not yet scaled down.

Each section of the mage highlights different characters- like Tomoyo to even a whole corner dedicated to Yue and Toya, it's great seeing a great focus on the series lovable cast. It's not all manga pages either- there's even some absolutely gorgeous color illustrations too, that's sure to make your heart flutter.

One of the best things about having a whole gallery dedicated to the manga is it helps you realize just how central CLAMP has been to anime culture in general. There's a particular frame of Toya that has the pointy face- the one that's graced every pre-teen's sketchbook at least once. 100% sincere, without irony. In an age where every anime feels like "deconstruction" is inherent praise, it's nice to see the purely sincere pages of Cardcaptor Sakura.

After that comes the photo area- from a Kero-themed ball pit to even a giant Kero plushie, there's plenty of places to take dreamy photos and feel absolutely immersed in nostalgia and good vibes.

I'm especially a fan of the Hall of Cards- featuring all the Clow Cards as well as the Sakura Cards and Clear Cards- it's a cool detail for any fan to see them all lined up like that without having to worry about them flying all over the place and having to become a magical girl to stop them.

There's also a giant Card in the center of the hall featuring a special illustration of Sakura. You'll want to come back to this at a later date- we've been told the illustration is going to change for the second half of the exhibition.

After your time in the exhibition, why not get some Cardcaptor Sakura-themed desserts? In partnership with Acollab cafe you can get various meals and drinks, all with the same kind of sweetness that comes from re-experiencing your childhood cafe.

Tickets for the Cardcaptor Sakura exhibition are available now, with the exhibition running from April 12th to June 11th. It's definitely a fun way to reminisce about many people's golden age of anime- just don't be surprised if you start humming Catch You Catch Me by the end of it.