Story:
As I mentioned before, you should not expect any major plot development to take place. Think of this movie as a “side quest” of the Clow Cards story arc. It’s hard to give out detail without spoiling the story. But there are quite a few things which are safe to mention. First, the location setting. It was a nice surprise to get a Chinese setting instead of the usual town of Tomoeda.  Thanks to some weird luck, Sakura manages to win full week vacation to Hong Kong.  Touya, Yukito as well as Tomoyo and Kero end up going with her on what seems like a nice vacation. Immediately after they arrive, it becomes clear she is not there by mere luck. A very powerful spirit, which dates back to the time when Clow Reed was still alive, somehow sensed Clow’s magic within her and begins to call Sakura in her dreams. Sakura later meets face to face with this incredibly powerfully being which manages to seal way her friends in a parallel dimension. She must then manage to re-enter this hidden alternate world and find a way to defeat this bitter spirit if she ever wants to see her friends and family again. Besides the obvious supernatural elements, the movie is loaded with several references to Chinese culture including actual locations like the HK harbor, shops, and bird street. This film retains all the “Sakuraish” elements that have made the TV series very enjoyable, funny, and sweet. I have yet to meet anybody who doesn’t smile after 5 minutes of watching Sakura simply being herself. You can expect the usual fights with her mean brother, her attempts to keep Kero from eating all the food, and of course her huge crush for Yukio. They did a good job portraying Sakura’s childhood playfulness as well as her developing maturity. She still acts like a child when impressed by something as simple as a seagull flying next to their boat, yet you can tell she has begun to understand some of the responsibilities she acquired after her accident with the cards. Besides all that, you will get to meet some new characters like Li’s mother and sisters. You also get to find out a bit more about Clow and his past.

Audio and Music:
I was really looking forward to hearing the 5.1 audio track. You may think that 5.1 feature wouldn’t make that much of a difference since after all, this is not ‘The Matrix’ right? Not quite. This movie takes full advantage of those extra channels to deliver a truly amazing audio experience. I was very amazed by the “bird street” scene with literally turned my room into a giant birdcage. Following closely were the water sound effects, which ranged from soft calmed streams to violent giant tidal waves and whirlpools. The multiple audio channels will literally hit you from every angle as water action sequences unfold (and let’s just say, there is a lot of water in this movie).
The music should receive particular praise as well. Although some old tunes from the TV series were briefly re-used in spell castings, the rest of the music is brand new and absolutely beautiful. Keeping the traditional Chinese theme, composer Takayuki Negishi took the time to create some tracks that carry the “old Chinese town” feeling within the notes. The rest of the music is quite varied but always rich in instrumental variety.. I highly recommend that you listen to this movie in it’s full 5.1 glory.  Even if you don’t have a 5.1 decoder, most dvd players can emulate it using your own stereo system. While never the same, I’ve noticed that for most DVDs, the emulated 5.1 track sounds much better than the original 2 channel.

Visuals/Animation:
Typical of DVD releases, this movie keeps its original 16:8 aspect ratio. Visually speaking, there are no major flaws with the video. It’s crisp and sharp all the time with vivid colors and smooth shading. As far as the quality of the actual cell drawings, the CCS cast had never looked so good. Unlike some movie releases which re-design the characters, this movie simply enhanced the shading and increased frame rate so as to keep original look of the series. This film also possesses some great cell-based water animation. I have no doubt fans will be amazed by the work put into the water dynamics. As far as magic effects go, Sakura doesn’t use too many cards in this movie and thus we don’t get to see more enhanced versions of the spells used in the TV series. The few instances where she invokes a spell looked quite good. However, this movie was never about magic fights so don’t expect to find much of that.

Summary:
While not as good as the second CCS movie, this first instance does deserve a positive comment. Fans of the original series will certainly enjoy it. However, if you have never seen Cardcaptor Sakura and are planning to use this movie as your introduction, it may be a good idea to start with the TV series instead (the original uncut that is. Not cardcaptors from WB). Keep in mind that this film is way more superficial than the series, and from my point of view it was more of a “fan reward” than an attempt to develop the story arc. Therefore, you will not get a full glance at the central love plot that made Cardcaptor Sakura a hit series. Yet, those who have seen the series are more than encouraged to give this movie a try.