You know, I used to love SABER RIDER AND THE STAR SHERRIFFS as a kid. I'd watch it for the pretty pictures and cool action. I didn't know or care about accuracy with the original Japanese show STAR MUSKETEER BISMARK, or the fact that the lead character was originally a supporting character, or that half the episodes didn't really exist, because I was having too much fun. The animation and action were really cool to watch. Of course, this was a time when all cartoons in America had to be non-violent and all imports had to Americanize characters' names.

In today's society, anime has become more mainstreamed. Shows have been televised nationally with violent fight sequences while keeping Japanese names and storylines mostly intact. This is why I do not understand Nelvana's approach to releasing CARD CAPTOR SAKURA as CARDCAPTORS for the American audience. On this volume entitled "Power Match," there are three episodes starting with "Power's Play," in which an invisible monster rampages at the zoo while the kids are there taking pictures on a field trip. The following episode "Double Edged Sword" has Sakura's friend stumble upon the sword card, which ends up controlling her mind. Then in "The New Rival," we are introduced to Meilin Rae, who lays claim to Li (Sakura's friend and fellow cardcaptor). Meilin also really doesn't like Sakura, since she herself wants to be known as the premiere cardcaptor.

I really hope this isn't the first disc, because I had no sense of continuity. (The packaging doesn't say.) It just starts up with the adventures of Sakura and Li chasing down the cards. No explanation of characters or their motivations. Also, Li seems to be a much more prominent character here, whereas he's not as much so in the Japanese series.

This aside, I think CARDCAPTORS will be an enjoyable disc for kids to watch, and as an adult I could watch it with them. The voice acting is pretty cool, although Sakura sounds a bit old for a ten year old. Most characters speak with a decent inflection for their characters. Also, I could swear I keep hearing sound effects from old Hanna Barbera cartoons in this show, which are fun to have around.

However, as an anime fan, I can't really like this disc, as I'm aware of too many discrepancies from the original version. Also, I get really irritated with the mispronouncing of Japanese names. Is it really too much to ask these people to say "SAH-ker-uh" instead of "sa-KER-uh", or "CLOH" instead of "CLOWW"? However, the DVD design is good. It's about what I've come to expect from Pioneer's track record. The sound remains music to my ears and the menu system is easy to follow (which is really good for the kids). It led me to find the closed captions, which are actually yellow subtitles (though slightly larger than average.) There are a couple others decent extras such as the Japanese closing sequence, and the profile focus on Meilin Rae (though I suspect it's Mei-lin Rei). It is strange, though, to see the Japanese closing but not the opening.

In the end, I decided if I had children asking me to get CARDCAPTORS as a gift, I'd probably do it in a heartbeat. Later, I'd expose them to CARD CAPTOR SAKURA to get them interested in anime. If I had to get it for my own collection however, I think I'd have to take a pass on it.