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  Eriol Hiragizawa is the most debated and misunderstood of the CCS characters. Most people think he's the bad guy, when the reality of the situation is really quite different. Some think he's Li's rival for Sakura' heart, and that, also, is incorrect. On this page we examine the quirks of this four-foot mastermind, and be warned! As in most of the character pages, we're pure spoiler. So look elsewhere if you want a vague description.
Birthday :
23 March
Blood Type : AB
Favorite Colors: Black
Favorite Subjects: none
Least Favorite Subject: None
Favorite Flower: Cherry blossom
Favorite Food: sweet things, cakes
Least Favorite Food: none
Wants: a new Clow Card master
Afraid of: secret
About her name: Hiragizawa means "holly swamp". 'Eriol', though, is a difficult case: I've seen it spelt 3 different ways. Eriol, Eriole and Ariel. Now, Eriole is not a bird, so let's not go there. As for Ariel, being his character is British, that is the preferred spelling, and in addition to that, the character Ariel in Shakespearean literature, is a mischievous master of magic and quite the overseer of everything (see Tempest) as well as a two-faced tease. Don't you think that suits Hiragizawa's character well? Nevertheless, Eriol is the preffered speling and I believe the one that CLAMP uses, so we use that on this web page.
Eriol Hiragizawa first appeared in episode 47 during the third season as a transfer student from England, much in a similar way to that of Li. The difference, though, was that Eriol arrived in a quite charming and pleasant manner. Li, who had by then realized his affections for Sakura, immediately saw him as a threat. (For more Character Relationships, click here.)
As a student, Eriol is good at EVERYTHING. That may have to do with the fact that he's a 35 year old man in a four-foot body. He can cook, clean and sew (housewife's dream!) draw, play music, read various languages fluently as well as play numerous sports. He gets along well with everyone and is quite agreeable, good looking and stylish is everything he does. Eriol lives in a big, antique home in Victorian style, with "two people": Spinel Sun and Nakuru Akizuki. He's very protective of the people he knows, though at times he seems to like to tease them a little too much. But what would you do if you knew everything in the world about them and still meant to treat them as equals?
The Hiragizawa Story
The reasons for his coming was not clear too soon, but any keen-eyed manga reader knew quite well that he was to be the source of all future problems for Sakura. Though outwardly friendly and yasashii (warm hearted?) to Sakura, Li and Tomoyo there also appeared another, deep-voiced face in the shadows that wasn't too apparent at school. By this time Sakura had captured all the cards, and new problems began arising that weren't Clow Cards. They came from the most unexpected places, but coincidentally always from the items that Eriol Hiragizawa had come in contact with. Sakura was subjected to a number of trials, in each of which she had to use a different one of her cards, therefore solidifying her place as their master and changing them into Sakura Cards.
Are you beginning to see the pattern?
Though Hiragizawa was indeed causing all the problems that Sakura had to face, he had other motives. Hiragizawa, if you hadn't figured it out, was the real Clow Reed reincarnated. After leaving the cards for Sakura to find, he wanted to be sure they were in capable hands. He came back to reinforce her strength and ability as well as be sure that all the cards would be her own and not simply "captured". In addition to the magic work, he also wanted to know what sort of person she was, so he'd hang around as a classmate in an attempt to see her true personality. So, though seemingly evil, he hasn't really the bad guy after all. (For more on Eriol's sadistic personality, click here.)
What do we think of Eriol Hiragizawa?
 Richard: We dedicated a whole page to him; why wouldn't we like him? He's mysterious, dark, twisted, and deep. He's everything I admire and is one of the better developed shoujo anime characters I've ever seen.
Viscay: What I liked about Eriol best was his school personality. He's kind, serious and sincere to the people he meets and he treats everyone well with respect and humility. He's talented, yet doesn't brag or put anyone else down; quite the contrary, actually. He's the kind of person I wish there were more of, an impossibility in the self-appreciative society in schools today.
Riki: He's absolutely adorable! I'm in love with Clow Reed, so it's only natural I adore Eriol as well. What I like about him best, besides his great outfit designs, is his serenity. Even when wielding the power to control the world, he's cool as a cucumber, with a deadly stare and talent for the dramatic. I also admire his creativity and intuition; it takes talent to work out the epitome of dual magic enhancement.
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Clamp
'Eriol Ennui' was posted by