CCS Episode 01 - Sakura and the Mysterious Magic Book

OPENING THEME MUSIC: "Catch You, Catch Me"

*** Dream ***

A book with a lion-like creature on its cover opens.

GIRL'S VOICE: Who? Who's calling me?

Tokyo tower appears, the full moon behind it. A young girl is standing on the roof of a building as a shower of sakura petals falls. A small flying creature is beside her. She holds a wand and speaks, but her words can't be heard. The girl steps to the edge of the roof, then jumps off.

TITLE SCREEN

*** Girl's Bedroom ***

An alarm clock goes off. She shrieks and sits up in bed, holding the clock.

GIRL: Hoe?

She looks around, trying to figure out where the noise is coming from. She looks down at the clock in her hands and yawns.

GIRL: This sound....

She shuts the alarm off. A man in an apron shouts from downstairs.

MAN: Sakura-san, breakfast is almost ready!

Note: Okay, Okay, so I know their names already. But they technically haven't been revealed at this point, so get over it!

SAKURA: Hai! [narrating] I'm Kinomoto Sakura. I'm in the fourth grade at Tomoeda Elementary school.

Sakura gets dressed.

SAKURA, narrating: My favorite subjects are gym class and music. I hate math. Anyway, my most noticeable trait is that I am a very energetic girl!

She goes down the stairs.

SAKURA, narrating: As for my family....

She enters the kitchen, where her older brother is drinking coffee at the table.

SAKURA: Ohayo!

BROTHER: Why were you stomping around in your room?

SAKURA: I wasn't stomping.

BROTHER: It was really loud, though.

SAKURA: I was walking normally!

BROTHER: Even when you walk, it sounds like a kaijuu is jumping around.

Sakura is extremely angry as she stomps over to him.

SAKURA: Sakura is not a kaijuu!!!!

Her brother puts his mug on top of her head, and she flails her arms.

SAKURA, narrating: The mean one is Touya, onii-chan. He's a sophomore in high school. He's always mean to me, just because he's a little taller! I hate it!

Sakura frees herself from the mug and fumes.

SAKURA, narrating: Someday I'll be as tall as an electric pole and then I'll definitely....

Sakura fantasizes about growing huge and stepping on Touya.

SAKURA, narrating: Squish him!

MAN: Friendly in the morning, aren't we?

He comes in carrying a tray of food.

SAKURA, narrating: That's Fujitaka-san, otou-san. He's a professor of archaeology at the university. He's really good at cooking and sewing. I love him!

Fujitaka puts Sakura's breakfast in front of her.

FUJITAKA: Here you go.

SAKURA: Oh, it looks good! Itadakimasu! [narrating] That's my family. Eh? Okaa-san? Okaa-san died when I was three years old, but I'm not lonely. I have otou-san, and onii-chan, too, even if he's mean.

Sakura takes a bite.

FUJITAKA: Is it good?

SAKURA: Yeah!

Touya finishes his coffee.

TOUYA: Gochisou sama.

SAKURA: Eh? You're leaving already?

TOUYA: I have morning soccer practice.

FUJITAKA: Itte rashai.

TOUYA: Itte kimasu.

SAKURA: Hey, wait a minute!

She gulps down her food as fast as she can.

SAKURA, strained: Gochisou sama!

FUJITAKA: Was that enough?

Sakura nods.

FUJITAKA: Here's your lunch.

*** Street ***

Sakura puts on her roller blades, wristguards, elbow pads, and kneepads. She goes to the door and looks around. Fujitaka is waiting by the gate.

SAKURA: Where's onii-chan?

FUJITAKA: He already left.

SAKURA: Ohhh.

She starts to skate away.

FUJITAKA: Is your club meeting today?

SAKURA: Yeah! Itte kimasu!

FUJITAKA: Itte rashai!

Sakura skates away at top speed.

SAKURA: How far ahead is he?

She goes around the corner to a street lined in blossoming cherry trees.

SAKURA: Wahhh-hah!

She giggles and skates backward. She turns back around and sees Touya ahead on his bicycle.

SAKURA: Ah! There he is! Wait a minute!

She catches up to him and sighs in exhaustion.

TOUYA: Huh? You didn't need to leave so early.

SAKURA: Because.... [thinking] Because onii-chan always goes to school with him!

TOUYA: Hey, Yuki!

SAKURA: Eh?

She sees a boy Touya's age waiting for them with his bicycle ahead.

YUKITO: Ohayo!

SAKURA, affectionately: Wahhh-hah!

She and Touya stop.

TOUYA: Yo.

YUKITO: Ohayo, Touya. Ohayo, Sakura-chan. You're up early, aren't you?

SAKURA: Hai!

TOUYA: Well, she ate breakfast in five minutes.

Sakura growls and kicks him in the shin with her rollerblade. Touya groans in pain. Sakura is embarrassed to have done this in front of Yukito, but she smiles at him.

YUKITO: You're cheerful today, Sakura-chan.

They all go down the sidewalk together.

SAKURA, narrating: That's Tsukishiro Yukito-san. He's in the same class as onii-chan, a high school sophomore. I can't believe he's friends with awful onii-chan. He's such a nice, wonderful person!

Sakura watches Yukito as she skates alongside him.

YUKITO: See you later, Sakura-chan.

Sakura looks confused, then sees her school.

SAKURA, thinking: Ohhh, here already.

Sakura watches Yukito ride away. He turns around and throws a piece of candy to her.

YUKITO: See you later!

Sakura looks at the candy and sighs.

SAKURA: Yukito-san....

GIRL: He's smooth.

A girl Sakura's age with long black hair is standing beside her, having escaped Sakura's notice.

SAKURA: Ahhh! Tomoyo-chan?!

TOMOYO: Sneaking you gifts! He's smooth.

SAKURA: O.... Ohayo, Tomoyo-chan.

TOMOYO: Ohayo gozaimasu! Sakura-chan.

SAKURA, narrating: That's Daidouji Tomoyo-chan. She's my best friend. She's smart and pretty. She's the daughter of the president of a really big company.

*** Hallway ***

Tomoyo gets her slippers out of her locker.

TOMOYO: Sakura-chan, you looked so kawaii a minute ago!

SAKURA: Hoe?

TOMOYO: You were holding that candy and looking really dreamy....

SAKURA: Ummm, Tomoyo-chan...?

TOMOYO: I wish I had video or a picture of it!

SAKURA: Are you listening? [narrating] Tomoyo-chan's hobbies are taking pictures and videotaping things. She's taken a lot of me, but....

TOMOYO: Oh, yeah! I just bought a new camcorder! Please let me make some more videos of you!

SAKURA: Yeah. But wouldn't you rather tape something more interesting than me?

TOMOYO: Oh, nothing's more kawaii and interesting than you, Sakura-chan! All right then, I'll bring the camcorder tomorrow!

Tomoyo walks away triumphantly, singing.

SAKURA, narrating: I think maybe Tomoyo-chan is a little weird.

*** Classroom ***

The teacher reads aloud from a book.

TEACHER: "Then we saw the face of a boy with his mouth open like the letter 'o.'"

Sakura is sitting at her desk, doodling.

TEACHER: "I think he was surprised. The magical...."

Sakura's drawing is of the creature she had seen in the dream.

SAKURA, thinking: Was that me in the dream?

Tomoyo looks at Sakura's doodle.

TOMOYO, whispering: That's a kawaii picture! What is it?

SAKURA: Well, today....

TEACHER: Kinomoto-san.

SAKURA: Oh? Uh.... Hai!

TEACHER: Please read for us.

SAKURA, to Tomoyo: I'll tell you later, all right?

She stands up with her book.

TOMOYO, whispering: It's line 12.

SAKURA: "Maybe he thought it was a magical orange. In any case, the butterfly transformed...."

*** Cheerleading Practice ***

Sakura does a backflip while the other girls watch.

ALL: Wow! Amazing! Kawaii!

A girl with glasses talks to a girl with braids.

GIRL WITH GLASSES: Amazing, Sakura-chan!

GIRL WITH BRAIDS: She looks cool!

COACH: Arigatou, Kinomoto-san. Next, we'll practice tossing. Everyone go get your batons!

ALL: Hai!

The coach blows her whistle and they toss their batons.

SAKURA, thinking: That dream is bothering me. I'll have to tell Tomoyo-chan about it.

She tosses her baton, and as it falls, it becomes the wand she saw in her dream.

SAKURA: Eh?

The baton hits her in the head. The other girls gasp and stare at her, shocked.

BRAIDS, to Glasses: Sakura-chan's really good at sports and baton-twirling....

GLASSES: Yeah.

BRAIDS: But I guess these things happen to everyone.

GLASSES: Yeah.

Sakura holds her head in pain.

*** Sakura's House ***

Sakura comes in the front door. The house is dark.

SAKURA: Tadaima!

She goes into the hallway, and stops to look at the door to the basement.

SAKURA: Hoe?

She walks down the hall, ignoring it. She looks at the bulletin board in the kitchen. It reads: "Fujitaka: I'll be home around 9 o'clock today. Please warm up some curry for dinner. Dessert is in the fridge. Touya: 4 o'clock work, 7 o'clock home. Sakura: Normal."

SAKURA: "I'll be home at 9 o'clock." Oh, otou-san will be late tonight.

She opens the fridge and touches one of the puddings inside with the back of her finger. Suddenly, a low bubbling noise is heard.

SAKURA: Is someone here?

She grabs her baton and wields it like a weapon as she creeps out of the kitchen and down the hall. She looks at the basement door and hears the noise again.

SAKURA, thinking: And onii-chan and otou-san aren't home right now....

EYECATCH - Sakura

Sakura creeps to the doorway on the other side of the hallway.

SAKURA, thinking: It's coming from otou-san's library. What should I do? What if it's a thief? I'll just look inside from the doorway. And if someone's there, I'll call the police.

She opens the door and looks inside. She creeps slowly down the stairs and flips on the light. Sakura moves between the shelves, the noise growing louder as she reaches the last shelf. She gathers her courage and leaps into view. Nothing is there.

SAKURA: No one's here...?

She is looking around, confused, when a book titled "THE CLOW" begins to glow. She walks toward it, and is about the touch it, when it stops glowing. She takes it off the shelf. It has a lion on its cover.

SAKURA: Huh? It's that book....

The lock snaps open and she shrieks.

SAKURA: Hoe?

She opens the book. The pages have been hollowed out and cards are hidden inside. Sakura takes out the top card and examines it.

SAKURA: A card? Win.... Um, uh.... Win.... Windy.

The card glows. A glowing circle lights up underneath her feet and a blast of wind springs up from nowhere. The cards are blown out of the book. They pass through the roof and out into the sky. Sakura drops the book and sinks to the floor. She looks at the Windy card still in her hand.

SAKURA: What is this? Hoeee?!

The book glows, and the creature from her dream floats up out of it. It opens its eyes with a solemn expression, then shouts.

CREATURE, happily: Konyanachiwa!!!!

SAKURA: Hoe?

CREATURE: Hey, thanks for wakin' me up!

SAKURA: Osaka-ben?

CREATURE: Yeah, the book was in Osaka so long the language kind of stuck.

Sakura plucks him out of the air and examines him roughly.

SAKURA: Batteries...? Where's the switch...? Where's the voice coming from?

The creature escapes and flies a safe distance away.

CREATURE: I am not a toy!!!! I, Cerberus, am the guardian beast of this book.

SAKURA: "Guardian"? "Cerberus"?

Cerberus levitates the book into an upright position.

CERBERUS: Yep. I guard the cards in this book so they don't do bad things. That's my-

He realizes that the cards are missing and does a double-take.

CERBERUS: Ahhh!!!! There's no cards!!!! Why?! Why?! Where'd they all go?! Wah.

Sakura holds out the Windy card.

SAKURA: This?

CERBERUS: Huh? Oh! Yeah, this! This is it! And the other cards?

SAKURA: Well, when I said "Windy...."

CERBERUS: Uh-huh, uh-huh.

SAKURA: It got really windy....

CERBERUS: Uh-huh, uh-huh.

SAKURA: And they all flew away!

CERBERUS: Oh, so that's it....

They both laugh.

CERBERUS: Nani????!!!!

*** Kitchen ***

Sakura and Touya are eating dinner. Sakura wolfs down her food.

SAKURA, hurried: Gochisou sama!

She puts her plates in the sink and runs to the refrigerator. She runs away with a plate of pudding.

TOUYA: Where are you going with that?

SAKURA: I'm going to eat it while I study in my room!

She runs up the stairs.

*** Sakura's Bedroom ***

Cerberus floats, glowing, over the card book. Sakura enters.

SAKURA: How's it going?

CERBERUS: This is bad. I can't tell where the cards are at all.

SAKURA: Here.

She puts the plate of pudding in front of him.

CERBERUS: That looks good! In this book, there were Clow cards.

SAKURA: Clow cards?

CERBERUS: Clow cards. When unleashed, they will bring chaos to the world. They are special cards created by a magician named Clow Reed. Each one is alive and has its own special powers. They do as they please, and on top of that, ordinary people can't control them. That's why Clow made this book and put me, the guardian beast, on the cover.

SAKURA: Hmmm.

CERBERUS: Anyway, we need to get the cards back.

He points at Sakura with his spoon.

CERBERUS: You're going to help me.

SAKURA: Hoe? Why me?

CERBERUS: You're the one who called the magic wind and scattered all the cards!

SAKURA: But wasn't it your job to make sure that the cards didn't get away?

CERBERUS: Well, I kind of fell asleep....

SAKURA: For how long?

CERBERUS: Thirty years or so.

SAKURA: Are you really a guardian beast?

CERBERUS: Hey, these things happen!!!!

SAKURA: So the sound I heard was your snoring, huh?

CERBERUS: Anyway! Since you were able to open this book, you have at least some magic. And you, what's your name?

SAKURA: Sakura.

CERBERUS: Well, then, Sakura, stand over there.

SAKURA: Hoe?

She stands in the center of her room. The room disappears, and she is standing in the magic circle.

SAKURA: Hoe?

CERBERUS: O key of capture!

A shining orb emerges from the keyhole of the card book and floats to Sakura.

CERBERUS: There is one who would enter into a contract with thee! A girl named Sakura. O key, grant this girl your power! Release!

The orb glows with a blinding light and becomes the wand from Sakura's dream.

CERBERUS: Sakura! Take the wand!

Sakura struggles toward the wand and grabs it.

CERBERUS: All right! A card captor is born!

The light fades, and Sakura's room is back to normal. Cerberus eats the pudding.

SAKURA: Ehhh????!!!!

*** Later ***

Sakura is in her pajamas and blow-drying her hair.

SAKURA: Can't, can't, can't do it!

Cerberus bounces on her bed.

CERBERUS: Oh, it's so soft!

Sakura grabs him.

SAKURA: I can't be a card captor!

CERBERUS: Card captor. Catcher of the Clow cards. Doesn't it sound cool?

SAKURA: I'm just a regular elementary school kid! The world in chaos? What difference can I possibly make?

Cerberus holds up the Windy card.

CERBERUS: And who used this to scatter all the cards?

SAKURA: Well, who fell asleep and didn't guard the cards?

They growl at each other. A blast of wind from the open window surprises them.

SAKURA: Really strong wind!

She goes to her window and is about to close it when Cerberus stops her.

CERBERUS: Sakura!

He points to a huge, shining, white bird flying above them.

SAKURA: What is that?

CERBERUS: A Clow card!

SAKURA: Eh?

CERBERUS: It must be the Fly card!

SAKURA: Wahhh....

CERBERUS: Quit your staring and hurry up!

SAKURA: And do what?

CERBERUS: Card captor Sakura's first task!

SAKURA: Ehhh????!!!!

*** Street ***

Fly has landed. With each beat of its wings, it cracks windows and sends blasts of wind everywhere. Sakura and Cerberus hurry toward it, Sakura in pajamas and rollerblades.

SAKURA: Why do I have to do this in my pajamas?!

CERBERUS: What are you saying, World's Only Card Captor?

They see Fly ahead.

SAKURA: Impossible! It's too big!

CERBERUS: Stop it with that girly stuff!

Fly shrieks and beats its wings, sending a blast of wind at them. They fly into the air, and Cerberus lowers Sakura to the ground by her shirt collar.

SAKURA: Hoeee.

CERBERUS: Sakura, use magic!

SAKURA: Eh?

CERBERUS: The key! Do as I told you!

SAKURA: Okay.

She takes the key out of her pocket and holds it in front of her.

SAKURA: Key which contains the forces of darkness, reveal thy true form before me! I, Sakura, command thee under contract! Release!

The key grows into the wand, and she twirls it like a baton, then holds it, ready.

CERBERUS: All right, Sakura. The Fly card shares some of the characteristics of wind. You should be able to use your Windy card to capture it!

SAKURA: Are you sure about this?

CERBERUS: You'll need to get closer, though.

Fly is coming straight at them. They duck, and it passes overhead.

SAKURA: What should I do?! It came flying right at us!

CERBERUS: Sakura, the Windy card!

Fly turns around and starts back toward them.

CERBERUS: Oh, no! It's coming back!

SAKURA: Ahhh!

They run as Fly dive-bombs them, then flies back into the sky.

CERBERUS: Hurry, use the Windy card!

SAKURA: But it's...!

They run as Fly follows closely behind.

SAKURA: Impossible now!

CERBERUS: Well, do something! You're the card captor!

SAKURA: Do what?! Maybe I can do something....

She skates ahead.

CERBERUS: What're you going to do?

Fly sends Cerberus hurtling into the sky.

CERBERUS: Ahhh-ah-ah-ah-ah! Sakura!

Sakura skates up against the wall, until she's level with Fly. With a yell, she leaps onto its back.

CERBERUS: Sakura!

SAKURA: O wind, lend me thy power! Become a chain that binds!

She tosses Windy into the air, and as it comes back to her, she strikes it with her wand.

SAKURA: Windy!

Windy sends streams of wind around Fly's legs, neck, and wings. It falls to the ground, and Sakura jumps off.

SAKURA: Return to thy true form! Clow card!

Fly returns to card form. Sakura sinks to her knees.

CERBERUS: Way to go, Sakura!

SAKURA, crying: Wahhh-hah-hah! I thought I was going to die!

Cerberus pats her head.

CERBERUS: See, you're just the card captor I hoped for!

SAKURA: Hey, I never said I'd do this!

CERBERUS: All these different experiences will build character! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Well, you've captured the card, so let's use it!

SAKURA: What does it do?

CERBERUS: Just try it!

Sakura touches the card with her wand.

SAKURA: Fly!

The wings on the wand grow larger. Sakura sits on the wand and flies.

SAKURA, happily: Wahhh-hah!

CERBERUS: How is it? Do you like it?

SAKURA: Yeah!

CERBERUS: Let's work hard together, card captor Sakura.

SAKURA: Yeah! Eh? Hey, I never said I'd do it!

CLOSING THEME MUSIC: "Groovy"