Release date: June 6th, 2001
Word count: 15,090
Thoughts: Wish-chan used a black background with white text to go with the fanart at the end of the page. While it's excellent for night reading, it's harsh during day reading so I went to FF instead.
Haha, Syaoran finally got out of credit card debt because of the necklace and now he's back because of the five star hotel. Room 603! I wonder if Wish-chan chose that number on purpose because of Kaitou.
Syaoran's instructions to the guards keeping Sakura out of the police station should have included not letting her know. Those officers sang like canaries!
I switched back to Wish-chan's site because I forgot that FF ate page breaks. Luckily it's evening now.
Ahhh, when Kai was having a "memory blank" in the last chapter ("Ki... Kino...") I was gullible enough to think he actually forgot, but Syaoran knew he was protecting Sakura. Now the whole isolating her makes sense. Too bad Sakura already slipped in with visiting Tomoyo…
I honestly love how Wish-chan created elaborate back stories for Tomoyo's father and Sakura's paternal grandfather.
It was nice seeing Sakura use The Rope to help her break into the Kinomoto mansion and Windy to break her fall.
The Kinomoto's housekeeper's name is Mori, which is a name that was used in the first episode of the Clear Card series. The other teacher's name that was dropped was Mike!
Mori's story included details about Fujitaka's first love who ge left behind when severing ties with his family. But I think that later on in New Trials Sakura has a conversation with her father and is surprised that Nadeshiko wasn't his first love. I could be totally mistaken so I'll have to keep this in mind.
Fujitaka's backstory is an excellent example of non-fandom character building and pure original work. I was so impressed with it that I isolated it as an Arc II Annexe so anyone can re-read it for themselves.
After running into Asuma, Syaoran FINALLY admits to himself that saying he had no feelings for Sakura was a lie. The problem is making her believe that. At the end of the chapter he's holding her in his arms and comforting her about her lost diamond necklace. And when he asks her on a date, she doesn't even interpret it that way. Sigh, Syaoran, you screwed up big time back in Arc 1…
Fanart spotlight: One of my first thoughts when reading this chapter was, "There should definitely be a fanart of Sakura sleeping in Syaoran's arms on The Unicorn's back." So I did it! Midnight Star is now white to blend in with the daylight. I titled it Picking Up the Pieces because that NT 100 Themes Challenge prompt has been bothering me for years. I can interpret it as S&S traveling to Tokyo to pick up the pieces in order to find the person hunting down Kaitou.
Haha cute fanart!!! I loved this chapter. Omg NT is like crack.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I used to draw digital fanart on MS Paint a decade ago, and I used to be so self-conscious about posting my own work. But I've been working hard and this fanart is my fave, along with Takashi and Chiharu during the Best Couple Contest talent show.
DeleteI love the playfulness of this fanart of yours. LOL MS Paint--SAME! Except I'd draw just "art" not fanart. I really don't understand how people create such lifelike digital art. For someone who is as "tech" advanced, I am woefully lacking in digital art skills. I need someone to hold my hand through it. And does everyone use Photoshop? It's so $$$!!
ReplyDeleteThe only reason I was so savvy with MS Paint was because when we got our first family computer in the mid-nineties, that was the closest program to a game! I rediscovered it in 2007 when I launched NT Fanart100 (https://newtrialsfanprojects.weebly.com/new-trials-fan-art-100.html). The evolution ofmy art went from drawing food & objects to drawing Sakura Cards and finally to drawing actual characters. It was quite the journey! https://amethystbeloved.deviantart.com/gallery/
Deleteyour work is so cute! :) love the kyoshi warrior!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks! That was one of my more ambitious projects! I think my favourite has to be Sakura and Syoaran in the Photo Booth. It was impossible drawing Syaoran the exact same way all four times, but I adored the way Sakura's impression of him came out.
DeleteThe fanart is adorable! It hits with the scene! <3
ReplyDeleteOne of the many things I love about NT is the original backstories. I remember really getting into Fujitaka's backstory and Tomoyo's absent father. I think that the first time I read this chapter (back in 2010) I went through a roller coaster of emotions (like watching a telenovela). Up to that point, I think that had been my favorite chapter (then when I read the chapter 32, I had decided that was my favorite... I kept changing as I kept reading lol). Needless to say, Tomoyo meeting her father will always be one of my favorite scenes. The same with learning about Fujitaka's past.
I know he does tell Sakura that Nadeshiko wasn't his first love but I have no idea when it happened.
What amazes me about the Kinomoto family (not Fujitaka, Touya, and Sakura) is how much they remind of the Reeds, which makes sense considering that Fujitaka is half of Clow Reed's soul. But Fujitaka reminds me a bit more of Landon than he does of Clow.
I'm happy that you like the fanart! It's by far one of my most ambitious fanarts yet.
DeleteI'm on Chapter 69 and I can't even remember if I passed the part where Fujitaka told Sakura about his first love. It's such a tiny plot point! I know that she ends up marrying his brother and I believe that she's the one who adopts Nina.
Oh wow, I never thought of making the parallel between the Reeds and the Kinomoto group. They're rather successful at what they put their minds too. Imagine what would have happen if Fujitaka never carved out his own path. He most definitely would not have turned out to be the same person that we know in canon.