Release date: November 28th, 2007
Word count: 48,025
Click for summary
Thoughts: I re-read Tomoyo's interlude and it fits way better after Ch 52 compared to when it was before it. Hopefully nobody was too confused about "Syaoran's upheaval" mention but it's such a small snippet and his abduction is so out of left field that I doubt anyone would have unlocked its true meaning.
This is the chapter that broke the fandom's heart into pieces. Not too long ago I checked in with Kirei-chan (who is also doing the re-read) she started this chapter but trailed away instead of reading through. By now she has completed Arc 3.
It's fine that Sakura decided to not be the Card Mistress anymore, but shouldn't she be in the market for a successor?
I love how Naoko was the first to find out about Syaoran's transfer to Hong Kong. In real time Wish-chan uploaded the full first part of Chapter 73.5 and there have been so many wonderful Naoko moments during the last couple of new chapters.
I keep forgetting that Kai has been AWOL since the Plague was sealed. I'm glad that Wish-chan has been able to casually mention it in the text every once and awhile.
I always wondered why Terada-sensei was relocated instead of being flat out fired from teaching, but Wish-chan's extra detail of him being the principal's nephew is what saves him from losing his career. As I was reading this scene I thought it felt out of place but it was Rika running after Terada that inspired Sakura to go after Syaoran.
Sakura thought that she didn't sense Syaoran being gone for a week because she wasn't looking for him. I wonder if it's ever been revealed if she was unable to sense him because he no longer had magic.
Kai gives Sakura back the broken necklace. I know that it gets repaired later on but I don't remember how!
Rika telling Terada that she wants to be his bride may rustle the feathers of certain feminists, but I admire women who want to be homemakers with a husband and children.
When Kai returns the ruby earrings to Erika he reminds her that she would be needed them after she asked why he brought them back. Have we ever seen the treasures being used all together again post-Plague? Also, there's a portrait of Mayura at the Chang residence. That has so much more meaning now.
Graduation marks an end of an era. Goodbye middle school and hello high school with those gorgeous blue blazers.
Takashi telling the soul mate button story and Chiharu taking his button for herself was one of my favourite parts of the graduation scene.
When Miara was talking to Sakura about Nadeshiko and Ryuuren, Sakura remembered that the last person to talk openly about them was Shing. I can never get over the way Wish-chan was able to guard this secret so well!
This is the chapter that Miho reluctantly found out that Kai was her brother. I wondered why I didn't remember this but I guess the reveal was anticlimactic with Erika telling Miho to see past the veil. I still don't know if Miho also knew that Kai was the Kaitou Magician but she probably put two and two together with not that much fanfare. Back to the revelation, though the event itself was lacklustre, the consequences of Miho telling Kai she detested him were heartbreaking and felt like a punch in the stomach.
Awww. Sakura and Tomoyo are staying that the exact same hotel where Syaoran is going to have his birthday party the year later.
"But Kero-chan did not have the heart to tell his Card Mistress that should the Elders wish to keep Syaoran, there was no one would could defy the most powerful clan in Hong Kong, not even Sakura." Even if he did tell Sakura, would her feelings after the ordeal have changed?
Kai realizes that it's his and Meilin's anniversary. I checked my New Trials Real Time Timeline and he was right. Meilin was kidnapped in early Arc 2, which was March/April the year before.
Kudos to Wish-chan for being conscious of the Japanese vs Cantonese language barrier. And she mentions the Tang Clan for the first time!
Sakura's observation of how Jinyu reminded her of early-Clow Cards Syaoran gives us an idea of what could have become of him if Sakura was never in his life.
Ha, there's a mention of the language ward that Syaoran performed on the gang before New York. The status update is that it's weakened by now, but Sakura was able to use a little of it to speak Cantonese.
Kai finds the bruise on Meilin's cheek from when her mother slapped her and kissed it while wishing it would go away. Fast forward to Chapter 72 when Leiyun licks Tomoyo's cheek after she gets injured by the glass. This just in: Wish-chan confessed over at the group that the reason he licked her was to use his magic to prevent a scar from forming on Tomoyo's face. Sign up to the Yahoo group for more hidden gems like this one!
I re-read the harbour scene. I think it's at the top of the list when it comes to the most heartbreaking moments for New Trials. I cried when Syaoran walked away despite knowing the outcome. How could you not feel for Sakura? Don't forget, while Wish-chan's original Yesterday's Letter was deleted by YouTube, WinxC1ub's fan dub still lives on Wish-chan's animation can still be enjoyed.
Syaoran wanted to take Sakura in his arms and make sure she wasn't his imagination. I'm so glad that we actually get this scene in Arc 4 after his Great Elder trial.
This is the first time we meet Kara! I still remember Wish-chan teasing the character by simply posting a fanart and we had so many theories of who could she be. Some actually were able to connect her to Kai just because of her style.
In Nadeshiko's letter to Sakura, she tells her that she can see things that other people can't. This totally falls in line with CCS:CC when past Nadeshiko tells future Sakura that she has to go back.
How random was it for Nadeshiko to advise Sakura to seek the Eye of the Dragon for answers to be revealed?
In her author's note, Wish-chan thanks me for my New Trials chapter summaries, which signifies the last time I did a major re-read (2007). The summaries project is a love hate experience for me. I'm proud with how much is already summarized but it's rather annoying that it's not up to date though I dread the workload ahead.
Finally, don't forget to check out Kero-chan's Interlude, where he makes some jabs at Syaoran and sums up Arc 3. His best line is when he says with Syaoran out of the picture, that only means even more screentime for everyone else.
Fanart spotlight: Originally I went with Selenity's epic Kai and Meilin sunset scene but when I revisted the blog, it just didn't fit with the post as a whole. And I didn't want to use Wish-chan's Yesterday's Letter Sakura and Syaoran fanarts because I can't choose one over the other and they definitely can not be posted together. So this is the piece titled Yesterday's Letter by New Trials Yahoo Group member Yoshi Takako. It does a good job at depicting both Sakura's sadness and her being ready to move on.
Word count: 48,025
Click for summary
Thoughts: I re-read Tomoyo's interlude and it fits way better after Ch 52 compared to when it was before it. Hopefully nobody was too confused about "Syaoran's upheaval" mention but it's such a small snippet and his abduction is so out of left field that I doubt anyone would have unlocked its true meaning.
This is the chapter that broke the fandom's heart into pieces. Not too long ago I checked in with Kirei-chan (who is also doing the re-read) she started this chapter but trailed away instead of reading through. By now she has completed Arc 3.
It's fine that Sakura decided to not be the Card Mistress anymore, but shouldn't she be in the market for a successor?
I love how Naoko was the first to find out about Syaoran's transfer to Hong Kong. In real time Wish-chan uploaded the full first part of Chapter 73.5 and there have been so many wonderful Naoko moments during the last couple of new chapters.
I keep forgetting that Kai has been AWOL since the Plague was sealed. I'm glad that Wish-chan has been able to casually mention it in the text every once and awhile.
I always wondered why Terada-sensei was relocated instead of being flat out fired from teaching, but Wish-chan's extra detail of him being the principal's nephew is what saves him from losing his career. As I was reading this scene I thought it felt out of place but it was Rika running after Terada that inspired Sakura to go after Syaoran.
Sakura thought that she didn't sense Syaoran being gone for a week because she wasn't looking for him. I wonder if it's ever been revealed if she was unable to sense him because he no longer had magic.
Kai gives Sakura back the broken necklace. I know that it gets repaired later on but I don't remember how!
Rika telling Terada that she wants to be his bride may rustle the feathers of certain feminists, but I admire women who want to be homemakers with a husband and children.
When Kai returns the ruby earrings to Erika he reminds her that she would be needed them after she asked why he brought them back. Have we ever seen the treasures being used all together again post-Plague? Also, there's a portrait of Mayura at the Chang residence. That has so much more meaning now.
Graduation marks an end of an era. Goodbye middle school and hello high school with those gorgeous blue blazers.
Takashi telling the soul mate button story and Chiharu taking his button for herself was one of my favourite parts of the graduation scene.
When Miara was talking to Sakura about Nadeshiko and Ryuuren, Sakura remembered that the last person to talk openly about them was Shing. I can never get over the way Wish-chan was able to guard this secret so well!
This is the chapter that Miho reluctantly found out that Kai was her brother. I wondered why I didn't remember this but I guess the reveal was anticlimactic with Erika telling Miho to see past the veil. I still don't know if Miho also knew that Kai was the Kaitou Magician but she probably put two and two together with not that much fanfare. Back to the revelation, though the event itself was lacklustre, the consequences of Miho telling Kai she detested him were heartbreaking and felt like a punch in the stomach.
Awww. Sakura and Tomoyo are staying that the exact same hotel where Syaoran is going to have his birthday party the year later.
"But Kero-chan did not have the heart to tell his Card Mistress that should the Elders wish to keep Syaoran, there was no one would could defy the most powerful clan in Hong Kong, not even Sakura." Even if he did tell Sakura, would her feelings after the ordeal have changed?
Kai realizes that it's his and Meilin's anniversary. I checked my New Trials Real Time Timeline and he was right. Meilin was kidnapped in early Arc 2, which was March/April the year before.
Kudos to Wish-chan for being conscious of the Japanese vs Cantonese language barrier. And she mentions the Tang Clan for the first time!
Sakura's observation of how Jinyu reminded her of early-Clow Cards Syaoran gives us an idea of what could have become of him if Sakura was never in his life.
Ha, there's a mention of the language ward that Syaoran performed on the gang before New York. The status update is that it's weakened by now, but Sakura was able to use a little of it to speak Cantonese.
Kai finds the bruise on Meilin's cheek from when her mother slapped her and kissed it while wishing it would go away. Fast forward to Chapter 72 when Leiyun licks Tomoyo's cheek after she gets injured by the glass. This just in: Wish-chan confessed over at the group that the reason he licked her was to use his magic to prevent a scar from forming on Tomoyo's face. Sign up to the Yahoo group for more hidden gems like this one!
I re-read the harbour scene. I think it's at the top of the list when it comes to the most heartbreaking moments for New Trials. I cried when Syaoran walked away despite knowing the outcome. How could you not feel for Sakura? Don't forget, while Wish-chan's original Yesterday's Letter was deleted by YouTube, WinxC1ub's fan dub still lives on Wish-chan's animation can still be enjoyed.
Syaoran wanted to take Sakura in his arms and make sure she wasn't his imagination. I'm so glad that we actually get this scene in Arc 4 after his Great Elder trial.
This is the first time we meet Kara! I still remember Wish-chan teasing the character by simply posting a fanart and we had so many theories of who could she be. Some actually were able to connect her to Kai just because of her style.
In Nadeshiko's letter to Sakura, she tells her that she can see things that other people can't. This totally falls in line with CCS:CC when past Nadeshiko tells future Sakura that she has to go back.
How random was it for Nadeshiko to advise Sakura to seek the Eye of the Dragon for answers to be revealed?
In her author's note, Wish-chan thanks me for my New Trials chapter summaries, which signifies the last time I did a major re-read (2007). The summaries project is a love hate experience for me. I'm proud with how much is already summarized but it's rather annoying that it's not up to date though I dread the workload ahead.
Finally, don't forget to check out Kero-chan's Interlude, where he makes some jabs at Syaoran and sums up Arc 3. His best line is when he says with Syaoran out of the picture, that only means even more screentime for everyone else.
Fanart spotlight: Originally I went with Selenity's epic Kai and Meilin sunset scene but when I revisted the blog, it just didn't fit with the post as a whole. And I didn't want to use Wish-chan's Yesterday's Letter Sakura and Syaoran fanarts because I can't choose one over the other and they definitely can not be posted together. So this is the piece titled Yesterday's Letter by New Trials Yahoo Group member Yoshi Takako. It does a good job at depicting both Sakura's sadness and her being ready to move on.
Amethyst-Chan, thanks for referring back to the three interludes posted on fan fiction.net! Otherwise I would never have gone back to locate them myself.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading all your reactions and comments. So arc 3 is over for both of us. I haven't started arc 4 yet. I've been kind of reluctant, since the first two beginning chapters are depressing, especially with Syaoran in another country. But we get to focus on the other characters, and right, there's Eron-turned-to-the-good-side to look forward to! :D
Kirei Blossom.
They're such hidden gems that I can't mention them enough. FF's format is annoying, but at least it has a handful of perks.
DeleteI haven't started Arc 4 yet either. While I haven't made any announcements about taking another reading hiatus, I know for a fact that I won't be continuing until I find the time to update my fan projects site. So once I post about that, you'll know when I've started Chapter 54.
Arc 4 may be choppy (not looking forward to Sakura and Eron dating) but it has wonderful moments. The fashion show chapter is my all time favourite with the Tokyo date being up there too. I look forward to understand the inner workings of the mafia now that we're more used to the characters.
Thank you for checking out my blog! It's been running for a little over a year and I'm delighted with everything that I'm rediscovering and I'm happy to be featuring fanart as well. To think out of 53 chapter (plus half a dozen or so specials) I only had to draw four fanarts.Until Arc 4!