Chapter 60: Re-memory

Release date: January 30th, 2009

Word count: 33,500 words 

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Thoughts: Sakura and Eron's movie date was hilariously awkward. I'm so glad to be past the dating phase in my life.

This chapter marks the first time Erika and Jinyu meet. I am so surprised with the effect that she has on him down the road.

I love the way Kero-chan has taken over Touya's big brother role when he was grilling her about her feelings for Eron.

Yue and Clow's relationship back in the Clow era takes on different forms in CCS fanfiction. While Wish-chan states that Clow loved Cerberus and Yue as his children, she lightly skated on the other side with Kero-chan remembering that Yue wanted a different kind of love from Clow.

Kai and Kara's encounters are charged with a certain kind of energy. Reading Wish-chan's Kaitou Magician Origins puts things in perspective. I guess I should re-read and blog about that next, though I was hoping it would be completely by the time I took another dive.

Meilin tells Tomoyo that even though she's with Kai, she's still scared about him manipulating her to become a person she doesn't recognize. I wonder if that has anything to do with their current relationship status in the latest chapter.

Geeze, was I affected by the Memory too? I have no recollection of Syaoran and Sakura fighting the knights together. I don't even know which Dark Force this is (it turned out to be the Fantasy, which makes sense). I also don't remember them in the creepy house together.

I really love that it was Sakura who cured Syoaran's arm with the Heal. If she only knew she was functioning with Syaoran's power of the moon then it was the least she could do.

With the house disappearing after they escaped it, it looks like the Fantasy must have done a number on them. Maybe it shipped S&S too, haha.

Chapter 59.5: Halloween Special (Masquerade)

Release date: February 14th, 2009

Word count: 8,462 words 

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Thoughts: I read this chapter on October 31st so this Halloween special couldn't have be timed better. Wish-chan first mentioned wanting to write this chapter four months and a half before posting it in her author's note from Chapter 59.

Kai asked Meilin to dress up like a bunny for him on Halloween. It's hilarious that he gets his wish exactly five months later on March 31st at Sakura's birthday party.

Chronologically speaking this is the first time we discover that Leiyun is an otaku.

The fact that Kai dressed up like the Kaitou Magician was hilarious. Meilin's phoenix costume sounds gorgeous and lucky for us Selenity drew a fanart of it.

While I remember Syaoran dressing up as the Kaitou Magician, I forgot that Kai lent him his own costume.

I also forgot that Eriol visited Tomoyo while she was sick. No wonder she fell for him.

The scene where Syaoran and Sakura were waltzing with each other waa absolutely gorgeous. As someone who met her husband through dancing, I can totally relate with Wish-chan's descriptions.

Wish-chan's fanart of Syaoran and Sakura at the ball marks the trend of Wish-chan drawing Syaoran in somber suits while Sakura is wearing the most gorgeous dresses. I remember her making a comment about that!

Speaking about my husband, this is the chapter that came out one week after I met him. A year and a half later, we got married. This is around the time I drifted away from the New Trials fandom. As the FanFiction.Net uploader, I couldn't figure out how to place chapter further back to respect chronological order without replacing it with Chapter 60's placeholder and deleting precious reviews. I took a step back and when I was ready to embrace the fic again, I was so shy to re-submerge out of nowhere. But I wrote to Wish-chan and she was thrilled to hear from me. I've been an active member ever since and my break even rejuvenated me to be involved with even bigger projects such as my fansite and my blog while still having tons of fun.

Fanart spotlight: This is the first time I'm featuring MuzikChic. I found her through a FF review where she wrote that she would like to draw certain scenes. I reached out to her and she ended up drawing a number of NT fanarts. She did such a fantastic job at recreating Sakura's costume in 'Can I Take Off Your Mask?' and her tears are heart wrenching. She really captured Sakura's agony.

Chapter 59: Thundercloud

Release date: November 1st, 2008

Word count: 21,449 words

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Thoughts: Leiyun had one goal and that was to get the Cards back to the Li Clan. And to think that we thought it could never happen. Overall he's so creepy. It makes sense that he's the one and only person who Sakura truly loathes.

Syaoran has officially stolen Sakura's Clow book and Sakura Cards, much like how CCS:CC seemed to have stolen this plot point from Wish-chan and made it their own. It only took him six years. All jokes aside, I thought Syaoran only took the Cards after the April Fools Day Massacre so I don't remember what happens next with the exception of a scene where Leiyun forces the Memory on Syaoran.

I knew that Arc 4 was going to be fuzzy, but there are so many parts of this chapter that I've completely forgotten and it's as if I'm reading this for the first time.

Woah, I've never seen Yue dish out a harsh serving of tough love (if you can even call it that…).

It's kind of cool to see Touya admit to Yukito that his 17-year-old self wouldn't have been a match for 10-year-old Syaoran who was trained to fight since birth. 

I love the way Terada ended up teaching at Eitoukou.

"Eron scared off the Eitoukou player blocking him with the dark aura he began to radiate as he fumed over his archenemy Li Syaoran." Oh my gosh, that line is hilarious!!!

Syaoran finally introduces himself to Sakura. I guess she'll be remembering this version of him this time around.

Another appearance of the mysterious voice! Now that we know it's Moonie-chan, it makes sense that she can pop in and out of a place as she pleases.

Fanart spotlight: I might have forgotten about the scene where Syaoran secretly gives his green umbrella to Sakura if it wasn't for Wish-chan's Arc 4 music video that animates a couple of scenes from this chapter. This fanart is a snapshot of the original artwork that Wish-chan used in an Arc 4 fanart. Syaoran looks rather handsome in his Eitoukou uniform!

Chapter 58: Eternal Rivals

Release date: November 1st, 2008

Word count: 15,857 words

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Thoughts: At this point, even though the Veil is captured, Sakura is not able to restore Miara's vision. I'm completely in the dark about how she eventually accomplishes this! I like the way that Kero-chan uses the Age as comparison about how the affected person needs to resolve their issue internally before going back. It's also foreshadowing because it's used in this chapter!

In art class Erika was sculpting a cat. Is this a hint about Risa's patron animal?! Speaking of patron animals, Eron asked Sakura who was Moonie-chan.

I really love the Aki spotlight in this chapter. He's been around since Arc 1 and became more prominent from Arc 2 but this is the first time we learn about him. It's sad to know at 16 his future is already decided for him despite the fact he has other interests. 

Wish-chan drew a really nice fanart of Eron and Erika's parents and uncle. Bubulona shared her interpretation of them with us as well.

Eron and Sakura looking through the yearbook was a great peak into the Nadeshiko era characters that doesn't require a plot-relating flashback!

I always pictured Li Jingmei to be on the frumpy or dowdy side, but according to chit-chat at the Kinhoshi Hospital she's described as a beauty.

I really like the way that Touya is regretting the way he treated Syaoran after Sakura's life was saved. It allows his role in the future chapters and his new attitude towards Syaoran to make more sense. 

Oh my gosh. How could I have completely forgotten Sakura finding Syaoran at Eitoukou while he was playing Star-Crossed on violin? It's like I'm reading this chapter for the first time because all I remember is the Mikai vs Aki basketball game later on.

Sakura using the Ball Card gives me wonderfully nostalgic Arc 1 feels. And it was only a year and a couple of months since I've started my re-read. 

Sakura may have caught the Pride in this chapter, but it's not the last time this card is going to give her trouble despite the fact that it's captured. 

Wish-chan thought that a 37,000 words chapter was too long so she split it in two. In ten years, Ch 73 would be 115,000 words!

Fanart spotlight: This was Aki's chapter. That goes without saying. He started out as a cocky playboy but he's a dutiful son and extremely hard worker. It's only fitting that I use a fanart of Aki even if he's younger here. It's nice that young Mikai is also featured because he was Aki's inspiration to be a hard worker. 

Chapter 57: The Gathering

Release date: August 23rd, 2008

Word count: 30,319

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Thoughts: This chapter signifies the two year mark in NT time since Syaoran transferred back to Japan and the new threat of the Dark Ones was introduced. It took Wish-chan nine years to get here.

Arc 2's summer was jammed pack with the Tokyo adventure and the detailed Best Couple contest at the Kusakou mountains. At least Wish-chan highlighted Syaoran's 17th birthday in omake form (and inadvertently confirmed Syaoran's NT age). Does the fall semester start in August or September? I would think the latter but the weather is still hot.

For the first time since Arc 2, Meilin is once again a Seijou student. Wish-chan's fanart of the Chibi cast in their junior high uniforms is misleading because Meilin was never a student when Eriol, Miho and Kai joined the school. Now if only she could transfer to Japan in CCS:CC!

Kai's makeover to Mikai was absolutely hilarious. And now he's a grade above Sakura's class! Airing out his family history in a middle of a crowd was a bit much for my taste, but maybe Kai thought Miho would create less of a scene if he causes one first.

Though Kai did offer the Five Force Swore and kept the sapphire ring as collateral to make sure that the Li Clan actually did treat him, we learn that Kara was the one who convinced Leiyun to treat Kai and keep him alive in the first place. I wonder if she saw Kai being the Mizuki in Leiyun's circle as opposed to Sakura's.

Kai told Sakura that he saw a Shing painting of a little girl who looked like her. If it wasn't for Asumei's fanart, I wouldn't know what he was talking about. The quote from Ch 20 is in the comments section.

“It’s just another trip. And with my luck, I’ll probably get attacked by another dark force.” Yeah Sakura, you won't even SEE this one coming (what, too soon?).

Woohoo, we get an adorable Chiharu and Takashi kiss during Truth or Dare. Takashi's reaction was priceless. 

Chapter 56: The Tea Party

Release date: June 23rd, 2008

Word count: 28,637

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Thoughts: I never thought much about The Jabberwocky until I saw the wonderful rendition by The Muppets. Honestly, it was the one time the poem made sense.

With all of the action that happens in New Trials it's hard to take the time to properly celebrate everyone's birthdays. I feel that the only big birthday blowouts were Miho's 15th, Sakura's 17th and Syaoran's 18th. 

Tomoyo sings The Rose (Eriol accompanied) and the fandom's owb songbird Hazuki made a cover of the song too. Reading the lyrics makes it clear that it's so relatable to what Sakura is going through.

Mirror of truth reflection update: when Sakura looked in she saw Syaoran looking back sadly. 

I'm a huge fan of tea so I'm so glad that a Tea Café was chosen as the summer cultural festival event.

When Yutaka-kun asked Rika out for the second time since winter, I was sure that Wish-chan was going to shepherd her into an age-appropriate relationship. But she still refused him!

I love how Sakura only realized that she forgot her phone in the classroom at the end of the day. Today our phones are pretty much an extension of ourselves! 

Seeing Eron become nicer for Sakura's sake since he's in love with her is so eerie considering his past.

I love how the recurring theme of how the person you love isn't necessarily your number one person. Kai and Meilin are excellent examples of that (while they love each other, their persons are still Miho and Syaoran) and Eron and Erika too, but when it comes to S&S I'm sure that it's one and the same. 

I would have loved visiting the International Tea Café! But how Takashi managed to get a hold of a real monkey is beyond me. Maybe Wish-chan was inspired by the Friends arc when Ross owned a pet monkey. 

I messaged Melanie about her opinion of Kara's Tarot reading for Sakura and she forwarded me to her interpretation that she did back in April 2014. The way that the events lined up to come true was remarkable. It's the the Files section of the Facebook Group dating back to April 24th, 2014. 

Chapter 55: Platinum

Release date: April 1st, 2008

Word count: 24,635

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Thoughts: For the first time since his upheaval, Syaoran is determined to set things right instead of moping. It's a great feeling to know that it actually happens!

As I re-read NT, I'm also reading Harry Potter and I'm on Goblet of Fire. Jinyu and Victor Krum definitely have the "man of few words" trope down pat.

In the scene where Syaoran is looking in the Great Elder Renshu's blue eyes, Wish-chan mention that blue eyes occur once a generation. I wonder where Leiyun fits. New theory: what if the Great Elder and Ryuuren were unsuccessful in their missions like Leiyun and had to do something to get to the other side? It's incredibly farfetched, but there's got to be an explanation behind the rare blue eyes.

The Great Elder's mere suggestion of killing Sakura so Syaoran could get his powers back was beyond chilling.

It's always lovely to see Arima. When she glomped Sakura, it made me remember a Tumblr post about how kids these days don't know what "glomp" means.

I completely forgot about the scene where Mike showed Sakura the magazine with Nadeshiko and Ryuuren's first shoot.

Mike dating Erika is one of the more random plot points of Arc 4.

For the longest time I kept thinking that the Metal's name was the Platinum. At least there are plenty of examples to show why it was chosen as the title.

It was fun seeing Eron being part of the process and asking questions about Sakura's costumes and whatnot.

I'm really glad that Sakura's Vogue fashion magazine got to Syaoran. I think it's funny that the extensions hid the haircut so that even when Wish-chan posted the fanart, we still only found out about the change in the text.

Syaoran thinks that Sakura's okay from judging how she looks from the pictures and Sakura thinks Syaoran couldn't care about anything other than the Clan according to Kai's letter. The physical divide is turning into an emotional one too.

Kai lends Sakura the sapphire ring for safe keeping. He stresses that it's a loan but I can't remember who gets it next. Kai says it belongs to the owner but I don't think Shing gets it back.

The fact that Sakura tells Tomoyo that the only way she can cope with the Syaoran situation is by forgettinf nakes her a choice victim for The Memory.

Sakura says to herself that the next time she falls in love, she won't give all of herself to anyone. I wonder if that's why we still don't have a concrete status when it comes to defining S&S's relationship.

Fanart spotlight: This one was an easy choice! Wish-chan may have tweaked her own canon to make Sakura the cover of the magazine, but no one is complaining. My favourite part is the hair. Very Rapunzel-esque! What's great about this picture is that it inspired the very first NT cosplay!