Card Captor Sakura

French edition published by Pika Édition, written and illustrated by the CLAMP collective.

It all begins on a rainy day in the bedroom of Sakura Kinomoto, a ten-year-old schoolgirl who, out of curiosity, opens a strange leather-bound book found in her father's library. Inside sleeps Kerberos, the guardian of the Clow Book, whom Sakura accidentally wakes by releasing the magical cards he was meant to watch over out into the air. Right from this opening scene, the tone of the series is set: a blend of everyday magic, tender humor, and a sense of wonder rooted in the ordinariness of a small Japanese town.

With no other volunteer capable of wielding magic, Kerberos — whom everyone calls Kero — names Sakura the new Cardcaptor: it's up to her to find the 52 Clow Cards scattered across town before they cause any disasters. Armed with a simple star-shaped wand, she captures her first cards, often at the cost of memorable frights, while her best friend Tomoyo Daidouji discovers her secret and immediately sets her mind on filming her and sewing her ever more extravagant battle outfits.

This first volume lays the groundwork for the whole universe: the close bond between Sakura and her older brother Toya, the quiet presence of their father Fujitaka, and the first signs that a mysterious boy from Hong Kong, also an heir to the Li clan, is taking a very close interest in the same cards as Sakura. A charming opening, carried by CLAMP's signature delicate linework.