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lilover131 · 2 years

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Chapter 64 Analysis

I’m sorry for being so late posting this!! I really did want to write this analysis sooner, however I got held up by an unexpected source. The English translated chapter was unavailable for download until today (it was never disclosed why this was so delayed), and I really did not want to write my thoughts using the red, blurry screenshots from the Youtube video on the official CLAMP channel. Now that I can have decent screenshots to outline things, I can finally write this properly!

This chapter was everything I had hoped for, and it leaves me so excited/scared for the future! Without further ado, let’s jump right in! -queue Chrissy listening to “Come into my Dream” by Foggy-

OMG, THIS COVER PAGE!! It’s so beautiful, and I absolutely love the way Syaoran is drawn in this color image. CLAMP wasted no time showing us the official colors of these outfits, which I’m sure will only serve to feed into the fanart (it certainly did for me!). I don’t have a lot more to say about it as there doesn’t appear to be any further symbolism to it that I can tell other than matching what is already going on. I love it nonetheless and have definitely turned it into a background for some of my devices. Haha!

So I’ll start off by saying this….I was wrong. I feel like such an idiot for being so convinced that this black cat portrayal was not Syaoran and some magical entity, but it turns out I apparently know nothing about Syaoran and he is in fact an incredible actor. LOL. Honestly, I’m still so shook by it and how cool he’s acting! I’ll bet that Syaoran internally is embarrassed by this, but because this is clearly for Sakura and his classmates, he’s doing his absolute best and making it look easy!

I’m proud of Syaoran for stepping up to do something he was clearly uncomfortable with, and his reasons for doing it really just continue to build on what a genuinely kind person he is. He realized that by doing only the voice, he was giving more work to others in animating the puppet, so he was in fact doing more harm than good. Syaoran really doesn’t like to give anyone a hard time, even for something as simple as animating a puppet, and it just melts my heart and how thoughtful he is! Of course the most important reason of all for him choosing to do this is to be closer to Sakura if something happens during the play. It seems that everyone senses something important is going to happen at this play, including Tomoyo, who explained that she had never put so much thought into costumes before, but that she did so because she felt that this play was special.

Watching from the trees, Kero and Suppi remark about how they feel the presence of magic, and Nakuru and Yukito exchange glances that express that they too, feel the same thing. Nothing has happened yet, but it seems everyone is on edge, and it’s easy to see why. I think we’re all honestly on edge waiting to see what happens. Haha!

Syaoran jumps down from the pillar he was sitting on with expertise and impresses all his fellow classmates with his graceful athleticism, and I find Touya’s face to be absolutely hilarious when Syaoran gets so much applause. Touya certainly cares about him, but that doesn’t mean he likes him. Haha!

Syaoran and Sakura speak their lines, the black cat stating he was waiting for Alice, and that she had asked him to “guide her to the world she wanted to see”. What Syaoran says next is awfully foreshadowing in nature, and he states that the destination is for Alice to decide. What she will or won’t do or where she will go is up to her, and what she decides will shape her world. This seems to come back to the ‘decision’ that CLAMP keeps teasing us with. It seems Sakura’s moment of choosing will come soon, and I’m so worried about this choice. Often, ‘choices’ in CLAMP works are very difficult ones with a lot of emotional pain, like Syaoran in Tsubasa World Chronicle having to choose between not killing the other Syaoran and saving the people of Nirai Kanai. I’m sure if it were an easy decision, then CLAMP wouldn’t put nearly this much attention on it. I have a sinking feeling that this choice Sakura has coming will be related to Akiho and Syaoran, and that whichever choice she makes will determine who ends up being the true cloaked figure.

The song Yamazaki wrote starts to play, the lyrics describing how this is the story of Alice’s choice, and the cat will lead the way to her dreams. However, it is incredibly creepy how the lyrics are cut off in perfect time as it says “Carry on. But know….” And then is interrupted by the mysterious voice saying “You can never go back.” If you have read my post titled “Why I’m scared for Syaoran” (link here if you want to read), you’ll know how I feel about this particular disembodied voice, and I especially don’t like how it comes up right as Sakura is reaching for his hand (which she cannot physically touch right now due to the spell keeping them apart). This keeps giving me awful feelings that my prediction might be right, and I’m still clinging onto hope that I’m wrong.

Right after that moment, the scene shows Akiho standing at the top of the winding steps. She looks awfully mysterious under that veil, but I gotta say that the Red Queen outfit suits her incredibly well and is super beautiful. She insisted on having that role after all, so it seems she was really made for it. I really love the headpiece in particular with the massive flower, but the black spikes coming from it really do remind me of the dragon for some reason. Or maybe I’m thinking of the Association. The outfit in its entirety though really reminds me of the outfit Sakura wears in Recourt and Acid Tokyo in Tsubasa, and any Tsubasa readers will know how traumatic that arc was in particular. Hahaha!

For the second time now, when Akiho goes to say her line where she introduces who she is, she seems to hesitate, and this seems to be unscripted. There appears to be some sort of internal thought Akiho is battling with, and I’m curious to know what it is. Does it feel too real for her to say she is the Red Queen, or does she feel like she is telling a lie that is fighting and wants to correct? I’m sure we’ll get answers soon enough. But I imagine having a play that draws so much inspiration from the book she resonates with so much and only she can read must be somewhat surreal feeling.

After their introductions are completed, Sakura and Akiho walk through a beautifully decorated archway, which seems to turn into an actual portal, and the two disappear within it. Touya signals to Yukito, who immediately goes into action. His new powers go into effect, his huge wings wrapping the entire school in a barrier. It is then that we get something completely shocking and not at all what I would have predicted. TOUYA CAN STOP TIME?!!!! We finally get to see this new power he has been teasing, and it turns out to be time magic of all things! Everyone is just as confused as we are naturally, but Yukito explains that this stopped time won’t last long and urges Syaoran to go after the girls while he can. He promises to bring Sakura back, which reminds me of another Tsubasa scene (STOP DOING THAT CLAMP), and once he passes through it, the gate closes behind him.

After Syaoran disappears, Touya explains himself to the guardians that he had a conversation with his mother’s spirit about Sakura’s growing lack of control over her powers and how he could help her. It turns out that Sakura has technically always had the power to see spirits, but she could not see them because she did not wish to see them out of fear. But now she can see spirits despite this, indicating that her choice has now been overruled by her own destabilization. Touya remarks on how he discovered a new power within himself, which was the ability to stop time, however he can only do so for about 2 seconds. He asks his mother if this ability could help her, and she tells him that in her time of need, it can, however he should not do it alone.

It turns out that what she meant was to utilize Yukito to help increase the time he can use this magic, and that he can do so because the magic Yukito has was given to him by Touya, thus is his own magic. I really love how CLAMP incorporated that connection here, but it also really feeds into the Touyuki ship in ways that makes me want to squeal. Lmao. Touya explains that he and Yukito had been practicing quite a bit to get it right, and I love imagining how hard they were working quietly behind the scenes for this moment. Yukito’s eyes also look soooo pretty with Yue’s slits for pupils. I do feel kinda bad for Yue though, who is probably feeling a bit useless right now. However, before Yukito made his wish to the Tsukimine Shrine, he said he had written a letter to Yue to ask how he felt about this, and Yue responded “Do as you wish” (lol), so at least Yue’s feelings were considered here.

Kero shouts from the trees that Touya and Yukito were cheating using time magic, but I don’t really know how that is considered cheating, or why the two of them were trying to hide at all from them. I guess Kero and Suppi didn’t quite feel comfortable talking directly to Touya yet, and I only really just now realized that this is the first time they’ve actually communicated to each other. But like…Touya is so far in the know about the magic world, that it makes literally no sense for them to hide anymore? Hahaha. Like, honestly they could’ve talked to him a long time ago, and it would’ve been fine. In fact, the whole freaking household should be totally okay with magic at this point, including Fujitaka. If they are not all talking to each other openly by the end of the series, I’mma riot. Lmao.

Anyways, Yukito states seriously that all they can do is help from that side of the door and that it’s “up to the cat now”, since they likely did nothing to stop Kaito. This seems to imply that not just Sakura’s return rests on Syaoran’s shoulders, but that he is also expected to be the one to deal with Kaito. None of these are going to be easy, so it appears Syaoran has a huuuuuge role in this climax, which was expected.

I am BEYOND excited for the next chapter. I’m sure it’s going to be absolutely insane, and I’m also so so so so nervous for what is about to happen. I believe things are seriously going to amp up in the next chapter and that we are going to come face to face with Sakura’s decision. There might also be a round 2 for Syaoran and Kaito, so things are certainly about to get epic!!!

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