[Discussion] TRC ch 222

[nokiirat.livejournal.com]

A long while back, there was some interest in having more discussion in the community. Since Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles and xxxHolic seem to be getting closer to the end, we'll open the community up for weekly (if there is a chapter published) discussions with different people modding. We continue this as long as there is interest. :)

Here's the first prompt...

You know you have a uniform fetish....




Heeey, CLAMP gave Sakura a new uniform. And she's been hunting for Syaoran. And Syaoran has been...in Hong Kong like he always is. (You'd think she would have started there...I kid)We have a happy-end for this recent pair of Sakura and Syaoran. How was it? Satisfactory? Confusing? Too adorable? Quick? Who cares? Where's the KuroFay smut? Anyone have any questions? Anyone want to give a stab at explaining what's going on to the many that are confused?

*Who would like to post the prompt for next week's chapter? (just leave a comment and the first one who volunteers will mod next week's discussion)

Comments

[tryxkittie.livejournal.com]

I think it was cute. Although I was fooled into somehow thinking it was CCS verse, I loved that cloneyx2 got their happy ending. They deserved it after the torture they had to go through basically since Tokyo Arc or hell from the beginning. So they can ride off into the sunset, but honestly, there are more pressing matters I want to attend to, like wtf is going on? And is Yuuko truly dead now?

[chibi-mitsuki.livejournal.com]

I am glad the clones got their happy ending. Maybe this will stop the confusing with R!Syao's parents. Since the theory came up that it was the clones who were the parents, the fans got REALLY REALLY confused and quickly assumed "Oh yes its definitely them"

but, there are so many things that point to them not being the parents so I was really skeptical when the theory came up.

I really hope now that we will get back to the main story and we will see the outcome of R!Syao's and the others again.

[nokiirat.livejournal.com]

the whole their-clones-as-parents thing was a bit weird. it'll be fun to see how they wrap the main story up.

[samekh.livejournal.com]

See, this is where I have to disagree. I definitely don't see it confirming anything relating to the Clones not being R!Syao's parents.

I'm not saying they are; but Syaoran's clothing at the end of the chapter did look eerily similar to the clothing R!Syao wears in the flashbacks of when he arrives to Clow Country for the first time.

I still think we'll have to wait and see, but I could completely see how it's possible for the clones to be the parents. Hellooooooooo time and space paradoxing. It's happened enough in TRC already that it could work. And then it would be weird and kind of hilarious.

[(Anonymous)]

Not everyone who supports this theory is "confused", as you put it. Some of them simply think it makes sense.

You know, unlike Yuuko interrupting the final battle to tell us a completely unrelated story about the clones' new lives.

[jlarinda.livejournal.com]

there are so many things that point to them not being the parents

Like what?

[la-vie-noire.livejournal.com]

Who cares? Where's the KuroFay smut?

Damn bastards.

But seriously, not getting how the clones aren't the parents by this chapter. On the contrary, why are we having this storyline just to introduce another Sakura&Syaoran pair?

I'm still disturbed by Yuuko and the imagery of her death/disappearance though.

[cherry-tiger.livejournal.com]

I am a happy C!S+S fangirl. :3 It did feel a bit too quick though, but Tsubasa chapters always did feel too quick for me. So I'll just sit here and go through the last few pages over and over and over...

If anything, the theory of the clones being Junior and Watanuki's parents has been proven even more here, especially when I saw Syaoran's clothes. Weren't their parents wearing something of a similar style?

Anyways, there's still a lot more to consider as well and at the rate we're going, it might take a while. Oh well, at least I'm pleased with this chapter. ^^

[nokiirat.livejournal.com]

Tsubasa chapters always did feel too quick for me.

me too. it seemed like 15 pages of nothing happening for months and then hey, wtf?....i think it's the short xxxholic chapters that really felt abrupt.

[shiroki-tenshi.livejournal.com]

The second to last picture on the second row (before the newest uniform), where does that scene come from?

And don't forget that one picture of Syaoran and Sakura on a bike in a school uniform :D

[rekallthegreat.livejournal.com]

It's from when Syaoran's mother met CCS!Sakura. Chapter 117.

[cherry-tiger.livejournal.com]

And don't forget that one picture of Syaoran and Sakura on a bike in a school uniform :D

It's the same uniform they use in the very first picture on the left bottom, so it's not necessary. XD

Your icon looks oddly familiar though... :o Where have I seen that person before? *goes off to look*

[clampholickyou.livejournal.com]

Hey, I love the collection of Sakura's pictures here. What a lot of memories -^.^-

I think this chapter really makes the Clone=Parent much convincing. Apart from what you all discuss about, the FACT that these scenes happening here in the midst of battle can also provide a clue to the theory. I mean, the life of reborn clone Syaoran and Sakura are shown here for the purpose that it will lead to something about the battle itself. If the clones have nothing to do with the parents, then why does it have to show them together here? Clamp may as well put this scene at the ending, right?

anyway, time paradoxes...surely it is hard for people who update wikipedia on TRC, huh? the situation is quite difficult to explain = =

[robotlove.livejournal.com]

the life of reborn clone Syaoran and Sakura are shown here for the purpose that it will lead to something about the battle itself. If the clones have nothing to do with the parents, then why does it have to show them together here?

Yuuko mentioned something about moving forward again to meet with their other selves in the previous chapter (221) - what I gather from here is that the clones still have a purpose to complete and will move on from there to aid in the final battle or something like that (that's what I'm expecting, anyway)

[robotlove.livejournal.com]

Huh, clones being the parents of Real!Syaoran? Granted I've hardly spent time in fandom but I've never heard of such a theory before, hence admittedly never saw it that way at all.

EDIT: From looking at other comments in the discussion and replying with my own two cents here and there, my overall take is this:

1. CCS!Syaoran and CCS!Sakura are very likely the parents of Real!Syaoran because of many hints, including the star wand being the price which Real!Syaoran's mother paid for him to travel to Clow (see Ch 189). Later in ch 217, Real!Syaoran's mother mentions having met "the one who is the same as me" in a dream. The person she meets appears to be Cardcaptor Sakura (probably a younger version of herself) and Cardcaptor Sakura then proceeds to pass her the star wand. What this looks like to me is Cardcaptor Sakura receiving the wand (the "important thing" and the price she earlier paid) back from her younger self who crossed time and dimension to pass it to her.

2. I think it's also pretty clear that the clones aren't CCS!Syaoran and Sakura, since, as rekallthegreat has pointed out, Clone Sakura was looking for Clone Syaoran there and didn't appear to know where he is, unlike CCS!Sakura who always knew that he was there. The clones also retain all their memories of what happened, as Yuuko mentions in ch 221; it is hence not COMPLETELY a reincarnation of their lives.

3. Therefore we have 3 pairs of Syaorans and Sakuras in this story: 1)the cardcaptors, 2)their son Real!Syaoran and his destined person who is the original princess Sakura of Clow Country, and 3) The clones of those mentioned in 2). Also note that there are three distinct and different Syaorans on the cover of Chapter 217

4. I think CLAMP probably took a small sidetrack to focus on the clones because the clones ARE the main focus of the first 90plus chapters or so and to cast them aside so abruptly would be unfair - so I feel, anyway.



But I'm willing not to rule out the clones-being-parents thing 100% due to the whole mess up the time-dimension-space paradox will create - I think there certainly IS a possibility that the clones can still end up as CCS!Syaoran or Sakura, or as Real!Syaoran's parents, or both, though it'll probably be in a very convoluted way, and I do doubt that it's likely.

---

Anyway. If chapter 221 is any indication, the clones' story doesn't end there - recall what Yuuko says about moving forward once again to "this moment" to meet with their other selves. I'm hoping this isn't the end of the clones because that is really one part I'm looking forward to see i.e. how they will meet their real selves again and possibly help them to defeat Fei Wang Reed. And hopefully that part, if and when it happens, will properly clear up this whole parental issue confusion :3

I also wonder if this is the last we'll see of Yuuko.

[clampholickyou.livejournal.com]

My thoughts are that mama Sakura cannot be the same person as CCS Sakura. (They cannot even be the younger version of the same person, in my opinion)

Regarding the wand-transfer scene, I am not only suggesting they are not the same person because mokona-sensei draws two different persons in that scene, but it also doesn't make sense if they were the same person but from different time.

Consider this:If they were only from different time, why would kinomoto sakura gives her wand to mama.Sakura? She just needs to keep the wand until she is grown up. Some may say that because mama.Sakura has given the wand to Yuuko as a price, and so get the wand from her younger self, but then she would not have the wand to give to Yuuko at the first place because she has given the wand out when she is younger. Then there will be no wand for her to pay for Yuuko.

So..that's what I think..no offend to anyone ^^ Hope you find my opinion reasonable.

[(Anonymous)]

>> I think there certainly IS a possibility that the clones can still end up as CCS!Syaoran or Sakura

What? How? They were meeting for the first time in this chapter. It makes absolutely no sense.

[rakkushimi-yt.livejournal.com]

SO, wait. We don't definitely know who R!Syaoran's parents are, right?
I've heard the 'C!Syao and C!Saku are R!Syaoran's parents' theory, but I just don't see how it works. And it's positive that CCS!Syaoran and CCS!Sakura are NOT R!Syaoran's parents, right, because of the whole CCS!Saku meeting R!Syaoran's mother?
Gah, I must be the dumbest TRC/CCS fan ever.

[robotlove.livejournal.com]

I would still think that the CCS!Syaoran and Sakura are probably R!Syaoran's parents. See my comment slightly above yours, especially on R!Syaoran's mom meeting Cardcaptor Sakura.
I think the only thing so far which may suggest that Real!Syaoran's mother is NOT cardcaptor Sakura is the way she said "The one who is from another world". However, I think it's likely that this is just referring to the way CCS!Sakura is from a different time/dimension. Hence, if my theory is correct, then it just means that younger Cardcaptor crossed time and dimension to give the wand that she still had to her older self, who had earlier given it up in order for her son to travel to Clow.

I...hope that made sense ^^"

[lexi-nyanko.livejournal.com]

It was cute and quick (thank god, I hope we'll finally get to see some KuroFainess in the next chapter...e_e;)

...although I'm still unsure just WHICH SxS couple was this but I gave up trying to untangle this whole thing a long time ago, lol.

[(Anonymous)]

Ok here's what I understood from all this confusion!!
The clones are the parents
But they are NoT the CCS Sakura and Syaoran
Or rather...they are other alternate versions of CCS SAKURA an SYAORAN
That's my theory

And I just wanna say this...I AM SOOOO HAPPY THAT THE RAYEARTH TRIO APPEARD FINALLY!! I am a huge rayearth fan and since I realised that characters from other manga were showing up, I waited and waited to see the magic knights again...AND HERE THEY ARE!! I'M SOO HAPPY!!!

[startingfromnow.livejournal.com]

I agree with robot love, I think that CCS!S+S are the R!Syaoran's parents and CCS!Sakura, the young one, gave her older version the wand as a price. Maybe the older version had done this in her youth but had forgotten about it due to her giving the wand to herself ... ah, it sounds so confusing ...I don't think the whole "clones are the parents" idea is right because the whole time thing is just weird ... so Fei Wang Reed made a random pair of Syaoran and Sakura who had kids and then became clones? The whole time/space spectrum gets totally destroyed ... it's weird. I think that CLAMP put that scene in there to give our beloved clones a bit of peace and closure, and God, did I need some happiness in TRC! I loved this chapter. I'm such a total S+S fangirl that I would follow them to the ends of the Earth and back again, and I'm glad at least one S+S couple were alright (cos if Watanuki's parents are CCS!Sakura and Syaoran, they died, or at least there was one scene with their horrible bloody hands, so that's not really a happy ending). I'm so happy Sakura and Syaoran got a sunset to walk off into together, hand in hand. Made me cry. I mean, Sakura always gets the best scenes, doesn't she? The CCS!Sakura got the perfect airport scene that everyone wants in the anime (I haven't read the manga) and now the absolutely heavenly meeting-under-the-cherry-blossoms reunion, too!

Also, off topic, IT'S HIKARU! AND UMI! AND FUUU! I adore MKR, and I was nearly crying at the old gang being back together, almost from the moment I saw Hikaru's mini plait/braid. I love them *sniffle of nostalgia*. And cosplaying as Fuu just got a right sight easier :)

Ok, I'm stop blabbering now.

[nokiirat.livejournal.com]

cosplaying any of their old characters doesn't seem old now. time to dust off those old wigs.

[xosakura-chanox.livejournal.com]

*moment of fangirling* OMFG HIKARU UMI AND FUU!!!! I FUCKING LOVE THEM XDDDD
ahem...

i like almost cried at the end of the chapter!! soooo sweet! b-b-b-but what about Fai and Kuro-sama *confused and frusterated*

[lectawindwalker.livejournal.com]

I'm really happy for teh clone!couple. It was really nice to see that they got their happy ending, but CLAMP could have put that off till like, the end of the series. There are more important things at hand right now!

And am I the only one who's noticing the similarities between to Tokyo Government Building and the Clow Ruins? Or, am I just crazy?

[jlarinda.livejournal.com]

A-are you seriously asking?

Is this the end?!

[(Anonymous)]

Chp. 222 is the last chapter of Tsubasa? Will there be another chapter?

Re: Is this the end?!

[nokiirat.livejournal.com]

no, no. there's much more.