Review of Tsubasa: Vol 1 - Gathering Of Fates

Introduction

I did a course in Quantum Mechanics once. I couldn`t get my head around it. It just seemed so counterintuitive. Pages and pages of calculations and physical concepts, all to get the answer `1`. That`s the way it works, it`s all about discrete quantities, and probabilities. Still, one of the more fascinating ideas to come from Quantum Physics is that of alternate realities, parallel universes, the idea that in one reality you may have turned right at the junction at the top of the road this morning and gone to work, in the other you turned left and went to the cinema instead. Seems pretty mundane, but in the hands of sci-fi writers and movie makers, it has resulted in a wealth of fiction, shows like Sliders, movies like Sliding Doors. Sliders would have their heroes visiting a new reality each week, each subtly or not so subtly different from their own, and offering the chance for all sorts of adventures. But copyright law binds TV execs, and there were limits on where they could visit. The Sliders cast wouldn`t end up on an episode of Friends, or on the Millennium Falcon. The Doctor`s TARDIS doesn`t materialise on Eastenders one week and Corrie the next, even though John Simm`s turn as the Master following his Life On Mars show tantalised more than a few minds.

Such flights of fancy are limited to the rather questionable world of fanfic. On the Interweb, all sorts of worlds are combined and explored at the whim of amateur authors the world over. Regardless of quality, these stories will only ever remain in the electronic ether, most will be impossible to adapt, and copyright law will hold back those that are. The only way that such crossovers could ever occur is if a creator held all the rights to more than one piece of work.

Well in Japan, the creative team of CLAMP have just that. Over the last few years, they have been responsible for several manga, many of which have been adapted to anime, titles like Magic Knight Rayearth, Angelic Layer, xxxHOLiC, Chobits, Tokyo Babylon, X, and Cardcaptor Sakura. When they decided to tell a dimension hopping, multiple reality, fantasy story, it made sense to make use of all the worlds and stories they had come up with. You may recognise the protagonists of Tsubasa (also known as Tsubasa Chronicle) from Cardcaptor Sakura, although they are reworked to fit the new story. Watching Tsubasa is a gift for fans of CLAMP`s output, with familiar faces and worlds cropping up from time to time. Half the fun is spotting the various cameos. I`m missing out on half the fun then, as of CLAMP`s output I have only seen Chobits and half of Tokyo Babylon. That means that I can devote myself fully to appreciating the story.

Incidentally, Tsubasa Chronicle is a hefty series, running to 52 episodes and one movie that I am aware of. You`d better clear it with your bank manager before diving into this series. The first volume from Revelation comes with 5 episodes and assorted extras.

1. Destinies Converge
Different world collide in more ways than one, when common garden archaeologist Syaoran and princess of the realm Sakura fall for each other, much to the consternation of her brother Toya, the king. Syaoran knows his place, even though he and the princess were brought up together, and he concentrates on completing his father`s studies of some local ruins. But there are dark forces paying interest in the two. Sakura is special, has a destiny, an innate power of unlocking the doors between dimensions, and her power will be awakened at the ruins. There, she takes on the appearance of an angel, glowing wings spreading around her, lifting her up. Syaoran rescues her, but the wings shatter, the feathers vanish. It turns out that the feathers were Sakura`s memories, and they have been dispersed throughout the dimensions, leaving Sakura a blank slate. King Toya decrees that Syaoran should take her to see the Dimension Witch to ask for her help. His priest performs an incantation to open a portal… Meanwhile in another world, Fai, a wizard wishing to escape his own world seeks another to flee to, and in yet another, Kurogane is a relentless warrior seeking to gain ultimate power at all costs. His princess Tomoyo seeing him being corrupted and wreaking havoc in the land, and places him under a curse and exiles him from the world.

2. The Power To Fight
All three arrive on the front lawn of the Dimension Witch. Fai wants passage to another reality; Kurogane wants to get back to his own, while Syaoran wants to find Sakura`s memories. The Dimension Witch determines that their destinies lie on the same path. There will be a price though, Kurogane has to give up his sword, Fai a mystical tattoo, and Syaoran any memories he and Sakura shared together. Kurogane may be reluctant, but the four are presented with the fifth member of their group, a cute white creature named Mokona Modoki who will be their guide through the dimensions. Following the trail of the feathers, the group wind up in a new world, The Hanshin Republic where a person`s strength is manifested in the form of elemental power and spirits called Kudan, and they walk straight into a gang war between fire wielding punks and a group of water warriors.

3. Sword Of Demon Destruction
Syaoran learns that he too has power in this world, and lots of it, manifesting in a powerful fire spirit that quickly defeats the punks. Mokona has found out how to find the feathers, Syaoran has the first with him, and they see the first improvement in Sakura`s health after restoring it to her. She`s still unconscious though. They`re met by innkeepers Arisugawa Sorata and his priestess wife Arashi who have been expecting them, and they offer to put them up in their inn while they search for a second feather located in this world. Kurogane is reluctant to help, and leaves them when he sees Princess Tomoyo, or her doppelganger walking through the city.

4. Innocent Wandering
While Syaoran and the others wander the city looking for the feather, an amnesiac Sakura finally wakes up. Finding some appropriate clothes in her room, she wanders off to explore the city. Soon she catches the attention of the punks, whose street battle was interrupted by her and her friends` arrival. When Syaoran learns of this, rescuing the princess takes priority.

5. The Battle Of The Mage
Mokona has figured out that the missing feather must be inside a Kudan, which makes looking for it even more difficult. A Kudan only manifests when its owner is threatened, and Syaoran can`t go around challenging everyone just to see what their Kudan is like. The one clue is that it is a powerful Kudan, and they may be on to a lead when Mokona is kidnapped.

Video

Tsubasa gets a rather spiffy 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer. It`s nice and clear throughout; I didn`t notice any artefacts and even the perennial problem of digital banding seemed minimal. The world designs are well thought out, and there`s plenty of variety and points of interest. Syaoran`s world is a desert world, bleak and harsh, with the residents dressing in long flowing robes. Kurogane`s world tends to the more gothic and moody; Fai`s world is the most fantastical of the bunch, while the Dimension Witch lives in a rainy cityscape. The first world the heroes visit is like a clean Mad Max, all primary colours with plenty of wrecked and abandoned vehicles. Of all the worlds shown so far, it is perhaps the plainest, possibly because it looks so similar to the `real` world. The character designs are distinctive, but I did feel that there was something lacking in the character animation, and it didn`t feel all that fluid. It does seem as though more effort was put into making the backgrounds look impressive.

Audio

You get a choice of DD 5.1 English or DD 2.0 Japanese, with optional subtitles and signs. As per my usual preference, I went with the original language track, and found that even though it`s just a stereo track, there is a fair bit of separation and vibrancy to the sound. The effects are impressively accomplished, and Yuki Kajiura`s (Le Portrait de Petite Cossette) music is distinctive and memorable.

For added surround goodness, the English track is naturally the way to go, as it adds dimensionality to the sound. That said, you might have to tweak the settings on your system a tad as I found that the music and effects did overwhelm the dialogue at times. While I may not be a fan of English dubs, I have recognised that they are a cut above the sorts of dubs we got ten or fifteen years ago. That said, if you do experience a lot of Funimation`s dubs, you may find hearing the same actors crop up again and again a little wearying. Also Tsubasa`s dub isn`t all that great. The performances felt a little lacklustre, and the various characters were given stock anime voices that suited their stereotypes, rather than making them feel individual. It certainly has something of the Saturday morning `toon about it.

Features

The usual animated menus, jacket picture, textless credit sequences, and trailers (The Full Metal Alchemist Movie and Negima) as per the common garden anime disc.

Of greater value to this specific title are the Cast Auditions lasting 9 minutes in total. Here you can hear snippets of the audition tapes for 6 of the characters. They`re English language of course, and only feature the actors who eventually got the roles.

The character guide offers 17 pages of text and line art, which go into more detail about ten of the characters that you will meet on this disc.

The World Guide similarly offers 21 pages of text and art, which look at Sakura`s home, the Kingdom Of Clow, as well as the Hanshin Republic. There are also some minor characters described here.

Faces In The Crowd takes a look at some of the CLAMP cameos that appear in the show. Cardcaptor Sakura`s Toya becomes King Toya in the first episode of the series, and this page of text offers more information.

Like all of Revelation`s recent new titles such as Moon Phase, Beck, and Peach Girl, if you spend a little extra dosh, you can get the Starter Pack for the series, which will offer you a nice artbox to collect the series in, and maybe some extra goodies.

Conclusion

If you like your shows nice and pigeonholed, prepare to tick the Anime RPG genre box. For Tsubasa is very much in the vein of the old Dungeons and Dragons. We have our fresh-faced hero in Syaoran, the princess he loves, a wizard, a warrior, and a cute magical animal, all brought together to embark on a Quest. Princess Sakura`s memories have taken on the form of feathers, and have been scattered amongst countless worlds, much like the shattered crystal in Inuyasha, and it will take as long as the anime budget lasts to gather them once more.

If I sound a little cynical, it`s because Tsubasa really treads a well-worn path, failing to offer anything new. It starts off strongly; the story that is set up is certainly interesting. We see four amazing looking worlds, each of the main characters is given some appealing back story, there are some ominous villain types introduced, and they all get pulled into going on the same quest. At this point however, it becomes apparent that the parallel worlds theme isn`t going to be developed in any great depth, there will be no `there but for the grace of god` moments, and if the same characters pop up from time to time in different lives, it`s more a gimmick than anything of import. I managed to spot Chi in the first episode, and noted that they were staying in Hideki`s apartment building from episode 3 onwards, all of which excited my inner geek, and CLAMP aficionados will be suitably catered for. But there`s little of substance as yet in the crossovers.

The first world that they visit, the Hanshin Republic suggests this show will remain on the light and simple side of things. The world`s unique characteristic is that its inhabitants have Kudan to call upon, and as our heroes arrive, they learn that they too have this power. Of course being heroes, they go straight to the top of the Kudan tree, attracting all sorts of attention. Each episode allows one of the characters to confront someone and unleash their own special skill. All the while, they continue looking for a feather, although when it becomes apparent that it`s in the possession of a Kudan, it is obvious to the audience just who has it, and it becomes an exercise in frustration waiting for the main characters to catch up.

The characters themselves are cookie cutter stereotypes. Syaoran is the eager young space cadet of a hero, not innately gifted, but determined and brave. Sakura is suitably adorable and angelic (not just because of the big glowing wings), Fai is the slightly effete and self assured wizard, easy going demeanour masking an inner core of strength, the sort of character that in the hands of an English VA always sounds camp, while Kurogane is the bad ass, don`t want to be there, bloodlusting warrior, who wouldn`t admit under torture that he cares for his friends, but he does. Add to this the cute magical animal and the stereotypical collection of heroes is complete.

My cynicism does this show a disservice of course. I`m certainly not the target audience. Tsubasa would definitely fit the bill as a `My first anime`, and if you`re aged around eleven or twelve this will probably be to your liking, feeling very much a way to graduate from the Saturday morning `toon. It has a more intriguing story, the characters have a little more depth to them, and there is a definite point to the series, rather than the rinse and repeat routine of the Scooby Doos of the world. Too, it is early days as yet with just the first volume out of the way. There are eleven more volumes in which to develop the characters, add to the story, and hopefully see more of the villains and what part they play. Tsubasa Volume 1 offers a good starter anime, but at this point lacks sufficient impact and originality to entice this long-term fan.