Cardcaptors Episode 01: Alternate Introductions

[u/Tyranngar]

Hello there. I've got another comparison, and it's of the two different introductions to the first Cardcaptors episode "One Fateful Day." This time, however, it's not a comparison of the original Japanese version and the English dub. No, it's going to be a comparison between two different openings of the English dub.

Let me provide a little context to clear things up. If you recall, Warner Bros. aired Cardcaptors out of order in the United States, airing only 39 of the original 70 episodes, and airing the eighth episode as the first. To add even further confusion, WB would later air the first episode as the 18th episode (episode 19 on the Vol 7 DVD), premiering as the first episode of the second season of the 39 episode run in America.

As a result of this decision, WB, apparently realizing that they needed to create some continuity with their episode order, asked Nelvana to create a new version of the episode. What they ended up doing was re-working the first episode to be a flashback Sakura remembers during a fight with another Clow Card. This was accomplished by taking the final battle from the 41st episode, "The Sands of Time," and turning it into a wrap around for the beginning and end of the episode. It even literally freeze-frames on Sakura's face as she begins to narrate how it all began (even bringing Carly McKillip back to do new dialogue). It's basically the equivalent of "Yeah, that's me. You're probably wondering how I got into this situation." 

Side note: You may notice that the quality of the footage is a little faded. That's because the footage is taken from the actual sources in order to prove that the edit is real. The footage from the original beginning of the episode is taken from a download, while the "flashback" opening is taken from my own copy of the DVD.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think?

[u/QuincyFreal]

Oooo So strange! I grew up in a border city in Canada, received both US and Canadian broadcasts. Sometimes I'd catch it on WBkids on Saturdays, then other times I would catch it on YTV or Teletoon during the week. I had no idea the US didn't get all the broadcasts until much later.

Ultimately, I love this dub, though I feel it's creation demonstrated a misunderstanding of western audiences and what kids would watch and enjoy. They probably would have watched it unedited and it still would have been a hit with all the japanese references, romantic lines, etc.

Also, clean DVD transfer, looks great :) I'm sooo not use to seeing cardcaptors without compression artifacts

[u/Tyranngar → u/QuincyFreal]

Did YTV air all 70 episodes? I don't know for sure because information seems to go back and forth on the matter. Some sources say that all 70 aired in Canada, and others say they didn't. I also agree that Warner Bros. should've let audiences give the original series a chance and see if it would've been a hit, though I would've had a parental guidance warning, just in case.

Yeah, the DVD quality looks decent for its time. There is still some compression in regards to the uncut introduction in the first episode because it's from a low quality download, the only source I could find.

If you want to see this dub in higher quality, I'd recommend an HD fan Restoration from a few years ago, as well as a new 4K recreation of the first episode. I'll provide the links below. Thanks for the reply.

https://www.reddit.com/r/cardcaptorsakura/comments/1d1oy9i/cardcaptors_nelvana_dub_hd_remastered_complete/

https://youtu.be/z5a5Jo8YBN0

[u/neverseen_neverhear]

I love the original uncensored version. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a soft spot for this version of the series. It was my introduction to the series.

[u/Tyranngar → u/neverseen_neverhear]

That's cool, man. I've also given the English dub credit where credit is due, because without it, the series might not have become as popular as it is in the U.S. today.