Cardcaptor Sakura - episodes 13 to 20

Sakura gets up to all sorts of mischief in these episodes that feaure her summer holidays, framed by the ending and beginning of trimesters at school. These episodes allow Shaoran to grow some more. His density, his sensitivity and eventually even his sense of embarrassment come around; he is human after all!

Shaoran's first act is that he starts to help Sakura without criticising her. To capture the POWER card, he interferes but lets her take the credit. This episode also crams in more penguins. Both the aquarium and the zoo stock live penguins, and they are a popular choice of decoration at the Penguin Park (with the King Penguin Slide) and also at Twin Bells, the cute store.

The gender questioning comes into place with the reverse gender Cinderella, featuring Toya as Cinderella and Yukito (inexplicably - it doesn't seem to be a pun) as a magical can of mackerel. Shaoran and Sakura's reactions from the audience are brilliant. The faces that these characters can pull are amazing. This episode also features the most blatantly obvious line so far: "It's one of the seven most mysterious things about this school: that Kinomoto and Tsukishiro don't have girlfriends."

Following all of this, Kero-chan gets drunk and mouths off about Sakura to an alligator statue.

In Sakura's holiday period, many good things happened, involving Sakura and character building. There's also a "controversial" episode; controversial to stupid people. The idea that Fujitaka would let Sakura into such a dangerous situation is just moronic; he's a generally good father, despite his failure to notice that he has an additional house guest (although possibly he's too polite to pass comment). The elderly man who he is allowing Sakura to spend her days with is her great-grandfather, you idiots! Something like this would not happen without good reason! No one would let Sakura be lured into a pedophile's lair!

Then, when Meilin comes in, a whole new side of Shaoran is shown; his embarrassment, his apologetic side. Something good has come of him, and more good will come of him yet. And Kero-chan's maths homework - gold!

Subtitle complaint: they should not have used the term "Jell-O". It is distracting, even if it is American brand recognition.

Leave it to Kero-chan changes appearance; the opening is not near as nice, because I liked Kero-chan's "in your face reporter" appearance. The ending with the kotatsu is great, because Hisakawa's "ona!" is almost violent in its delivery.
The segment now also encompasses book reviews.