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(This is a review for the whole series.)

I started this series as a pre-teen, and the first 7 volumes or so made me think this would be a fun fantasy-adventure story with silly characters. Then things started to take a dark, edgy turn.

(mild spoilers ahead)

While the target audience for this manga is squarely YA, it was one of the formative fantasy stories I read as a younger teenager. From the beginning it had lovable characters, gorgeous art, and unique, imaginative story arcs as the main quartet hops from world to world collecting Sakura's memories in the form of feathers. Then the tone starts to shift from lighthearted to something darker. Characters get hurt, story arcs start to range from sad to tragic, and there are real stakes at play. The plot evolves into one of the most complex I've seen and each character's backstory and motivations is deftly weaved in.

CLAMP is a group of female artists, and they bring a unique understanding of how to stage drama and evoke pathos from the reader. In several of their works, CLAMP combines shounen subject matter (adventure, fighting, violence) with character relationships explored from a more feminine perspective, which, along with their art style, makes their work distinctive in the genre.

Despite the complex plot, the ending is done well and bittersweet. Re-reads of individual arcs hold up well, and overall the creativity and characters have been one of the most memorable for me -- partially, I think, because I first read this when I was in the target age group.