Cardcaptor Sakura | Through the Shattered Lens

The latest AMV of the Day comes courtesy of AMV creator “Chiikaboom” whose works I’ve chosen many times for this feature. This one was just completed and released by Chiikaboom less than a month ago and, like her other AMV’s, this one truly impresses.

This latest AMV from Chiikaboom is simply called “Imagica”. She’s taken on the theme of the mahou shoujo (magical girl) genre which continues to be one of the more popular ones in anime and manga both in Japan and overseas. Casual viewers and readers of the “magical girl” genre tend to view them as just cute and peppy, but for those who have actually watched these series from start to finish know that they’re more than colorful, happy characters.

Chiikaboom latches onto the darker aspects of the mahou shoujo genre and runs with it headlong towards one of the songs which made the Sucker Punch soundtrack one of the best of 2011. The song she picks to shine a light on the darker side of the magical girls is the Emily Browning cover of the Eurythmics classic song, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”. The haunting rendition of this song by Emily Browning matches up well with the darker scenes of these magical girls. Scenes which goes beyond young girls and teens with powers, but how such powers weigh heavily on them.

“Imagica” is one of the better AMV’s to arrive on the scene in the last couple months. Once again it’s the one person who seems to have the flair for the dramatic and just the right touches which makes these AMV from Chiikaboom the best.

Anime: Sailor Moon, Houkago No Pleaides, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Movie (1st), Cardcaptor Sakura, Pretear, Mermaid Melody Pitchi Pitchi Pitch, Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, Uta Kata, Princess Tutu, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Magic Knight Rayearth

Song: “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” by Emily Browning

Creator: Chiikaboom

I’ll readily admit, I’m not a huge fan of AMVs. Don’t get me wrong, when they’re good, they’re really fun and entertaining to watch. The thing is, 99% of AMVs suck. Seriously, most of them are just a mashup of some fan’s favorite scenes from an anime put to a song they like that really don’t fit together. But, the ones that are good, tend to be really good. You can tell when someone takes the time and the effort to put together something that they can be proud of.

This AMV is one of those good ones. There hasn’t been anyone yet that I’ve shown this to that hasn’t gotten hopelessly hooked on it. It’s the perfect blend of a high energy song, clips that make sense with the words of the song, and really good editing. It was made by JaddziaDax, but I’m not certain where it premiered at. All I do know is that it is impossible to watch this and not wind up singing along on the subsequent playthroughs. And there will be subsequent playthroughs. The first time I watched it, I immediately had to play it again, and again, and before I knew it I was on my fifth consecutive viewing. Now that’s a sign of a good AMV! So, feel free to watch this, but just be forewarned, you might not be able to look at a can of Bumblebee Tuna without thinking of this AMV again.