Clamp Campus Detectives Introduction...
"For the Sake of Women's Happiness
Clamp Campus Detectives is an anime based on a CLAMP manga, which is populated by characters from three other manga by CLAMP (Nijyuu Mensou ni Onegai [Akira], Clamp Campus Cops [Nokoru], and Clamp Strange Phenomenon Research [Suoh]). The show is basically cute. Infernally so, if you don't like Clamp-style cuteness. If you like Mahou ni Tsukai Tai, Card Captor Sakura, or any other adorable Shoujo anime, you'll probably like this one. It is definitely suitable for small children(that what i hate), as very little actual violence occurs.
The three officers of the Clamp School Elementary Division Student Body Council (Nokoru, Suoh, and Akira) are on a mission to protect the happiness of women everywhere:bigeyes: . To this end, they form the Clamp Campus Detectives in the first episode. Each episode after that involves a woman in trouble or unhappy for some reason:blackeye: (except the two flashback episodes about how Nokoru and Suoh originally met). There are also some "relationship" episodes in which Suoh and Akira get girlfriends, or blushingly go on dates with them.
Nokoru: Sixth-grader and President of the Elementary Division Student Body, he is the http://tatooine.fortunecity.com/legu.../introt/19.jpgleader of the Clamp Campus Detectives. Like Mary Poppins, he is "practically perfect in every way." He is unfailingly polite to women, even when they are obnoxious to him. Mentally, he is a genius, and his financial status is secure because his father is the owner of the group which founded the Clamp school. Nokoru rarely gets too close to any one person because that person could be hurt in an attempt to kidnap or use him. Also, to be too close to one girl would upset the others. Despite all his talents, Nokoru's fault is that he hates to do his paperwork, so he procrastinates in every way possible. Nokoru carries a fan which he sometimes opens to reveal various written comments on the subject at hand.
Suoh: My favorite ^_^. Fifth-grader and Secretary of the blah blah blah,(A MAN) Suoh was born http://tatooine.fortunecity.com/legu.../introt/11.jpginto a ninja family that produces bodyguards who choose their own person to protect for life. Guess who Suoh chose? Besides excelling in all martial arts, Suoh is an accomplished archer and horseback rider, and he is the only member of the Council consciencious enough to make Nokoru do the paperwork. He's also the one who knows where to look when Nokoru looses something. Suoh is also incredibly shy, avoiding the female attention that Nokoru loves so much. At first, Suoh seems mostly like a shadow of Nokoru, but it quickly becomes obvious how much Nokoru needs his friend (the only friend Nokoru has that can take care of himself, it seems).
Akira: This fourth-grader has two talents: cooking and stealing. Unfortunately, talking to http://tatooine.fortunecity.com/legu...d/introt/8.jpgwomen is not his forte. The Student Body Treasurer is unfailingly cute and worships Nokoru-sama, but he blushes in situations that Nokoru finds easy to deal with. Despite his wallflower personality in the first few episodes, Akira gains more depth when his identity as "20 Masks" (a famous thief) is revealed. He steals for his two acquisative mothers, whom he can deny nothing. In fact, he first met Utako when he stole an ice sculptured mermaid from her birthday party, then later appeared in her room to hide from the police. Akira gets his talents from his father, who was the greatest thief and the greatest chef in the world.
Nagisa: Suoh's mysterious wysteria-fairy is in fact a Kindergartener from the same http://tatooine.fortunecity.com/legu...d/introt/9.jpgoriginal series as Suoh. In that series, I think she was supposed to be a demon, but in CCD she is transmuted into a mostly ordinary girl who seems to fly a bit on occassion and can play the flute beautifully. She is shy and gentle, often getting into blushing contests with Suoh. She obviously adores him and needs his protection, though she never asks for it. She's my third favorite character in the series.
Utako: A close second favorite to Suoh, this President of the Kindergarten Division doesn't take nonsense from anyone. She happens to be in love with "20 Masks" (i.e. Akira) from http://tatooine.fortunecity.com/legu...d/introt/7.jpglong before they became officers together. She is a gentle but strong person who hates weakness in others because it could mean that she would lose a weak person she loved. Her strength, even when overbearing, comes from her love for others. She originated in the same manga as Akira, and she has an older sister (Makoto) who makes a couple of appearances in the anime.
Madame Chairwoman: The leader of the school is a woman whose eyes never appear on the screen. She holds a fan above her face most of the time- a habit similar to Nokoru's. In fact, the Chairwoman is Nokoru's mother, though they act completely http://tatooine.fortunecity.com/legu.../introt/15.jpgprofessional at all times, even in private. The Chairwoman tested the boys before they could become the Clamp Campus Detectives, but she completely approves of their purpose.
Casa Blanca: A woman who once kidnapped Nokoru for her organization, Casa Blanca has lost face for being outsmarted by a little boy. She shifts gears almost as fast as http://tatooine.fortunecity.com/legu...cd/ep5t/18.jpgNokoru, but she can never quite trust him, despite his kindnesses toward her in certain circumstances. At one point, she shot him. Another time, she let him escape. Though she and Suoh hate each other unreservedly, Casa Blanca has a soft spot for Nokoru, and the history between them is far from over.
Clamp School: A place where all children of extraordinary talent can have their educational needs met. It is a giant school founded by a famous group of businesses. It covers several square miles, containing school buildings, dormitories, a hospital, cafes, a stadium, a lake, etc. Thousands of people work there, in addition to the many students who take classes and live there. The grades go from Kindergarten to Graduate school, though there are obviously fewer students in the College and Graduate programs. This is basically Clamp's perfect setting for most manga and many anime. If you've read other Clamp manga, you'll have seen Kamui going here in X, as well as more predictable connections (such as the three manga that contributed to Clamp Campus Detectives).
