A few tasty hints, some deliciously cryptic morsels, and a couple frothy story arcs begin season two in a decidedly happy manner.  These first couple volumes of season two certainly don't tip CLAMP's hand with regards to motivation and The Big Picture, but there are enough hints and pithy conversations to pique plenty of interest in what might be awaiting our heroes.  While divining the future is always entertaining, if a bit dangerous, considering how the characters just dropped into the story, the few enticing details revealed about their pasts are gratifying.  Beautiful artwork and great music compliment the action and characters, so that even the weaker episodes are still enjoyable. 

Friends since childhood, Sakura, the princess of sandy Clow country, and Syaoran,  a young archaeologist investigating the mysterious local desert ruins, share a close relationship.  When Sakura visits Syaoran at the ruins to confess how she really feels, things go terribly wrong.  Awakened by the ruins' power, Sakura's latent magical ability manifests itself as wings, and an unfortunate accident results in the feathers, which represent each of her memories, scattering across the dimensions of space and time.  With no memories, Sakura loses her soul, and if the feathers aren't recovered, she will die.  Desperate, Syaoran sacrifices his relationship with Sakura to Yuko, the wish-granting dimensional witch, in return for the ability to jump between dimensions so he can chase down the feathers.  With the help of two strangers, Kurogane, a warrior banished from his home in order to teach him a lesson, and Fai, a wizard on the run from the king he sealed away in a not-so-permanent sleep, Syaoran and Sakura have the makings for a very grand adventure, indeed.

Season two continues our heroes' journey from world to world, creating yet more opportunities to find feathers and run across familiar faces.  A Jetson's-style flying car race and a story arc involving a perpetual war present two very different mysteries for the travelers to solve.  How far will a person go to win?  When do the ends no longer justify the means?  The more worlds to which Sakura and company travel, the more likely it is that at least one of the characters will encounter a familiar face from the past, whether from their own pasts or from a former world.  Just how much of that person is hard-wired into his or her very being, and how much is shaped by the environment?  The answers might not be so easy to bear.

These two volumes reveal tantalizing hints of Events To Come, but the few answers provided in these episodes are far outweighed by the new questions they raise.  Isn't that always the way?  And don't we, as the audience, love it?  The revelations and tiny hints are just enough to whet the appetite and lure viewers back for more. 

One of the strengths of this series are the questions posed about souls and how much stays the same, even when that soul is in a completely different situation.  The hints dropped in these two volumes and throughout the first season suggest that the question of souls even applies to the main characters.  It becomes painfully obvious that even though they've been traveling together and have formed a tight bond, there is so much that they don't know about each other.  How interesting it will be to see what future episodes reveal!

While the two story arcs in volumes 7 and 8 are entertaining, peppered with hints, revelations, and visits from the ever-awesome Yuko, the several stand alone episodes, except one, are a little weaker.  One of the stand alone episodes revisits a former world, with surprising results.  The other episodes, however, seem more like filler.  The wonderful characters, who gain more personality and insight with each episode, the artwork, and great music keep even the weaker episodes engaging, though.  After a season's-worth of episodes already, it's not surprising to see some unevenness.  It's just the way things go, sometimes.

Being a complete sucker for CLAMP's artwork, these volumes had me in fits of fangirlish squeeing over the rich worlds and graceful characters.  Each world has its own distinct flavor, and it's fun to see our travelers' costumes change for the occasion.  There is some serious eye-candy, but it is difficult not to compare the art in Tsubasa to its darker counterpart, xxxHolic.  xxxHolic's lanky, ethereal characters, darker palette, and brilliant use of pattern are hard to beat.  Tsubasa presents artwork that is more conventionally beautiful, maybe a little slick, with bright colors, detailed backgrounds, and lovely, if slightly stockier, character designs.  The lighter palette and use of plenty of color suits the story's fantasy element.

Another aspect worth mentioning is the music.  Season two, like season one, has the same great score that's subtle, but interesting enough to catch one's attention.  The music tends to suit the action on the screen very well, and several of the repeated phrases really pack a punch. 

In season one, some of the story lines had me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what would happen next.  So far, with these two volumes season two hasn't had me quite that enthralled, but most of the episodes presented solid, entertaining storytelling.  If you watched season one, by all means, start on season two!  If you're new to Tsabasa, go back, catch up, and come see the new stuff!

Details: Runtime 125 minutes each for Volumes 7 and 8.  Volume 7 contains episodes 27-31 and volume 8 contains episodes 32-36.  Extras for both volumes include a character guide, world guide, textless songs, trailers, and pretty artwork on the inside of the dvd cover jacket.