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Title (English) X

Title (Japanese) X

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Fantasy Novel

Notes Oct.3, 2001-
24 episodes, Wowow
Basd on a CLAMP manga, published in Asuka magazine.
There is also the "X" movie and the "X2" (X squared) music video. The latter contains image clips of CLAMP artwork featuring characters from the X manga, set to music by the band X (hence, "Double X"). It includes three minutes of animation for the future X movie.

Classification shoujo

Synopsis The classic CLAMP tale of two forces fighting to either destroy or save the earth, and the strange boy with the power to make either side successful.

Review Well, everyone has been talking about it, now I've had the chance to see the first episode of "X", the 24-part TV series based upon the CLAMP manga. The series started on October 3 on the Wowow satellite channel in Japan. I'm not certain if I am the "right" audience for "X" TV - I haven't read the manga, nor watched the movie, so I went into the first episode "cold". Now, I tend to have a somewhat iconoclastic belief that a given art form ought to stand on its own - e.g., a TV series or a movie, or a book ought to be comprehendible totally independent from any precursor. And so I've considered the strengths and weaknesses of Episode 1, "The Reunion", on it's own.
The episode starts out with an apocalyptic vision of a devastated Tokyo, the entire city turned to desert with ruined buildings and no life, except for some figures standing cloaked on a still-standing Tokyo Tower. One of the figures turns and we see Kamui. ( Okay, I've gone to a couple of web sites to be able to put names to some of the faces who showed up in the first episode. ) We then go into a series of what seems to be a dozen or more very brief introductory scenes, each focussing on a different character, all of whom are receiving various mystical messages and warnings. The atmosphere of the show is relentlessly dark, except for a brief semi-comic moment with Yuzuriha, who is happy to be able to go to Tokyo and have ice cream and what not.
Kamui does get more of a role - he gets to take a sword away from an older guy in a temple ( who turns out to be Kotori's father ), gets jumped by a bunch of evil spirits in an underpass and gets ticked off at Hinoto and whacks her across space and time with a psychic blast. The episode ended without any preview of the next episode.
The look of the show is a bit odd - the 2D animation is very flat with muted colors, while the 3D animation is quite good looking. The show uses an awful lot of falling feathers and flowers to separate the various scenes - it's almost like a parody of a CLAMP show. The opening song is pretty conventional J-Rock and nothing memorable to me. I didn't mind the ending theme, after I listen to it a few more times I may buy it.
So, will I continue to watch "X" TV? Sure, why not - I'm a sucker for "mysterious" plots and so far there hasn't been anything too irritating happen. I am hoping, however, that they do go into some detail and background for those of us who haven't been following the manga. Otherwise the sheer number of characters will make this incomprehensible, unless there is a very high body count early on so that I don't have to remember so many names, powers and motivations.
"X"-TV 3 episodes seen At first I wasn't expecting much from this series, probably because of all the hype that preceded it, and the first episode had me worried because so many characters were introduced. But the second and third episodes have settled down into a nice, ominously presented story, with the sorts of mysteries and surprises that I enjoy in these sorts of shows. To an extent, the general "feel" of the show reminds me a lot of "Sci-fi Harry", although the character designs are pure CLAMP. Now, if Wowow will only add some sex to the violence we might have a really good series here. (L)
- After the first episode I wasn't expecting to enjoy this fantasy series, but it has definitely grabbed me subsequently. The show is tremendously stylish, masterfully paced and well animated. The action is also fast and bloody. And there are enough bishoujo and bishounen characters to satisfy any audience. Rating - A
(Dave Baranyi)

Credits

Episodes 24

Release US:DVD

TV Showing See the whole series for free? This series may be syndicated to regional cable, satellite or terrestial TV stations. For Europe click here.

Date 2001 Oct 3 -

Production

Broadcaster WOWOW

Animation

References & Help Look up the latest data on this title at:
Richard Llewellyn's Animated Divots, or
Anime News Network (see Encyclopedia section) ,
or in "The Anime Encyclopedia" (Clements & McCarthy, Stone Bridge Press, 2001).
Help & further information.

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Information
Title (English)	X
Title (Japanese)	X
Advertising Fantasy Novel
Notes	Oct.3, 2001- 24 episodes, Wowow Basd on a CLAMP manga, published in Asuka magazine. There is also the "X" movie and the "X2" (X squared) music video. The latter contains image clips of CLAMP artwork featuring characters from the X manga, set to music by the band X (hence, "Double X"). It includes three minutes of animation for the future X movie.
Classification	shoujo
Synopsis	The classic CLAMP tale of two forces fighting to either destroy or save the earth, and the strange boy with the power to make either side successful.
Review	Well, everyone has been talking about it, now I've had the chance to see the first episode of "X", the 24-part TV series based upon the CLAMP manga. The series started on October 3 on the Wowow satellite channel in Japan. I'm not certain if I am the "right" audience for "X" TV - I haven't read the manga, nor watched the movie, so I went into the first episode "cold". Now, I tend to have a somewhat iconoclastic belief that a given art form ought to stand on its own - e.g., a TV series or a movie, or a book ought to be comprehendible totally independent from any precursor. And so I've considered the strengths and weaknesses of Episode 1, "The Reunion", on it's own. The episode starts out with an apocalyptic vision of a devastated Tokyo, the entire city turned to desert with ruined buildings and no life, except for some figures standing cloaked on a still-standing Tokyo Tower. One of the figures turns and we see Kamui. ( Okay, I've gone to a couple of web sites to be able to put names to some of the faces who showed up in the first episode. ) We then go into a series of what seems to be a dozen or more very brief introductory scenes, each focussing on a different character, all of whom are receiving various mystical messages and warnings. The atmosphere of the show is relentlessly dark, except for a brief semi-comic moment with Yuzuriha, who is happy to be able to go to Tokyo and have ice cream and what not. Kamui does get more of a role - he gets to take a sword away from an older guy in a temple ( who turns out to be Kotori's father ), gets jumped by a bunch of evil spirits in an underpass and gets ticked off at Hinoto and whacks her across space and time with a psychic blast. The episode ended without any preview of the next episode. The look of the show is a bit odd - the 2D animation is very flat with muted colors, while the 3D animation is quite good looking. The show uses an awful lot of falling feathers and flowers to separate the various scenes - it's almost like a parody of a CLAMP show. The opening song is pretty conventional J-Rock and nothing memorable to me. I didn't mind the ending theme, after I listen to it a few more times I may buy it. So, will I continue to watch "X" TV? Sure, why not - I'm a sucker for "mysterious" plots and so far there hasn't been anything too irritating happen. I am hoping, however, that they do go into some detail and background for those of us who haven't been following the manga. Otherwise the sheer number of characters will make this incomprehensible, unless there is a very high body count early on so that I don't have to remember so many names, powers and motivations. "X"-TV 3 episodes seen At first I wasn't expecting much from this series, probably because of all the hype that preceded it, and the first episode had me worried because so many characters were introduced. But the second and third episodes have settled down into a nice, ominously presented story, with the sorts of mysteries and surprises that I enjoy in these sorts of shows. To an extent, the general "feel" of the show reminds me a lot of "Sci-fi Harry", although the character designs are pure CLAMP. Now, if Wowow will only add some sex to the violence we might have a really good series here. (L) - After the first episode I wasn't expecting to enjoy this fantasy series, but it has definitely grabbed me subsequently. The show is tremendously stylish, masterfully paced and well animated. The action is also fast and bloody. And there are enough bishoujo and bishounen characters to satisfy any audience. Rating - A (Dave Baranyi)
Credits
Episodes	24
Release	US:DVD
TV Showing	See the whole series for free? This series may be syndicated to regional cable, satellite or terrestial TV stations. For Europe click here.
Date	2001 Oct 3 -
Production
Broadcaster	WOWOW
Animation
References & Help	Look up the latest data on this title at: Richard Llewellyn's Animated Divots, or Anime News Network (see Encyclopedia section) , or in "The Anime Encyclopedia" (Clements & McCarthy, Stone Bridge Press, 2001). Help & further information.