Firstly I would like to thank all those one both the UtenaML and FFML who
e-mailed me both on the list and privately:
Ezrial1, Mamoru87, ISLEFRANK, ANIMAE391, cricharddavies, azhrae, danielfruth,
Ezrial1 ,firethorn, ILadyIce, pach001, teknosw.... thank you mina! (sorry,
know I missed some, but I got TONS of mail 0.o those were just the 1st)
On the subject of the movie I found that it, as most of u knew, is
playing in a few select theaters. <A HREF="http://manga.com/x_x">Manga
Entertainment</A> has updated information about their release schedule in
light of various recent rumors. X will be released on dubbed VHS July 18th,
while the subtitled VHS & DVD versions will follow at some point after that,
likely October. The delay in the later two is due to delays in getting the
Japanese language materials from the Japanese company which produced the
film.
I am still planning on purchansing the video when it comes out. Subbed is
the only way of going though. In the preview of the dubbed version (which is
at the Manga Entertainment site) I found the the voice of Kamui is soooo...
weak! He's supposed to be...oh!... just NOT the way they did it. If only they
had better animerican VAs! On the movie story line I've heard praises and
rants...I'll just have to wait and see for myself.The animation for the movie
is great from what I've seen. Clips can be found at Hawaii's server (very
stocked server: tons of Music Vids:
Host:130.253.18.107
User ID: music
Password: videos
The professional music vid for X can be found under 'Anime music
videos/Professional/X Japan- X video'
So I'm guessing the music in the BG is by X-Japan (duh! It's only in the
name 0.o) and anyway I really like it!! ^_^ I wish I knew more about J-Rock,
ohh! Anyway, if anyone knows were to find that song in mp3 format, 'Engergy
Flow', for you. And it's a really pretty song, I love it to death. :) It's
from the Super Collection 1999 HITO JAPAN CD set (w/ 2 CDs). This song is on
the 2nd disk, track 8. It is Yoshiki playing the piano. Anyone who likes
J-Rock should know Yoshiki was the leader of X-Japan. When they broke up,
Yoshiki contintued to play the piano and this is the result. I like it cause
it has that utena music type of classical feel to it. Um... actually anyone
who wants it, e-mail me and I'll send it to them ^_^ Am in a happy mood,
people actually responded and helped me out! hee hee!
OK on more of a utena/ff mail list type note (seeing how this is gunna be
posted on both) I would like to address this point made by Mr. Davies:
ISLEFRANK wrote:
<< It's in theaters in some cities, including mine, right now, under the
original title X. Manga Entertainment handled the release (www.manga.com has
a special page for the movie), which is a tolerable dub.>>
And to that Mr. Davies wrote:
<<... of an intolerable movie, so that ain't sayin' much.
Chris Davies.
("Excuse me, I feel the need to fling myself from a great height right now."
--
me, after watching "X".)>>
I don't know how many of you out there have ever heard of X/1999 or even
read it. Those that have read the whole thing know there are 19 parts to it
(ya know kinda long). And as in the CLAMP trademark, it is a very complex
story. It is impossible to fit ALL that into an only 1 hour and a half movie.
In the many responces I recived some of you liked the X movie and some of
you... didn't, to put it quite mildly. It was an extreme of both ways. All I
have to say on this is that like the Utena movie, it only makes complete
sense w/ it's accompaniment (for Utena, if u didn't see the series the movie
was VERY confusing). This, to me, didn't make the Utena movie intolerable.
Ok....I think that's enough of me for now ^_^ Thank you all again!
Gabi
PS: (to help those who've seen the movie and missed the GREAT manga ^_^)
er... yeah... spoilers ahead...
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Character Guide for CLAMP'S X
CLAMP's masterpiece, X, also known as X/1999, will soon be appearing at
select theaters around the country. In order to enjoy the movie, it is
imperative to arrive prepared. This movie was made for an audience
familiar with the many-volumed CLAMP manga, and little or no
introduction is given for many of the major characters. The basic
information that follows should be a great help to anyone trying to sort
out the various Dragons of Heaven and Earth.
Kamui: (Might of God, or Hunter of the Might of God, depending upon
interpretation). Kamui is the main character of X. He is a high school
boy who returns to Tokyo after the death of his mother to help protect
his friends Fuuma and Kotori. Unfortunately, the fate of Mankind hangs
in the balance and Kamui is the destined force that will decide the
outcome. He doesn't care about the fate of the world, only about his
friends - whose lives will soon be destroyed by the forces which
surround him. In the manga, his attitude is a 'devil-may-care' one. In
the movie, he is a tragic figure.
Fuuma: A kind and devoted friend to Kamui and brother to Kotori.
However, fate has decreed him to be Kamui's other half. Whichever side
of the struggle Kamui chooses, fate will force Fuuma to the opposite
side. When Kamui throws in with the Dragons of Heaven, Fuuma's good
nature is perverted and he becomes a bloodthirsty Dragon of the Earth,
who will stop at nothing to destroy Kamui.
Kotori: Fuuma's sister and Kamui's sweetheart. She is dragged off as a
hostage by the Dragons of the Earth and eventually killed by her own
brother before Kamui's eyes. In the manga, she is a frail girl with a
weak heart who can see into dreams. None of that is made clear in the
movie.
Dragons of Heaven (Known as the Seven Seals in the Manga)
Hinoto: The childlike dreamwalker who leads the Dragons of Heaven. She
lives beneath the Japanese Diet building (Government center) and
communicates only through telepathy. It is she who first tells Kamui
about his destiny.
Subaru: (A Swedish car…just kidding). The main character from Tokyo
Babylon and one of the most powerful people in X, Subaru lives now only
to revenge the death of his sister who was killed by Seishirou, his
one-time friend and mentor. In the movie, Subaru and Seishirou fight a
duel and kill each other within the first ten minutes.
Sorota: A teenager with the power to control lightening who has been
raised since birth to take his place among the Dragons of Heaven. Since
childhood, he has also known that he would die protecting the woman he
loves. A major character in the manga, his protective seal is shaped
like a cube.
Arashi: The protector of the Ise Shrine and the woman Sorata loves,
Arashi's gift is a mystic sword that appears out of the flesh of her
hand when she needs it. She often treats others coldly, though her heart
is gentle. Arashi dresses in a high-school sailor suit. Her seal is
shaped like a pyramid.
Seiichirou: A mild-mannered salaryman who fights the Dragons of the
Earth to protect his beloved wife and child. Seiichirou controls the
powers of the winds.
Karen: A cynical young woman who dresses in lingerie and an overcoat and
controls the power of fire. The movie tells us that Karen is a stripper,
but in the manga, she works as a 'soapland' attendant. A soapland is a
bathing house where men can be washed and attended by pretty girls, who
also offer minor sexual favors (anything short of intercourse).
Yuzuriha: A pert 14-year-old girl with a spirit wolf who only those
involved in deciding the fate of the Earth can see. Yuzuriha is always
complaining that the other members of her team baby her and won't let
her go out and fight evil. However, they might be in the right because
when she finally does face the bad guys, she doesn't last very long.
Dragons of Earth (Known as the Seven Minions in the Manga)
Kanoe: The dreamwalker of the Dragons of Earth and, in the movie, their
spokesman. She explains to Fuuma why it is necessary to destroy Mankind
in order to save the Earth.
Seishirou: Subaru's friend from Tokyo Babylon. Apparently, since their
youthful Tokyo Babylon days, Subaru has discovered Seishirou's true
identity as a sorcerer-assassin. The two have vowed to destroy each
other.
Nataku: An it. A genetically created neuter creature based on the genes
of a dead girl. Apparently, in the X universe, synthetically created
creatures have no souls. Nataku can feel nothing, but it has great
magical powers which manifest through the ceremonial scarves it wears.
(In Japanese mythology, floating scarves often indicate divinity the way
a halo and wings do in the West).
Yuuto: The closest thing that the Dragons of the Earth have to a leader,
Yuuto is a devious man with a sharp wit who fights with a psychically
charged whip.
Shougo: A character who only appears in the movie, Shougo is a smart
aleck who controls water and taunts his enemies.
Satsuki: A child genius who is in love with the master computer she has
created. Her computer, the Beast, can tap into and control any other
computer in the world. She can also bring electrical cables to life and
direct them to attack Kamui and friends.
Kusanagi: In the movie, he is a cold-blooded killer who appears briefly.
In the manga, Kusanagi is more gentle-hearted and it is uncertain
whether he is, in fact, the last of the Dragons of Earth or not.
Kusanagi, which means 'grass cutter' is the name of the most famous
sword from Japanese history. It was an historical sword that once
belonged to the Emperor, but was lost in the 12th Century and has since
passed into legend. The name is used in other anime as well, including
Blue Seed.
Kakyou (manga only): A handsome dreamwalker who is a favorite of manga
fans, but who does not appear in the movie. Kakyou spends all his time
in the world of dreams, while his body subsists on life support. When
Fuuma kills Kotori, Kakyou helps her through the experience, accepting
her pain and her last wishes.
Movie Review:
American anime fans have been anticipating the arrival of the X movie
for a long time. Finally, a chance for fans to see the feature-length
animated version of CLAMP's most famous work. Sadly, X may fail to live
up to most fans' expectations. The film is nearly incomprehensible to
anyone who has not read CLAMP's multi-volume manga.
In theory, X should be fantastic. It promises a dramatic tale of the
struggle between free will and preordained destiny. The characters are
attractive to the point of being beautiful. The animation is excellently
done. Also, the story contrivance of magic 'shields' which cause any
damage to vanish once the battle fought within the shield is concluded
(provided the person maintaining the shield is not killed during the
battle) lends itself to an action-packed plot. Yet, despite this
promise, the movie falls seriously short in several ways.
Long dream sequences, some during which real events apparently happen,
make the progression of the plot difficult to follow. A myriad of
characters appear on stage, fight, and die without much explanation or
introduction, and the predictability of the outcome takes any mystery
out of the story. All this combines to make the experience of watching X
an unsatisfactory one.
For those who are not familiar with the work, X is the most famous manga
from CLAMP, the team of women artists who brought us Tokyo Babylon,
Magic Knight Rayearth, CardCaptor Sakura, RG Veda, and Clamp School
Detectives. A story of destiny and apocalypse, X is set in the future of
two of CLAMP's other works, Tokyo Babylon and Clamp School Detectives,
with characters from both those series turning up in X. The long-running
and much-loved manga is now in its 14th volume, yet the final outcome of
the struggle between the Dragons of Heaven (called the Seven Seals in
the manga) and the Dragons of Earth (called Seven Minions) is yet to be
determined.
For the movie, however, it was necessary to concoct an ending. Of the
many options for a resolution that the story offers, only one could be
shown on film. The chosen ending lacks any of the imagination or
surprising plot twists for which CLAMP is known. Instead, the events
play themselves out with almost embarrassing predictability, and
everyone dies except Kamui.
Not only do they all die, but it is difficult to care. Over the many
pages of their mammoth manga, CLAMP carefully introduces their many
characters and takes time to evoke the reader's sympathy by giving
glimpses of each character's background and concerns. When transferring
X to a movie-length story, the decision was made to keep at least
nineteen of the characters. However, the majority of them are never even
introduced by name to the viewer, and no time is spent building viewer
sympathy for them before they meet their rapid and violent ends.
The result is an action-packed film with nearly non-stop fight scenes
and almost no time spent explaining who is fighting or why. The
breakneck speed at which events progress does not allow for the touches
of humor and irony for which CLAMP is so well known and which temper the
darkness of mood in the manga. Event though the soundtrack, provided by
a band called X Japan, is quite good, the music adds to the mood of
desolation from which, in the movie version, there is no escape.
To many fans, the chief attraction of the X movie is the promised return
of the characters from Tokyo Babylon. At least the personalities of
Subaru, the young medium and Seishirou, the kindly veterinarian, were
established in Tokyo Babylon anime, right? Between Tokyo Babylon and X,
Subaru has grown up, and Seishirou, secretly an assassin all along, has
killed Subaru's sister. Subaru and Seishirou fight to the death in the
second scene of the X movie, disappearing from the film even before the
viewer has a chance to realize who they are.
So, what is X supposed to be about? The story opens with the fate of the
world in balance. The decision as to whether Mankind will live or die
rests on the shoulders of a young man named Kamui. Kamui, however, cares
little for his great destiny. He is only interested in protecting his
childhood friends, Kotori and Fuuma. When the Dragons of Heaven come to
beg him to save the world, he scorns them and returns to his friends.
Then, his childhood sweetheart, Kotori, is kidnapped by the Dragons of
the Earth. Kamui goes to the Dragons of Heaven for help, unaware that
his action causes an equal and opposite action. Apparently, his friend
Fuuma is Kamui's 'companion star', destined to do the opposite of
whatever Kamui does. When Kamui joins with the Dragons of Heaven,
Fuuma's free will is overwhelmed, and he becomes an agent of destruction
for the Dragons of the Earth. The once kind and loving brother kills his
own sister (Kotori) before Kamui's eyes, forcing Kamui to kill him, the
one remaining person Kamui wished to protect.
Not a very cheerful story, certainly. We can only hope that the
conclusion to the manga will be more uplifting
In Japan, the letter "X" signifies a cross, as in a crucifixion, an
unknown in an equation, or a popular narcotic. CLAMP has claimed they
had all three meanings in mind when they chose the name. Certainly, the
movie seems to reflect all three. Kotori appears tied to a cross in
several visions; there is unknown quantity of what future Kamui will
choose; and the film, with its long surrealistic dream sequences,
reminds some viewers unpleasantly of narcotics.
Fans still curious about X should take some time to glance at the manga,
or at least to familiarize themselves with history of the many
characters, before going to see the movie. In particular, it is
important to know a bit about the 14 Dragons. Armed with this info, the
movie still lacks cohesiveness and humor but is at least comprehensible.
It does offer attractive animation, fast-paced fight scenes, and the
destruction of a lot of Tokyo real estate. X will soon be made into an
animated series for Japanese television. Hopefully, the greater scope of
a TV series will allow for the humor and human interest which the movie
so sadly lacks.