X (TV series)

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X
Keyvisual of the series
Anime television series
Directed by	Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Produced by	Masao Maruyama Jōichi Mizuno Michiko Suzuki Shinji Komori
Written by	Yuki Enatsu
Music by	Naoki Satō
Studio	Madhouse
Licensed by	AUS Siren Visual NA Funimation UK MVM Films
Original network	WOWOW
Original run	3 October 2001 – 27 March 2002
Episodes	OVA + 24 (List of episodes)
Film
X film
Anime and manga portal

X, also known as X TV, is a Japanese anime television series based on Clamp's manga with the same name. It was produced by Madhouse and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, being first announced by the manga artists group on October 18, 2000.^[1] Its twenty-four episodes were broadcast on WOWOW from October 2001 to March 2002. The story takes place at the end of days, in the year 1999. The series follows Kamui Shiro, a young esper who returns home to Tokyo after a six-year absence to face his destiny as the one who will determine humanity's fate. There, he discovers two organizations who want to take him as well as another person who shares Kamui's same talent.

Plot[]

With the manga's serialization on hiatus, the animated adaptation show the young esper Kamui Shiro reaching different fates. Kamui returns to his home, Tokyo, after a six-year absence following his mother's last will. According to her, he can change the world's fate. He can either join the groups a Dragons of Heaven or Dragons of Earth and fight for mankind or the nature, respectively. Kamui's choice to protect mankind solely by his desire to based on his love towards his childhood friend Kotori and Fuma Monou transforms him into a Dragon of the Heaven. In contrast, Fuma suffers a personality change and becomes Kamui's opposite from the Dragons of Earth. The new Fuma kills Kotori in coldblood and swears his friend to kill him. This causes Kamui to fall into catatonia as part of the trauma. However, the Dragon of Heaven Subaru Sumeragi enters into Kamui's inner mind and convinces to face reality and grant his wish. Kamui decides to side with the Dragons of Heaven to recover the old Fuma, but lacks the powers needed to create a barrier.

Kamui goes to fight Fūma after Hinoto's suicide unseals the Sacred Sword, which can be used as a catalyst to enhance the power of both Kamuis. Fuma uses the former Dragon of Heaven Arashi to intervene but he is stopped by Sorata who uses his last forces to burn his body. Fuma kills Nataku and absorbs his flesh to recover. Kamui then tries to kill Fūma after learning his loss was predetermined. Kamui is severely wounded in combat as Kamui gave on his own ideals. Before Fuma kills Kamui and the Armageddon ends, Subaru takes the hit from Fuma's Sacred Sword and again encourages him to grant Kamui to grant his own wish even if he a comes across as selfish. In the final battle, Kamui sacrifices his life to create a barrier that will protect mankind and passes Fūma his will, which restores his personality. In the epilogue, the survivors from each side resume their lives with Subaru's late sister Hokuto joining the Dragon of Earth Kakyo Kuzuki in the afterlife.

Production[]

For the X television series, director Yoshiaki Kawajiri decided not to explore Kamui's backstory early in the series and to focus more on his cold demeanor. Kawajiri considered Kamui weak because of how much it costs him to express emotions. As a result, he portraying Kamui as a strong person, though his weakness becomes noticeable as the narrative progresses. Because Kamui did not have many lines in the original video animation, Suzumura lacked a full impression of him before more of his character was explored in the television series. Suzumura found his role complicated because he understands Kamui is neither the weakest nor the strongest character. Voicing Kamui meant Suzumura debuted as a singer for an X CD. Suwabe found voicing Fuma difficult due to his dual personality: one kind, and the other cold-hearted. He also noted that the X manga was very popular in Japan, and he wanted to meet audience expectations. Suwabe befriended Kamui's actor, Kenichi Suzumura. Kotori's character was modified for the TV series as Kawajiri wanted to portray her as a more regular teenager in contrast to her weaker persona from the manga.^[2]

The script was handled by Hiroko Tokita, Kazuyuki Fudeyasu, Kenji Sugihara and Yuki Enatsu. Koshinori Kanemori adapted Clamp's character designs and served as art director along with Yuji Ikeda.^[3] The music for the series was composed by Naoki Satō with two original soundtracks being released.^[4][5] The TV series uses two theme songs: "eX Dream" by Masatoshi Nishimura (credited as "Myuji") is used as the opening theme, while "Secret Sorrow" by Kohei Koizumi is used as the ending theme. The OVA's ending theme is "STRENGTH" by Kouhei Koizumi.

Home media releases[]

In anticipation to the series premiere, an original video animation (OVA) was produced: An Omen (予兆, Yochō). It was directed-to-DVD on August 25, 2001. Written and directed by Kawajiri, the OVA tells the story of the upcoming battles through the prophecies of Kakyō Kuzuki, dreamgazer for the organization Dragon of Earth, and acts as primer for viewers not familiar with Clamp's manga.^[6] The series premiered on October 3, 2001, on WOWOW satellite television and finished on March 27, 2002, totaling twenty-four episodes.^[7] A total of twelve DVD volumes from the series, each containing two episodes, were released in Japan from February 25, 2001, to January 25, 2002, by Bandai Visual.^[8][9]

The series was first licensed in North America by Pioneer Entertainment in March 2002. Geneon collected the series and the OVA in a total of eight DVD volumes released between September 24, 2002, and November 25, 2003.^[10][11] Two DVD box sets of the series were also released on January 11, 2005.^[12][13] In 2006, Geneon released the X TV Series Re-Mix, which was composed of five individual DVDs released between July 11, 2006, and November 14, 2006, as well as a DVD box set on July 11, 2006.^[14][15] The DVDs came with re-mastered video and audio, including remixed 5.1 Dolby Digital AC3 surround sound for both the Japanese and English tracks.^[16] In September 2009, Funimation Entertainment announced that it had acquired the rights to the anime series and OVA. They were re-released them in a DVD box it on June 15, 2010, using the original Geneon dubbing (provided by Bang Zoom! Entertainment) for the English-language audio track.^[17][18] The series was also streamed in Hulu in 2010 by Funimation.^[19]

Reception[]

The 2001 incarnation makes use of its longer running time and episode format to explore the original mythos and works the characters' back-stories into the narrative through the use of flashbacks.^[20] The television series is considered a better adaptation than the 1996 feature film by critics for its deeper focus on the cast despite some characters in the early episodes lacking appeal.^[21][22] Zac Bertschy from ANN felt that Fuma's transformation into the series' villain is more realistic in the television series.^[23] While comparing the two X adaptation, Comic Book Resources that the television series lacks the bigger apocalyptic feel the film with the tragedy Rintaro portrayed was more faithful to the manga and themes.^[24]

In regards to the main character, Kamui's portrayal was often initially seen as weak with him coming across as initially anti-hero, but his dark past and actions would make him likeable.^[25][26] On the other hand, Andy Hanley from UK Anime Network found that despite the appealing backstory Kamui to understand his emotions, it still "doesn't make him any less frustrating to watch" when compared to other characters.^[27] Beveridge found Subaru's introduction in X one of his favorite episodes from the volume he reviewed because of the portrayal of the character's state since Hokuto's death.^[28] Bamboo Dong of Anime News Network found the series, "tries hard to please everyone, and comes daringly close to succeeding".^[29] Otaku USA recommended the series to people looking forward to the 2021 Tokyo Babylon anime, referring to X as a "beautifully shoujo apocalypse".^[30]

Among other characters, Subaru and Seishirō were praised as some of the deepest villains from X, pointing that Subaru was already developed in Tokyo Babylon. His confrontation with Subaru in the TV series was praised mainly because how their character designs were updated from the ones from Tokyo Babylon.^[31][32] Finding most characters interesting, THEM Anime Reviews found Sorata and Arashi's bond one of the best written relationships because of how close they become and the plot twists the television series gives them for the climax.^[33] Similarly, Beverdige—now writing for Fandom Post—regarded Kamui's and Fūma's relationship as one of the best parts of the anime, stating while the rest of the cast is still likeable, few might make the audience miss the main conflict of the two characters. However, he felt their final battle to be anti-climatic possibly as a result of Clamp having never concluded the manga.^[34] DVD Talk had mixed thoughts about the characters' relationships, finding them "dull" but instead praised the amount violence they provided in the anime's second half.^[35]

Critics also focused on the visuals. Zac Bertschy commented that, "the animation quality is consistently very high" and the characters are "never off model"; "each episode is animated with an amazing flash of style and fluidity".^[36] DVDTalk commented the animation aged well and only the OVA appears to suffer issues in general.^[35] Beveridge also commented on the character designs, finding them appealing and well balanced in contrast to other Clamp characters like the leads from Code Geass or Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle who sometimes look offmodeled. Beveridge later praised Kamui and Fuma's final fight in the television series for having its "own level of epic sadness and tragedy".^[37] Them Anime Reviews felt sometimes the animation was more average due to certain repetitive frames.^[33] There were mixed responses to the English cast for not being as appealing the Japanese ones. A big exception according to Anime News Network was Kotori Monou's actress, Michelle Ruff.^[38] DVD Talk found the English actors suitable for their roles in the television series.^[35] Bertschy felt that Steve Cannon lacked the appeal of Kenichi Suzumura when portraying the lead of X.^[38] Tomokazu Sugita's portrayal of Subaru in X was praised by Merumo who also enjoyed the older characterization envisioned in this series.^[39] In regards to the audio, THEM Anime Reviews had mixed feelings in regards to the repetitive tracks but enjoyed the opening theme.^[25]

Clamp headwriter Nanase Ohkawa stated the manga group left everything in the hands of staff in charge for it, including the scripts, the cast choices and everything else. As a result, Ohkawa considered herself and her colleagues as viewers. They found the television series as a proper adaptation of the manga even though the source material never reached its ending.^[40] In August 2011, Suzumura married singer and actor Maaya Sakamoto; as a gift, Clamp made an illustration of Kamui holding Tomoyo from Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, since the latter is voiced by Sakamoto.^[41]

References[]