X/1999, Volume 12: Movement

X [エックス] #12

by Clamp

Series Description: A tale of dark poetry and prophecy foretelling the end of-the world and the fate of the lone young man who holds Earth's destiny in his hands -- Kamui, heir to incredible psychic powers. Alone in the world, with no purpose except to protect his two dearest friends, Kamui finds himself sought by two opposing sets of occult forces.

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Shojo, Supernatural, Dark

184 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1999

About the author

Ōkawa Nanase 大川七瀬
[born: 2 May 1967; Ōsaka, bloodtype: A]

Mokona Apapa もこなあぱぱ
[born: 16 Jun 1968, Kyōto; bloodtype: A]

Nekoi Mick 猫井みっく
[born: 21 Jan 1969, Kyōto; bloodtype: O]

Igarashi Satsuki 五十嵐さつき
[born: 8 Feb 1969, Kyōto; bloodtype: A]


CLAMP originally began in 1989 as a twelve-member dōjinshi circle, but by 1990, the circle had diminished from twelve to seven. Of the remaining seven, Tamayo Akiyama, Sei Nanao, and Leeza Sei left the group during the production of the RG Veda manga. Other former members of CLAMP also included Soushi Hishika, O-Kyon, Kazue Nakamori, Yuzuru Inoue and Shinya Ōmi. Currently, there are four members in the group.

In 2004, CLAMP's 15th anniversary as a mangaka group, the members changed their names from Nanase Ohkawa, Mokona Apapa, Mick Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi to Ageha Ohkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Satsuki Igarashi (her name is pronounced the same, but written with different characters) respectively. The August 2004 issue of Newtype USA, a magazine specializing in events of the anime and manga subcultures, reported that the members of CLAMP simply wanted to try out new names. In a later interview with Ohkawa, it was revealed that initially Mokona wanted to drop her surname because it sounded too immature for her liking, while Nekoi disliked people commenting that her name was the same as Mick Jagger's. Ohkawa and Igarashi, wanting to go with the flow of Nekoi's and Mokona's name changes, changed their names as well.

In 2006, they made their first USA public debut at Anime Expo in Anaheim, California. They were well received at the convention, with 6,000 fans in attendance at their panel.

Reviews

[方 · Rating 5 out of 5]

subaru’s vicious cycle of self-destruction kills me..

[Bibliothecat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for volume 1-18



While arguably less famous than some of CLAMP'S other works such as Card Captor Sakura, Tsubasa and xxxHolic, I personally believe X/1999 to be CLAMP's true masterpiece. It is all the more a shame that this series has been left as incomplete with only little hope of there ever being a conclusion. While on one hand, I would recommend this as a masterful manga, it always comes with the grain of salt that you will be left with more questions than answers.

Kamui returns to Tokyo where, much as he would like to see them again, he avoids meeting his childhood friends Fuma and Kotori. Strange things seem to happen around Kamui - earthquakes one after the other shatter the city. Soon, mysterious people called the Dragons of Heaven and the Dragons of Earth try to recruit Kamui to join their cause: one to save the earth, and one to destroy and reform it.

Although one shouldn't expect any less from CLAMP, X/1999's art is stunning. The characters are beautifully drawn with intricate details and there is no other word than dedication to describing the Tokyo backdrops. The art does change significantly between the first and latest volume, which is quite natural to a longer running series.

Kamui certainly doesn't start off as the most likeable protagonist. But that changes fast enough once we become more familiar with his circumstances and also see his change toward others. Although this story has a lot of action, I believe it is foremost a character-driven plot. In addition to the seven Dragons of Heaven and the seven Dragons of Earth, there is still quite a vast cast of important and also lesser characters. What makes X/1999 so special is that they all have their legitimate intentions and wishes. If you like grey characters, well, this series consists of nothing but. There is really no saying which character is in the right or wrong - as the characters themselves point out - there is no ideal outcome in which everyone can be happy.

Not only are all characters relatable, they all have their own story to tell and are anything but flat characters. There must be at least one character everyone can adore, and - ok - relatable or not, I confess, I don't like Satsuki - at all. But apart from her? I can't say there is a single character who I don't care for. You'd wish each and everyone one of them could have their happy ending - unfortunately, you know it won't happen. And to make matters worse, we likely never will find out. I think, X/1999's status of being incomplete will forever be one of my personal biggest manga tragedies.

On another note, for those who have read Tokyo Babylon and/or CLAMP School Detectives, characters from both make a comeback in this series and the truly open ending of Subaru and Seishirou receives a somewhat decent conclusion. I say somewhat because, although their story continues and comes to a close of sorts, the last volume of X/1999 takes on a new turn which could go anywhere, so it's questionable whether it can really be called a satisfying conclusion.

[Daniel Bosé · Rating 4 out of 5]

Las cosas se están intensificando, y eso me gusta bastante. Es un tomo mas oscuro que el anterior, pero me gusta mucho por dónde se está encaminando la historia.

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Subaru faces Fuma/Kamui and Nataku to save Kamui from their dangerous notions of play, beating back the latter with his power, but defeated by the might and perhaps the insight to his own heart of the latter? The results are tragic or perhaps Subaru’s own wish granted? Kamui’s wish wasn’t granted. He ends up standing with bloody hands, slumping down the door of the emergency room where Subaru is taken, just as Subaru himself once slumped when Seishiro was in a similar situation. What happened to Subaru leaves Kamui even more desperate to create a spirit shield. For all her insight, Hinoto has little to say, but Saiki Daisuke, touched by Kamui’s words of comfort to Hinoto, does have something, passed on to him by his Uncle Seiichirou. This is fleshed out in a side story where Seiichirou and Daisuke train in using their powers, exploring what feelings bring the power of the wind to them. Fuma seems to always know what Kamui is feeling, to be watching him, even mirroring Kamui’s conversation to Kotori under the tree by a moment of surprising gentleness where Fuma is surrounded by little birds. Kamui, however, is struggling to figure out what Fuma is up to. He tries to learn more by talking to one of Fuma’s surviving victims, the President of Tojo Pharmaceuticals. Kamui doesn’t learn much about Fuma, but he does find out a lot about Nataku, the Dragon of Earth at Fuma’s side. Kakyo, Kusanagi, and Fuma himself all offer interesting insights into Fuma as Kamui of the Dragons of Earth. I wonder if there isn’t another insight in the disturbingly sensual moments where Kamui’s clothes are ripped and he’s bound in the debris of a breaking world like a beautiful martyr, the moments Fuma brings about. Are readers seeing Kamui through Fuma’s eyes? Seeing him as a precious sacrifice for humanity or the Earth? If Kamui has to be sacrificed, does Fuma want to be the one to do it? Does Fuma have to sacrifice himself to accomplish this, becoming whatever others wish him to be? Subaru and Yuzuriha both see Fuma/Kamui as Seishiro and Kusanagi, the people they both hold most dear? Subaru is seeing much of his former innocence in Kamui, something he feels protective of, in spite of his own wish. He’s touched by the concern of all the other Dragons of Heaven, but he’s haunted by the sakura, by Seishiro. Yuzuriha cares about all the Dragons of Heaven, but a protectiveness in her spikes at a similar vulnerability she’s seeing in Kamui and Subaru. She asks both of them to call on her for help if she’s in trouble. She is, however, particularly drawn to Kusanagi, finding reasons to meet with him and spend time with him. Kamui continues to spend time with Keiichi while the latter is trying hard to be brave in the continuing tragedy of the earthquakes. His bravery makes Kamui even more desperate to create a spirit shield. Sora-chan is there for Kamui when he needs him, perhaps protecting him in a way only he can. He reminded me a lot of Hokuto in Tokyo Babylon with his speech to Kamui about regret, a speech which convinces Kamui to eat and move forward. This impresses not only Kamui, but Arashi, which reminds her of her own crisis when she was convinced to eat. Once again the volume ended on a tense note where Yuzuriha may be the one facing danger and Kamui is never far from it while he’s constantly in Fuma’s sights.

I find myself enchanted by how intriguing twisted, sympathic, and striking the characters in this manga are, standing out exquisitely against the aesthetic panels created for them. They absorb me and draw me in, every time I look at them. This is a manga I rediscover again and again, falling in love with it each time I do. It’s not quite like any other.

[Don Federico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lastima no haberme traído los 6 restantes porque me subo por las paredes.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

X Clamp #12


Gempa yang menghancurkan gedung Sunrise tidak hanya memakan korban orang-orang yang tak bersalah. Subaru yang berusaha melindungi Kamui pun harus kehilangan mata kanannya dalam pertarungannya dengan Sakurazukamori. Membuat Kamui kesal dan menyesali dirinya yang tak dapat berbuat apa-apa untuk menyelamatkan Subaru.
Tapi kehidupan mesti berlanjut. Jangan menyesali apa yang telah terjadi. Yang utama kita harus berusaha semampu kita menjalaninya, itulah nasehat Arisugawa (salah satu naga langit) untuk Kamui. Hal yang sama Kamui temukan dalam diri teman barunya yang tegar atas kematian ibunya dalam gempa kali ini.

Di lain pihak, dark Kamui semakin kuat dan mampu mengetahui apa saja keinginan setiap manusia. Bahkan keingingin sejati Subaru yang notabene adalah seorang naga langit.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this volume: Subaru fights with [spoiler]; Kamui starts asking how to make a spirit shield; Yuzuriha heads into her own conflict. I finally get a little payoff for plodding through Tokyo Babylon; in the aftermath of one of the fights, the parallels between the two series are striking. Not that they haven't been noticeable before, but they're particularly striking here. Side note: I think Viz needs new copy editors--the back cover copy has a striking factual error about who Subaru actually fought and is generally misleading.

[Samantha Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any time with Subaru is my favourite time, but his story is so tragic! Love it all the same!

[Adrian Santiago · Rating 3 out of 5]

Empiezan las masacres a los defensores de la humanidad, y què papeadas les ponen. hahaha

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it was scary and sad how Subaru lost his left eye.

[Ricardo Marín]

5 / 5