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東京BABYLON [Tokyo Babylon] #5
Tokyo Babylon, Vol. 5
Tokyo A Save Tokyo City Story, is a shōjo manga series created by Clamp, with story by Nanase Ohkawa and art by Mokona. The series follows Subaru Sumeragi, the head of the Sumeragi clan, and his sister Hokuto as they work to protect Tokyo from a myriad of supernatural perils.
176 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1993
5 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
Clamp
746 books3,139 followersŌkawa 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.
[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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
August 12, 2022
Sigh, I can feel the betrayal approaching.
I can't imagine how exhausting it must be to be on Subaru's place, with all those responsibilities and dealing with that job, all while being an empath.
I love how we get evil Seichiro every time he takes his glasses off lol but I can tell he's dangerous, so I'm mostly just worried. What a cliffhanger.
I can't imagine how exhausting it must be to be on Subaru's place, with all those responsibilities and dealing with that job, all while being an empath.
I love how we get evil Seichiro every time he takes his glasses off lol but I can tell he's dangerous, so I'm mostly just worried. What a cliffhanger.
January 4, 2025
La traición se acerca y no estoy preparada para ello.
December 1, 2022
Got so much better, but idk I want more info about everything.
March 20, 2017
This some Hannibal/Will levels of ship going on here
April 22, 2021
My favorite so far. The grandpa story was really sad, the karaoke one surprised me, and the ending is full of promise.
June 21, 2024
A solid collection of macabre and melancholy tales and a not-quite cliffhanger ending.
May 3, 2022
I feel like I say it on every volume but this one, this one was incredible.
I bawled my eyes out for the 1st story, got surprised by surprised by the 2nd and finally, broke by the 3rd (for Subaru) because his sister called it.
Subaru would be broken by love, and if we had any doubts before, we know now for sure. Someone protect this fluffy ball of a humain being Subaru is
I bawled my eyes out for the 1st story, got surprised by surprised by the 2nd and finally, broke by the 3rd (for Subaru) because his sister called it.
Subaru would be broken by love, and if we had any doubts before, we know now for sure. Someone protect this fluffy ball of a humain being Subaru is
February 28, 2017
Este es el volumen en el que Hokuto queda en shock cuando se da cuenta de que su otp de hecho sí podría ser canon.
Son 3 historias: una en un karaoke, otra con un anciano y la tercera con un niño enfermo. Las tres son ambiguas en cuanto a buenos y malos, como todo TB en realidad, y la que más me gustó fue la del niño.
Subaru es el cinnamon roll más cinnamon roll de todos los cinnamon rolls habidos y aunque la oscuridad de Seishirou es más sutil que en otros volúmenes, siempre está presente y es cada vez más visible.
Ahora sí, es cuenta regresiva para que empiecen el sufrimiento y dolor infinitos.
Son 3 historias: una en un karaoke, otra con un anciano y la tercera con un niño enfermo. Las tres son ambiguas en cuanto a buenos y malos, como todo TB en realidad, y la que más me gustó fue la del niño.
Subaru es el cinnamon roll más cinnamon roll de todos los cinnamon rolls habidos y aunque la oscuridad de Seishirou es más sutil que en otros volúmenes, siempre está presente y es cada vez más visible.
Ahora sí, es cuenta regresiva para que empiecen el sufrimiento y dolor infinitos.
January 14, 2022
subaru🥺
November 4, 2024
Stories are getting sadder and sadder. They’re not bad but I’m starting to get bored of the “one chapter = one story” and no reveal on the main plot.
December 2, 2024
Whoa! What an emotional set of stories this volume has. I also believe you begin to see a darker turn to the story by the end leading into the next volume.
January 9, 2025
Well that was depressing. Idk how I’m supposed to wait for the next one.
August 16, 2025
This whole volume was heartbreaking wtf 😭
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2025
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.
April 17, 2024
Aku nggak nyangka ternyata aku bisa menyukai Tokyo Babylon lebih dari yang kuduga. Isu sosialnya kental banget.
Di chapter Old, Subaru berkenalan dengan seorang kakek yang berteman akrab dengan para burung. Namun, putrinya sendiri memperlakukannya dengan tidak menyenangkan karena masalah finansial. Bagi putrinya, keberadaan ayahnya adalah beban. Hal yang paling menyesakkan adalah ketika kedua cucu sang kakek dengan santai bertanya, "Kek, kapan Kakek mati? Kata Ibu kalau kakek mati kami bisa dapat kamar sendiri."
BAYANGKAN!
Padahal, sang kakek sudah berjanji untuk membuat anaknya bahagia 100 kali pada istrinya yang sudah meninggal. (Kok cuma 100? Kebahagiaan seorang anak karena orangtuanya itu harusnya nggak terhitung, kan?). Kata sang kakek, jika dirinya sudah membuat anaknya bahagia sekali lagi, baru dia bisa pergi dengan tenang.
Fenomena anak yang menganggap orangtuanya sebagai beban ini sangat bikin miris. Padahal, orangtua bisa sabar merawat anaknya sejak kecil, tapi ketika giliran anak merawat orangtua yang sudah lansia, mereka tidak sabar. Semoga kita semua dilimpahi kemampuan dan kelapangan rezeki untuk merawat para orangtua kita, ya.
*
Di episode berikutnya, Hokuto, Subaru, dan Seishirou berkaraoke. Heran nih dokter, kok jarang ada adegan dia nanganin pasien, sih? Main mulu kerjanya xD
Namun, saat Subaru selesai membelikan rokok bagi Seishirou dan mau kembali ke biliknya, ia dicegat oleh seorang wanita yang memintanya menemani berkaraoke. Subaru mengatakan bahwa ia bisa merasakan kesedihan yang amat sangat dari nyanyian sang wanita. Wanita itu lalu berkata bahwa dia pernah berselingkuh dengan atasannya yang sudah beristri. Namun, atasannya itu akhirnya lebih memilih keluarga aslinya. Sejak itu lagu-lagu cinta yang menyakitkan menjadi pelampiasan wanita itu di tempat karaoke.
Hahahaha.... Hasyeum. Aku pun kalau lagi galau karena cinta ya rasanya semua lagu cinta yang kudengar nyambung aja gitu sama perasaanku. Sungguh drama 😭
Tadinya aku bertanya-tanya, mana bagian supernaturalnya? Tapi ternyata identitas wanita itu adalah jawabannya.
*
Di cerita ketiga, Subaru berkenalan dengan Yuuya-kun yang rutin menjalani cuci darah dua hari sekali di rumah sakit. Ibunya sudah lama mengantri untuk jadi resipien ginjal, tapi Yuuya tak segera mendapat giliran. Gara-gara itu dia pun jadi setengah gila.
Di sini kita akhirnya tahu mengapa Seishirou bisa buta sebelah matanya di X/1999.
Di chapter Old, Subaru berkenalan dengan seorang kakek yang berteman akrab dengan para burung. Namun, putrinya sendiri memperlakukannya dengan tidak menyenangkan karena masalah finansial. Bagi putrinya, keberadaan ayahnya adalah beban. Hal yang paling menyesakkan adalah ketika kedua cucu sang kakek dengan santai bertanya, "Kek, kapan Kakek mati? Kata Ibu kalau kakek mati kami bisa dapat kamar sendiri."
BAYANGKAN!
Padahal, sang kakek sudah berjanji untuk membuat anaknya bahagia 100 kali pada istrinya yang sudah meninggal. (Kok cuma 100? Kebahagiaan seorang anak karena orangtuanya itu harusnya nggak terhitung, kan?). Kata sang kakek, jika dirinya sudah membuat anaknya bahagia sekali lagi, baru dia bisa pergi dengan tenang.
Fenomena anak yang menganggap orangtuanya sebagai beban ini sangat bikin miris. Padahal, orangtua bisa sabar merawat anaknya sejak kecil, tapi ketika giliran anak merawat orangtua yang sudah lansia, mereka tidak sabar. Semoga kita semua dilimpahi kemampuan dan kelapangan rezeki untuk merawat para orangtua kita, ya.
*
Di episode berikutnya, Hokuto, Subaru, dan Seishirou berkaraoke. Heran nih dokter, kok jarang ada adegan dia nanganin pasien, sih? Main mulu kerjanya xD
Namun, saat Subaru selesai membelikan rokok bagi Seishirou dan mau kembali ke biliknya, ia dicegat oleh seorang wanita yang memintanya menemani berkaraoke. Subaru mengatakan bahwa ia bisa merasakan kesedihan yang amat sangat dari nyanyian sang wanita. Wanita itu lalu berkata bahwa dia pernah berselingkuh dengan atasannya yang sudah beristri. Namun, atasannya itu akhirnya lebih memilih keluarga aslinya. Sejak itu lagu-lagu cinta yang menyakitkan menjadi pelampiasan wanita itu di tempat karaoke.
Hahahaha.... Hasyeum. Aku pun kalau lagi galau karena cinta ya rasanya semua lagu cinta yang kudengar nyambung aja gitu sama perasaanku. Sungguh drama 😭
Tadinya aku bertanya-tanya, mana bagian supernaturalnya? Tapi ternyata identitas wanita itu adalah jawabannya.
*
Di cerita ketiga, Subaru berkenalan dengan Yuuya-kun yang rutin menjalani cuci darah dua hari sekali di rumah sakit. Ibunya sudah lama mengantri untuk jadi resipien ginjal, tapi Yuuya tak segera mendapat giliran. Gara-gara itu dia pun jadi setengah gila.
Di sini kita akhirnya tahu mengapa Seishirou bisa buta sebelah matanya di X/1999.
January 9, 2025
Everyone has their own outlook on life, and their own troubles, true enough. Regardless of that, I have a hard time with "social issue of the week" stories like this that feature throwaway characters with nothing to them except their role in a morality play. I had the exact same issue with the first handful of stories in CLAMP's later series xxxHolic, though thankfully that format was dropped in favor of stories building up its central, recurring cast.
It was interesting to see attitudes toward bullying, aging, and organ transplants along the way in these last couple of volumes of Tokyo Babylon. CLAMP's early 90s fashions are stylish... and sometimes strange, when it comes to Hokuto's. :) The after-dark Tokyo scene-setting is pretty good, but also has been done better elsewhere (i.e. in Call of the Night). You see one karaoke room or hospital waiting room, you've seen 'em all.
Does Seishirou ever, you know, do his job? He goofs off with the twins so frequently that it seems like it'd be bad for his veterinary career. The role he might be playing in the secretive Sakurazuka family hasn't yet come to light, and staying closely in the twins' orbit could make it much easier to spy on them and find an opening to make a move later on. He's twirled his mustache for the reader a few times by now, but the sibs are still oblivious. Since the next volume is the last, they'd better get wise fast.
It was interesting to see attitudes toward bullying, aging, and organ transplants along the way in these last couple of volumes of Tokyo Babylon. CLAMP's early 90s fashions are stylish... and sometimes strange, when it comes to Hokuto's. :) The after-dark Tokyo scene-setting is pretty good, but also has been done better elsewhere (i.e. in Call of the Night). You see one karaoke room or hospital waiting room, you've seen 'em all.
Does Seishirou ever, you know, do his job? He goofs off with the twins so frequently that it seems like it'd be bad for his veterinary career. The role he might be playing in the secretive Sakurazuka family hasn't yet come to light, and staying closely in the twins' orbit could make it much easier to spy on them and find an opening to make a move later on. He's twirled his mustache for the reader a few times by now, but the sibs are still oblivious. Since the next volume is the last, they'd better get wise fast.
December 19, 2025
What in the world did I just read?
First of all, this volume was beyond tragic. But I have a feeling the real tragedy hasn’t even begun yet…
Too much. Too much has happened. The story with the old man and his daughter was messed up. So was the story about the woman who was part of an affair and committed suicide. But most of all, Subaru wanting to donate his kidney to a random person. That’s not even the bad part. Subaru wanting to willingly donate the kidney, the mother of the child he wants to donate to coming at him with a knife demanding his kidney even though he is willing, how he refused to fight back and closed his eyes as if prepared to be cut down… and Seishiro jumping in front of him and getting badly hurt.
Hokuto said that if Subaru truly fell in love with someone and they betrayed him, he would surely die. Seishiro will betray him, although it hasn’t happened yet. But it will. And given how agonized Subaru was after Seishiro was hurt, we can assume that Subaru loves Seishiro. So, Subaru will surely die.
First of all, this volume was beyond tragic. But I have a feeling the real tragedy hasn’t even begun yet…
Too much. Too much has happened. The story with the old man and his daughter was messed up. So was the story about the woman who was part of an affair and committed suicide. But most of all, Subaru wanting to donate his kidney to a random person. That’s not even the bad part. Subaru wanting to willingly donate the kidney, the mother of the child he wants to donate to coming at him with a knife demanding his kidney even though he is willing, how he refused to fight back and closed his eyes as if prepared to be cut down… and Seishiro jumping in front of him and getting badly hurt.
Hokuto said that if Subaru truly fell in love with someone and they betrayed him, he would surely die. Seishiro will betray him, although it hasn’t happened yet. But it will. And given how agonized Subaru was after Seishiro was hurt, we can assume that Subaru loves Seishiro. So, Subaru will surely die.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2025
The elderly are a symbol of the future's uncertainty. The bodies of those who are young now will betray them in the end. And the abusers will become the abused. One day, the young will become old, too. So many of us live in fear of that day.
I didn't know much about this manga series but I couldn't resist picking it up when I saw the complete set in a local charity shop. The artwork is classic which made sense when I saw it was released back in the early 1990s.
This volume sees Subaru befriend the grandfather of a struggling family who shares a passion for nature and wildlife before Seishirou makes a sacrifice that will change the dynamics of the group.
Things are coming to a head and we may finally understand the significance of Subaru's dreams of a cherry blossom. 5 stars again.
I didn't know much about this manga series but I couldn't resist picking it up when I saw the complete set in a local charity shop. The artwork is classic which made sense when I saw it was released back in the early 1990s.
This volume sees Subaru befriend the grandfather of a struggling family who shares a passion for nature and wildlife before Seishirou makes a sacrifice that will change the dynamics of the group.
Things are coming to a head and we may finally understand the significance of Subaru's dreams of a cherry blossom. 5 stars again.
October 17, 2018
More relevant themes!
Don't abuse and neglect the elderly.
Your feelings are valid regardless of whether others 'have it worse'. You are suffering and that is real; don't let anyone invalidate you for how you feel.
Being an organ donor is really important, but it can be hard for relatives to process the idea of their dead loved one's flesh living on in another person. Waiting for a transplant is also hard.
Subaru's empathy has no limits. Whether someone is living or dead, he cares deeply for them and wants to do anything possible to ease their hurt. -squints at Seishiro- hmmm... Seishiro, on the other hand... he SAYS he's not sure what it's like to be kind, but sometimes his actions SEEM kind...
Don't abuse and neglect the elderly.
Your feelings are valid regardless of whether others 'have it worse'. You are suffering and that is real; don't let anyone invalidate you for how you feel.
Being an organ donor is really important, but it can be hard for relatives to process the idea of their dead loved one's flesh living on in another person. Waiting for a transplant is also hard.
Subaru's empathy has no limits. Whether someone is living or dead, he cares deeply for them and wants to do anything possible to ease their hurt. -squints at Seishiro- hmmm... Seishiro, on the other hand... he SAYS he's not sure what it's like to be kind, but sometimes his actions SEEM kind...
September 6, 2021
Todo llegó a un nuevo nivel de intensidad y me hubiera encantado que el manga empezara así, pero llegar a este punto implicó arrastrarme por un par de capítulos sin noción alguna de la trama en general. Me gusta que a través de estas pequeñas historias CLAMP busca darte una nueva perspectiva sobre muchos problemas sociales -que entiendo se enfocaban en Japón en los 90s pero muchos son prevalentes ahora, o han empeorado. Yuuya se ganó todo mi corazón y con este final y no entiendo a Seishirou para nada.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2020
Uhhhh por favor cuantos cosas pasaron en este tomo, muero por seguir leyendo mas.
En este tomo podemos conocer como Subaru es, como siente y como a veces no se da cuenta que debe descansar, comer y dormir por el trabajo. Por ayudar a los demás, el es capas de todo pero no se da cuenta de que su hermana se preocupa mucho por el y sufre.
WEN
En este tomo podemos conocer como Subaru es, como siente y como a veces no se da cuenta que debe descansar, comer y dormir por el trabajo. Por ayudar a los demás, el es capas de todo pero no se da cuenta de que su hermana se preocupa mucho por el y sufre.
WEN
February 15, 2019
"Kindness and a pure heart. Two things that couldn't be more alien to me."
yes, Seishiro is one of the most disturbing CLAMP characters (this quote doesn't do his sociopathy justice) and the more I read, the more I cringed.
yes, Seishiro is one of the most disturbing CLAMP characters (this quote doesn't do his sociopathy justice) and the more I read, the more I cringed.
May 5, 2022
The story of the old man is heartbreaking, and it really helps to develop Subaru from this wallflower into more of a badass. I also love how they reveal Subaru's deep love of Seishirou, it's been subtle but also very compelling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2025
This one was hit or miss for me. “Old” had me on the verge of tears, “Box” was pretty good, and while I like what they were trying to get at with “Rebirth,” I didn’t really like how the storytelling was done in this chapter.
November 16, 2025
It's been a hot minute since I was going through the volumes for this series, so I don't have an abundance of thoughts on this one, but I do think the stories/chapters in this installment may be the saddest yet of any in Tokyo Babylon.
August 31, 2017
Urgh you can feel the angst coming a mile off at the end of this book. Pure emotional self-flagellation.
*immediately opens the next one*
*immediately opens the next one*
December 29, 2018
Es increíble cómo un manga de más de 20 años trata temas de importancia social incluso en esta época
August 2, 2020
Este sin duda es el volumen más duro y con las historias más dramáticas, ains a estas CLAMP como les gusta hacernos daño en el kokoro :(
February 20, 2022
Las mejores historias hasta ahora. Medio forzadas, pero buenos planteamientos.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews