Tokio, una ciudad animada pero a la vez congestionada, llena de risas y alegría. Allí reside Subaru Sumeragi, el decimotercer jefe de su clan y un poderoso onmyouji. Cuando llaman a Subaru para que despierte a una niña atrapada en un sueño de cuatro meses, se sorprende al ver a su amiga de la infancia, Mitsuki, que ha atrincherado su conciencia dentro de sus propios recuerdos. Todo lo que necesita hacer es convencerla de que salga... ¡pero es más fácil decirlo que hacerlo cuando el objetivo dice odiarlo!
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.
When I opened this volume, I was taken back by how long the chapters are. However, once I started reading, I understand why: smaller chapters would've totally messed with the pacing. Clamp does take advantage of the longer length to show off some gorgeous double page spreads, which I'm always a sucker for. Unfortunately, the story meanders. It's still sticking to the case of the week format with a dose of social commentary. Seeing as the series is only 18 chapters long, I'm itching for some plot and character development.
Entonces tenemos dos historias sucediendo en este volumen, primero seguimos a Subaru y su amiga de la infancia, con una trama un poco mas oscura que el primer tomo. Por otro lado tenemos a Hokuto comenzando una nueva amistad con una mujer extranjera. Seishirou me gustas un montón pero siento que romperá mi corazón.
Ok gonna mark these volumes read individually because… it’s only eight volumes and why do I have to review all eight in one when I’m reading them in real time? No thanks. I finished my reading challenge anyway.
But either way, I just wanted to write a couple notes. Or rather, include a couple quotes I thought were interesting. It makes more sense to write out my thoughts on the volume they came from.
“The sakurazukamori is a clan of assassins who use their onmyoji powers to KILL (22). OKKKK. WE BEST BELIEVE OUR BOY SEISHIRO IS AN ASSASSIN. I KNOW FAKE WHEN I SEE IT (his love is real, but that’s not what I’m talking about!) THIS IS GONNA BE SO COOOL I CAN’T WAIT FOR HIS TRUE IDENTITY TO BE REVEALED.
And can I just say he has to get rid of those glasses of his? I actually like glasses on men, but this man needs to TAKE THEM OFF. Bro is freaking majestic? And creepy? And… uh, weird. But we’re gonna ignore his weirdness for now because bro is literally beautiful. Like why is your face prettier than mine and you’re a man?
“I just can’t believe someone as gentle as Seishiro-san could be an assassin” (24). HAHAHAHA. OH SUBARU MY SWEET CHILD. JUST YOU WAIT.
This is honestly so interesting so far. Ignoring the controversial bits and pieces, it’s right up my alley. And clamp is known to be controversial to add tension to their stories. How else are you going to keep readers on edge? And antsy to confirm the nature of these controversies?
Volume three, here I come! Except I don’t have it on me right now so… when I get home. I’m so excited for the beginning of my CLAMP reading challenge. This’ll be fun!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Will definitly be one my favorites of the series. I wasn't expecting it to take that dark of a turn. I mean, we talked about suicide in the first one, but the rape part here broke me for the character. Then, we focus on Hokuto and her new friend and as someone who lives abroad, far from their friends and family, I couldn't relate more.
Are we sure this is a shojo ? I would consider more of a Josei
Very happy to say this one felt a bit less formulaic, and Hokuto did indeed get her own story, entirely separate from her brother and Seishirou. Loved the parts about what it means to be a "foreigner," with Hokuto insisting that there is no such thing. There's no land called "foreign," so everyone is from somewhere and shouldn't be lumped into a faceless "other" group.
This series is all about how Tokyo is a metropolis bent on destruction, but CLAMP always works on bringing out the humanity and areas of beauty even in the midst of a city toppling from grace. It's important that Subaru is the heart of this story, because it's his kind heart that has the power to transform those around him.
Seishirou remains mysterious, but at this point, he appears to be sticking close to Subaru in order to protect him - from his own kindness, sometimes. But Subaru's grandmother, the former head of their clan, doesn't know anything about their relationship, and it's clear things would not go well if she did.
This volume only had two stories: Hokuto's, and one with a girl from Subaru's childhood. A little surprised, actually, at the pacing, because we don't really seem to be heading anywhere specific yet, and I didn't think this was a particularly long series? With only 7 volumes, things will have to pick up and shift dramatically pretty soon.
One of the themes so far is about recognizing the humanity inherent in various groups of people. Even if what they're doing seems like it's harming someone else, everyone has their reasons for doing things, and those being harmed may also be causing their own harm to others. Each of them recognizes this but approaches it in different ways.
Subaru believes that he can bring out the blameless good in anyone he's interacting with. Seishirou believes that everyone is ultimately to blame, no one is particularly good, and humans need love and dreams to keep on going in a world they'd otherwise be devastated by. And Hokuto thinks that everyone has their own bits of good and bad, but she'll choose to stand by those she's decided to care about. So I suppose that's who she is in this story - she's not just a jokester third wheel, but a good balance to two pretty opposed worldviews.
Be prepared for this one to be rough when you go in. This volume focuses pretty heavily on a character whose trouble originates in her being sexually assaulted and struggling to deal with the rumors and gossip surrounding what happened to her. For what it was and what unfolded in the story, it was handled well in my opinion, but it's still rough and still has mild brief depictions of the assault.
The remaining part of the volume deals with Hokuto befriending a foreign woman working for a host club and trying to help her out of a tough situation. I found this annex chapter interesting, as Hokuto seems very open to befriending and embracing gaijin, which is surprising and feels forward-thinking given the time this was originally released and a lot of its contemporary media and the mindset of Japan at the time? I suppose I'm not too shocked, given this is a CLAMP title, but it was still a pleasant surprise nonetheless!
I gave the first volume 2 stars, so I had very low expectations going into this. I went in with the mindset that if this one wasn’t very good either, I’d drop the series. I ended up being completely blown away by the storytelling, themes, and character development in this volume.
There are two chapters, one following Subaru and one following Hokuto. Both covered themes that are still extremely topical to this day, and I was genuinely very moved by these two stories. I didn’t at all expect the political/social themes of TB to be covered with such grace and complexity, and I’m really impressed, especially after how dated the first volume felt to me.
I also loved learning more about the siblings as people. So far they’re both very well written characters, and they’re now miles more interesting to me than they were in vol 1.
Overall, definitely give this volume a try even if you didn’t enjoy the first very much.
"Thr right for people to spoiler the happiness of others... the right to destroy another's life and future... nobody should have that right. But in reality, it is a natural thing."
...
"You can't change the past. No matter how hard you try, you can't turn back time. But the future... the only one who could change the future is you."
This volume took a dark turn from the almost whimsical tone of the first one.
Hokuto is a BAMF, but we already knew that. "Smile" was my favorite story of the two, but Subaru has such a gentle voice? I can't explain it, but I enjoy reading him, even more so when he's serious and his shyness goes away: he speaks with a ton of purpose.
The story and plot is alright, and I am increasingly relieved that the kind of creepy mid-20s man is shaping up to be the antagonist instead of the (as I thought at first) actual love interest for a 17 year old, and instead seems to be some kind of cover? I think? Not super awesome regardless. Either way, it just lacks that something extra; I'm not feeling compelled to read more.
Another impeccable volume of psychological horror. This one deals with very raw contemporary issues with nuance, while elements of the greater plot are carefully sprinkled through.
As for the new translation: thankfully there is no overuse of "heck" this time, and overall the text read smoothly.
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.
Malgré ses couvertures criardes, malgré son début un peu léger, avec un humour trop appuyé, rien à faire, je suis fan. Tokyo Babylon dégage vraiment une ambiance urbaine mélancolique comme je les aime qui s’accentue ici pour mon plus grand plaisir.
Après un premier tome introductif, j’avais peur de tomber sur une suite d’affaires sans grand intérêt. J’ai eu tort d’écouter ce qui ont dit ça, car dès le début j’ai trouvé de relief aux histoires auxquelles étaient mêlés Subaru, Seishiro et Hotaru, et cela se confirme ici. On retrouve la même force de l’ambiance tokyoïte solitaire. Je trouve de plus en plus de charme aux dessins et surtout aux compositions très graphiques et très mode du quatuor. Et cerise sur le gâteau, la noirceur s’accentue et les mystères qui vont avec aussi.
Ce deuxième tome propose donc une longue histoire centrée sur Subaru et une autre plus courte mettant en scène Hotaru. Les deux permettent de développer nos jumeaux et d’en découvrir plus sur leurs personnalités et leurs relations avec leurs proches, ce qui est passionnant. Dans celle de Subaru, on revient en plus sur un fait divers atroce : le viol d’une jeune lycéenne, qui ne veut pas le dire à sa mère veuve, qui l’élève seule, pour ne pas lui faire du mal, mais qui ne supporte plus le poids des rumeurs. C’est vraiment très rude, mais mis en scène avec beaucoup de finesse et de poésie par les autrices à travers leur mise en scène et leurs choix. Il y a un vrai engagement et une vraie douceur dans l’intervention fine de Subaru et le choix de ses mots pour l’aider à affronter l’avenir.
Mais la fan de Tokyo Babylon (et surtout de X) en moi, a surtout noté l’intervention de Seishiro et tout le sous texte qui court sur lui dans ce chapitre à partir du moment où la grand-mère de Subaru bien poser un cadre sur leurs familles respectives et leurs rôles. On sent monter sa noirceur. On sent grandir notre inquiétude. Les questions sont nombreuses sur lui et sa place aux côtés des jumeaux. La mise en scène des Clamp toute en allégories et non-dits vient sans cesse titiller notre curiosité et faire pencher d’un côté puis de l’autre notre curseur moral, sans réussir à trancher. C’est excellent d’ambivalence et ça préfigure bien la suite de leur oeuvre.
Enfin, le chapitre consacré à Hotaru permet de mettre en avant cette trublionne juste présente pour amuser la galerie et jouer les gravures de mode jusqu’à présent. Ça fait du bien de la voir dans l’action, de découvrir ses pouvoirs, de voir son caractère ! Le tout dans une histoire à nouveau avec un sous texte, ici, celui de l’emploi des étrangers au Japon et de la façon dont les femmes sont traitées dans les bars à hôtesse. Les Clamp sont cinglantes et raccrochent ça fort joliment avec ce décor de grand ville anonyme et solitaire qu’elles dépeignent depuis le début comme arrière-plan à leur histoire. J’apprécie vraiment.
L’air de rien, en deux histoires, les autrices retournent l’ambiance de leur série et mettent sur pause l’humour un peu lourd et l’ambiance un peu légère des débuts pour deux histoires lourdes de sens où ses héros, les jumeaux, vont mettre leurs pouvoirs au service de ceux dans le besoin, révélant ainsi leur caractère et nous proposant une histoire à la noirceur plus assumée. On adore et on a à nouveau hâte de poursuivre et d’en apprendre plus sur cet assassin qui rôde autour d’eux !
Wow, jilid dua ini punya peningkatan cerita yang sangat signifikan dibanding volume pertama.
Di cerita pertama, Subaru menolong Mitsuki, teman masa kecilnya yang tertidur selama empat bulan setelah diperkosa dan digosipkan oleh orang-orang di lingkungan apartemennya. Untuk membangunkan gadis itu, roh Subaru harus masuk ke hati gadis itu. Ini jelas tindakan berbahaya karena Subaru bisa terluka di sana jika Mitsuki menyerangnya. Namun, jika Subaru menyerang balik untuk melindungi dirinya, dia bisa merusak pikiran Mitsuki.
Aku merasa cara CLAMP menggambarkan adegan pemerkosaan di sini sungguh simpatik. Kelam dan horornya terasa, tapi sama sekali tidak vulgar karena Mitsuki digambarnya hanya ditelan oleh siluet-siluet hitam. Karena Subaru terluka di alam kesadaran Mitsuki, diam-diam Seishirou mengirimkan elang gaibnya untuk menolong Subaru.
Subaru sungguh baik. Ia tetap menolong Mitsuki meski gadis itu pernah menyakitinya dengan mengatakan bahwa dia membenci Subaru gara-gara Subaru tidak normal.
*
Di cerita kedua, penilaianku terhadap Hokuto berubah. Tidak saja dia ditampilkan sebagai cewek jagoan yang jago bela diri, kekuatan onmyouji-nya pun ditampilkan saat ia membuat tidur para polisi pengejarnya.
Polisi? Ya, Hokuto dikejar-kejar polisi karena menolong seorang gadis imigran gelap yang tadinya mau ditangkap. Mengira para polisi itu adalah cowok-cowok jahat yang mau mempermainkan gadis itu, Hokuto pun menghajar mereka semua.
Gadis itu datang ke Tokyo untuk bekerja di klub demi membiayai ayahnya yang sakit dan ibunya yang tak lagi bisa bekerja di negara asalnya. Dia bilang bahwa di Tokyo hidupnya bisa berkecukupan asal dia bekerja keras, sedangkan di negara asalnya sekeras apa pun ia berusaha, hidupnya tak pernah membaik. Namun, di tanah airnya dia punya teman-teman dan keluarga yang menyukai senyumannya, sedangkan di Tokyo dia kesepian. Cerita ini menggambarkan realita pahit para imigran gelap yang berasal dari keluarga miskin. Jauh-jauh mereka datang ke negara yang lebih maju sampai rela melanggar hukum agar keluarganya bisa bertahan hidup.
Tapi sayang, tampaknya gadis ini tidak akan muncul lagi di volume-volume berikutnya meski Hokuto bilang dia mau jadi teman pertamanya. Cerita berakhir sebelum gadis itu menyebutkan nama lengkapnya.
Volume 2 starts to take a grimmer turn from the first, where we continue to enjoy Subaru's daily adventures as a demon exorcist living in downtown Tokyo. I think that I have enjoyed the story a whole lot more because I have actually visited a lot of the neighborhoods that take place within the story, among them the infamous Red Light District of Kabukicho and the government office buildings of Shinjuku which has the cheapest elevator ride in town to see the entire megacity in all of its endless concrete jungle glory.
It is quite interesting that a group of female authors who have entertained us with a bubbly cute manga such as Card Captor Sakura would write a manga that covers so many difficult themes in vogue today. It is like they are writing far ahead of their time. This novel not only offers us the staple fun of ghosts doing mischief and demon fighting hawks, it delves into the lives of victims of rape in a society where it is still very difficult for survivors to come out and report the crime due to the shame of being blamed by everyone. I also enjoyed the story focusing on Hokuto meeting a foreign woman who has overstayed her work visa and has been forced to work in a seedy bar with the constant fear of deportation. I would have wanted a more fulfilling conclusion to that story, and maybe make that character as a regular. But for a country that sees foreigners working blue collar jobs in such a negative light, I really liked it that CLAMP took a huge risk.
I kind of feel the volume could have benefitted with being a bit less episodic in the sense of relying too much on being a "exorcise monster of the day" story, but it was a step in the right direction from volume 1, and we get to discover a few secrets about Seishiro.
Definitely worthwhile if you are into dark urban fantasy!
Oh, this second volume was so good. I wasn't expecting it to be so amazing, to be honest. It starts exactly were the last one has ended. Subaru thinks that it may not be the first time that he has seen Sakurazukamori, that they might have had a first encounter years ago and this may be true. It seems that Seishiro is hiding something, perhaps? Anyway... Subaru keeps seeing the heir of the Sakurazukamori family in his dreams. Then, the heir of the Sumeragi family goes to a hospital to help a girl that was a victim of sexual assault. She has been into a state of coma, sort of, since the news about the violence that was perpetrated towards her had spread through her neighboorhood. Subaru then convinces her into coming back to her family.
The second half starts when a girl is been chased by the police and Hokuto helps her. She then tells Hokuto that she is a foreigner. She has decided to travel to Tokyo in order to help her family since they don't have resources to sustain themselves. She was looking forward to be able to provide for them but her difficulties with the language and the culture barrier have left her alone with no friends and no money. Hokuto then manages to help her escape, also becoming her first friend in Tokyo
You are the thirteenth generation of the Sumeragi clan, Subaru... And its present master. The Sumeragi have protected Japan from spiritual enemies since ancient times. And it is our duty as Onmyoji to continue that tradition today.
Although I am the twelfth generational master, and your grandmother, I say this with reservation. The powers that you were born with, Subaru, are quite unique... Even considering the histories of past Sumeragi masters.
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 1990s.
Subaru is once again called into action but this time it is not a restless spirit that he must save. As always Seishirou is close by keeping an eye on his love interest. We also get a dedicated Hokuto story which adds a lot more depth to her character.
There was less of a supernatural vibe to this volume but it was still highly enjoyable. 5 stars
The visual storytelling has improved somewhat. Unfortunately, the writing is still ponderous, especially when dealing with social issues such as rape and undocumented entertainment district workers. I felt that just about any character could have stood in for Hokuto in the story at the end of the volume.
On the whole, I don't think skipping this one a couple decades ago was a terrible idea. There really isn't a whole lot to it. Still, I've been enjoying CLAMP's early work and their take on Tokyo, and the early '90s fashion sense of its characters. I'm definitely willing to see it through to the end, even though I've been spoiled about the Big Event.
I read the Yen Press edition translated into English.
En este segundo tomo podemos ver a Subaru trabajando y siendo ayudado por Seishira sin que este se de cuenta. Y vemos que asesino es sumamente poderoso al igual que Subaru, pero este ultimo tiene un corazón bondadoso y bueno cualidades que están extintas según Seishira. En el anexo podemos ver a Hokuto es una Sumeragi poderosa y a la ves sumamente carismática ayudando a una joven. En este tomo podemos descubrir un poco mas sus personalidades.
Tokyo Babylon est vraiment un manga super sombre: pour ceux qui ne connaissent de CLAMP que Card Captor Sakura, ça doit vraiment être un olni (objet littéraire non identifié)... Je suis frappée par l'avant-gardisme des thèmes abordés: ça manque de subtilité mais clairement ça se pose là. Clamp sont vraiment des mangaka(s) phare des années 90.
I am not too sure to what I have invested in reading Tokyo Babylon is a little hidden gem from the Clamp manga team I have fallen in love with the simple but deep stories you can't forget. I have to see how the story progresses hoping for some more cute bonus stories.
Oh shit this one was sad :( and again, volume two and its not like...there is any explanation or world building and again its only 7 volumens I need moreeeeeeeeee. (The story we DO get is really good and the art is so prettyyy ) Also Sei is so creepy I cant ship them honeestly.
this volume has much more promise than the first one - I think Subaru will be an interesting protagonist and I thought the tone of this one was much darker.
still don't trust Seishirou... and idk how much of that is intentional on the author's part.