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.
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.
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.
Well, we’ve returned to tomfoolery. Despite a solid premise and interesting mystery, CLAMP can’t seem to resist ham-fisted deliveries with this series.
More of the same. If the cases are at least spooky, I wouldn't have minded as much, but they are so melodramatic and run-of-the-mill. I have no idea how Clamp is going to wrap up the story within two volumes.
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
é um volume menos interessante que o último, mas gostei das histórias do vovô e da criança e do contraste entre a forma como a filha do vovô e a mãe da criança tratam cada um.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
Encore un tome bouleversant qui confirme mon amour pour ce titre. CLAMP nous propose ici deux histoires d'une grande sensibilité, explorant la solitude et la douleur avec une justesse incroyable. Mais ce qui rend cette lecture si addictive, c'est la tension qui grimpe autour de Seishirô. On sent que le masque craquelle et que la révélation sur sa véritable identité est imminente. La relation entre Subaru et lui devient presque étouffante de non-dits.
Entre émotion pure et suspense psychologique, ce volume prépare parfaitement le terrain pour ce que j'espère être un affrontement épique. Le dessin, toujours aussi élégant et mélancolique, sublime cette ambiance de fin de règne. Un sans-faute !
Plus que 2 tomes avant la fin et on reste encore pas mal dans le flou. Je me demande toujours quelles sont les motivations de Seishiro envers Subaru. Et il donne juste quelques miettes.
J'ai aussi trouvé ce tome un peu plus sombre que les autres. Ou alors je m'attendais à quelque chose de plus léger. On aborde des sujets assez lourds comme l'infanticide, le suicide ou la maladie. Mais je trouve toujours que c'est avec justesse et qu'il y a une importance dans l'intrigue. Ce n'est pas là, juste pour être là.
Encore une fois, j'ai adoré. Et c'est toujours un plaisir de découvrir et suivre cette série.
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.
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.
Confieso que la historia del abuelito si me saco un par de lágrimas.
El caso del niño con el riñón, es una triste realidad y vaya que las CLAMP reflejan muy bien la desesperación de la familia, el dolor en los pacientes, la impotencia de no poder hacer nada o de cometer algo malo por esa misma desesperación.
Another hard hit from CLAMP. Elderly negligence, real estate crisis, loneliness from love, and emotional overload when sick people in the family are present. This volume goes deep into human problems that don't have simple solutions or even a solution at all. We are facing Seishiro as a menace and Hokuto as the only shield between the world and Subaru. The future doesn't seem so bright.
Las ganas de darle un abrazo a Subaru durante este tomo son muchas. La empatía que tiene es muy encantadora, pero a la vez la inocencia que tiene, como dice Hokuto, te la idea de que algo lo va a herir demasiado. Es una tragedia esperando a pasar. El final de este tomo es duro para Subaru. Veremos como la remonta.