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R2 DVD Reviews
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Wednesday, 06 January 2010 00:00 |
 X is the latest CLAMP series to make it to UK shores, and if there's one thing that's been a constant with me as far as they're works are concerned, it's that every one that's followed Cardcaptor Sakura has been a disappointment. Will X be the one to break the trend..?
0 - An Omen
Kakyou: a Dragon of Earth, one of the Seven Angels with the power to see the future - not in full, but enough to know when trouble is coming. His farsight has been ringing alarm bells for some time now, but he only worked out why too late - and the life of young shrine maiden Hokuto was lost as a result. Hokuto was very important to Kakyou, the girl who showed him what real life could be like, so his failure to protect her hits him hard. But his problems are only just beginning, as the return of young psychic Kamui to Japan sets the wheels of destiny in motion once more...
1 - A Reunion
At shrines across Japan, destiny is calling the chosen to a task that they can't avoid. They are the Dragons of Heaven, the Seven Seals, and their calling brings them all to Tokyo, where their destiny awaits. One of them, Kamui, has made a stop along the way to collect something that his mother had once owned - the Divine Sword - but the Sword's current keeper isn't convinced that Kamui is yet ready to wield it. Let's just say that Kamui vehemently disagrees. Elsewhere, shrine maiden Kotori has been dreaming of Kamui's return, and is overjoyed when her dreams come true - but meeting with Kamui again turns out to be somewhat different from what she was expecting...
2 - A Nightmare
Kotori's still surprised by Kamui's reaction to her - they were childhood friends once, a long time ago, so she'd been expecting him to be friendly, and not outright dismissive of her the way that he was. On her way home, though, she sees Kaui apparently being bullied - and the way that he's able to deal with them surprises her even more than his attitude. It seems Kamui has changed a lot since they last met. In fact, it may just be that this Kamui is an entirely different person, and the Dragons of Heaven soon become concerned at both his power and his lack of concern for others when wielding it...
3 - A Pledge
Kamui awakens, nursing injuries, to find himself being looked after by Fuma and Sorata. Fuma soon has to leave, leaving Sorata to play nursemaid, and Kamui is initially uncertain as to whose side Sorata is on. Sorata explains that he's a monk whose duty is to protect Kamui during the Final Days, but on learning this Kamui turns even more hostile than he already was, forcing Sorata to make a hasty retreat. Kamui's appearance hasn't gone unnoticed by the Dragons of Earth, either, and they begin planning on how best to deal with him. It seems that Kamui is trying to avoid his destiny, and neither side seems willing to allow that...
4 - A Sacrifice
Princess Hinoto's visions have indicated to her that the Divine Sword has been stolen - and also that there are two Kamuis and two Divine Swords on the go, although as yet she's uncertain what her vision means in practice. One of the Divine Swords is in the possession of a research lab, who have determined that it's composed of a material that's completely unknown. They're also aware that both groups of Dragons are likely to come looking for the Sword, and have taken appropriate measures to keep it safe. Meanwhile, Kamui receives a surprise visit from someone claiming to be his sole surviving blood relative - his aunt, Tokiko...
If there's one thing that's a constant during this volume, it's a feeling of confusion. While a lot happens over the course of the 5 episodes here, there's very little context given to the events so you can never be sure of what any of it means. The opening 'episode 0' gives a whistle-stop tour of the major characters and goes as far as telling the audience that a destined time is coming, but that's it; and while the four 'proper' episodes here have a plot of sorts in dealing with Kamui's appearance and the Divine Sword, there's no way of knowing what the significance of it all is, or whether the Dragons of Earth or Dragons of Heaven are the side that you should be rooting for.
Add in the quite deliberate confusion over Kamui and 'Kamui' (there appear to be two of him, with the quote marks used in the show's subtitles to differentiate which one is being talked about), and come the end of the disk I was simply scratching my head and wondering what had just happened - it all made very little sense to me. The whole experience gave me something of an Aquarian Age vibe, to be honest - the first volume of that series dealt with similar subject matter and left me equally confused, before subsequent volumes tied everything together, allowing the plot to click into place. Aquarian Age ended up being one of my favourite shows of the year it was released, but for all that it and X seem to be treading similar territory I'm not entirely convinced that this series is going to click together so well - other CLAMP shows like Tsubasa have shown me that that's not the way they tend to work.
All of which means I'm having a hard time working up any enthusiasm for the show - visually, the bishounen character designs, heavy emphasis on feathers (a CLAMP tradition, it seems) and lack of any real atmosphere in the setting doesn't help the show's appeal, while the majority of characters remain undeveloped beyond the basic "I'm here to fulfil my destiny" motive. Kamui himself, despite his clear importance to the story, remains an enigma with an attitude problem, and a character that's very difficult to develop any sort of attachment to. It's not the best of combinations, to be honest, and the next volume is left with something of a mountain to climb if it's to make the show appealing enough to stick with. Try before you buy.
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