Bons no Xam'd

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bonen no Xam'd ( jap. 亡念のザムド , Bonen no Zamudo , English title: Xam'd: Lost Memories , often only as Xam'd called) is a web anime series, which from the Japanese studio Bones worked and is produced in collaboration with Sony Computer Entertainment and Aniplex . It was first offered for download with the launch of Sony's PlayStation Network on July 16, 2008 at E3 in the United States . It was announced that the series would have 26 episodes. The first episode of Bōnen no Xam'd was the most downloaded video from PlayStation Network at E3 in week one .

action

In the world of the series, the military free zone of the southern continent and the northern government are at war . In the midst of this conflict and between the two continents lies the neutral island of Sentan in the Yuden Sea . Despite the military presence of the southern armed forces and the terrorist actions of the partly religious opponents, Sentan reflects an unreal, cozy atmosphere. The boy Akiyuki Takehara lives on this island with his mother Fusa. His father Ryūzō works as a family doctor, but lives alone in the practice due to the tense atmosphere between him and Akiyuki's mother.

On a normal school day, Akiyuki is late and manages to get to the strictly controlled school bus just in time, where he meets his school friends Haru Nishimura and Furuichi Teraoka. There he sees a petite girl with gray hair standing in the row who seems to have forgotten her bracelet. Seized by pity and frustration towards the inspector, he tricked the inspector and slipped the bracelet to the inconspicuous terrorist. Before going to school, she hesitates a little, but still lets her explosive device go off. Akiyuki is hit by a strange beam after the explosion. When he sees the badly wounded girl on the bus, he runs to her and notices that his arm has changed. When she reveals her name Nazuna to him, apparently dying, she presses a kind of button on Akiyuki's forehead with her finger, whereupon he completely transforms into a so-called Xam'd . A symbiosis between a man and a as Hiruko called endosymbionts .

While it was still being transformed, troops of the Northern Government dropped so-called kaijū (English "human form"), which attacked the troops hurrying up after the assassination. Haru, who notices that Akiyuki is still in this "monster", gets caught up in the argument between Akiyuki and a Kaiju. In the end, both adversaries nearly died if Nakiami hadn't shown up and at least partially turned him back into a human. Nakiami, for example, abducts the unconscious Xam'd onto the Ishū Benikawa mail airship.

characters

So far, the characters are made up of four groups. This includes the islanders of the neutral zone, which also includes the protagonists Akiyuki Takehara and Haru Nishimura. They are usually involuntarily involved in the events and basically have no interest in the conflict. This is opposed by the military, southern government - which calls itself a free zone - with its employees and relatives, which ensures strict controls on the island and secretly experiments on the Xam'd. In addition, there is the crew of the Post Airship who lead a life similar to that in the golden age of piracy , but have to defend themselves. Little is known of the northern separatists . However, the religious followers commit suicide attacks and use prohibited weapons.

Conception

The series roughly shows the technological status of the 1940s, but with some serious differences. For example, the technology for flying objects is well advanced. Even objects the size of a ship can drift almost weightlessly, while traditional means of transport are also used. The southern military has the technological ability to control manned combat robots through the mind of the pilot, while the northern "terrorists" are familiar with the handling of biological weapons.

Oranges appear again and again as a motif within the anime, which are given away by the old people or eaten by someone.

Origin and publications

The anime is animated by the Japanese studio Bones . A cooperation with Sony Computer Entertainment and Aniplex was entered into. Aniplex provided part of the music, while Sony prepared the distribution via the PlayStation Network .

The first ideas for the implementation were announced on March 27, 2008, when the website (a) of Bōnen no Xam'd went online. After titles like Fullmetal Alchemist and Eureka Seven , another anime was announced, which was created in a cooperation between Sony and Bones. From April 25, 2008, a trailer was offered on the Internet as a stream, which allowed first insights into the series.

At midnight on July 15-16, 2008, the anime was offered for download for the first time as part of the PlayStation Network presentation at E3. One episode was priced at $ 1.99 and could be downloaded in normal quality or HD resolution . You could then play them as often as you like for three days until the loan period expired. In addition to animes, films and series from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment , MGM Home Entertainment , Lionsgate , Sony Pictures Home Entertainment , Warner Home Video , Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment were also offered. Bōnen no Xam'd was licensed by Funimation and was the most downloaded video within the first week. Since then, a new episode has been published weekly in the United States, presented in Japanese with English subtitles .

In Japan, the PlayStation Network service only started on September 24, 2008 with the option of buying or renting videos. Since then, up to the 13th episode, 2 episodes per week have been published to catch up with the American offer. The weekly rhythm typical of Japan was then continued. One episode had a price of 400 yen (approx. 3.75 USD) for the HD version and 300 yen (approx. 2.82 USD) in lower resolution. However, the episodes could not be bought, only rented and are no longer available three days after they have been played for the first time.

(a)The website xamdou.com was later largely closed (after E3) and xamd.jp was opened as the official website

music

The accompanying music theme in the background fluctuates between drums with a sonorous plucked guitar to classical pieces with choir accompaniment. The music was composed by Michiru Ōshima , who is known for her work on the Godzilla films or the anime television series Fullmetal Alchemist . The production of the background music was organized by Aniplex .

In the opening credits a shortened version of the title Shut Up And Explode by Boom Boom Satellites from their sixth album Exposed was used. An abridged version of Kylee 's Vacancy was recorded for the credits . The accompanying single was released on December 3, 2008. The full version of the title was already available for download in the iTunes Store on October 17, 2008 .

Manga

On November 28, 2008 it was announced that a manga adaptation of the anime should appear from December 9, 2008 in the manga magazine Ace Assault of the publishing house Kadokawa Shoten . The series will be titled Bōnen no Xam'd: Junreisha no Compass .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 亡 念 の ザ ム ド> 各 話 あ ら す じ . Bones , accessed November 24, 2008 (Japanese).
  2. ↑ a b Mike Graham: Xam'd: Lost Memories Debuts at # 1 on PLAYSTATION Network. In: PlayStation.Blog. July 22, 2008, Retrieved November 24, 2008 (Japanese).
  3. ↑ 「亡念のザムド」サイトオープン. . (No longer available online.) 最新 ア ニ メ 情報 Archived from the original on December 2, 2008 ; Retrieved November 25, 2008 (Japanese). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.saiani.net
  4. ↑ Bones' Upcoming Bōnen no Xamdou Anime Trailer Streamed. Anime News Network , accessed November 25, 2008 (Japanese).
  5. ↑ Stephen Johnson: PlayStation Movie Rentals Live Tonight. July 15, 2008, accessed November 25, 2008 .
  6. ↑ Susanne Ault: Sony launches PlayStation movie downloads. July 15, 2008, accessed November 25, 2008 .
  7. ↑ 亡 念 の ザ ム ド> 各 話 あ ら す じ . Bones , accessed November 25, 2008 (Japanese).
  8. ↑ Japan to Get Xam'd Anime - Two Months after America (Updated). Anime News Network , July 18, 2008, accessed November 25, 2008 (Japanese).
  9. ↑ Yahoo! ミ ュ ー ジ ッ ク - Kylee - VACANCY . (No longer available online.) Yahoo Japan, formerly the original ; Retrieved November 24, 2008 (Japanese).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / music.yahoo.co.jp  
  10. ↑ Dennis Amith: Kylee: Digital Track “VACANCY” (Xam'd Lost Memories Ending Theme) Available Now on iTunes USA. (No longer available online.) In: J! -ENT. Archived from the original on October 24, 2008 ; accessed on November 24, 2008 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nt2099.com
  11. ↑ Anime News Network of the manga announcement, Nov. 29, 2008

Web links