X (manga)
| X | |
|---|---|
| Original title | エ ッ ク ス |
| transcription | Ekkusu |
| genre | Shōjo , fantasy , drama |
| Manga | |
| country |
 Japan
|
| author | CLAMP |
| publishing company | Kadokawa Shoten |
| magazine | Gekkan Asuka |
| First publication | May 1992 - March 2003 |
| expenditure | 18 (paused) |
| Anime movie | |
| title | X: The Movie |
| Country of production |
Japan
|
| original language | Japanese |
| Publishing year | 1996 |
| Studio | Madhouse |
| length | 100 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Director | Rintaro |
| script |
Nanase Ohkawa , Asami Watanabe |
| production | Tsunehiko Kadokawa |
| music | Yasuaki Shimizu |
| Original video animation | |
| title | X: To omen |
| Country of production |
Japan
|
| original language | Japanese |
| year | 2001 |
| Studio | Madhouse |
| length | 30 minutes |
| Episodes | 1 |
| Director | Yoshiaki Kawajiri |
| script | Yuki Enatsu |
| music | Naoki Sato |
| Anime television series | |
| Country of production |
Japan
|
| original language | Japanese |
| Year (s) | 2001-2002 |
| Studio | Madhouse |
| length | 24 minutes |
| Episodes | 24 |
| production | Jōichi Mizuno, Masao Maruyama, Michiko Suzuki, Shinji Komori |
| music | Naoki Sato |
| First broadcast | October 3, 2001 - March 27, 2002 on WOWOW |
| German-language first broadcast |
August 24, 2003 - January 22, 2004 on VIVA |
X ( Japanese エ ッ ク ス , Ekkusu , also X 1999 ) is a manga by the Japanese artist group Clamp . He was known as anime - TV show , movie , radio play and video game adapted.
The work is about the struggle for the future of the earth and can be assigned to the genres Shōjo , Fantasy and Drama .
action
In 1999, unnoticed by humanity, two groups of powerful magicians gather in Tokyo to fight for their respective versions of the future of the earth. On one side are the earth dragons ( 地 の 龍 , Chi no Ryū ), the seven messengers who want to destroy humanity in order to secure the future of the planet. On the other side are the sky dragons ( 天 の 龍 , Ten no Ryū ), the seven seals that fight for the preservation of the people. They assume that humanity will recognize the damage it is doing to the earth and give up its environmentally destructive actions.
After six years of absence, 15-year-old Kamui returns to Tokyo. Shortly before his mother died in a fire, she sent him to Tokyo to fulfill his destiny and to take possession of the holy sword (Japanese shinken ). Kamui is disturbed by the death of his mother and her prophecies and behaves in a disapproving manner even towards his old friends Kotori and Fuma because he fears that he will harm them. The dream interpreter Princess Hinoto, who gathers the seven seals around her, contacts him and explains to him that he plays a central role on the side of the sky dragons in the battle for earth. Hinoto's sister Kanoe, who collects the earth dragons, also tries to pull him over to her side.
Kamui, who is solely concerned about the safety of Kotori and Fuma, initially refuses to make a decision for either group. The knowledge that he plays a special role in the future of the world makes him even more closed and inaccessible to his friends. He feels harassed and watched, but ultimately chooses the side of the sky dragons in order to save the lives of Kotori and Fuma as they know it.
This decision heralds the fight for earth. Kamui's friend Fuma has to play the opposite role of Kamui's as his twin star, so he becomes the "Kamui" of the earth dragons, and his personality changes greatly. Kamui's beloved friend kills his sister Kotori in front of Kamui's eyes. He then uses all his abilities to save humanity and especially Fuma, to make him back to who he once was.
style
In the course of the narrative, in addition to the continuation of the plot, individual members of both factions, their motives and backgrounds and their relationships to one another are described. Some of the drawings linger on a scene for a very long time and show only a short section of the narrative in several panels . This stylistic device is used when depicting strong emotions, but also fights. Mystical and religious elements are integrated into the event.
Characters
Kamui Shiro ( 司 狼 神威 , Shirō Kamui )
- Kamui means He who represents the power of God or He who chases the power of God . He is particularly concerned with the well-being of Kotori and Fuma, with whom he has been friends since childhood. So he decides to become a sky dragon in order to preserve the place where these two live.
Fuma Monou ( 桃 生 封 真 , Monou Fūma )
- Kotori's older brother and Kamui's best friend swore as a child to always take care of Kamui. It turns out, however, that he is Kamui's twin star and is thus forced to become the "Kamui" of the other group after Kamui's choice for sky dragons or earth dragons. This changes his personality significantly.
Kotori Monou ( 桃 生 小鳥 , Monou Kotori )
- She is Kamui's childhood friend and, like her mother, has a heart condition. She has the talent to talk to animals and plants and to foresee the future in dreams. So she learns that Kamui has returned to Tokyo, and so she also foresees that she will die at the hand of the earth dragon Kamui. She wishes to die herself rather than destroy the earth on which Kamui and Fuma live. At the moment of her death, she predicts that the future has not yet been decided.
Hinoto ( 丁 , Hinoto ; cf. heavenly stems )
- The blind dream seer gathers the sky dragons around her. However, she has two personalities, and the second, which is becoming more and more dominant, drives the defeat and death of the sky dragons.
Canoe ( 庚 , canoe ; see celestial stems)
- Hinoto's younger sister has the ability to invade dreams. She gathers the earth dragons around her. She loves her sister very much and, by refuting Hinoto's vision of the future, wants to release her from her fate as a dream seer.
Sky dragons
The sky dragons ( 天 の 龍 , Ten no Ryū ), or the Seven Seals ( 七 の 封印 , Nana no Fūin ) want to protect humanity , no matter what damage it causes to the earth. They can create circles of ban ( 結 界 , kekkai ), with which they transport their surroundings into a separate dimension, where damage done has no effect on the normal world. They lose this ability and thus their status as a sky dragon when there is no one left they want to protect.
- Sorata Arisugawa ( 有 洙 川 空 汰 , Arisugawa Sorata ) is the first of the sky dragons to find the way to Kamui. He is a monk from the Kōya-san and has the power to manipulate electricity. According to a prophecy, he will sacrifice his life for the woman he loves most, even though he is actually Kamui's protector. After meeting her for the first time, he decides that this person is Arashi.
- Arashi Kishu ( 鬼 咒 嵐 , Kishū Arashi ) is the hidden Miko ( Kakushi Miko ) of the Ise Shrine . An emotional core is hidden under its cool facade. From her left hand she can make a sword appear.
- Yuzuriha Nekoi ( 猫 依 護 刃 , Nekoi Yuzuriha ) is the youngest of the sky and earth dragons at 14 years of age. She was raised in Mitsumine Shrine and is a happy, carefree girl. She is protected by the dog deity ( Inugami ) Inuki .
- Seiichiro Aoki ( 蒼 軌 征 一 狼 , Aoki Seiichirō ) comes from the wind magician clan and works for the Kadokawa-Shoten publishing house . He is happily married and has a young daughter. His personality is very polite and gentle.
- Karen Kasumi ( 夏 澄 火煉 , Kasumi Karen ) is a Christian who masters fire magic. She works in various soap lands , where she also met Aoki, with whom she falls in love. As a child she was abused by her mother because she felt that her powers were devilish.
- Subaru Sumeragi ( 皇 昴 流 , Sumeragi Subaru ) is the 13th head of the powerful Sumeragi clan and thus the official head of all Yin-Yang magicians in Japan. Despite his great power, the young man appears very fragile. He is good friends with and very similar to Kamui. Subaru Sumeragi is also the main character in another CLAMP manga titled Tokyo Babylon .
Earth dragons
The earth dragons ( 地 の 龍 , Chi no Ryū ), also called the Seven Messengers ( 七 の 御使 , Shichi no Mitsukai ), have the task of destroying humanity in order to enable the earth to recover from its environmental destruction.
- Satsuki Yatoji ( 八 頭 司 颯 姫 , Yatōji Satsuki ) is an intelligent but cool girl who is loved by computers. So she's an excellent hacker. Kanoe gave her a computer called the Beast , which she can use to control cables all over town. She hopes she won't get bored with Kamui anymore. Satsuki falls in love with Yuto, which in the two anime versions leads to her being killed by the jealous beast.
- Yuto Kigai ( 麒 飼 遊人 , Kigai Yūto ) works as an official and is a water mage , but he also uses daggers as a second weapon. He is a kind and humorous person who befriends Satsuki. He has a sexual relationship with Kanoe.
- Seishiro Sakurazuka ( 桜 塚 星 史 郎 , Sakurazuka Seishirō ) is the Sakurazukamori , a hit man who kills with the help of Yin-Yang magic. A common past, told in the clamp manga Tokyo Babylon , connects him with the sky dragon Subaru.
- Kusanagi Shiyu belongs to the Japanese self-defense forces and is very tall and powerfully built. His powers are earth-based and he can communicate with plants and animals. Despite being an earth dragon, he believes it is wrong to kill and keeps out of the fight for the end of the world. He befriends Inuki and Yuzuriha.
- Nataku ( 那 吒 , Nataku ) is the clone of a little girl named Kazuki Tojo . Because, in addition to Kazuki's cells, her father's tissue was also used for the experiment, Nataku is sexless. He is considered numb and kills without remorse. Although he can barely remember Kazuki's life, he thinks he recognizes his father in Fuma and his mother in Karen.
- Kakyo Kuzuki ( 玖 月 牙 暁 , Kuzuki Kakyō ) is the dream seer of the earth dragons. He was seriously injured while trying to save Subaru's sister Hokuto, with whom he was in love, from death and has been in a coma ever since. He can only talk to others about the dreams. His only wish is to die, and when Fuma offers to grant him that wish, he becomes an earth dragon.
Manga
The manga was published in Japan from 1992 to 2002 by the publishing house Kadokawa Shoten in individual chapters in the magazine Gekkan Asuka , which were summarized in 18 volumes and published under the imprint Asuka Comics DX . However, the manga is not finished, but is considered "paused", with a total of 21 volumes planned for the complete work. Each volume includes an illustration in which one or two of the X characters represent one of the 22 tarot cards in the Major Arcana . Card 0, “The Fool”, is already included in the Artbook X - Zero . Another artbook that does not contain a tarot card is called Infinity .
In North America the manga was published by Viz Media , in Australia by Madman Entertainment . Editions Tonkam published X in French, Grupo Editorial Vid and Planeta DeAgostini Comics in Spanish. In Panini manga was published in Italy. It has also been translated into Polish, Chinese, Portuguese, Korean and Indonesian.
In Germany, the manga has been published by Carlsen Comics since 2001 in 18 volumes.
Anime
In 1996, a 100-minute anime film on the manga was produced by Studio Madhouse . Directed by Rintaro . The character design comes from Nobuteru Yūki . The film was released on August 3, 1996 in Japan, and in 2000 in the USA and Canada.
In August 2001 an OVA episode followed, which was also produced by Studio Madhouse. It previewed the series that followed in October. It was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri , the character design was by Yoshinori Kanemori and the artistic director was Yuji Ikeda. The series was broadcast from October 3, 2001 to March 27, 2002 by the broadcaster WOWOW in Japan, followed by a repetition by Animax .
The series was broadcast in French by France 4 and in Spanish by Buzz Channel. The anime was shown in Italian on GXT. It was also translated into English and Russian. The series was first broadcast in German from August 24, 2003 to January 22, 2004 by VIVA . It was later broadcast by Animax .
synchronization
The German dubbing was done by brandt Film Berlin.
| role | Japanese speaker ( seiyū ) | German speaker | |
|---|---|---|---|
| series | Movie | ||
| Fūma Monou | Jun'ichi Suwabe | Ken Narita | Gerrit Schmidt-Foss |
| Kamui Shirō | Ken'ichi Suzumura | Tomokazu Seki | Sebastian Schulz |
| Hinoto | Aya Hisakawa | Yūko Minaguchi | Giuliana Jakobeit |
| Kotori Monou | Mamiko Noto | Junko Iwao | Magdalena Turba |
| Canoe | Kaho Kōda | Atsuko Takahata | Heath Domanowski |
Furthermore, in Japan you can hear Kazuhiko Inoue and Toshihiko Seki in the film , Toshiyuki Morikawa , Tomokazu Sugita and Satsuki Yukino in the TV version .
music
The music in the series was composed by Naoki Satō. The opening credits "eX Dream" comes from Myuji, the song for the credits , "Secret Sorrow", was sung by Kohei Koizumi . The credits of the OVA were underlaid with STRENGTH by Kōhei Koizumi. For the soundtrack of the film, CLAMP was able to persuade the Japanese visual kei band X-Japan to make their song "Forever Love" available for the credits.
In the German version, the title Mother Earth by Within Temptation is used for the opening and closing credits .
Other publications
Music video
On November 21, 1993, SME Records released a short film entitled X² ( ダ ブ ル エ ッ ク ス , Daburu Ekkusu ) with the music of the power metal band X Japan. The video was directed by Shigeyuki Hayashi.
radio play
From June to December 1996 Victor Entertainment published a series of radio plays on the manga under the title X Character Files ( キ ャ ラ ク タ ー フ ァ イ ル , Kyarakutā Fairu ). The seven-part series was written by Nanase Ohkawa and revolves around the individual celestial and earth dragons.
Video game
Bandai produced two video games for the series. The first, X: Unmei no Sentaku ( X ～ 運 命 の 選 択 ～ ), for PlayStation was released in August 2002. In June 2002, X: Card of Fate , a game for the WonderSwan Color console, followed .
Individual evidence
Web links
- X on CLAMP's website (Japanese)
- Interview with the Puff magazine : 10 years X
- Anime News Network about the manga , the film and television series (English)
- Fernsehserien.de about the anime