This review of X: The Movie was originally published at Green Man Review and has been slightly revised for publication here.
I can say this about X with certainty: it’s very pretty. Very pretty indeed. And well it should be, having its origins in the Japanese manga series of the same name (published in Kodokawa Shoten Asuka Comics in Japan, and in translated form by Viz Comics in the US), drawn by the well-known manga artist group Clamp (Magic Knights Rayearth, Clamp School Detectives). Their style is very distinctive, especially the character’s eyes, very detailed and very attractively translated into anime form.
However, X suffers from the same fate of many detailed, lengthy novels when converted to film (think Dune) — too much detail has been lost in the interest of shoehorning the story into a 98 minute movie, rendering the overall story line obscure, at best. There are large gaps in the narrative, and the back plot, told in flashbacks, leaves far too much unsaid.
The plot isn’t particularly unique. In fact it’s a fairly mundane plot as far as anime goes: good vs. evil duke it out in Tokyo for the fate of mankind. In this case the Dragon of Heaven battles the Dragon of Earth, the former protecting mankind, the latter desiring purification of the earth through the purgation of man as a species. It’s a plot much better handled in another anime series, Blue Seed (released in the US by ADV Films. But then, there were 26 episodes of Blue Seed and there’s just one X movie.
The hero of X is Shirou Kamui– Kamui can be loosely translated as ‘Power of God’ — a young man who has recently had his destiny thrust upon him. His destiny? He must choose between the two Dragons and fight for that side to save Tokyo. Why? We’re not told (nor is Kamui!). There are intimations that the feud between the two sides is long-standing, but their origin remains a mystery. We do know that each side originally had seven members, and each is led by a female Dream Watcher. These women can see, and to some degree, manipulate dreams. Both can prophesy, and make use of this power to guide (or manipulate, depending on which side you prefer) both Kamui and his alter-ego / main adversary. The members of each side possess magical powers, primarily elemental in nature (water, fire, etc.) which they use to attack one another.
Kamui is at first indecisive about which side to choose, but it seems obvious from the get-go. He makes his choice abruptly when the Dragon of Earth endangers his childhood friend, Fuma and his sister, Kotori, with whom Kamui is in love. At the moment of his decision, his opposition is created, and that young man’s choice bound to Kamui’s, that there might be balance to the two sides.
Both before and after this decision, the final battles for man’s fate rage, as the members of the Dragon of Earth ravage those of the Dragon of Heaven — and Tokyo, in their wake. All too quickly the final battle arrives, fought atop Tokyo Tower (the epicenter of all things weird in a lot of anime) by Kamui and his opposite. And all too quickly the battle is over, extremely anti-climatic, given the build-up it’s given — two minutes long, tops. I’m giving nothing away to say that Tokyo survives (you’ll have to watch yourself to see if mankind’s fate is so fortunate).
Ultimately, X is very unsatisfying as an anime. Beautiful to watch, but hollow at its center. I have not read why Clamp decided to produce this as a feature-length movie, rather than as a series, but it is a decision I lament. Too much story for too little space. With 13 or 26 half hour episodes, I think the story could have unfurled at a better pace, and not left viewers grasping for comprehension. I think X would have made a great anime series. A great movie it is not.
Further, at the risk of being labeled an anime snob, I must comment that this particular video is an English dubbed version — and the dub is very grating. I originally saw X in Japanese with subtitles a year or two ago (it was no easier to understand then), and the voice acting was far superior, featuring one of Japan’s best seiyuu (voice actor) as Kamui — Seki Tomokazu. If you do decide to watch X, find the subtitled version.
I should also warn those not familiar with anime that X is not for children. The Manga Video version has a warning (after the movie) about violence, gore and nudity. There’s not much of the latter, but there’s sufficient quantities of the other two. Not as much, as, say, Akira, but this is definitely not Saturday-morning cartoon fare. Its mature plot, and accompanying mayhem, are intended for adult (or perhaps late teen) viewing.
(Manga Video, 1996)
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