X TV Volume 4

“The truth is there’s no way for everyone to be…happy.” Subaru Sumeragi

The theme of the granting of wishes runs through CLAMP’s work like a recurrent melody (see Yuko’s shop in ‘xxxHolic’) and Fuma’s unique ability, now that he has become the ‘other’ Kamui, is to see into people’s hearts and see what their one true wish is, even if they are not able to acknowledge it themselves. This enables him to wreak confusion and emotional havoc amongst both Dragons of Heaven and Earth alike.

#13 ‘Return’ deals with the aftermath of the appalling atrocity committed by Fuma at the end of #12. At first we follow Fuma, transformed into a being of immense power, as he seeks out the Dreamseer Kakyo, who helps him find the other Dragons of Earth. Meanwhile Kamui, deeply traumatized, lies in a deep coma, and as his stunned companions stand around helplessly, the young onmyouji Subaru risks his life to try to bring him back from the shadows.

#14 ‘Gathering’ begins with a meeting between the two Dreamseers, Kakyo and Princess Hinoto, in which he tells her, “I know what your wish is. And that you’ve been purposely misleading people to make it a reality.” Are these enigmatic words a warning? The last two members of the Dragons of Heaven to reveal their identities, the publisher’s editor Aoki, and nightclub hostess Karen, meet the others at Kotori’s resting place – and Kamui seals the Shinken, the heavenly sword, where no Dragon of Earth can touch it.

But Kamui is still not able to create a barrier field, and when he encounters Fuma in #15 ‘Guardian,’ Saiki, a young wind master and Princess Hinoto’s protector, comes to his rescue. But Fuma is the more powerful and as the battle rages, we see the blind princess weeping and crying out in vain against the cruel fate that she has already seen in her dreams.

Worse is yet to come. #16 ‘Slaughter’ begins with a flashback to a snow-covered garden. Blood stains the white snow red as we learn how the ruthless assassin Sakurazukamori family pass on their pitiless heritage. Flash forward again to the present day, where Princess Hinoto warns Subaru of an attack on the Rainbow Bridge. What follows is the first truly climactic battle, as Subaru at last finds himself face-to-face with the man who murdered his sister: Seishirou. So what is his true wish? To avenge Hokuto’s death and kill the murderer? Or has Fuma already glimpsed another darker wish, buried deep within?

I first watched ‘X’ not long after the TV series was released on R1 DVD, when it was still relatively new. Yet, CLAMP fan that I am, I find myself a more than a little conflicted on revisiting it. When the manga came out, in the years approaching the millennium, CLAMP tapped into that palpable sense of insecurity about what the future might bring (remember the Millennium Bug?) It’s difficult now, ten years on, to recapture that air of paranoia and uncertainty.

So, in watching ‘X’ in 2010 (and remembering that CLAMP have still not finished the series, it stopped at Volume 18 in 2002) it’s difficult not to be reminded of the faster pacing and more complex plotting of more recent anime series. Some awkward questions also arise. Why does Fuma change into such a powerful and psychopathic being from the moment he makes his decision to become the ‘other’ Kamui? Even Kanoe, his voluptuous mentor, declares that she is disturbed by his coldness. So where do his abilities come from? It’s implied that the approaching millennium has caused the awakening of all these ancient destructive forces that are manifesting themselves in the fourteen chosen ones. But I’d have liked more explanation, especially in the case of Fuma, whose character change is so absolute from loving older brother and all-round good student to psychopathic downright evil bastard (crimson eyes, too!) 

By this stage, viewers will probably have reached their own conclusions as to whether they’re hooked and want to see this series through to the end – or they’ve lost interest because the pacing and content are ‘so last century.’

In Summary
Anyone interested in the inevitable clash between Seishirou (Dragon of Earth) and Subaru (Dragon of Heaven) will not want to miss this disc. Definitely a must for CLAMP fans.