Rating: 
Summary: Only has merit for Anime fans
Review: (Maybe 2 stars -- couldn't decide)I think a good story progressively reveals information as the story goes on. The first episode is uninspired; the villian (and nearly everything else) is given away by exposition early. There's some shallow character development with the main characters, and virtually none with the supporting characters. There's a scene where the villian loses an arm that turns into a what I can only describe as a "demon-spirit cannon". I found it every bit as silly and over-the-top as it sounds. The second episode is more interesting. There's a killer who's stalking people on a subway train, so the group tries to help the police catch the killer. There's some suspicion cast on the minor characters, which makes the story's end less obvious than the first episode. If you're only going to get one of these two episodes (and you're sure you want one of them) get this one. The costumes for the main character were out-of-place. In the first episode (and some of the second) he wears a leather bodysuit with a red jacket and broad black-brimmed hat. OK, it *is* Anime, but... Michael Jackson sprang to mind and never went away. The cross motif is overdone on the clothing in the second episode, and I'm not really even sure why a cross motif was used for mediums. To end on a positive note, the sister is pretty funny. She plays a self-centered bratty comic relief in the transition scenes.
Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous fabulous!
Review: Alrighty. Looking over a few of the other reviews, let's throw in my two-cents. First off, DON'T DON'T DON'T watch the English version. Oh. My. God. Someone shoot me for trying to listen through the first 3 minutes of that. Subaru's voice actor completely ruined it for me. And scrolling forward to listen to Seishiro and Hokuto made me want to bury my head in a hole and cry. Watch the Japanese version. Listen to the Japanese. Read the subtitles if you're not fortunate enough to understand it, even though a good deal of the subtitles on this DVD are actually quite wrong. :P It's still better than listening to that English BS. Personally, I love the Japanese vocal representations of the characters. Koyasu Takehito as Sakurazuka Seishiro (yes, that's the same guy that did Hotohori from Fushigi Yuugi and Hanagata from Saber Marionette J and Zechs from Gundam W and... I'll stop there) made me dance for joy. Itou Miki did a wonderful job as Hokuto, pulling off that wonderful laugh you see splayed across the pages of the manga to what I personally think is perfection. And Yamaguchi Kappei as Sumeragi Subaru? *DIES* Gaw! Love it! 'course, can't go wrong with the guy who did Haruhiko in Please Save My Earth. Before we go whining that Subaru sounds like a wuss, remember that he's a 16 year old introvert in Tokyo Babylon. *happily tries to wave manga around* He's bashful, he's blushing, he's stammering like a fool and his sister yells at him for trying to downplay himself as an 'ordinary onmyouji' (yes, that's in the comics as well as on the DVD). So, hate to say it, but the light and soft voice fits the very pre-X Subaru pretty darned well. I found this DVD collection fascinating due to the fact that the stories that are presented NEVER appeared in the manga - they're all original creations, yet fit in PERFECTLY with the entire mode of the Tokyo Babylon series. Only problem that I had was that Seishiro wasn't desperately hitting on Subby every few seconds like he is in the comic book, and Hokuto wasn't nearly aggressive enough in trying to get her brother to date the 'kindly veterinarian.' Those of you who are watching this to understand the characters in X more? Ur, I'd say not to bother. There's almost nothing of the bet put out, none of the tragedy that creates the Subaru of 1999 presented, and no mention of that wonderful word 'Sakurazukamori' which happens very often in the manga. But good news for all - with the manga having been licensed, it should be coming out soon enough in English for those who don't have the patience to painstakingly translate it to enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous fabulous!
Review: Alrighty. Looking over a few of the other reviews, let's throw in my two-cents. First off, DON'T DON'T DON'T watch the English version. Oh. My. God. Someone shoot me for trying to listen through the first 3 minutes of that. Subaru's voice actor completely ruined it for me. And scrolling forward to listen to Seishiro and Hokuto made me want to bury my head in a hole and cry. Watch the Japanese version. Listen to the Japanese. Read the subtitles if you're not fortunate enough to understand it, even though a good deal of the subtitles on this DVD are actually quite wrong. :P It's still better than listening to that English BS. Personally, I love the Japanese vocal representations of the characters. Koyasu Takehito as Sakurazuka Seishiro (yes, that's the same guy that did Hotohori from Fushigi Yuugi and Hanagata from Saber Marionette J and Zechs from Gundam W and... I'll stop there) made me dance for joy. Itou Miki did a wonderful job as Hokuto, pulling off that wonderful laugh you see splayed across the pages of the manga to what I personally think is perfection. And Yamaguchi Kappei as Sumeragi Subaru? *DIES* Gaw! Love it! 'course, can't go wrong with the guy who did Haruhiko in Please Save My Earth. Before we go whining that Subaru sounds like a wuss, remember that he's a 16 year old introvert in Tokyo Babylon. *happily tries to wave manga around* He's bashful, he's blushing, he's stammering like a fool and his sister yells at him for trying to downplay himself as an 'ordinary onmyouji' (yes, that's in the comics as well as on the DVD). So, hate to say it, but the light and soft voice fits the very pre-X Subaru pretty darned well. I found this DVD collection fascinating due to the fact that the stories that are presented NEVER appeared in the manga - they're all original creations, yet fit in PERFECTLY with the entire mode of the Tokyo Babylon series. Only problem that I had was that Seishiro wasn't desperately hitting on Subby every few seconds like he is in the comic book, and Hokuto wasn't nearly aggressive enough in trying to get her brother to date the 'kindly veterinarian.' Those of you who are watching this to understand the characters in X more? Ur, I'd say not to bother. There's almost nothing of the bet put out, none of the tragedy that creates the Subaru of 1999 presented, and no mention of that wonderful word 'Sakurazukamori' which happens very often in the manga. But good news for all - with the manga having been licensed, it should be coming out soon enough in English for those who don't have the patience to painstakingly translate it to enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: A Duo of Occult Mysteries to please any CLAMP Fan!
Review: Any fan of CLAMP will enjoy these two side stories to their intricate "TOKYO Babylon" manga series (the forerunner to the more complex 'X' series). While the major underlying plot line will be lost on those who haven't read the manga (a common problem in many anime OAV series), the stories stand very well on their own and present the characters true to form. The first story deals with a young woman's attempt to avenge her brother's murder by conjuring a dangerous Dog Demon and what happens when it gets out of hand. The second tells the story of a young woman who's psychic ability to "see" the recent events surrounding any object she touches makes her the target of a psychotic serial killer loose in the Tokyo subways. Both stories run much like murder-mystery drama programs and provide plenty of suspense and fantastic occult events. Those who know the characters of Subaru, Hokuto, & Seishiro will enjoy their involvement, but don't expect anything more than vague references to the complex events & relationships that surround these characters from the manga. All in all, a good reflection on the series and the artists.
Rating:
Summary: A Duo of Occult Mysteries to please any CLAMP Fan!
Review: Any fan of CLAMP will enjoy these two side stories to their intricate "TOKYO Babylon" manga series (the forerunner to the more complex 'X' series). While the major underlying plot line will be lost on those who haven't read the manga (a common problem in many anime OAV series), the stories stand very well on their own and present the characters true to form. The first story deals with a young woman's attempt to avenge her brother's murder by conjuring a dangerous Dog Demon and what happens when it gets out of hand. The second tells the story of a young woman who's psychic ability to "see" the recent events surrounding any object she touches makes her the target of a psychotic serial killer loose in the Tokyo subways. Both stories run much like murder-mystery drama programs and provide plenty of suspense and fantastic occult events. Those who know the characters of Subaru, Hokuto, & Seishiro will enjoy their involvement, but don't expect anything more than vague references to the complex events & relationships that surround these characters from the manga. All in all, a good reflection on the series and the artists.
Rating:
Summary: Good deal except for the sound
Review: As said, this DVD contains both Volumes to CLAMPS story, Tokyo Babylon. I've had the chance to watch both the tapes and the DVD and I would have to speak more for the tapes. The 2nd Volume on the DVD had some serious sound problems that continually came up throughout the show which stole a lot of the attention from actual story and animation. The people who did the transfer of this DVD did a horrible job, otherwise I would have given 5 stars. The reason it gets three is the sound.
Rating:
Summary: The prelude to X/1999
Review: Before their appearance in the CLAMP motion picture/anime series/manga X, Subaru(one of the Seven Dragons of Heaven) and Seichiro(one of the Seven Dragons of Earth) had the earlier years of their lives shown in this great occult 2-part OVA series. Here, Subaru is a psychic from a long line of spiritualists who professionally help safeguard people from supernatural occurances. His sister is also a spiritualist of sorts and has a crush on their family's longtime friend, the vet Seichiro. The fate surrounding them in X is not truly given away in the anime, and only breifly mentioned in the X movie. But Tokyo Babylon is still a great look at mysticism in modern-day Japan. The two episodes are totally seperate from each other. The first one had Subaru being called in to investigate a possible murder involving a man with extremely good luck who seems to be the only one surviving all the tragic accidents happening at his company's construction site. The second episode is much longer dealing with a psychopath on a subway, and a woman with post-cognitive powers that allow her to see into the past. The animation is great with theatrical quality and sceneric imagery. This is one of the better of CLAMP's pre-Cardcaptors stories to be done as an anime. Definately check it out.
Rating: 
Summary: Great supernatural fun and bishounen eye candy
Review: CLAMP created one of their most appealing characters ever in Subaru Sumeragi, the teenage exorcist/magician who is at the center of Tokyo Babylon (and also shows up in an older, wiser and sadder version in X). His legions of fangirls will not be disappointed in these OVAs. These are side stories to the manga, and while not all character relationships from the original are fully explored, this definitely gives the viewer a taste of CLAMP's universe. In both stories, Subaru investigates a baffling paranormal case, accompanied by his two sidekicks -- Hokuto, his twin sister, and Seishirou Sakarazuka, a veteranarian and fellow magician (with a dark secret that's not fully revealed in these productions -- and, BTW, his Japanese voice actor is no other than the great Koyasu Takehito!). OVA1 is about a mysterious series of murders at a construction site, a man who seems to have been "born lucky," and a woman out for a grisly revenge. OVA2 concerns a psychic who can see the past through her fingers and a killer stalking the Tokyo subways. Both are well-written and suspenseful (although the story of OVA2 is more engaging), the production values surprisingly good for OVA animation of this time period, and the Japanese voice actors give terrific performances (well, hey. . . it's *Koyasu*!) However, I'd stick with the Japanese subtitled version, as the dub makes some serious script changes (some of which alter the character of Seishirou). I'd recommend this to CLAMP fans, Koyasu fans, and people who like similar types of supernatural mystery (i.e. X-Files, Yami no Matsuei). And I can't think of anyone who wouldn't love Subaru. ^_^
Rating:
Summary: Great Plot, No Problems
Review: CLAMP is an excellent stroy-writing group. This series follows along the same ideas as their original. The voice casting choices in Japanese are wonderful, and it's fun to have the English to compare. As for technical difficulty, I have not had any. The picture is clear and the sound is perfect. I do have the complaint that the subtitles are a little large, but I tend to watch it in Japanese without them anyway.
Rating:
Summary: A great glimpse into the dark saga of Tokyo Babylon
Review: For those who are calling this DVD a prologue to the X TV series.. that's not really accurate. Tokyo Babylon is NOT NEEDED to understand X, but it's nice to understand the deeper relationship between Subaru and Seishirou, and why they seem to know each other so well in the X series. Both episodes cover cases that Subaru tackles during his Onmyouji duties. The animation isn't top-notch (considering how recently it was made), but it's not painful. Watching the subtitled version is recommended, as with most anime, because Subaru's English voice actor especially wasn't at his best. If you want to really learn more about Subaru and Seishirou, you can always import the manga (untranslated when I wrote this review) because I'm sure this disc will leave you wanting more. Also take note that it does not cover a LOT of important details later in the manga, mainly how Seishirou lost his eyes, how Subaru was betrayed, why Seishirou killed-- you get the point. Basically, occult fans, bishounen, shounen-ai fans, CLAMP fans, and mystery fans should enjoy this nice little snippit from the Tokyo Babylon saga. I personally really enjoyed this disc as a TB fan. [PS: BTW, its Seishirou, not Seichiro. ;) Seichiro's a completely different character.]
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