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X/1999, Vol. 1, Prelude

X/1999, Vol. 1, Prelude

List Price: $9.95
Your Price: $8.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: great art--but the story's slow
Review: X/1999, regarded by many as CLAMP's masterwork (alongside Tokyo Babylon), is undoubtedly a gorgeous manga. I've yet to see art that equals it. But a look at the title alone should let you know how incredibly slowly this series moves: "1999?" Isn't it almost 2002 now? And the final battle *still* hasn't come for our intrepid heroes (and anti-heroes).

Don't get me wrong. The series is engrossing. But it seems like CLAMP is trying to build on the popularity of Tokyo Babylon, which was a well-contained series with an obvious beginning and end, with this manga that appears to have neither. The talented women of CLAMP have brought in old favorite characters such as Sumeragi Subaru and Sakurazuka Seishirou, as well as introduced some very interesting new people - Sorata's my personal favorite. But the cast of characters is undoubtedly too big, and CLAMP seems intent on bringing in new people all the time, which only makes the already-burdened plot more cumbersome and difficult to follow.

So why did I give it four stars? Because, in spite of all this, the manga *is* fascinating--true, we've been waiting for years for Kamui's final battle, but once you start you can't stop; you can only sigh and agree to wait as many years as it takes. My main complaint is that the English translations are so slow in coming--X is up to Volume 17 in the original Japanse (yes, 17--you're not even halfway there, kiddies, and there's no end in sight), while we're still waiting for the release of Vol. 8. That's too slow! I'm hooked! I need more - fast! Not to mention the fact that the American publishers appear to have cut key scenes that might "offend" an American audience, such as ones containing homosexual implications/content (be prepared for tons of that in CLAMP--especially Tokyo Babylon, which is largely based on the love affair between Subaru and Seishirou).

So it appears that X, while great, is a lifetime commitment for readers. Be sure it's one you're willing to make, since these volumes don't come cheap--and if you understand Japanese, or are able to find online translations (they *do* exist), I would highly recommend buying the manga in the original language.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: one of clamps masterpiece
Review: X/1999,the future rests on the shoulders of one young boy,Kamui, who goes back to tokyo for revenge, for the death of his mother, and going back to awaite the the day,the day where earth will perish,it is a story that contains violence but alot of action....I recommend it for people who are into fantasy.


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