X/1999 volume 1
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(quoted from the back of X/1999 vol 1)
THEIR DESTINY WAS FOREORDAINED
The fate of the world is at stake in this gorgeously illustrated masterwork from the four-woman artistic team CLAMP!
Kamui Shiro is a young man followed by mystery. Taken from Tokyo by his mother when only a child, Kamui left behind his dearest friends--the gentle Kotori and her brother Fuma--in the aftermath of a mysterious accident that claimed their mother's life.
Returning to Tokyo after his mother's death, Kamui is a changed young man--moody and distant to his old friends, yet determined to protect them from the dark forces that swirl around him. For he is the nexus of a great cataclysm to come, and inheritor to a strange destiny that could decide the fate of the entire world.
Prelude
As Kamui's future visions worsen, other seers and psychics across the nation begin to turn their eyes towards Tokyo, and the lines between light and dark begin to be drawn... |
X/1999 volume 1 contains:
Prelude
Storyline:
The first volume of X/1999 seemed to be a step ladder for the rest of the series. Kamui just arrived back in Tokyo and not much else happens. The first volume is more focused on the introduction of some of the many characters (only about 16 main characters) which causes the first volume's story to seem pretty dull. The end of the world is coming up and I had to sit through a day at highschool with Kotori! Although, this volume does have its moments where it truly shines but I felt that there wasn't that many exciting scenes which caused me to feel that the series didn't live up to all the hype. Thankfully, after the first couple of volumes the story really starts to pick up and makes this a very addicting series (I'm not sure if that's a good thing considering the amount of volumes).
Artwork:
Clamp always has had some of the best artwork and X/1999 really shows this off. The beautifully drawn scenes and the characters really make this one of the most beautiful series ever (just below Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and Clover). The only problem I had with this volume was that it seemed the characters weren't as done as well as future volumes, but if you haven't read ahead you will not notice this and this isn't really a big deal considering how well all the other artwork is done.
Characters:
This is one of those areas that I can't really comment on yet. The characters all felt incomplete this early in the series. Kamui isn't acting himself yet which causes the reader to get the impression he is a jackass, plus all the other characters only make small glimpses in the volume which is pretty annoying. I found myself saying things like "okay, who was that again..." quite a few times. Hell, there seemed to be too many characters at the beginning which left many aspects in this area under the category "too early to judge." Of course this will quickly change in the next few volumes as some of the main characters not only get more pages but short stories at the end of each volume which fixes this problem (of course this volume doesn't have this).
Summary (Warning: May Contain Spoilers)
X/1999 starts off with Kamui returning to Tokyo after 6 long years. After a quick introduction of Kamui in a cape the scene shifts over to Fuma and Kotori's household where they are getting ready for school. On their way to school the whole town says things like "they are such good kids" and stuff and then Kotori tells Fuma about her dream. In her dream Kamui, their old friend during childhood, came back to school with them. At school Kotori realizes that her dream was correct and that Kamui returned to their school. The only difference was that Kamui was a completely different person then she remembered. After that, Kamui jumps ontop of the school fence and blasts at the air attacking on of Hinoto's, a very powerful dreamseer, spying spells (she used the spell to try and learn more about Kamui).
As Kotori is going back to class her weak heart almost gives out and she falls asleep. While she is asleep Kotori dreams about Kamui and him dropping the Earth and having it shatter. When she finally wakes up she is at the nurses office being watched over by a nurse (remember the nurse, very important character in future volumes!) and her brother, Fuma.
After that the scene switches over to Kamui and he is remembering about the day his mother died. He remembers watching her burn in the flames and telling him to go to Tokyo. After the recollection he wakes up and realizes that he is being watched. He turns around and there is a young man in a school uniform watching him. Kamui and the guy talk for a bit and then a building jump scene (go supernatural powers!) where Kamui is trying to kill the guy. After a while Kamui almost kills him and then he realizes the guy is a windmaster and slices Kamui right in the stomach. Kamui gets pretty pissed then and throws energy balls at the guy and the guy has to be rescued by a mysterious young girl who's also in a school girl uniform, Arashi.
After tha, the story focuses on Arashi returning her hurt commrad to Hinoto's headquarters. We find out here that Hinoto is a dreamseer and that she knows Kamui is the chosen one who can choose to be either on of the seven dragons of heaven and save the Earth or be a dragon of earth and try to destroy the planet. Hinoto tells Arashi to protect Kamui because he's the chosen one and that scene ends.
At the end of the volume Kamui faints on his way back to his house because of his wounds. He is saved by Fuma who was just wondering by and is taken to Fuma's house. Kotori freaks out when she finds Kamui hurt and she starts to wonder what happened to him during the six years while he was gone. The last few pages have to do with a young man (who's name isn't yet given) explaining what a psychic barrier is and how only a dragon of heaven can use it, and then he goes off to fight another mysterious man. They both have only one agenda: be the next to talk to Kamui!
Extras:
Do advertisements count???
Content Warnings:
-Language: Yes
-Violence: Yes
-Nudity: No
-Sexual Situations: No
Overall:
Not a bad beginning to the series. Of course this is only the first volume and in a series like this it needs a few volumes before it can get going. The characters are still incomplete and the story hasn't done anything other then give you some hints at what is to come (the end of the world perhaps?). Thankfully the artwork really steals the show which will hopefully manage to keep you on this series long enough to get addicted.
+ Excellent artwork and the first volume gives enough suspense to keep the readers reading.
- Incomplete characters and a pretty dull first volume (unless you like a lot of character introdutions that are only a few pages long).
Score: 7.5/10
