Mary's Review: X/1999 by Clamp (Manga)

Put aside for a minute the fact that 1999 has come and gone and the apocalyspe has yet to come down upon mankind. That tidbit will serve no good here. Since Clamp began their odyssey in 1992 the possibility was quite plausible. Knowledge in hand, the plot goes as follows: Kamui Shiro, age 15, has returned to Tokyo following the death of his mother. There he is united (despite his best efforts) with childhood friends Fuma and Kotori, the brother and sister living in a local shine. Kamni's reluctance is quickly explained: bad things seem to happen to those involved with him: Kamni's mother died in a fire, and both of Fuma and Kotori's parents met their respective gruesome deaths; their mother when Kamni lived there as a child, and their father upon his return. Kamui, it seems, has two potential destinies: either he can save the world and preserve humanity's existence; or he can bring about change, resulting in humanity's dowfall but the salvation of nature. A nice, eco-friendly message there. That's what it all comes down to here, as well as some musings on destiny. Good things first: X/1999 has beautiful art, detailed and grim (though some volumes also have beautifully detailed death scenes not suited to the less iron willed gut), and compelling characters, a few of which have come in from other manga (readers of Clamp School Detectives and Tokyo Babylon will be pleased). There's even a little romance through it all, from plain romance, to is-it-hate? type relationships. But...there are also the expected smattering of problems. Although most of the time the year ceases to matter, the first volume of "X" seems particularly dated. A bad idea to afix dates to anything unless the date is long past. Also, after the initial look "X" takes 5 long volumes to set itself up. Lots of exposition for the patient reader before there's much action to speak of, and then begins the deaths. Lastly, "X" just seems to...stop after 18 volumes, with no conclusion to speak of, though one gets the feeling that with two more volumes things might have wrapped up. Alas, it was not to be, and two years have passed with nary a word. But in some ways the journey is worth it for its own sake. And there's always that small, small hope...
Final Verdict: 3Q, 3P

**This title is available through InterLibrary Loan**