"X" (2001) TV series 2001-2002

Directors:

Mokona Apapa
Yoshiaki Kawajiri

Writers:

Mokona Apapa (writer)
Satsuki Igarashi (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

3 October 2001 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Drama | Fantasy

Tagline:

Two sides. Two choices. One future.

Plot:

Kamui Shirou and Fuuma Monou have been best friends ever since they were kids. Fate, however, separates...

Plot Keywords:

Fate | Angel | Buddhist Monk | Female Nudity | Anime

Cast

Mona Marshall	...	Girl / ... (25 episodes, 2001-2002)
Bob Papenbrook	...	Kanoe's Boss (25 episodes, 2001-2002)
Jamieson Price	...	Additional Voices / ... (25 episodes, 2001-2002)
Philece Sampler	...	Tokiko Magami / ... (25 episodes, 2001-2002)
Tony Schnur	...	Fisherman / ... (25 episodes, 2001-2002)
Terrence Stone	...	Gang Member / ... (25 episodes, 2001-2002)
Karen Strassman	...	Satsuki Yatouji / ... (25 episodes, 2001-2002)
Julie Ann Taylor	...	Hokuto Sumeragi / ... (25 episodes, 2001-2002)
Dave Wittenberg	...	Basketball Player / ... (25 episodes, 2001-2002)
Barbara Goodson	...	Maid / ... (23 episodes, 2001-2002)

Runtime:

24 min (24 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Certification:

Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Germany:16

Company:

Mad House

Trivia:

Steven Blum is the only voice actor out of both the Japanese and English language casts to retain the same role (Seiichiro Aoki) for both this series and the feature film X (1996).

Quotes:

Kamui Shirô: [after Sorata talked about Kamui's mother] You came to Tokyo to die!

Movie Connections:

Remake of X (1996)

Awful theme song, brilliant series

Two months ago, I'd have told you that I despised anime, because two months ago I was under the heavily mistaken impression that all anime was "Dragonball Z" and "DigiMon". Having recently viewed all 24 episodes of "X", I was clearly mistaken. This was the first series I have ever seen about which I have had nothing serious to criticize.

Once one gets past the absolutely godawful, mood-killing, schmalzy theme songs at the beginning and end of each episode, one discovers immensely complex characters and plot lines. Our hero is 16-year-old Shirou Kamui, your very untypical high school sophomore. He's quiet, bitter, has no family left, and he doesn't know or particularly care that he's supposed to decide the fate of the world. This is beginning to sound cheesy, but surprisingly enough, it's not. Basically, we have two opposing sides - the Seven Seals, who are fighting to preserve the world and contain everyone from a hyper 14-year-old to a devout Christian woman who happens to be a prostitute, and the Seven Angels, the "bad guys" who really aren't that bad - they may be fighting for the destruction of Planet Earth, but they're likable and very human. Kamui comes in because he's the only one of this group who gets to choose which side he wants to be on. And it only really begins to matter when he realizes that his two best friends are going to be affected by this.

Kamui (and everyone else) are your standard shoujo posterboys - gentle, selfless, and (as Arisugawa Sorata, one of the primary players in this apocalyptic game comments) ridiculously attractive. But at the same time, they are characters anyone can relate too. The animation is gorgeous, and the non-theme music is actually pretty good. The series also features a trench-coat-clad young medium named Sumeragi Subaru, who seems not to have a personality. He is, in reality, one of the most complex characters ever created. For more on him, read the Tokyo Babylon manga.

If you're skeptical, that's understandable - I was. Now, I'm giving this fascinating series 10/10.