X, also known as X/1999, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Clamp, a creative team made up of Satsuki Igarashi, Nanase Ohkawa, Tsubaki Nekoi, and Mokona. It premiered in Kadokawa Shoten's shojo manga magazine Monthly Asuka in May 1992 and ran there until it went on hiatus in March 2003; it has yet to be concluded. The story takes place at the end of days in the year 1999. The series follows Kamui Shiro, a young esper who returns home to Tokyo after a six-year absence to face his destiny as the one who will determine humanity's fate.
Kadokawa Shoten collected and published the individual chapters in 18 tankōbon volumes, with five chapters published in the book All About Clamp. These chapters were released in their own 19th volume, entitled "Volume 18.5", as part of a "Premium Collection" version of the series in November 2023. All but several final chapters have been published. It has been adapted into a series of audio dramas. It was followed by a 1996 anime feature film by Rintaro assisted by Ohkawa in studio Madhouse. The same studio, now led by director and writer Yoshiaki Kawajiri, made a 24-episode anime television series in 2001. Since the manga never reached its ending, the two animated adaptations have their own takes of the series' finale. Viz Media published the 18 completed volumes in North America, while the film and the TV series been have released on DVD by multiple distributors.
The series is a foray into apocalyptic fiction; it combines elements from various end-of-the-world scenarios, both secular and religious, with its own mythos. Its themes include exploring the personality of humanity, relationships with others, and external conflicts like the impending Armageddon. It is considered one of Clamp's most iconic works in their early career, having sold more than 12 million copies and garnering mostly positive reviews for its story, large varied cast and appealing illustrations. Despite its female target audience, it also attracted male readers because of its focus on action.
Plot
In 1999, Kamui Shiro returns to Tokyo after a six-year absence to fulfill his mother's dying wish of changing fate. However, he keeps his distance from two childhood friends, Kotori and Fuma Monou, whom he originally treasured as a child. The end of the world is fast approaching as superhuman individuals will assure their victory. The clone Nataku steals the from Fuma's family temple, with his dying father telling his son that he is Kamui's "twin star". The Dragons of Heaven are the first to contact Kamui. Hinoto, the dreamgazer for the Japanese Legislature guides them. They are the protectors of the , spiritual barriers (in the form of buildings such as the Tokyo Tower) that hold the fabric of nature together. As long as the kekkai survive, Judgment Day is postponed. The Dragons of Earth are the antithesis of the Dragons of Heaven. Their mission is to destroy the kekkai and unleash earthquakes so Earth can be cured of the plague of humanity. They were assembled by Hinoto's sister Kanoe, secretary to the Governor of Tokyo.
Kamui is forced to choose between the two sides. He decides he only wants to protect Kotori and Fuma and becomes a Dragon of Heaven. At the same time, Fuma has a change of personality and becomes the "Kamui" of the Dragons of Earth as he was destined to be Kamui's opposite. Fuma murders Kotori and swears to kill Kamui. The Dragon of Heaven Subaru Sumeragi helps Kamui to overcome this traumatic experience, and he decides to face reality. Just like Subaru decided to search for the Dragon of Earth, Seishiro Sakurazuka, who killed his sister Hokuto years ago, Subaru inspires Kamui to face reality and avoid another catastrophe in his life. Kamui decides he wishes to bring Fuma back to normal. Kamui joins the Dragons of Heaven in their fight against the Dragons of Earth. Across the manga, Kamui and his allies face the Dragons of Earths multiple times but cannot protect most barriers, resulting in multiple earthquakes taking down Tokyo. In a one-on-one match, Seishiro activates Hokuto's dying spell so that Subaru would be forced kill him. Fuma reveals that Seishiro's wish was leaving a mark in Subaru. Following an eye transplant from Seishiro's body, Subaru replaces the late Dragon of Earth. The Dragon of Heaven Arashi Kishu loses her maiden powers after having a sexual relationship with her ally Sorata Arisugawa. A dark alter ego Hinoto kidnaps her to turn her into a Dragon of Earth. As these events occur, Tokyo has nearly been destroyed and is flooded, and Kamui and Fuma wield their Sacred Swords needed to clash in the final fight of the war. Both Subaru and Fuma claim that Kamui cannot change the future unless he realizes his own wish.
Production
Development The manga artists group Clamp created X. Influenced by the works of Go Nagai and Kyokutei Bakin, the story develops the group's ideas on humanity's responsibility to itself; its family and the planet. After the success of Tokyo Babylon and Clamp School Detectives, their editor at Monthly Asuka, Seiichiro Aoki, approached the members of Clamp to script a longer series. Writer Nanase Ohkawa, the group's head writer, seized the opportunity to script her long-in-development "end of the world" epic. Conceived while she was still in middle school, Ohkawa's original story focused on a group of warriors fighting a losing battle in the name of justice. While the idea never materialized, many aspects were carried over into Clamp's manga, including the lead characters of Kamui and Fuma. Kamui was originally written as a high-school student from Kotori Monou's point of view to appeal to the shōjo audience of young females. However, poor response from readers led to Clamp changing their characterizations. Ohkawa aimed to show characters from their previous works in the X resulting in multiple crossovers. The title—"X"—was chosen because it has no fixed meaning. In mathematics, it is a common variable. Beyond mathematics, "X" is a generic placeholder whose value is secret or unknown. "X" is also a cruciform, an allusion to Christian mythos, and the representation of death and rebirth in Kabbalah.
Ohkawa cites Go Nagai's Devilman as a stylistic and thematic influence. Beyond his penchant for drawing extreme violence, Nagai's writing involves themes like the nature of good and evil and fear, ideas that left an impression on Clamp's writer at an early age. Like Devilman, X follows two male best friends destined to fight each other at Armageddon, a confrontation brought about by the murder of the hero's childhood sweetheart. The rest of the cast includes characters from the group's entire canon, including unpublished works, effectively creating an entire world inhabited by their creations. The ensemble cast, inspired on Kyokutei Bakin's Nansō Satomi Hakkenden, includes Subaru Sumeragi and Seishiro Sakurazuka from Tokyo Babylon, and the main characters of Clamp School Detectives. Their first illustration of Kamui gave them a feeling of Ashura, a character from RG Veda based on his appearance in Tokyo's destroyed area.
Several of the series' characters were created using Osamu Tezuka's "Star System" technique, where old designs are incorporated in new characters, except for Kamui, who proved challenging because of his role. He was made to stand apart from other characters, and Ohkawa called his hairstyle and school uniform average. Clamp's lead artist Mokona believes this was influenced by the heroic character-type upon which he was based. In contrast, Kamui and Fuma were new characters whose designs were revised to fit their characters. Subaru and Seishiro reappear in Clamp's manga X because their relationship parallels that of the lead Kamui and the main antagonist Fuma. They serve as an example to Kamui and Fuma. One of Xs most important plot developments is the question of what these two will do, so as not end up like Subaru and Seishiro. Clamp has compared the bond between Subaru and Kamui with that of siblings. The fight sequences were inspired by the manga Dragon Ball, most specifically by author Akira Toriyama's use of white backgrounds.
Influences
X is Clamp's take on the apocalyptic fiction genre. The series combines elements from various end of the world scenarios and myths, including Christian eschatology; with Clamp's own modern mythology to tell the tale of the fate of the world. The Apocalypse of John inspires the X mythos with Tokyo standing in as a modern-day Babylon. Like the biblical city; Clamp's Tokyo is "the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird", (Rev. 18:2 KJV) and is slated for destruction.
Clamp found issues with the amount of gore they aimed to portray, especially Kotori's death foreshadowed in dream scenes. This was mostly affected by the concern over themes of violence in video games present in the 1990s. The writers feared that toning down the violence would negatively affect the manga. Another death scene that left Clamp facing issues was when Fuma decapitates Saiki, which led to more negative responses from the readers. Ohkawa claimed the deaths were meant to be cruel, but the narrative did not fit the shojo demography. The Kobe child murders where Clamp received criticism for the similarities between fictional murders and real life murders also had an effect.
Kamui is established as a Christ figure. He is prophesied to return to Tokyo and the one who will determine humanity's fate. His miraculous birth and his given name reinforce the construction of Kamui as a messiah. "Kamui", like "Christ", doubles as a title that alludes to the character's nature. Apocalyptic allusions abound with respect to nomenclature. The Dragons of Heaven take their moniker from the seven seals introduced in Chapter 5 of the Book of Revelation, while the antagonistic Angels allude to the seven celestial beings ordered to "go [their] ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth" (Rev. 16:1 KJV).
Other apocalyptic standards like earthquakes are employed, but the apocalypse of Clamp's manga trades the religious element for an environmental theme. Inspired by the Gaia theory that the Earth itself is one living organism, Ohkawa crafts an endtime brought on by humanity's abuse of the planet. The constant earthquakes the Dragons of Earth cause resulted in a negative backlash from readers and editors because of similar incidents in real life. The story reflects environmental concerns in its depiction of Judgment Day. Mankind exists in binary opposition to the Earth. By the end of days, humanity has become such a nuisance that the only way to save the planet is to destroy the whole of civilization. With mankind gone, the planet can regulate itself back to health and experience a rebirth. The Seals, however, look to preserve the status quo and to entrust the future of the planet to the people. Teito Monogatari, an award-winning historical fantasy novel, inspired aspects of X's mythology. CLAMP式パッチワーク漫画の作り方2
Themes The conflict between the Dragons of Heaven and the Dragons of Earth is at the heart of the series. Like its predecessor Tokyo Babylon, X deals with societal issues. Being set in the present provides an outlet for the authors to reflect and comment on Japan's state of affairs. But unlike Tokyo Babylon, where the characters were vocal in their concerns, topics in X go unspoken and are implied. The story places an emphasis on familial dignity and individualism. X delves into the relationship between Man and the Earth. Ohkawa talks of how mankind's concern for the preservation, restoration and improvement of the planet stems from a desire to perpetuate its own existence. She explains, "people will save the Earth to save themselves, but who will risk themselves to save the Earth"?