X |
 | Summary:Eye-popping, apocalyptic thriller concerns disillusioned warrior's fate in preventing the world from annihilation. Despite often rampant pacing and inevitably impetuous overtone, it's vibrant animation, exceptional character designs pleases CLAMP enthusiasts. Casual fans seeking a stylistically tenebrous adrenaline rush. |
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| Company/Distributors: | CLAMP;Kadokawa Shoten;Mad House;Manga Entertainment |
| Year: | 1996 |
| Length: | 100 Minutes |
| Rating: |  |
| Genres: | Fantasy, Action, Horror, Occult |
| Format: | Feature Film |
| MPAA Rating: | R |
| Comments: | N/A |
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Synopsis:
1999 is the year of destiny, or rather it's the year in which prosaic characters such as "Kamui Shirou" walked the earth; only to bestir and realize they've reverted back to a simpler time when anime people (Like the one's in "Macross") roamed the sea of stars fighting recondite foes for no apparent reason. Not to mention containing no hint of "aporia" whatsoever. At least that's what "Astro Boy's" "Rintaro" would have you believe, who lends his unique sense of vision to CLAMP's apocalyptic masterpiece. The only difference between animes like "Macross" and "X" (A.k.a.: "X/1999") is that like Macross, X's battles are waged with two forces who are both (For the most part anyway) blind to their task at hand, though they wouldn't often like to believe it, they really are; did I also mention the other difference is that X is not a masterpiece? However, despite all this, any fan in his right mind can argue that CLAMP's illustrious work is indeed the true masterpiece here. Both their unique sense of visual extravagance, masterful production designs and ultra slick characters have boosted the four female artists into anime megastardom. Moreover, this is not at all to say that CLAMP's manga "X" is indeed not a masterpiece by any means. The manga's evocatively taunting atmosphere, characters and redundantly absorbing style are what make it work. Unfortunately like many 'manga-to-film' incarnations, "Rintaro's" film assumes that the audience has already cogitated (And read!) the extensive manga series. The plot in "X" is curiously deep but also ignobly simple; and it is as follows: "The young and intractable warrior "Kamui Shirou" must choose to fight by the side of either (Get this) 'The Dragons Of The Earth' or 'The Dragons Of Heaven'. The 'Dragons Of The Earth' are the bad guys head by Kamui's x-best friend (Or at least it wasn't always that way, it was --- I'm not about to go into that!) Fuma; this alliance also consists of lots and lots of weird people with funny (And LONG!) names. They are all ugly though some of them are real things to look at; believe me! The Dragons of Heaven are the good guys head by some blind, deaf and mute girl who also has a really long name; her team consists of Kamui and a bunch of other weird people with long and funny names (One of them is an ecdysiast!). This particular alliance consists of characters who are all athletic and good-looking; despite all this they are also dark and murky like the environment which surrounds them. Kamui intends to kill Fuma after a series of bad apparitions leads Fuma to an accord with The Dragons Of The Earth, the problem is that (If memory serves.) both of them are in love with the same women (Who grew up with them together in childhood..., "Awe" -- "Ahem.." --); on top of that Kamui has no intention of murdering his best friend for the sake of humanity (Which consists of all ugly and unattractive people anyway except for the Dragons Of The Earth and Heaven; give or take a few). In the periods following all this we witness a whole lot of nasty and sometimes pretty blood n' gore, and the greatest display of city destruction this side of the "Akira" realm. Oh, and I forgot to mention that Akira was actually easier to understand than this.... If most of you thought that was harsh, just try conjuring up some kind of plot summary for this thing. The truth is there's so many parallels to this film you can't really do it without hurting some potentiality of the plot's redeeming values. I'll tell ya one thing though I'm not seeing very much of it here, heck it's hard to see the movie's so dark anyway!
Review:
Now here's something you'll whole-heartedly enjoy, the first 45-minutes of Rintaro's "X"; CLAMP's adapted apocalyptic thriller of the same name. It's something which wreaks of style and most of the time a bit of substance. Complete with dramatic set-ups, abundant and taunting action Repeat after me: "Tokyo is the center of the Earth and nothing else matters". "Everybody repeats a person's name before discussing a particular person each time they begin a new sentence, even if they don't know that person very well" (I saw the dub, so sue me!). "Everyone changes their mind more than twice" and "The human body consists of approximately 100 gallons of blood" (But I'm sure you've heard that one already). As I may have mentioned, one of the film's biggest problems is the inconsistent direction style; something which "X" never really sticks to in it's idealized world of dark and mood. While most of the characters are well-rendered at a standpoint of position and style, most of the film's characterizations serve mainly as elegant accoutrements rather than real people with personalities; most of which contain the same personality as the next; ambition, ideal whatever you want to call it. It doesn't show. Much of "X's" dialouge is wasted amid the almost clever examination of situation briefing and enemy intention; also (Painfully) the environment. Dialouge equivalent to something like "What is this place?!" or "Who are you?" and "That can't be!" are second nature to the behavior of the main characters and secondary characters (Surprisingly less with the secondary characters). Not to mention the fact that some of "X's" visual hint's and/or displays hardly cross the realms of originality or catchy (Look closely at the large building during Kamui's dream of a ruined Tokyo -- "Billy Wilder" anyone?). Anyway, back to the film... No one can argue however, that the film is visually breathtaking; like the abundant blood n' gore, X flows with such grace and style that one can't begin to look away. When buildings explode and entire cities erupt into chaos, we see every nook, shard of glass and ferroconcrete plummeting to the depths of the ground. An Earth already scorched in heat, an extreme case of nitroglycerin and a bit of flaunting supernatural powers. Some of the film's more visually impressive moments come in the form of Kamui leaping his way past the various dimensions of his fellow accomplices. The gigantic computer known only as "The Beast". Also present are the arras-laden battles between murkily adversaries and their enormously "lecithin-color" wings; such people hardly deserve to have such body features (I'll never understand why the good guys wear black -- I guess "Big O's" an exception). The film just plain as day looks and sounds great; that alone would be enough to save the plot, but it's one so clustered that the effects cease to do any justice. What is on the plus side however is the presence of "Yasuaki Honda's" evocative score, perfect in justifying the atmosphere and mood of the film. In the end, "X" can be easily regarded as a masterpiece on these levels of animation film making. Sadly, where X succeeds it also leaves holes for culpability; as endless sequences of character interaction serve mainly for exposition of the plot and never the in-depth view of CLAMP's magnificent world. Few of the characters in "X" are true to the core, while most are simply elongated babble machines designed to promote "anime coolness" or style. We as viewers could utilize the other half of the conceit as entertainment. Rintaro doesn't know how to entertain here, though his illustrious career is masterful, he has simply proceeded to fulfill a project he can't ensconce the shoes of. Perhaps it would have been better had "CLAMP" directed their own portion of the feature. Of course they were far to busy illustrating the manga, not to mention the film's beautiful artwork. It becomes apparent to myself however, that I feel many of the characters in X do in fact work. I happen to take a liking to the wise-cracking "Sorata Arisugawa" as well as the amusing Dragon Of The Earth "Shougo Asagi" (That's right, I like a bad guy; gotta problem with that?). Oh yeah there was that one dude with the glasses, what was his name?, -- and the chick with the big...,; Oh never mind!....
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sequences and all around eye-candy; this rudimentary opus is an anime viewer's dream, flourishing with moody color and incredibly vibrant visuals. But when "X" approaches the core of it's intended storyline, it transforms into something uncoordinated and redundantly non-consilient. If Otomo's "Akira" is "X" with a brain, then Rintaro's feature film is Otomo's movie with swords instead of bikes, and no sense of timing or direction within the second act. What starts as an extravagant visual feast for the eyes erupts into a plethora of characters beating one another to death, while at the same time reciting a series of clichéd platitudes and soulless dialouge. In the end however, this feature comes up short by preforming coherent exposition, rather than extreme character depth; displaying Rintaro's effort as nothing new. But to think that so much effort was placed into conjuring up these often beautiful characters, you'd believe that such a film would do justice to the tiresome layout; no. The film's main problem is that it constantly turns the corner of mood and character interaction for the unmistakable inception of action sequences and mindless violence.