X/1999 marks an effort by Viz Comics to break open the shoujo manga market in the United States with force and they certainly have chosen the perfect weapon to do so. With production by currently-in-demand, all-female CLAMP (Tokyo Bablyon, RG Veda), X/1999 (the original title is just plain X) contains elements that would pique the attention of readers who might not normally be shoujo manga fans: action, vengeance, an intriguing plot and lots of violence.
Already serialized in Animerica and previously released in standard 32-page comic book format, X/1999 has been recently released in a trade paperback edition, titled "Prelude," which contains the first six issues. Designed much like the original Japanese manga volumes, "Prelude" is bound in an all-black exterior with an impressive image of the series' protagonist, Kamui. Look for the second volume, "Overture," to be released in January 1997.
X/1999 surrounds the reader in an intricate story about Kamui Shiro, a recently returned high school student who has been absent for six years. Externally, Kamui's your typical shoujo hero: big beautiful eyes, great wispy hair and a slim figure that supermodels starve themselves to obtain. But inside, he's more than not normal. With a destiny that was "foreordained," Kamui has been anointed as the being that will either save or destroy the earth in the near future. Such a responsibility is an awesome burden, to say the least, and Kamui manages to bear it quite well, even at times enjoying the moment.
The story is deeply laden with intrigue, psychic powers, storytelling, several references to the domain of religion, and the vital ingredient to any shoujo manga--love that endures all. In this case, there's Kotori Monou, a childhood friend of Kamui's whom he promised to marry when they were both children. Blond and with a gentle spirit, Kotori doesn't receive quite the loving reunion with Kamui that she expects. She is rebuffed with extreme prejudice and is warned by Kamui to completely forget about him. True to form, she doesn't and refuses to let him out of her mind.
Other characters phase in and out of X/1999. Another central character is Kotori's older brother, Fuma. Your typical protective brother, Fuma plays a more integral part to the story later on. More psychic powered people fill out the cast of X/1999, both befriending and challenging Kamui.
The artwork of X/1999 is exquisite beauty captured in ink. The artists of CLAMP seem to have perfected their style with this title, having practiced their trade with prior titles like Tokyo Babylon and RG Veda. Artists Mokona Apapa and Satsuki Igarashi readily display their talents with the layout of each page. The translation reads nicely, although it does seem to get a bit awkward in a few places and some liberty was taken when translating formal titles. Translation is never a perfect art, however.
X/1999 demands your attention. Never mind that the breathtaking anime movie is being released on video in late March 1997. Forget all the hype surrounding en vogue CLAMP. This title is a self-contained, intellectual series that, while begrudgingly gives the reader plenty of gratuitous action and violence, manages to stand apart from that and entice readers with the beauty of its art and the seriousness of the story.

By CLAMP
Viz Comics
$15.95 USA / $21.50 CAN
ISBN 1-56931-138-2

COPYRIGHT © 1996 CLAMP / Kadokawa Shoten / Viz Comics