X/1999 the Movie Review

X/1999 the Movie

X/1999 is a classic in anime films and yet the original manga is still never to be finished. This film is sad and while it sticks to the manga’s story line, X/1999 the movie does portray its own little short version of the story. It takes all the major points and fights and allows each character their segment in the film. Kamui and Fuma’s being the longest.

The Plot & Characters X/1999

X/1999 focuses on the character Kamui as well as on his friend Fuma and Fuma’s sister, Kotori. A long time ago Kamui’s mother and he moved out of Tokyo and away from his best friend, Fuma. Later she dies giving him a sword, the weapon to either save or destroy the Earth. He returns to Tokyo to find his friend Fuma. When Kamui decides he wants to save his friends, he chooses to save the Earth and therefore awakens the Kamui in Fuma. This Kamui (Fuma) will destroy the Earth. Now Kamui has to fight his longtime friend, Fuma, to the death. Kotori, the love of Kamui and sister of Fuma, holds the other sword. In order for Fuma to obtain she has to die. In the end, Kamui ends up cutting Fuma’s head off. This leaves Kamui with nothing and a very sad ending indeed.

I like this version of X/1999 even though it is just a summary. The ending is an ending that only an anime can pull off. It feels real because in the end, no one really won anything. Kamui was given no recognition in saving the Earth and ends up killing his best friends which killed his own sister. He has a terrible life ahead of him, but this film is a cold hard truth.

CLAMP Art

As always, CLAMP delivers great art and a great story in X/1999. The art work is classic CLAMP style and a very dreamy look added to the film. The story is just one version of this ongoing series. The TV series allows a more in depth look at characters and a different ending. This version of X/1999 is the saddest of the three (for now). You really do not get to know the characters, but you get to know enough about them to know their characteristics.

This is definitely a classic in anime films. If you have not seen it, you really should. Any CLAMP story is going to be good, but the X/1999 movie is definitely one of their bests.

Overall Grade: 9/10

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