Introduction

A General Introduction to X/1999

X, or X/1999 as it is often known, is a rather long (and unfortunately unfinished) manga by the group known as CLAMP. It began in 1992 and stopped production in 2003 with approximately one and a half volumes to go. Eighteen volumes of the manga have been published, in addition to five extra chapters which would be a part of volume nineteen, two artbooks, and various crossover works.

The story is an apocalyptic adventure in which the world is destined to be destroyed or saved based on the conflict between two groups—the Dragons of Heaven, also called the Ten no Ryu or the Seven Seals, who wish to preserve life as it is, and the Dragons of Earth, also called the Chi no Ryu or the Seven Angels, who wish to destroy all of humankind including themselves. Both groups are to be lead by a “Kamui”—a name which means both “the one who represents the majesty of God” and “the one who hunts the majesty of God”. The true Kamui, or the one who bore that name from birth, is destined to choose a side and his twin star, a young man who happens to be Kamui’s best friend, is destined to take the opposite side.

Initially the sides are made up of seven people each. The Dragons of Heaven are Kamui, Subaru, Arashi, Yuzuriha, Sorata, Seiichirou, and Karen. The Dragons of Earth are Fuuma (who takes the name Kamui once the other Kamui chooses to be a Seal), Satsuki, Nataku, Kusanagi, Kakyou, and Seishirou. They come from a variety of both religious and secular backgrounds and fight for a variety of different reasons. Generally the Dragons of Heaven all have people they want to protect, but the exact nature of that desire varies from character to character. The Dragons of Earth either desire the end of the world to end their suffering or the suffering of someone or something else or feel a sense of apathy towards the whole thing and fight only for their own amusement. The Dragons of Heaven are advised by a child-like woman named Hinoto who can see the future in her dreams. Her sister, Kanoe, leads the Dragons of Earth, but her power is limited to seeing her sister’s dreams. In addition there are several side characters of various levels of importance, but the most important additional character, particularly in the first half of the story is Kotori, Kamui’s childhood friend and Fuuma’s little sister.

The story takes place in Tokyo because the city is apparently a sort of keystone for the world—if it falls, the whole world will fall as well. This is because of the “kekkai”, which are kind of protective ward, located there which are made up of several man-made structures that protect the city, and thus the world, from massive natural disasters. According to Wikipedia, the kekkai include Nakano Sun Plaza, Sunshine 60, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (all three of these are skyscrapers), the Shinjuku Highrises (a series of skyscrapers), Shibuya 109 (a landmark building in the shopping district), Ebisu Garden Place, Rainbow Bridge, The National Diet Building, Ginza (a shopping district), Inokashira Park, Yasukuni shrine (dedicated to fallen Japanese soldiers), and the Yamanote line (a train line “in the shape of the Amida Butsu's hand with the Imperial Palace roughly at its center”). The final and most important kekkai is the Tokyo Tower, a tower which resembles the Eiffle Tower and is often featured in manga and anime, particularly CLAMP works. The goal of the Dragons of Earth is to destroy these places, while the Dragons of Heaven must keep them protected.

The story begins with Kamui returning to Tokyo at the request of his mother who just died in a fire. He is there to retrieve a sword which is being held by the father of Kamui’s childhood friends, Fuuma and Kotori. While he is there, the other Dragons begin to arrive in Tokyo as well, though they do not really begin to gather in a formal sense. Kamui wants to avoid contact with his old friends in order to keep them out of his complicated and often violent life, but their lives are destined to collide. Kamui is eventually told about the upcoming apocalypse and the role he will play in deciding the fate of the world, but he has little interest in the matter. His only motivation for eventually choosing a side is to protect the people he loves—Fuuma and Kotori.

Although he makes no declaration of the fact that he will be a Dragon of Heaven, the realization of his desire to protect them automatically makes him a Seal and, unfortunately that means Fuuma becomes an Angel. Fuuma loses his personality and murders Kotori in a horrible and violent manner. It is only because of the involvement of another Angel, Kakyou, who had been talking to Kotori in their shared dreams, that Kamui escaped with his life.

With the two sides more or less decided, the Dragons of Earth continue trying to take out the “kekkai” while the Dragons of Heaven try to protect them. Things become complicated as Dragons begin to die, people defect to the other side, and a traitor is discovered. The story ends with the final battle beginning, but there is no actual conclusion since the story is unfinished. It is unclear how things will end, especially since the final frame of the manga, as it stands now, is Kamui realizing something important as Fuuma looms over him with a sword, about to stab him.

CLEAR