#S: Tokyo Babylon 1999

[nemo-of-house-hamartia]

Ok imma make a list of my fave animes and manga from when I was growing up., because I can. And if you are an Italian that grew up in the late 80s/early 90s watching TV, you'll find a crapton of those cartoons that were aired on Bim Bum Bam (so, Italia 1, Canale 5 and Rete 4 lolol) and on the smaller television channels (especially the one from the 80s ).

It's going to be A LONG ONE, probably divided in a couple of reblogs, because I am not kidding you all, I DEVOURED manga and anime when I was a child/teen lolol

As usual, they are in no particular order of preference: I am just writing them down as they come to my mind.

So without further ado, you will find the list beneath the "keep reading" lolol

-LADY OSCAR

When I say that this story shaped me as a person, I am not exaggerating. I always LOVED reading shoujos, but I never felt like I could relate to any of the heroines. I felt like I was never sweet enough, or feminine enough. Then, Oscar François de Jarjayes came along and dear gods, it was EVERYTHING my heart desired. I wanted to be her so badly: brave, strong, just and never afraid to be who I am. This story is my everything.

-X-1999

(the way Seishiro and Subaru's story had me BY THE THROAT even as a teen,I just cannot begin to explain. Gods, it was so twisted, but so SO GOOD. Seishiro and Subaru were just MY EVERYTHING. And do not let me start with Kakyou and Hotaru, my heart was WRENCHED. tbh, it would be fair to say that everything connected to the Sumeragi just grips my heart , especially after reading Tokyo Babylon. Gah, my heart).

-SLAYERS

RINA WAS MY EVERYTHING. Poweful, Sassy, independent, reckless and with a short temper??? like HELLO?? I connected to her so much fml (and child me shipperd her hard with Zelgadis, fml.). The Italian Theme song was just SO BEAUTIFUL, it was one of the many reasons I adored this anime so much.

-ROBIN HOOD

*takes deep breath* ok. I have a lot to unpack on this because I have this CLEAR core memory from when I was still in preschool and was watching this anime at my grandparents' home and I was just lost for Robin. COMPLETELY lost, and while I am known to have a penchant for being rather theatrical, now I am totally serious. fml this cartoon had such a huge influence on me, that I am still feeling it to this day, even in the way I design characters (like, I never realized how much Maid Marian actually resembled Dottie dear gods.)

- MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM WING

I usually do not care much for the Mecha genre tbh, it was never my favourite, but Mobile Suit was one of the few that I actually loved. And this was the Anime that made me go "yes, I love men with long hair fml (Duo, you bastard, I had such a huge crush on you. So yes, I am looking at you) and I love magnificent bastards (Treize I hate that I love you so much)", so I already knew there was no going back lol).

-SAILOR MOON

I talked extensively yesterday about HOW MUCH I love Sailor Moon, but dear gods let me reiterate. Sailor Moon IS my childhood. The amount of time I played pretend in school with my group of friends cannot even start to be counted. Adore. just ADORE.

- CHOBITS

(prepare yourself because you will see A CRAPTON of stuff from Clamp. They were my go to, along Rumiko Takahashi, Naoko Takeuchi and Ai Yazawa).

-CARD CAPTOR SAKURA

(this story was *everything* and i coveted so badly her card deck. like, the amount of time I redrew the card of Fire, Water, Light and Darkness because fml i adore Mokona's style so much, especially the one she had during that period of time).

-TSUBASA RESERVOIR CHRONICLE

(I am still trying to recover from THE HUGE HEADACHE this freaking manga caused me, with all the cross referencing and whatnot, but fml I was *living* for all the characters from Clamp´s previous work being included everywhere. It was amazing, I adored it so much).

-MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH

I WANTED TO BE UMI SO BADLY. SO BADLY. BLUE HAIRED HEROINE, ELEGANT, CONNECTED TO DRAGONS, WITH ONE HECK OF A RAPIER AS SWORD?? WHY YES. YES. And Emeraude, oh gods, the way I loved Emeraude and Zagart's story. Just let me sob in silenceeeee).

- GODCHILD

What can I say about this, aside from the fact that this was my descent into the Visual Gothic Genre?? It had everything! fucked up story-lines (Victorian Gothic literature was filled up with that), the AMAZING pencil of Kaori Yuki, and Cain. ESPECIALLY CAIN.

-DRAGON BALL

(Z/GT, you name it. Mandatory watch with my lil bro, as soon as I got back home followed, of course, by a fight between me and him because we couldn't agree on who was stronger, Vegeta or Goku - and I still stand by my man Vegeta, idc. Also, Freezer's saga lasted FOREVER. A WHOLE SUMMER OF WATCHING IT, AND IT WAS NEVER ENDING.).

- NARUTO

this is THE MANGA. The one that, alongside The Crow caused me and my husband to meet and fall in love. We were both following Shippuuden as it just came out and was airing in Japan, and my hubby had a Sasuke fpf. Aside from this though, I just love Kishimoto's work so much fml.

- LITTLE POLLON

A whole ass anime about the daughter of Apollo, busy trying to prove herself a Goddess and making SO MUCH CHAOS?? My cup of tea as a child (I was probably 4-5 when I watched it) and my own personal gateway to Greek Mythology lololol

-WOLF'S RAIN

DO NOT SPEAK TO ME ABOUT THIS ANIME, I AM STILL CRYING THINKING ABOUT IT, DEAR GODS. THIS ANIME FUCKED ME UP IN SO MANY WAYS, I CANNOT EVEN START TO COUNT THEM. FML. But dear gods, the way I adored it and tickled all my wolf spot in the brain. BEAUTIFUL.

-GALAXY EXPRESS 999

I have the fondest memories of this anime, because I used to watch it with my grandpa who actually happend to be a train conductor. He always made sure to record it on the VHS when he had shifts where he would not be able to be home and watch it with me, so this has anime has so many memories conneced to it. Also, I loved Maetel, she alway looked so elegant to me (infact, I had half an idea of drawing Dottie as her for halloween, but didn't have the time lolol). Hilariously, this anime would subsequently be the one to open the doors for me to Captain Harlock lol.

-INUYASHA

I CANNOT START BLABBERING ABOUT INUYASHA, BECAUSE OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE A 50K ESSAY LONG TO PRESENT HERE. But I remember approaching it after I read Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2 (Rumiko Takahashi is a fucking genius, I will take no other opinion on her. She carried this side of the manga industry on her shoulders alone fml), and I fell SO IN LOVE with the Sengoku Era and with the whole youkai mithos that I just tuned on MTV whenever I could just to watch it fml. Also, this cemented my love for the "Magnificent Bastards with long hair" that Gundam Wing started (am looking at you, Naraku, Sesshomaru and Inu-no-Taisho fml) (also no, I don't want to hear about Yashahime. I love the characters design they had for the children, but as far as I am concerned in regards to the story, that thing never existed for me and will never exist).

-SAINT SEIYA

I CAVALIERI!! I CAVALIERI!! I CAVALIERI DELLO ZODIACOOOOOOOOOOOO!! *ahem, sorry. I had to. The Italian opening by Giorgio Vanni is so fucking catching, it alwys put me in such good mood. I adored Lady Isabel but also wanted her to end up with Nettuno, I just couldn't find a freaking compromise lol. AND FML, my heart belonged to Ikki. He was such a spunky, arrogant son of a bitch, I loved him so much. But truth is that I also ADORED Seiya's Italian VA (Ivo De Palma, fml, you magnificent man).

-YU YU HAKUSHO

This was the beginning of my love for short kings who are also emotionally constipated TO THE MAX and a bit of a bastard. AND YES, HIEI, I AM TALKING ABOUT YOU. I was never a great appreciator of Yusuke tbh, but I always shipped him with Botan because they were just SO ADORABLE together. But I was just much more interested in Kuwabara being all over the moon for Yukina and Hiei having to deal with it lololol that was so much fun.

-FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST

BEST. MANGA. AND. ANIME. EVER. I have YET to see to this day a story AS GOOD as this one. Like, seriously, the amount of research that Hiromu Arakawa did for this anime is something that needs to be praised. Seriously, if you have never seen this, GO NOW AND DO SO. You are missing out on SO MUCH.This manga shaped me as a writer and artist, tbh: it had such profound impact on me on a creative level (also, Maes Hughes is living a long life with his family after he retired from service, had 3 more children, and they are all living in a cottage by the sea fml).

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OK I FINISHED PART 1 FOR NOW.

Part 2 will come soon lolol

[2000mallow]

EVERYTHING IS TAGGED: author/artist, series, character(s), manga/anime/game art *↓ tag list + info ↓*

[>order; alphabetically a-z] MAIN TAG LIST (series) Ace Attorney ✖ Alichino ✖ Angel Sanctuary ✖ Atelier Baroque Chobits ✖ Clover Death Note ✖ D.Gray-man Final Fantasy X / X-2 God Child ✖ Guin Saga .hack Kaleido Star Magic Knight Rayearth ✖ Megami Tenshi (smt series) Neon Genesis Evangelion Pandora's Tower Ranma 1/2 Tsubasa Chronicle ✖ Tokyo Babylon Vampire Knight ✖ Wolf's Rain x/1999 ✖ xxxHolic Zelda: Twilight Princess Original art Artist List Kohime Ose Shinobu Tanno Jun Suemi extra tags: transparent pngs only manga ✖ only anime ✖ only game personal favorite art unknown (missing tags, help is appreciated!) REBLOGS

feel free to request or submit something! if i get anything wrong please let me know and it will be updated! make sure to include the post URL in it! (e.g. this post is /753180868781146112)

Thank you!!! personal/main @kan-bu + my art @saint-end <3

[allthefujoshiunite]

Do you know this movement in twitter, Nora? That there is this "rediscovering CLAMP yaoi in 2023". So, I skim the some manga like, "X/1999", "Tokyo Babylon", and "Tsubasa Reservoir", and wow... The tragedy of them all. All of them have a bad ending, either one of them died (killed by the other) or both of them died. Last year, I also finished older BL from the 70's and 80's and it's so depressing.

As much as I appreciate the history of BL and the older BL generation, but I love BL modern more (2015-now). It's okay right? Cause one of my moot just said how the older is superior, but it's just a matter of taste right, Nora? Also I think the modern BL is more realistic than the older ones....

Sorry for my rambling. Do you also love CLAMP? The only clamp that I finished and own is Cardcaptor Sakura...😂

One of these days people will be able to differentiate their opinion from objective truth and we'll advance as a society, but today's not that day I guess...

Anyways. Cardcaptor Sakura screams "nostalgia" for me! I was a huge fan when it aired on the local TV when I was a kid and still remember it fondly. As for other works from CLAMP, I have seen Chobits and xxxHolic, I'm also currently watching X, but it's a slow progress. I haven'tread the manga for any of these titles, though.

CLAMP has a very distinct style to their works, which I find very pleasing. However, when consuming older series I get this sense of "watching/reading a more simpler version of today's series". Which is actually the reverse, the tropes and themes we see today are the refined/subverted/developed versions of the past. Even though I know, I can't seem to shake that feeling unfortunately and I occasionally find myself not being able to fully immersemyself in them.

I wasn't aware of the movement you mentioned, but I find it a bit... questionable, since CLAMP's works are not intended to be BL. Historically that's where BL comes from, yes. Genres are bound to evolve, also yes. But I think it's quite the stretch (and probably not quite correct) to call those titles BL. I'd call them shojo titles with a dash of homoeroticism in them. But yes, they are tragic af.

And, of course it's okay to like whatever you like! You owe no one an explanation or apology. I prefer newer titles like you, or at least titles that are released after 2000 and beyond (which is still a 20 year period!). This obviously doesn't mean I'm not critical of how certain tropes are incorporated or evolved, but you naturally get more variety and depth over time. The doctor recommends you kindly step away from people who try to dictate their taste over you. Thank you for sending the ask, have a nice day!

[engshoujosei]

X/1999

18 single volumes & 6 Omnibuses

Licensed by Viz Media

Kamui Shiro is a young man who was born with the power to decide the fate of the Earth itself--a destiny he can barely bring himself to believe. But as other players in the prophecy begin to gather around him--the "Seven Seals," with the power to protect the Earth, and the "Seven Harbingers," who are fated to destroy it--he has no choice but to come to terms with his fate. Note: Re-released under the title X/1999.

Related Series 

Tsubasa - Reservoir Chronicle (Alternate Story, licensed by Del Rey, then Kodansha) Tokyo Babylon (Prequel, licensed by Tokyopop, then Dark Horse, now Yen Press) Miyuki-chan in Wonderland (Alternate Story, licensed by Tokyopop, then Viz Media digitally)

Status in Country of Origin 

18.5 Volumes (Hiatus)

Tags:

Adapted to Anime

Alternate Reality

Anti-Social Protagonist

Antihero / Antiheroine

Apocalypse

Beautiful Artwork

Betrayal

Blood and Gore

Boys' Love as a Subplot

Character Deaths

Chosen One

Computers

Dark Ambience

Death of Loved One/s

Defying Destiny/Fate

Dreamseer/s

Earthquake

Elaborate Art Style

End of the World

Environmentalism

Friends Become Enemies

Genderless

Hidden Emotion/s

Kill or Be Killed Situation

Loner Protagonist

Love-Hate Relationship

Magic

Melancholy Atmosphere

Multiple Couples

Murder/s

Mythology

Nudity

Onmyouji

Orphan/s

Ostracized Character/s

Out-of-Body Experience

Outcast/s

Philosophical

Priest/s

Prophecy

Prostitute/s

Reflections on Human Existence

Religious References

Romantic Subplot

Rushed Ending / Axed

Science Fantasy

Secret/s

Shikigami

Shrine Maiden/s

Social Commentary

Spirit/s

Star-Crossed Lovers

Survival

Tragic Past

Unconditional Love

Unpredictable Outcome

Unrequited Love

Urban Fantasy

Violence

War/s

[jjblue1]

So since CLAMP is counting down a 30 year anniversary maybe it’s time to repost this and resume praying they’ll make a TB 1999 series  as I used doing long ago...

For who’s wondering what I mean with a TB 1999 series, my big dream and hope making TB/X AMV was they would release an anime series in which they would cover TB but also X, however the X part would be seen focusing on the SeiSu angle... Okay, it’s a dream but if one has the right to dream big sometimes, all right?

[jjblue1]

It took 10 years but my prayers have been answered!

I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT TOKYO BABYLON IS ACTUALLY GETTING AN ANIME WHAT THE HELL I'M NOT USED TO BEING RELEVANT

[noa-ciharu]

Better sister? Kotori or Hokuto?

I had to double-take for this one because I almost jumped to discuss who is better written character. That'll be whole different kettle of fish which can be summed up with: TB and X are different genre-vise, storytelling, pacing and amount of characters, so even if they're in prequel-sequel relation it's unfair to compare them.

Now as to who was a better sister, I'd say Hokuto. But not because Kotori was a bad sister or failed to address Fuuma's needs, not that. But because she was never given the opportunity by narrative to be flashed out or receive character development.

Also there's a thing of TB vs X plot setting and difference in Subaru's and Fuuma's (I'm referring to early X Fuuma prior to transformation) personality and emotional needs. I'll keep the rest under cut:

Let's start with Hokuto first.

What I'd say right off the bat is that her bubbly extroverted personality brings a good contrast to Subaru's timid nature. She encourages him to want things, to be selfish for once. To be human. When Subaru is feeling down (which is often), she knows exactly how to cheer him up and what to say.

The thing is, Subaru is prone to self-blaming tendencies and self-destruction as result (this comes out in form if self neglect during TB where he puts other's needs over own even if it inconveniences him). Hokuto grounds those anxieties mostly by consoling him and pointing out facts. Subaru feels understood by her and allows himself to open up and be vulnerable. And I'd say that's what Subaru needs the most.

Hokuto understands Subaru in a way he cannot understand himself. Subaru needs this sort of comfort. We all know what self destructive mess he turned into without Hokuto around him after TB end (ofc that wasn't the only reason, but was one of reasons).

Hokuto wanted Subaru to have something for himself, something he selfishly wanted. That's why she took a gamblit even if knowing Seishirou was dangerous and encouraged their relationship. Needless to say it turned disastrous. She felt like she was one to blame.That combined with desperate wish to protect her brother resulted in Hokuto seeking Seishirou out so she’d put her life spell on him. 

Now, she knew it was risky but she encouraged Subaru’s and Seishirou’s relationship; but Hokuto wasn’t reckless about it or some ‘mindless rabid fangirl’. There were quite the few times like these, where he jokingly cut their moments short or told Subaru to think about what he feels for Seishirou.

Very obvious interruption.

She even put knife to Seishirou’s throat and threatened to kill him if he ever hurts Subaru. Also when Seishirou joked (or not?) about seducing Subaru for real Hokuto told him she’s fine with it only if Subaru is first.

Was her decision to sacrifice herself so Subaru would come back a right one? I don’t believe there’s a clear-cut answer to that. Was it the only possible way to wake Subaru up? Was that the only guarantee Seishirou would leave Subaru alone and never kill him? Did her death caused Subaru to live through fate worse than death? Perhaps tragedy of her death is exactly in fact that it was avoidable. Still, Hokuto herself said it was selfish and hypocritical of her to wish for Subaru to live no matter what when she was about to basically commit suicide by proxy to reassure that.

That ‘I love you so much I’d gladly sacrifice myself for you’ is type of logic we see in X later on. However I’d say Hokuto was aware what sort of state Subaru would be in aftermath of her death but thought Subaru being beaten down and depressed was better than being dead to the world. Plus not to mention she believed in Seishirou and Subaru potentially getting happily together. Yes, Hokuto said ‘there’s no person who can’t love’ but in my opinion love sometimes isn’t enough. Especially if you cannot accept it. Optimistic of her yes, but very unrealistic.

Still, most major issues in TB are Seishirou’s fault, directly or indirectly, so if it weren’t for him Sumeragi twin would remain together. Even if Hokuto can be pushy sometimes in order to tease or push Subaru’s boundaries (like in Karaoke chap where she dared him to sing duet(?) with Seishirou but he got really anxious at idea), she’s caring and understanding. I’d say someone with intuitive knowledge of how Subaru’s mind and empathy work with enough of empathy and kindness of their own and rationality to ground his anxieties is exactly type of sibling/friend he needs.

Now let’s move onto Kotori.

While in TB I’d say all three characters were equally well written, with X that isn’t the case. CLAMP themselves said they created Hokuto with intention of killing her; they did so with Kotori too, that’s obvious. Both of them died and that served as one of traumas to Subaru/Kamui. But the difference is that CLAMP made it beyond obvious with killing Kotori for Kamui’s character development.

When X starts it becomes obvious characters don’t live in ‘normalcy’. Kamui has powers of gods and is constantly tormented by ‘fate’, Hinoto is a dreemgazer, Sorata, Arashi, Yuzuriha etc. all of them have powers and so on. Fuuma and Kotori as exception: before X timeline started they were just your regular teenagers.

Except not exactly:

I don’t want to put any DSM label on it but it clearly is trauma response. As she grew up Kotori didn’t consciously remember what she saw (probably it was such traumatic event she blocked it out as self-preservation mechanism) but that doesn’t mean memories aren’t there; causing mental issues in the shadows. It’s implied Fuuma knew the truth what happened to their mother but lied to Kotori that she died out of sickness. No wonder why Kotori lost it completely when she saw Tokiko’s corpse later on. Keep one thing in mind: even if X characters don’t react to gore scenes, that doesn’t mean those scenes aren’t traumatic irl. If someone saw head rolling they’d need years and years of therapy. In that manner it’s Kotori who has more adequate reactions then, let’s say, Kamui or Fuuma who saw Tokiko exploding and were effected by her death but not manner of death. Nonetheless I’d say it’s plot convenience she’s the only one affected. Also there’s her temporary insanity which I’d address later on.

Kotori is flashed out personality-vise; sweet, innocent girl who cares for others. She also had connection to nature, even allegedly could communicate with them (I’m not entirely sure on this one or how it worked). Her heart condition kept her from pushing herself too much. Also she had a ‘sweet but weird girl’ vibes:

Maybe this is just how being 16 and having a crush is.

Now, those two sibling bonds are different at their core because not only Hokuto and Kotori are hardly anything alike in terms of personality and experiences, but Subaru and Fuuma too. For example, all those comforting moments and Hokuto talking senses into Subaru - we don’t have those between Kotori and Fuuma since Fuuma doesn’t have same character flaws as Subaru does (low self-worth, tendency towards self-blame etc.). She expressed her care and love for brother differently:

Sweet and caring. Kotori probably knows she can’t do much for Fuuma or anyone else as well... X plot is tragic. But she’s showing care in little things like mentioned above. Plus seeing Kotori being in good mental, emotional and physical state is all Fuuma asks for. Their parents are dead and all they have is each other. Plus their sibling interactions are really cute and innocent. And to think how it all turned out...

In bond he has with Kotori (and Kamui) Fuuma takes the role of a protector and someone who offers comfort. That’s neither good nor bad, it’s simply their dynamic that was naturally established due to their personalities and needs. So in that manner Kotori was also a good sister. She’s there for him in all ways she can. To be fair, Fuuma is in far better mental shape than Subaru so Kotori doesn’t really need to offer reassurance and ground his anxieties in manner Hokuto does to Subaru. Neither siblings understand what’s going on with whole fate of world thing and why Kamui is avoiding them/ is doing what he’s doing.

However, my main beef with her character arc (not Kotori herself, I’d say her personality and bonds with Fuuma and Kamui were established well over first 5-6 volumes) is how it was handled from volume 6 to 8; from moment she saw Tokiko’s head to her death (which we still don’t know why happened; my guess is because she said ‘if Earth were to shatter I’d rather shatter myself’ which litteraly happened considering how her body was torn to pieces). She falls into temporary state of insanity and talks to Kakyou about Fate and stuff. Those conversations occurring within mindscapes were nicely handled, but what was happening in reality wasn’t, in my opinion.

There’s nothing wrong with needing protection and physical/mental/emotional support, but it felt like plot device to me so she can be killed later on. Don’t get me wrong, each story is filled with plot devices, minor plot holes that are never addressed so plot can flow smoothly, etc. - but in this case skeleton in behind was beyond obvious. I feel like her entire character turned into plot device in certain point and her sole purpose form there on was to set a stage for another tragedy which would serve as Kamui’s character arc. He’s the protagonist, I know. It’s common in stories to see one character getting killed for other’s character development (alot of minor characters in rg veda for example) but I wish her final moments before death were handled differently. I’m sure more can be added here but I can’t think of anything more at the moment.

So in conclusion I’d day both of them were pretty good sisters in way that their brothers needed the most. Of course circumstances were way different along with their personalities and we didn’t get to see too much of Monou siblings in X. If I had to choose based on who’s the better written character, doubtlessly it’s Hokuto; partially because she undergoes certain character development and we get to see her in various situation, whereas Kotori was never given opportunity to because of X plot and her fragile heart and mind.

But we shouldn’t be putting girls in competitions like these. They both rock and I think they should kiss <3 Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[psychewritesbs]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Thanks....

Hi there. I don’t mind at all. Thanks for asking!

I think the characters I love are typically the result of circumstance or a reflection of my life at any particular given moment in time. 

I split the list into Western Media and Japanese Media below the cut. Also, not sure I came up with 10 characters per se.

Western Media

In no particular order.

Ariel, the Little Mermaid

Perhaps it was her archetypal journey that I loved so much, but when I was younger I used to looooove Ariel. I was super young but I just identified so much with her. I also have fond memories of my mom blow drying my hair to look like Ariel’s.

Belle, Beauty and the Beast

Anyone who is proud to be a nerd and who can read a book while walking (because ain’t nobody got time to adult when you’re reading a good book) is a Queen in my book.

But I also really identify with her desire to get more out of her life than what the society of her time expected from her. 

Also... she’s the OG millennial snob.

Little town, full of little people ♫. 

Peggy Olson, Mad Men

This girl is such an inspiration. Peggy worked her way up the ladder in a male-dominated world by demonstrating her very unique ability for story-telling. I loved watching her growth and even if I didn’t like how the ending of her character arc was executed, I agree that the way her life unfolded was the natural course of her personal growth.

I think since I work in Marketing and love using graphic design as a form of visual storytelling to persuade, I find her character even more relatable. Even her bitchy self is highly relatable to me lol.

Mary Crawley/Talbot, Downton Abbey (that’s right, did you ever imagine that this girl who reads battle Shonen manga would also love watching historical British drama?)

I love Mary. She’s beautiful, elegant, and intelligent. But above all, she knows her mind. 

As for her character arc, I loved watching her break away from the expectations set upon her by society. She went from this girl who was just waiting to be rescued, to a woman in charge of her own destiny.

Samantha Jones, Sex and the City

Samantha, my girl. Sexually liberated, a successful entrepreneur, and living in Manhattan, Samantha was someone who built her own success but not at the expense of her femininity. 

She is the ultimate girl boss, so her character arc revolved more around softening up and becoming available for intimacy--something I love about her.

Japanese media

1. Sumeragi Subaru, Tokyo Babylon, x/1999, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle

I adore him. That’s all. My soul feels like Subaru is a kindred soul.

2. Fushiguro Megumi, Jujutsu Kaisen

I’ve written extensively about him so to keep it short here I’ll say that he’s very relatable. I love how he overcomes his own self-imposed limitations and steps into a version of himself beyond his imagination. 

He’s also a little cray-cray and a well-written closet sadist is always a fave in my books.

3. Ichihara Yuko, xxxHolic, xxxHolic Rei, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle

She’s a Queen. Period.

I have to admit I don’t love her the way I love Subaru and Megumi, but Yuko is simply amazing. I want to be a space time witch like her when I grow up and that’s why she makes this list.

Some old school faves worth mentioning are...

- Tomoe Hotaru/Mistress 9 and Kaio Michiru (Sailor Moon S)

- Duo Maxwell (Gundam Wing)

- Athrun Zala (Gundam Seed)

Newer faves include:

- Sakurazuka Seishiro (Tokyo Babylon, x/1999, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle) 

He is both one of the most complex and stupid characters ever.

- Fai D. Flourite (Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, Tsubasa World Chronicle)

- Twelve (Zankyou no Terror)

- Shin-Ah (Akatsuki no Yona)

- Hiyakawa Rihito (Sankaku Mado no Sotogawa wa Yoru)

Anyways, thank you for asking!

I’ve shared my fave animanga characters before, but it was fun to compile the list of Western Media faves because it made me realize the reason I hardly ever like any female characters in anime and manga is because there is hardly any representation for the kind of feminine character archetype I like--independent woman who forges her own destiny.

[volfoss]

my big clamp ranking list (part 1)

S- Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, X/1999, xxxholic, Tokyo babylon, Cardcaptor Sakura clear card, Chobits, xxxholic Rei

A- Tsubasa World Chronicle, Cardcaptor Sakura, Clamp School Defenders, Shirahime-Syo, Magic Knight Rayearth 1 and 2, Drug and Drop, Derayd

B- Legal Drug, Gate 7, Clamp School Detectives, The One I Love

C- RG Veda, Man of Many Faces, Legend of Chun Hyang, Wish, Angelic Layer, Kobato

D- Clover, Miyuki-chan in Wonderland, Suki

As for best in each category:

Art was easily the best in X/1999, it was so visually stunning!

Best and most frustrating sequel definitely goes to xxxholic Rei.

Best plot is a tie between TRC and xxxholic!

Best ending without a doubt goes to Tokyo Babylon!

The one I'd recommend is xxxholic and TRC although all the ones on the S tier are very good!

And now for my extended (so extended that I discovered Tumblr's length of a post limit) thoughts under the cut:

Series this part goes over:

Clover

Legal Drug

Tokyo Babylon

X/1999

Gate 7

xxxholic

xxxholic rei

Cardcaptor Sakura

Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle

Tsubasa World Chronicle

Man of Many Faces

RG Veda

Clamp School Detectives

Clamp School Defenders

Shirahime-Syo:Snow Goddess Tales:

Legend of Chun Hyang

Magic Knight Rayearth 1 and 2

Wish

Miyuki-chan in Wonderland

Suki

Angelic Layer

Chobits

Kobato

Drug and Drop

I tried to keep this as spoiler free as possible since my main goal is getting new people into these series or finding ones they might not have read before

Clover:

TLDR: There's powerful people known as Clovers, and the government is trying to hunt them down, and the group of protagonists is trying to protect one.

Plot: The plot is somewhat confusing with the time skipping around a lot but it's intriguing at the same time, maybe a 4/10. There just simply wasn't enough time really to flesh things out as well as they probably could have been if it was finished and it's (for me) one of the most underwhelming of their unfinished works.

Characters: The characters are given a bit of development but not a lot with it being only 4 very thin volumes long, but they're entertaining enough to keep my attention 5/10

Art: The art for this is probably my favorite part, there's a lot of the drastic shading that Clamp does a lot in their later works, and the faces and clothing are lovely. The level of detail given to the mechanical bits and things along those lines is immaculate. The formatting is so different than their other mangas that it really stands out visually as well! 8/10

Ending: it was ended early due to the magazine that it ran in being shut down, but with that in mind, the ending is honestly a mild cliffhanger, nowhere near as bad as stuff like Bus Gamer (which is the work with the worst ending that I’ve ever read). 3/10

Other things: I really enjoyed how the song was woven throughout the story but I think overall, I would pretty much only use this to look at the art, the plot isn't anything special with the fact that it was so short and didn't really have time to develop better. I read the tokyopop translation so it might be different in the new omnibus/fan translations.

Overall: Personally would not recommend this to anyone unless you want pretty art and a mildly confusing futuristic story without a lot of the necessary world building that it could have used, probably a 4/10

Legal Drug:

TLDR: Two guys working at a drug store are sent out by their boss and his partner to solve cases in exchange for extra money on the side.

Plot: The plot didn't do anything really new for me, it felt like how xxxholic does the whole 2 dudes forced to go on jobs by the employer but it's a drug store although the drug store element rarely comes in. There's something oddly charming about it, in its own way. The plot is very like early xxxholic with going through cases slowly but there isn’t a lot of the underlying plot threads that make rereading xxxholic so good each time. Probably a 6/10, I'd return back to this to reread sometime and something about the plot captured my interest in a "I want to fix this" way.

Characters: Characters are probably where I have the biggest gripe with this. The main couple is the most stereotypical bottom and top, with one of them being very, “oh I'm helpless and shy and get really flustered easily”, and the other being very teasing and kinda stoic? It feels like a mashup of the other couples CLAMP has made. However, the background couple consisting of the store owner and his partner is a lot less cliched and had a really cute dynamic. With it being so short, (3 volumes and only 16 chapters) there wasn't a lot of room for character development or seeing them change a lot or grow closer/further apart. 5/10

Art: The art for this is really hit or miss, it had Ouran Highschool Host Club art style solely for one character and the rest look completely different. They kept a lot of the drastic shading with backgrounds which I enjoy but it's not as here's all these big panels and pages with just one or two words as Clover was. The clothing and expressions were nice as they always are but overall it was ok? The color insert panels in this between each volume are very pretty though and I do enjoy how the clothes are generally boring but with the Clamp touch, they don’t appear as boring as they would be in real life. 6/10

Ending: The ending didn't feel very conclusive but it wasn't bad. The arc wrapped up and there were a couple of omakes that showed a bit of their backstory, overall the ending wasn't as cohesive as some of their series but it didn't turn out to be as disappointing as I was expecting with how short it was. 6/10

Other things: Before reading I had the feeling it would be typical top/bottom dynamics and it hasn't exactly proven me wrong. I think despite the sheer amount of cliches, it's still a fun read. The character interactions and art style remind me a fair bit of OHSHC, which isn't necessarily a bad thing (slightly in a Haruhi and Tamaki interacting sort of way? I’m not sure how else to compare it but it felt very much like them).

Overall: There's something kinda charming about this, in a way that it doesn't really go anywhere or say too much but it makes me interested to see what they would do with Drug and Drop (which is a prequel series to this). If you want something to fill the void that xxxholic leaves after you finish it and you're ok with some of the very stereotypical things, this could be a good fit. Just like with Clover, I feel there was some potential to it, had it gone on longer than it did. I think this is something I would reread but I think it's solely because I do really enjoy the dynamic between the main characters (as stereotypical as it is, they’re fun to read about) and it's similar enough to xxxholic that it brought nostalgia. However, it's not something I would readily recommend, but the lack of characters being gross (for the most part) brings it a bit higher than Clover was. Also worth noting I read a fan translation for this. I'd say this is a 6/10.

Tokyo Babylon:

TLDR: The protagonist (Subaru) is the head of a clan and he, his twin sister, and the veterinarian all work together to solve supernatural crimes while the tension between Subaru and Seishirou (the vet) builds.

Plot: The plot is fascinating but the main relationship makes it hard to enjoy (see later in the notes for explanation). I really like a lot of the mystery elements and how there's a sneaking suspicion that one of the characters is up to no good for the entire plot. I personally like it a lot more than the aspects of xxxholic, if I'm comparing the beginning customers in xxxholic to the beginning cases in this. Comparing this to Legal Drug, they handle the cases along with that building suspense much better in Tokyo Babylon. I'd say it's a solid 8/10

Characters: There's not a ton of development but I think the characters are a fascinating part of it, even the minor characters have a lot of personality to them. For the most part, the characters are enjoyable to read about. The dynamic between Subaru and his twin is probably my favorite part of it, their interactions feel very natural. And of course, you can’t really discuss Tokyo Babylon without bringing up the relationship between Subaru and Seishirou which starts as fairly naive in general and then slowly descending into suspense until you hit the end. 7/10

Art: The artstyle for this is really nice, you can tell it's one of their older works and the level of detail and character design is up there with some of my favorite manga. There’s a lot of panels in this that are so haunting and stuck with me weeks after reading it, and I can’t gush about the character outfits enough! I really enjoy how Clamp does fashion that’s relatively timeless and I could definitely see people currently dressing similar to how the characters in this dress. The visuals in this in general are so haunting and so memorable. 8/10

Ending: HOLY SHIT the ending for this is wild and really something I didn't see coming too far and it really tied everything that was being subtly dropped throughout the story together. The way things were building up and the hints were being subtly dropped is so well done. 10/10

Other things: The relationship between Subaru and Seishirou is something that makes me incredibly uncomfortable (as Subaru is 15 or 16 and Seishirou is 27) with how it's portrayed as romantic and a good thing although I know that won't be a problem for everyone. I also want to clarify that it's a main point in the story and not something just thrown in every once in a while.

Overall: If you can ignore the very questionable romance aspect, it's a very fascinating read and one that I would read again solely for the ending. I also used a fan translation for this, in case there's a drastically different interpretation of things in the official translation. I'd say it's a probably 8/10

X/1999:

TLDR: High school boy tasked with deciding Earth's fate, which is supposed to end in 1999, but he's being pulled by both an evil and good side as the date draws closer to the world ending.

Plot: The plot was something when I tried to initially read it, I was very bored and confused. But with this time around, it grabbed me right from the beginning, but if it doesn't do that for you, give it until book 2. The plot is very very good, balancing a lot of intrigue and mystery with some comedy in the beginning, and just being really good with world building. All of the flashbacks into characters' pasts really fleshed them out a lot and were such a good touch! I thought that it wouldn't be able to top Tokyo Babylon in terms of plot twists and turns but it far exceeded that, there's so many plot twists that have been so carefully laid out throughout the story leading up to the reveal. 10/10

Characters: There is a TON of characters in this, and just like RG Veda, I'd highly recommend keeping a list of characters for this series. They're all very distinct but just keeping the names on paper or nearby can make the reading experience a lot better. The characters are able to balance the story between comedy and such an intense drama and plot, it's very impressive! They’re all really loveable and the character growth in the story is so fascinating. The returning characters from Tokyo Babylon changing subtly with the passage of time is something I really enjoyed! 10/10 I got way too attached to every single character in this.

Art: I'm gonna be honest and maybe a bit biased but this is some of my favorite art that's come out of Clamp (biased because I adore their 90s style). The backgrounds are visually stunning and there's so many two page spreads, and the characters look gorgeous. Everyone is very visually distinctive and the work put in on this manga really shows. There's not been a single visually boring or ugly panel in this. I'm also gonna add that this is my favorite series visually from Clamp. The fight scenes are also really clear and very obvious on what's going on (for me at least. I normally have problems figuring out what is going on in fight scenes so this being really clear with what's happening in each panel is really nice). 10/10

Ending: This was on hiatus and has been for a while but the ending was a big thing where everything was being built up and then it ended abruptly. If they ever return to it, I'll be thrilled but it's been so long that I'm unsure if they will. The ending and parts leading up to the ending were emotionally devastating but so good. If it was finished (and finished well), this would be the first clamp work on this list with 10s across the board but as is, the ending or lack of is a 3/10.

Other things: This makes 10x more sense if you read Tokyo Babylon beforehand, as when I tried to read this before I was pretty confused, but post reading Tokyo Babylon, I understand it a fair bit more. The story takes place after the events of Tokyo Babylon, and the references to Tokyo Babylon begin around volume 8. I had seen some reviews mentioning it getting confusing so if you have an interest in this, I’d heavily recommend reading Tokyo Babylon beforehand so it doesn’t get confusing with the new characters that are introduced from that. Not super relevant but the series also goes under X, but I personally refer to it as X/1999 because its a bit easier to search for.

Overall: 9/10 I cannot recommend this enough, this is in my top 3 Clamp mangas, but the ending is probably the only thing I'd want to put the overall rating lower than a 10, but everything else made it such an enjoyable experience that it is a 9/10.

Gate 7:

TLDR: A high schooler gets transported to a different world full of mysterious characters and moves in with them.

Plot: The plot makes a lot of references to Japanese historical figures which is really neat! The plot was really interesting but I felt there could have been more done with it, but Gate 7 has been on hiatus for a while. 5/10

Characters: The characters are really charming and fun to read about, there's a lot of intrigue built up about them with just small bits of information we're given. There's a few times where there are many characters introduced at one time which makes it hard to juggle all the names and lore, at least for me. It's very short so there's not a lot of development going on. The main character, Hana, is definitely one of the best things about this story, they’re just fun to read about and try to figure out if anything deeper is going on with them. 6/10

Art: I can tell it's similar to the xxxholic/TRC artstyle but a bit more polished and I really love how it looks! It combined a lot of the art features from xxxholic Rei and CCS Clear Card to make a really pretty artstyle! The characters are all visually distinct and interesting and the backgrounds are really nice! 8/10

Ending: This is on hiatus and has been for a while so rating the last chapter I can find (chapter 22.5). The ending wasn't the worst that I've read ever but it was a bit strange. 4/10

Other things: I think that this could have been a great manga if it was ever continued but as it is, it's just kind of average.

Overall: I think with more time or if it was finished, this could have been so much better. As it is right now, it's a 5/10

Xxxholic:

TLDR: The protagonist is haunted by spirits and due to mysterious circumstances ends up working at a mysterious woman's wish granting shop in order to get them off his back.

Plot: The plot genuinely gets better each time you read it with the foreshadowing and subtle hints but even on a first time through, it's plenty to capture your attention! It starts out on a slightly connected case by case basis until it slowly turns into a plot that makes you question everything and feel despair. The things in the last 4 books make me cry every single time I read it but it's so phenomenal and so well done that I wouldn't trade it for the world. The cases are all so fascinating and fun to read that you don't really notice where it's going until it happens and then you're just wallowing in the despair that is the latter half or so of xxxholic. But the plot outside of that really balances the cheerful and the spooky as well as just people living their lives in such a wonderful way that it's very easy to get through it all in record time! The pacing very much keeps on track with not a lot of filler in the manga much more so than the anime, there’s never really a dull moment. 10/10 probably my favorite plot to come out of Clamp!

Characters: THE CHARACTERS!!!! This manga has such entertaining characters who go through so much and grow so much and get along in such a fun way. The characters in this are so human in such a way that I think Clamp excels in and I love that so much! There's just so much to love with every single character and it's so hard to not feel so immersed and attached with them even with Watanuki (the protagonist) acting a bit outlandish at times! The characters in this are probably my favorite that's come out of Clamp (alongside TRC) because they feel so real and so well written. I'd read about the characters' journeys forever as long as Clamp kept writing them! I could gush about these characters for hours but I’m trying to keep it relatively spoiler free and also not as long as I definitely have talked about these characters in the past. 10/10

Art: The art for this is so stark in a way, with the backgrounds more often a plain black or plain white but it really does lend to the mystery and melancholy that is there especially towards the beginning (as towards the end you do find out why the just heavy feeling has been there since the beginning), and the characters suit it perfectly. Despite it being so dark at times, the comedic expressions from the characters (especially Watanuki) are illustrated so perfectly. The characters are easy to distinguish visually (except two relatives that don't come into play until later in the story) and visually, Yuuko's outfits are some of the most beautiful that Clamp has ever drawn. It's the perfect balance for me of detailed panels and less detailed ones in terms of facial expressions. Especially towards the end, the art is so stunning! 10/10

Ending: I have a fair bit of mixed feelings on the ending, as I wish it had a more conclusive ending but I think the ending also emotionally ruined me for a very long time so I'd argue it's an even trade. The way that they structure it to leave it slightly up to interpretation isn't my favorite but the events leading up to the ending are so beautifully woven together and so fantastic! 9/10

Other things: I admit this review is heavily biased more so than the others since xxxholic was the only one I'd read fully before going into this, and it's my favorite manga and anime of all time, so please realize there is bias but there is also a very good reason it's my favorite! I’m also biased because this is the only one I've seen the anime all the way through on, but the anime is a lot different than the manga but not as egregiously adapted as some of their other works! As an important note, this crosses over with Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, so you’ll see certain characters from that there and reading it does help make more sense of what’s going on towards the end. The anime adaptation completely cuts out the way that xxxholic and TRC are so heavily intertwined, so that might be a surprise when reading the manga if you’ve only seen the manga.

Overall: 10/10 if I can convince anyone to read one Clamp work, it's this.

Xxxholic Rei:

TLDR: Continuation of xxxholic (keeping it vague for spoiler reasons)

Plot: This was quite honestly everything I could have wanted from this and more, although as with any of their unfinished works, I would love to see more of it. This did everything a sequel could, filling out some of the areas in the latter half of xxxholic that were slightly skimmed over and just kept the general feel of the series so well. The beginning was a bit confusing but was cleared up soon after in a very heart wrenching way, and the rest of it was very much leading up to something big and then never really fulfilled that since it’s on hiatus. 9/10

Characters: They very much did what they did with Tsubasa World Chronicle with the passage of time in the real world causing the characters to grow a bit in a natural way, and their interactions are enjoyable as always! The new characters introduced were fun and the old ones returning felt like such a treat to get to see them again. The dynamics between everyone feels just like it did in xxxholic as well! 10/10

Art: The art feels slightly like what they did with TWC, where they took the original art style and made it more polished! They really went above and beyond with the art for Rei and it's so lovely to look at. Clamp kept everything that made xxxholic charming and visually stunning and made it more elegant! 10/10

Ending: This is on hiatus but arguably up there with one of the worst cliffhangers that they've created. Whether you read online or go off of just the physical books, they've set things up so well and then it's been on hiatus for years. It’s very much up there with some of the worst hiatus caused endings (not to constantly reference Bus Gamer but it felt like that a lot with a lot of set up then it went nowhere). With this being the current ending that's there and no proof that it's going to get continued, I'd give it a 2/10

Other things: The last 3 chapters weren't published in the format that the rest are in, so you'll have to find a fan translation for them if you want to read the entire thing. I’m keeping this very incredibly vague because I especially don’t want to spoil sequels for things.

Overall: 9/10, it was amazing but the way it's left off is very frustrating!

Cardcaptor Sakura:

TLDR: A middle school girl is out to collect all of the Clow Cards along with her sidekicks because if she doesn't collect them, the world will be in trouble.

Plot: I started this out very skeptical since I'm not a big magical girl genre fan but the plot for this has the typical Clamp charm with just how they blend together action and character growth as well as comedy. The plot is a pretty simple structure (Sakura having to collect the Clow cards) but they do so much with it that I never felt bored once. The pacing is really good, with it being enough action but also downtime to keep it balanced. 9/10

Characters: I cannot explain enough how much I adore these characters. Clamp really excels in the longer series imo and this one really does these characters justice. I've read a bit of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle before this (which ties in but it's complicated) so I recognized the characters a bit! The character growth is honestly really good and a lot more than I was expecting! The characters are just very charming and really enjoyable to read about! 8/10

Art: Beautiful, you can tell that it was a slightly older style (CCS was made in the late 90s) but seeing how that style transitioned into the modern Clamp work is really fascinating. The art is gorgeous and the fight scenes are so neat with how they're done! Also the character design is gorgeous, Sakura and Syaoran always have these really intricate outfits and all the characters look really good! 9/10

Ending: The ending oh man. It's something that's really sad but bittersweet, it really got everything wrapped up and just suits the series really well. I'm leaving it vague because I'm full of feelings but not able to put them into words. 10/10

Other things: There are a few (yes you read that right, a few) questionable age gap relationships (that aren't in the anime but the manga doesn't make a super big deal out of them like Tokyo Babylon does), although there are multiple and it's not super subtle about it, one including a teacher proposing to a 10/13 year old, another being the protagonists parents, and the other being *gasp* another teacher student relationship. Also worth noting that there is a fair bit of LGBTQ+ representation in the series and done really well, with it not being very cliched (much better than how Legal Drug does things). I’m keeping this one somewhat vague because I feel this is one of the ones that’s slightly more popular than the rest and because it’s something that you just have to experience for yourself.

Overall: I'm gonna be honest and say the relationships factor is something that makes it a lot less enjoyable than it could be, although that was something I was aware of going in (and a motif Clamp tends to repeat unfortunately). If it wasn't for that, it would be a solid 9/10, but it's not such a big part of the plot as Tokyo Babylon was.

CCS Clear Card:

TLDR: All of the cards that Sakura collected during the initial series have all turned clear and they need to figure out why. (shitty summary but it’s hard to sum up without spoilers)

Plot: When I began this, it really just felt like Cardcaptor Sakura all over again in a way that it was being rehashed needlessly. But around halfway through, it picks up a bit and differentiates itself from CCS a bit, which feels good! The plot is mostly similar until the halfway point but with new characters which feels nice. The plot has been picking up steadily (and adding new things) at the latest chapters which is very good! Waiting monthly truly is nothing but torture because of the plot picking up so quickly. 7/10

Characters: The new characters introduced are good! They have interesting backstories and mesh well with the preexisting characters! I really enjoy them a lot but so far it's not a lot of character growth. We do have a much more present villain with this part, which I enjoy a lot! The original didn’t feel as if it had that, so it’s a welcome change. I feel it's a bit unfair to judge it since it's not finished, but I'd say it's probably a 7/10?

Art: The artstyle feels like they're putting CCS Sakura and TRC Sakura in a blender, it feels slightly newer than how she looked in CCS but it still looks nice! It's not my favorite Clamp style (I personally prefer a lot of their older stuff and the stuff that’s very visually distinct) but the art is really pretty! The full page spreads are also really nice, you can tell they put a lot of effort into the backgrounds and doing detail with them! I’m especially impressed with how they managed to keep the feel of the original style but update it a bit to look more polished. 7/10

Ending: As of writing (September of 2021), this hasn't finished so I can't rate this. For context, it's still ongoing, unlike the works on hiatus. I feel more confident rating those since they've been on hiatus for years instead of new chapters every month or so.

Other things: I may have not enjoyed this as much as I could since I jumped into this the same day I finished CCS, since the beginning felt very similar, so please be aware of that.

Overall: It's good but definitely not up there with my favorite Clamp works, and the gross relationships still prevail a bit in this, which is really unfortunate. 7/10 I do feel like things were a bit better than CCS in terms of plot picking up in the later half, so it's a bit higher on my overall ranking because of thinking back on it.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle:

TLDR: Found family traveling universes together to help one of them regain memories

Plot: Okay I physically cannot explain enough how amazing the plot in TRC is. It's paced perfectly, with the right amount of relaxation moments and action, and each of the universes are really unique and fascinating! When it gets past the halfway point though, things start to pick up and get even better. I don't want to get too deep into the plot for spoiler reasons, but it's so good. 10/10

Characters: The characters are all amazing and I think that this is genuinely the Clamp work with the most character development and the best characters. Seeing their backstories added so much to it and them as characters are all phenomenal. Thinking about these characters too hard makes me cry, the authors did such a phenomenal job developing everything about them and making them so enjoyable to read. The villain was a truly big threat and all the side characters that you met along the way were so nice to see again (TRC is basically Clamp’s big crossover work so reading everything before this resulted in me recognizing a lot of the characters from their other works that appeared in this). 10/10

Art: The art for this is stunning, with the characters having such detailed clothing and faces, as well as the backgrounds being so lovely! There's so many memorable moments that are just punctuated by the art. The style is a lot different than their older works, but it suits TRC so well! There are way too many panels in this that have stuck in my head for way longer than I want them to which is a testament to how good this was. 10/10

Ending: Words cannot explain how well the ending was done. It was somewhat open, which I know really could irritate some people, but I didn't mind it because everything that was leading up to the last few pages was so wonderfully crafted and brought everything together. When it was closer to the ending, it was a bit confusing but not too bad, despite the reputation it can get. 9/10

Other things: I wrote thoughts down right after finishing it, so it's not very long because I don't want to give away spoilers one bit. But this was such an amazing series and so so worth it. It's one I'd definitely reread over and over. I’m keeping this so vague because I can and will pressure people into reading it solely because of the characters or the plot but please trust me this deserves all the praise I’m giving it. It crosses over with xxxholic and both works make a lot more sense with the context from the other.

Overall: If I could recommend one Clamp work outside of xxxholic, it would be this. 10/10

Tsubasa World Chronicle:

TLDR: Sequel to TRC, can't really go into further detail without spoilers

Plot: It felt very much like returning home after finishing TRC but I also feel that with the plot being basically one adventure (in comparison to TRCs many adventures), it felt slightly disappointing because I wish that they had done more with it (slightly like how xxxholic Rei had around the same length and fit more plot in). I know that my disappointment is because I care about the characters in TRC so much and always want to see more of them. Outside of that, the plot was really interesting with the world and characters, and how it ties into Rei was a nice touch! 7/10

Characters: With the characters already being established and given so much depth and growth in TRC, I wasn't expecting much going in, but Clamp made the choice to show a bit how they grew between the end of TRC and the beginning of TWC in a subtle and nice way. The other characters that were in this were from Gate 7, so they were somewhat established as well (to me at least), and there were some original characters as well. Since it's so much shorter than TRC, there wasn't as much character development and growth but that's alright with TRC having such good characters. 9/10 solely because I'm very attached to the TRC characters.

Art: The art feels like Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle but a fair bit more polished which makes sense due to the passage of time in the real world between this and the original series! The characters just look a bit better in my opinion and the backgrounds are very lovely! It's very much up there with some of the best that they've put out, although I also admit I do generally prefer their style from the 1990s, I think that this is beautifully illustrated! 10/10

Ending: The ending was similar to TRC, with it being open ended but this was somewhat wrapped up but a bit less so than TRC, in my opinion. It still was good but I really wish they had done more with it being a sequel series (or maybe I just hope for more adventures for the characters). 8/10

Other things: It does give away the ending/after the end of xxxholic (and xxxholic Rei) very early on, so I'd read this at after xxxholic Rei, as Rei spoils a little less about this than this does for Rei. The official translation on this just felt really odd after reading TRC which I believe was translated by a different company, but I think the main thing I have a gripe with was just the font choice and how it kept changing in the Kodansha translation I have.

Overall: I think it was a very good sequel to TRC, but it didn't add a lot to the TRC lore, although it was very very nice to see the characters again. 8/10

Man of Many Faces:

TLDR: The protagonist is the son of a famous thief and has taken over his work, mainly because of his mom's insistence.

Plot: It's similar to Clamp School Detectives with a slightly underlying plot but new cases each chapter. I really enjoy this kind of plot so I'm a bit biased. 6/10

Characters: The moms are really great but seriously, the characters are all pretty good at being distinct and they interact really well! I wasn't expecting that the characters would have growth in a manga that's 11 chapters, but there was actually a bit of growth! 7/10

Art: The art style is really nice! Clamps 90s material has such a nice feel to it, and the backgrounds look really good! The clothes variety for the moms and the costumes in general are gorgeous! 8/10

Ending: The ending wasn't anything special, just wrapping up a few loose ends, but it wasn't bad. 5/10

Other things: The protagonist is dating someone younger than him by 4 years (a 5 year old and a 9 year old just feels a bit off to me) which is a pretty prominent plot point so if that's something that bothers you, that's there. The romance in this felt pretty unnecessary to me personally.

Overall: It was ok? The art was nice and the characters were nice but it didn't do a lot for me in comparison to a lot of the longer series that they have, which I suppose is an unfair comparison as this is only 11 chapters long. 6/10

RG Veda:

TLDR: Father and child go on a journey to stop an evil ruler.

Plot: This length and attention to detail is what I really wish that a lot of their other fantasy series that are shorter had, the plot is really rich and well developed for the most part. 7/10

Characters: A fair bit of the characters irk me, but I admit they're interesting and pretty well fleshed out. My biggest problem with this is how they just constantly are throwing new characters in without much warning and it's a lot to balance and keep track of for me. I think with the amount of characters they put in, it was a bit too ambitious and made it really hard to care about characters who barely showed up when they died. I'd recommend keeping a written list of characters handy to make it a bit easier to keep track of. The villain in this is really compelling and has instilled a lot of dread in the protagonists, which I think is really good since they need motivation to go on their journey. 6/10

Art: The art is really pretty and detailed, and there's a few panels that are up among the best things Clamp has drawn. The clothes look nice but typically aren't super elaborate. 7/10

Ending: Big battle and kind of emotional ending. It didn't do a lot for me because I wasn't really attached to the characters with there being so many. 5/10

Other things: I feel the need to point out that on the wiki, one of the relationships is "Adoptive father, lover" so that's there. After finishing it though, there's not anything really blatant so unless I missed something, there's not anything inherently romantic about this. It seems as if I am disinterested by this, but I think it was truly because of the scan I read being blurry and making it a bit harder to focus. This would be one I’d potentially buy physically to do a reread and see if my opinion changes. It’s very much a good manga but the circumstances I was reading it in made it hard to enjoy, basically.

Overall: This wasn't my favorite but it wasn't the worst, so I'm confident in giving it a solid 6/10, although it's one I'd probably reread sometime to see if I would enjoy it more.

Clamp School Detectives:

TLDR: 3 elementary school age kids going and solving mysteries and helping other people out

Plot: There's a slight recurring theme to each chapter and a slight plot thread connecting them each. 7/10, I really enjoy this kind of content because it's just lighthearted fun but there's an actual plot to it.

Characters: The three main boys are really distinct both visually and personality wise, but there's not a lot of character development which makes sense with it being only 12 chapters long. The characters are all very charming and their interactions are very nice! 8/10

Art: Very similar to Tokyo Babylon, not at all a bad thing! I really like this style and the less detailed faces in the background that keep reappearing! 9/10

Ending: The ending was super abrupt and not what I was expecting, honestly a bit disappointing, with as far as I know, the series officially ending there. 3/10

Other things: I think the best way to explain the feel of the series is if Ouran Highschool Host Club meets the Hardy Boys, which wasn't a crossover I knew I needed but I really did.

Overall: I honestly really enjoyed this despite it being so short and the ending not being great, it was just really charming and it was fun to see the crossovers with the other Clamp School related series! I would definitely read this again, 8/10

Clamp School Defenders:

TLDR: It's a group of people at Clamp School who are saving their school from a villain.

Plot: Similar to Clamp School Detectives, it's cheesy but honestly a ton of fun. Each chapter has them fighting in a different circumstance. I'll be honest and say this was much better than what I was expecting! The plot goes in a direction I wasn't expecting around chapter 10, and it's a lot more than I was expecting from a pretty short manga. 8/10

Characters: The characters are all incredibly charming and I was pleasantly surprised that the female character didn't get the damsel in distress treatment, as she can easily handle her own! All of the characters are very distinct (although I did occasionally mix up the two main short haired boys as their hairstyles are somewhat similar). With it being so short I wasn't expecting a lot of character growth, so I suppose it's again, similar to Clamp School Detectives, not a lot of development but a lot of charm and characters that aren't bland! 7/10

Art: The art for this is very similar to Clamp School Detectives, which I adore! I don't have a ton to say about it but the Mecha designs are really cool and the backgrounds and details are really nice! 9/10

Ending: The ending was kinda mediocre, quite honestly. I wasn't expecting much but it was just pretty bland. 3/10

Other things: This one crosses over a bit with Man of Many Faces, but it works well enough on its own without reading it. It also crosses over a bit with Clamp School Detectives, but you can also read this without the context of reading Clamp School Detectives. There's also quite a bit of meta jokes as it goes on. It is also unfortunately a trademark of a fair bit of Clamp's work to include an age gap relationship and this is no exception. I think it's quite a bit less romanticized than some of their other works (Cardcaptor Sakura for example), as the protagonists are fighting against this relationship to happen, but it is still there. It is an arranged marriage and still gross (referring to the age gap that isn't specified how big other than referring to them as an older woman dating a younger man) but I'm very relieved it's not as romanticized as their other works. I would say I prefer this overall to Clamp School Detectives, because the plot and characters were a bit more fun to read about but I think they’re also pretty similar.

Overall: I really really enjoyed this one, I think Clamp does well with these not super plot detailed shorter mangas as well as their longer ones, but if you're looking for a really plot detailed one, this is not it. It's just cheesy and a bit goofy but imo it's a lot of fun! 7/10

Shirahime-Syo:Snow Goddess Tales:

TLDR: It's an anthology with the plot all being connected in it's own with Shirahime-Syo, the snow goddess.

Plot: The plot in each chapter is something I really enjoy, and Clamp excels at. It's a short manga but it's really well paced and kept my interest the entire time. 8/10

Characters: With it being so short, there's not a lot of room for character development and growth, but the small bit that it has is really good. The characters were all distinct in their own way and that I think is impressive for a 5 chapter manga. 7/10

Art: The art is like nothing I've seen from Clamp before, it's absolutely lovely, I really like the thick lines and semi realistic faces! The backgrounds are beautiful and the overall format reminds me a lot of Clover's set up (not a traditional manga panel setup) especially in the first chapter. The two page spreads are so stunning and I love the kind of harsh lines used throughout. This is probably one of my favorite things artistically that Clamp has released. The art in this is so so pretty, it really stands out! 9/10

Ending: The ending was simple yet tied it all together, it was really good! 7/10

Other things: This appears to be an anthology with a small thread of plot connecting them all, which isn't something I hate! It feels melancholy but in a haunting and beautiful way.

Overall: I think this might be one of Clamp's hidden gems, it's extremely quick to read but such an impactful story! 8/10

Legend of Chun Hyang:

TLDR: A child prodigy at martial arts goes on a journey with a traveler

Plot: The plot for this slightly reminds me of Slayers, with a strong girl and a kinda dumb dude following her around (I haven't gotten super far into Slayers so I'm aware the dynamic might be different). But despite it being really long chapters, the plot grabbed me in right away and it was entertaining. 7/10

Characters: There was not enough time for a lot of character development but the characters were fun to read about and were ones I'd love to see further content with. 6/10

Art: The art is very 90s Clamp, which is something I don't mind at all! The backgrounds are pretty detailed and the action scenes are very clear on what's going on, the character outfits are really nice too! 8/10

Ending: It's very clear that this was dropped after the 3 chapters that were released since it ended so abruptly and had a lot of plot that was set up and never really followed through with. It wasn't the worst ending I've read but it was frustrating. 2/10

Other things: I believe that this is based on a legend but I'm unsure. Review is so short because of how short this was, and just not having a ton of thoughts on it.

Overall: I enjoyed it and just wish there was a bit more to it in general. 5/10 solely because of how bad the ending was.

Magic Knight Rayearth:

TLDR: Three girls get sucked into a magical world with the goal of having to save it from a villain, as prophecy foretold.

Plot: The plot moves along really quickly but manages to make it not feel like it is, with a lot of character interactions and a little bit of downtime between each battle. The plot kept me interested the entire time throughout and the twist by around the middle of book 3 was unexpected. With it being so short, I really wish it had been stretched out over more books, but for a quick fantasy story, it's pretty impressive. Things moved so fast that I really wish that Clamp had been able to slow down a bit and show a lot more of the world or add more plot details other than it just being a pretty straightforward adventure. 7/10

Characters: The characters are all really likeable and easy to visually distinguish, which I feel is on purpose. The side characters you meet are also really charming and make sense with the narrative of the story. As for character development, they have visual reminders of the girls getting stronger with their armor and weapons upgrading as they do. I feel like as with all categories in this, I wish they had done more with it, adding more details and letting the story be paced a bit slower to give the characters more growth and bonding time. 6/10

Art: Early Clamp art style is so stylized in such a nice way, and this is no exception at all! The backgrounds are stunning and the character design is really distinct and easy to tell apart with who is who, I really like how it's done! It's not too overcrowded (like how Miyuki-chan in Wonderland is) so it's really easy to read and easy on the eyes! 8/10

Ending: The ending for this was really good and not what I was expecting, and it really fed into the beginning of Magic Knight Rayearth 2 in a cohesive manner. 8/10

Other things: The world in this is honestly something I would love to see more of (which is great that there's a sequel) and I really wish it had been longer. The world building was just kind of giving out little crumbs of information sprinkled through and I wish we had learned more about it. My main gripe is that I would have loved to see more from this, not necessarily to the length of TRC but I do wish it was longer than it was.

Overall: For what it was (a 3 book adventure story), it's really pretty impressive how much they fit in. The characters were much better than I expected and it's definitely one that I wasn't expecting to enjoy as much as I did. I would definitely reread this in the future. 7/10

Magic Knight Rayearth 2:

TLDR: After the adventure of Magic Knight Rayearth, the girls realize that they miss the world and their adventures and go back, continuing their adventures.

Plot: The plot is honestly just as strong as in the original and there's yet another massive plot twist that was the opposite of what I was expecting! The plot was really nice and it felt as though the story just flew by with the pacing being really nice although perhaps a bit rushed. 7/10

Characters: I feel just even at the very beginning, the main three girls have a lot more complexity (which does make sense after what they went through), which is definitely a good thing! The new characters introduced are all really fun to read and the old ones returning was a pleasant surprise! 6/10

Art: The art is just as nice as the first, with a lot more of the 2 page spreads which was a really nice touch! 8/10

Ending: The ending, just like the original, was pretty unexpected, but also somewhat not? I'm not too sure how to explain it other than it feels like it falls into some cliches but also puts a fresh spin on them. 7/10

Other things: Not a very long review because this was also a short one and I said most of what I wanted to say about this in the first series.

Overall: I really enjoyed it and the world was something I really wanted to get back to, it was fascinating! 7/10

Wish:

TLDR: A man finds an angel and she tries to grant his wish despite his insisting he has no wishes to grant.

Plot: It was really oddly paced and not super memorable (I read this in a day or two and by the time I finished, I remembered barely anything from the beginning). It's a little similar to Suki where romance is a big focal point but has a slightly bigger cast of characters. The pacing went from fast to dragging its feet at times, which made it a bit frustrating to read. 4/10

Characters: The characters are slightly walking stereotypes, especially the angels and demons with their appearance and personality and there wasn't much character development to speak of (which was what I was expecting from such a short manga). Some of the characters were entertaining but overall I didn't really get attached or invested in anyone. The side characters were pretty much the only redeeming things in Wish, and I really wish more of the story was focused on them instead of the main couple. 5/10

Art: The art is middle of the road but the constant chibis have made the art really grate on me (the protagonist turns into a chibi version of herself at night, so it's a pretty frequent occurrence). It could just be that the art isn't my cup of tea but the way people are drawn just makes me miss the ones I've read in the past that look a bit more polished. 5/10 (although I also admit it's a bit biased and the art is nice but I just don't enjoy it a lot). The main artist for this one has illustrated ones that I really enjoy but also some I didn't so I think it's just slightly a hit or miss for me personally.

Ending: The ending was something I wasn't expecting and the way things were concluded wasn't necessarily bad but I think just my disinterest in the plot and most of the characters made it hard to enjoy. The ending felt as if it was supposed to be emotional but how things were executed didn't really fulfill that for me. 5/10

Other things: I fully acknowledge that this could be a good manga but it's just not one I really enjoyed. If I were to change it to make it better, I’d focus more on the world and the side characters more than the main characters and the romance aspect, because I think there was a lot of potential there.

Overall: 5/10 it was average but not anything I'd ever bother rereading.

Miyuki-chan in Wonderland:

TLDR: Protagonist gets sucked into a wacky world with a lot of women and things return to normal by the end of the chapter, and then things start over the same each chapter but in a different setting.

Plot: I cannot physically explain the sheer lack of plot this has, with things resetting each chapter, there's not really any underlying plot, nor pretty much any plot in each individual chapter. If you want something that’s very little plot and easy to digest, this definitely might be the work for you, it’s kind of like junk food with it being really simple? 0/10

Characters: The only thing we know about our protagonist is she works at a restaurant and that's pretty much it. There's not any interesting characters but I sure wish there were. 0/10

Art: The art is fairly busy compared to the other Clamp works I've read, which isn't something I particularly like. The style is somewhat similar to Tokyo Babylon but the skill is just going to drawing a ton of women barely wearing clothes instead of the pretty backgrounds that their other series had. 5/10

Ending: It was kinda like an anthology of stories so the ending didn't really pack any punches or do anything interesting, just wrapped up the last chapter. 1/10

Other things: The very definition of porn without plot except there's not any porn just suggestive content all over the place. Probably the most frustrating one that I’ve read in terms of plot because I went in with some semi low expectations and they somehow didn’t meet any of those.

Overall: This was something I'm glad to be done with, it was really boring and didn't do much interesting with the concepts that were presented other than just here's women. 1/10 the art was ok? The point is just for the artwork not looking too bad.

Suki:

TLDR: A naive high school age girl falling in love with her 32 year old teacher but all is not what it seems for them both.

Plot: By this point, I'm a bit exhausted of this kind of relationship in Clamp works and just am not really captured by the plot fully surrounding this. I'm not the biggest fan of romance only plots and that's pretty much all that this was. It was really predictable and didn't really do anything new. Even when the plot twist was introduced, things didn’t really get much more interesting because of the main character.1/10

Characters: Honestly (and not trying to be negative about this), a lot of the characters are pretty insufferable, especially the protagonist, it makes it slightly hard to read. No matter what the circumstance is, the main character just ignores any and all danger and proceeds to act naive to the point of exhaustion (for me). A couple of the side characters weren’t insufferable but a lot of them also were at the same time. It really seems like Touko (one of the side characters) is the only one remotely with common sense and no one listens to her. The love interest is so boring and also lacks some common sense. 2/10

Art: The art is completely different than anything I've seen from Clamp before, and while it's well done, it's just not my cup of tea personally. I fully acknowledge it's biased and some people may enjoy the artstyle but 4/10.

Ending: The ending was gross but what I predicted, it's very frustrating how often they really romanticize these kinds of relationships. 0/10

Other things: There was literally nothing that made me enjoy this one bit. I hated it here so much when reading it, and the 2 bearable characters did not make it worth it.

Overall: 1/10 I would never reread this or recommend it to anyone, it was just very frustrating to read and the plot didn't really do anything that was exciting or new.

Angelic Layer:

TLDR: A girl gets involved in the world of robotic doll fighting and she fights through a tournament.

Plot: At around the halfway point, the plot has been just fight after fight, which is fine but there's not a lot of time for plot outside of the fighting. The plot slightly picks up from just repetitive fighting around chapter 19/26 which is really late for there to feel like there's something actually going on plot wise. If you enjoy just fight after fight without a lot of other stuff, this is the plot for you, but that's not something I really enjoy. For me, this kind of plot just drones on and on and it could not keep my interest that well. 3/10

Characters: The main characters identifying trait is she's short and doesn't think she can fight properly because of that but that changes throughout the story. There's not a lot of character motivation for the protagonist with her just continuing to fight without much of an end goal. I don’t think that explained a lot, but simply, the protagonist just wants to fight in the tournaments and doesn’t necessarily seem to have an end goal in sight. 3/10

Art: Very much similar to Chobits with the style but everyone looks like how Chi looks, which isn't really cute to me. I think that Chobits had it more balanced with not everyone in that artstyle that Chi was drawn in, but this isn't too bad. I don't really enjoy it a lot and a lot of the fight scenes are a bit hard to understand what's going on for me. As well, one character doesn't have his nose in a lot of panels or just a bit of it isn't drawn, which is pretty distracting. The backgrounds aren't that interesting either, no one really did much that made them stick out in my memory. 4/10

Ending: The ending was just things wrapped up with a minor plot twist, it didn't do much for me. It just didn't really seem well earned or something that the protagonist was really striving for, since she was mainly just continuing to play and wasn't specifically stating that this was what she wanted. 3/10

Other things: The plot was very much not something I enjoyed but I can also see where it could be good for someone that was interested in this. I have some hope that the anime might make it something I enjoy a bit more.

Overall: I'm sure this could be something someone would like but it lost my attention super early on and didn't ever really regain it. 3/10

Chobits:

TLDR: An average guy finds a Persocom in the trash and the Persocom is not all that she seems to be at a glance.

Plot: The plot starts out as a slightly slice of life, but progresses around halfway through into a really fascinating plot with exploring the universe and the effects of Persocoms (basically robots, without going too much into detail with how they work). Honestly, it's way more than what I expected with how the first 20ish chapters are just kind of fitting into the genre that I was expecting from it, but it really does grow a lot deeper than that. I know I already emphasized that it's very different than what I initially expected, but it's a lot deeper than I was expecting, there's a lot of stuff that really resonates with me outside of the typical genre stuff that's early on. As the story progresses, it blossoms into a narrative about grief and how humans cope as well as humans heal from it, blended with action scenes in between. 8/10

Characters: I'm gonna be honest and say some of the characters (excluding Chi) are probably the weak part of this. A fair bit of them are stagnant throughout the story which doesn't do a lot for me. The rest of the characters just don't really endear me to them as much as Chi does. However, Chi genuinely does a very good job at embodying the kind of character development I'd love to see in more of this genre as truly, she grows and changes so much through such a short time. She really does make the story for me, as there's just something about her that intrigues me. Hideki's (protagonist) character development isn't horrible but it's just slow, and is a very gradual thing, which isn't necessarily bad, but it feels like the only thing he's doing to change is caring more for Chi. For Chi only, I'm adding a few points to the total score of 6/10.

Art: This art style looks similar to how I think Angelic Layer looks (based off the cover, I'm reading this before Angelic Layer) but it's a really nice artstyle! I fully admit I have a lot of nostalgia for this art style but I really enjoy it! Post reading Angelic Layer, I really appreciate how this balanced how Chi and everyone else looked and just some of the visual details in it. It had enough visual variance that it kept my attention really well. 7/10

Ending: I didn't think I would get emotionally invested in this story, but the ending was beautiful and I don't wanna admit to crying over this at 2:30 am, but it was so so good. I don't want to go into more details to not spoil things, but it ties things up perfectly. 9/10

Other things: I'm not sure what it is about this series but it's very easy to get sucked into and read a lot of (probably since the 88 chapters are only around 15 pages long). I'm a bit ashamed that I got so sucked into it that I proceeded to read all of it in one sitting instead of going to bed. Also be aware there's a lot of dirty jokes in this and occasional nudity if that bothers you (it's very much the worst in the beginning and gradually gets less intense). I would also like to add that Chi gets sexualized rather often (which is what a lot of the jokes are from) and especially in the chapter covers. The way that the (in universe) books are tied into the plot is something I also really enjoy and is something that's such a neat touch with tying the story together overall. Also very much worth noting I have nostalgia for the anime so it definitely might be a bit of rose tinted glasses for this one specifically. Unfortunately, it's not a Clamp work (for the most part, not all of them are like this but I'm noticing a pattern) without an age gap relationship (or two, I can't find information on some characters' ages). I know the first part of the story can be a bit off-putting to me, but if you can give it a bit of time, the story does really grow away from a lot of the funky stuff if that bothers you (the first chapter is pretty much the worst with that, although the questionable relationships are more in the middle to last half of the story). There’s something about this story that just really spoke to me, in finding a person that accepts you for you and is your person. Overall: I'm gonna be honest and say (in case it wasn't clear by the above category) that the dirty jokes do slightly sour this for me, but genuinely even despite that, it's something I would reread again. 8/10

Kobato:

TLDR: A girl and her dog try to fill up a jar by resolving people's problems (it's better than what I'm explaining it as I promise).

Plot: The plot really doesn't start to pick up until around halfway through if not a bit before but the early plot is just really calm and relaxing! When it picks up, it doesn't let back down and holds your attention the rest of the time. 8/10

Characters: The characters are all a lot of fun to read and they really are part of an interesting plot between the characters! I really enjoy them a lot and seeing the protagonist grow and learn is so nice! 7/10

Art: The art style is pretty similar to CCS Clear Card, which is definitely not a bad thing but I really enjoy the dramatic expressions and backgrounds! The character design is really nice and elaborate in terms of clothes and all the characters are visually distinct! 8/10

Ending: I'll be honest and say around 3 chapters before the ending, I enjoyed it but by the time I reached the ending, I was pretty frustrated with the direction it was going. I think the ending had potential but the last few chapters felt off to me. 3/10

Other things: Starting this, from things I heard from my mutuals, I was anticipating something really deep and emotional and instead it's this story about a girl and her supernatural dog, although it's a lot of fun before it gets deeper. I really like the cameos (Chobits, xxxholic, Suki, etc), it's a neat touch to include especially with me reading a lot of clamp lately! Also the ending includes a 16 year old getting with a 36 to 40 year old, so they're really trying to push their previous age gaps.

Overall: 6/10, I enjoyed parts of it but the tone just changed a lot throughout and there were a few things I felt mixed feelings on.

Drug and Drop:

TLDR: See Legal Drug, it's a continuation of that.

Plot: The plot really picks up in this, going from regular cases each chapter to a larger overall plot and it's really intriguing.

Characters: I'm not sure how to explain this other than they take a lot of stereotypes and find a way to make them charming and interesting. The main couple is a lot more interesting than in the original, and there's a lot that was revealed. 7/10

Art: The art is the same as the original and xxxholic towards the end of its run, I think it's a tiny bit more polished than the original for the most part and I enjoy it quite a bit! They have a lot more two page spreads that are so beautiful and the backgrounds are really nice! 7/10

Ending: Need to emphasize this was put on hiatus years ago and doesn't show much sign of finishing, but I'll still rank the ending where they left off (chapter 19 in case they do end up finishing it in the future). The ending left quite a bit to be desired as the entire last chapter was spent dropping information that could have really played into an interesting plot if it was ever continued. It wasn't the worst ending I've read but it was a bit lackluster. 3/10

Other things: This was the continuation to Legal Drug, which I really enjoyed (I am pretending I do not see the sheer amount of stereotypes), so before starting it, I have hopes that the characters will get fleshed out and that it explores their relationship more! After finishing it, they definitely did get fleshed out and the relationship was deepened in a very nice way! I really like how it's crossed over with xxxholic, although if you do read this, wait to do so after you finish xxxholic otherwise things won't make sense. Also clarifying that just like Legal Drug, this isn't everyone's cup of tea because of how a lot of the characters are walking stereotypes but in spite of that I very much enjoy it. I think the main take away from this is they did improve a bit on the stereotypes but also took some steps back, but I enjoyed it in spite of that.

Overall: This is a massive improvement on the original and I really enjoyed it! There were a lot of twists and turns that felt semi built up to. 7/10

cont in part 2

[juurensha]

Ship Meme: Subaru/Seishirou

Well now for another blast from the past, let’s talk about one of CLAMP’s most beautiful and messed up pairs, Sumeragi Subaru/Sakurazaku Seishirou from Tokyo Babylon and X(or X/1999).

Spoilers for both Tokyo Babylon and X (and some for Tsubasa as well) under the cut since it’s hard to talk about this pair without spoilers.

Sumeragi Subaru:

Head of the Sumeragi clan and an onmyouji, he was once a cheerful heroic boy, but the death of his twin sister Hokuto at the hands of Seishorou really did a number on him at the end of Tokyo Babylon. When we meet him again in X, he’s one of the Dragons of Heaven and is much more cynical, although still wanting to help people. He is TRAGIC, and possibly my favorite character in X.

Sakurazaku Seishirou:

In Tokyo Babylon, he is at first introduced as a kindly veterinarian living in the same building as the Sumeragi twins, but you quickly find out that he is actually the Sakurazukamori, the magical assassin rival to the Sumeragi clan. After the events of Tokyo Babylon where he basically breaks Subaru, we see him again in X as one of the Dragons of the Earth, where he’s not so interested in bringing about the end of the world but VERY interested in further breaking down Subaru/admitting to him his love/passing on the Sakurazukamori title to him/who the hell knows with Seishirou.

VERY messed up guy, but you have to admit, peak aesthetic with the cherry blossoms and blood thing that the Sakurazukamori title has going with it. He likes mind games and killing people, and he is hands down my favorite CLAMP villain.

Subaru/Seishirou:

Basically canon for all intents and purposes, Seishirou spends the majority of Tokyo Babylon trying to see if he can win the bet he made with a young Subaru a long time ago (that he made Subaru forget), that he could learn to love him. Supposedly, he won, since at the end of Tokyo Babylon, Seishirou kills Subaru’s twin, brutally beats up Subaru, and tells him that despite all his assurances of love throughout the series, he feels absolutely NOTHING towards him.

The truth is....probably more complicated, given that in X we find out that the Sakurazukamori is always killed by the one they love the most, passing on the title to them, and that Seishirou spends most of the series intent on having Subaru kill him and then passing on the title to him.

Making things even more complicated of course is that despite all the terrible things Seishirou has done to him, Subaru is still in love with him, and Seishirou’s love confession when Subaru does finally kill him just breaks him further, sending him over to the Dragons of the Earth to end the world.

It’s a mind-game, messed up ship, but it’s peak aesthetic and tragic and beautiful in its very CLAMP fashion, with beautiful fight scenes and blood and tears all around.

...juu, why do you even like this very messed up ship?

Because LOOK AT THAT ART OKAY. IT’S BEAUTIFUL. Yep, I acknowledge the pairing itself is super messed up, but sometimes, you just want to read about a messed up pairing with tons of mind games and pretty art. Besides, what is X except all tragic, star-crossed romances, with Subaru/Seishirou in the running for MOST tragic and star-crossed (it’s stiff competition in that series, but they are definitely trying their best).

It’s sworn enemies trying to kill each other but also in love with each other but also denying their feelings and also hurting each other but also not letting anyone else hurt them???? It’s prime foe-yay material, and CLAMP knew how to hit all my buttons for this one.

juu, technically Seishirou never confessed his love to Subaru!

Look, he said “I......you,” and this manga was written in the 90′s so this is as close to a love confession as we were going to get back then. And besides, it was established up front that the Sakurazukamori is only ever killed by the one that they are in love with, so him getting Subaru to kill him was possibly the romantic gesture he could think of. (Yes, Seshirou has many MANY problems).

juu, did you like them in Tsubasa?

Okay, I’m going to be real here, I’m not a big fan of Tsubasa for two main reasons: the art has become less ornate and more noodly, and also even CLAMP themselves aren’t sure what happened in Tsubasa, so I definitely don’t know. The idea of Subaru and Kamui as vampire twins and Fuuma and Seishirou as interdimensional travelers hunting them is interesting, but it didn’t get explored all that much. Also, everyone looked the same in Tsubasa.

juu, what about the other X pairings?

I do also love Sorata/Arashi and Fuuma/Kamui in X! But Subaru/Seishirou hit all my foe-yay buttons more, so I decided to make the post mostly about them instead! :DDDD Also, personally Sorata/Arashi was a lot cuter in the few times we see them in Tsubasa (since you know, they’re not busy fighting for their lives), and as tragic as Kamui and Fuuma are, Fuuma has essentially been brainwashed! I hope he can return to his normal state at some point again (if CLAMP ever finishes X....)

juu, what do you think of Subaru/Kamui or Fuuma/Seishirou?

Probably would be healthier for all parties involved if it went that way instead, honestly. Of course, given that it’s CLAMP, and these are the fated pairs, it definitely won’t.

juu, do you think CLAMP will ever finish X?

God, I sure hope so, I’d love to see what ending they had planned. Of course, if they picked it up now again after so long, the art style would be really different....and given their writing for Tsubasa and XXXholic, who knows how they would decide to end the series now... In the meantime though, there’s always fic!

Thanks for joining me on this little ramble through a very old and messed up CLAMP pairing, and I hope you enjoyed reading about this!

[bemused-writer]

Fandom Snowflake Challenge 2021 #10 - Fandom Love Letter

(I didn't put the other Snowflake Challenges on Tumblr, but since this one references people on this site and fandoms I interact with on this site I figured some of you might like to take a look at it.)

This is where we write about what we love about fandom. And there's a lot to love! For me, I think my favorite thing about fandom is that we all get together and just create things for each other whether it's fics, playlists, videos, icons, etc. because we're mutually in love/obsessed with the same fictional world. We may be completely different people in every other way, but we both found something worthwhile in someone else's creation, and I think that's a wonderful way to come together.

And now for some more specific fandom appreciation and thank yous.

The detailed fic you can find in the Fullmetal Alchemist fandom. Throughout the years, FMA has gotten consistently awesome, in-depth fic, that I have just been blown away by. It's also usually incredibly angsty, but I can understand how we wound up with as much whump as we have. XD Special thanks to Sevlow (FF.Net) who wrote many of my favorite FMA fics and I think had a permanent influence on my fic writing in general.

To everyone who created stuff for CLAMP, especially if you created icons or fic centered around Subaru or Kamui, I seriously owe you a debt because I'm still obsessed with X/1999 and I need these goods. D8 And whoever added Light Up to Archive.org in all of its blindingly orange glory, you are a good person and all S/K shippers are in your debt. While we're talking about CLAMP, I think a thank you to @sumeragi-hokuto for getting nicer scans up of Tokyo Babylon and nefadol (LiveJournal) who recently provided a zip of all her icons without the Photobucket watermark over here is definitely in order. Those scans are great for taking screenshots (because there is no official digital version of this manga for some reason?) and I'm absolutely obsessed with the icons. :D

Regarding Archive.org, I'd also like to thank whoever added Raistland to the archive for Dragonlance fans because that site is a blast and visiting it is always fun.

And then last but not least the Vanitas no Carte fandom! This is the fandom I've created the most for and it's always so amazing to see people interacting with my fic and meta and then, not even just that, but taking the time to send in Asks and translate the meta into another language. :0 A big thanks to @ldhanh-88 who has done the bulk of the translating! It really is amazing and I'm always so glad to be part of it. (^^)

[marmolita]

45. What is your all time favourite fanfic?

Oooh, that's a hard one. For many years it was Sakura and Snow, but I think that one has become dated in certain ways the past few years? Which is fine, it's a product of its time and I love it still, but I think it's been dethroned.

In the same vein and the same fandom (Tokyo Babylon and X/1999), there's Nukume Dori which is amazeballs and incredibly detailed and well researched and well written.

Then there are about a million amazing fanfics from all my favorite authors, which are all really great! So it's impossible to choose. But probably the fic I have read and reread and reread again the most in recent history is @dustofwarfare-blog 's FFVIII series, come aboard (let's go dreaming).

[jjblue1]

So since CLAMP is counting down a 30 year anniversary maybe it’s time  to repost this and resume praying they’ll make a TB 1999 series   as I used doing long ago…

For who’s wondering what I mean with a  TB 1999 series, my big dream and hope making TB/X AMV was they would  release an anime series in which they would cover TB but also X, however  the X part would be seen focusing on the SeiSu angle… Okay, it’s a  dream but if one has the right to dream big sometimes, all right?

[yukinojou]

Yuletide letter 2019

Fandoms: The Untamed, Clocktaur War, Craft Sequence

Dear Yuletide writer,

First of all, thank you!

The things that prevent me from reading a story are animal harm (very triggering for me) and humiliation. I’d also prefer no mutilation, no D/s / alpha/omega / etc dynamics and no non-consent scenarios. I like verbal sparring, sensuality, character studies and slice-of-life stories.

Clocktaur War, T. Kingfisher - Brenner I'd love anything with Brenner - backstory, interaction with Slate and/or Caliban, rolling his eyes at Edmund, even darkfic near/after the end. AUs eliding the canon ending welcome. I was rooting for an OT3 ending, but I'm very happy with gen or the canon triangle.

Craft Sequence, Max Gladstone - Kai Pohala, Eberhardt Jax I loved those two together in Ruin of Angels - they have a great dynamic and there's more than a little attraction there on Kai's side, possibly Jax's as well. Does Jax try to hire Kai again? What else did those two talk about while planning their coup? My kingdom for them out on the town, Kai trying to find out if it's a job interview or a date or a friend thing or all three... (Ley, Izza or both as the peanut gallery more than welcome.)

The Untamed - Wei Wuxian I inhaled all Untamed / Mo Dao Zu Shi material (in translation) except the audio drama this summer, and I love Wei Wuxian as a character. I'd love case fic (either pre- or post-death), fluff with Lan Wangji, family scenes, scene retellings, AUs. The drama is especially rife in missing scenes that I'd love written - just how far did Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's reconciliation go before the battle of the Nightless City? What if Wei Wuxian got a chance to talk to Xue Yang some more, since they've canonically known each other from before the Sunshot Campaign in this version? Just what lessons did Wei Wuxian impart to Lan Sizhui once they recognised each other? I think the only character I actively dislike is Jin Guangshang, otherwise I'll welcome all of the cast, though Wen Ning and Wen Qing are firm favourites. I hate that we never saw Wen Qing die, and having her ghost appear to give Wei Wuxian closure would be lovely. I'd love for the music to feature. And if by any chance you've read the old manga X/1999 or Tokyo Babylon, an encounter between the Yiling Patriarch and a powerful Dongying dark magician would be absolutely perfect.

[kisuruby]

Fics: Souls Intertwined & Illusionary Temptation

Both fics (by Kisuru) were written for the @seisubhanamiexchange

Title: Illusionary Temptation Fandoms: Tokyo Babylon/X/1999 Rated: E Warning: Major Character Death Ships: Seishirou/Sumeragi Subaru, Sumeragi Subaru/Original Male(s) Tags: Murder, Sexual Content, Drama, One Night Stands Summary: After the Sakurazukamori leaves, the devastation and pain are too much for Subaru. In order to curb the pain, he indulges in pleasure. Meanwhile, the Sakurazukamori is always watching and isn’t happy.

Written for Robbie.

Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18233495

Title: Souls Intertwined Fandoms: Tokyo Babylon/X/1999   Rated: M Ship: Sakurazuka Seishirou/Sumeragi Subaru Tags: Sharing a Body, Romance, Post-Canon, Introspection Summary: While Subaru is a diligent Sakurazukamori, he swears someone watches him out of the corner of his eye. The shock he isn't alone in his own body is a wake up call he never expects.

Written for Circle Walker.

Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18233489

[lxnanan]

Rules: tag 9 people you want to know better. Answer the provided questions

Relationship status: That's a secret~

I have too many good ships to consider my top ships. Especially angsty, so I'll try to limit it to at least some of the ones I currently like angsty or not.

Top three ships:

1. 💕SeiSub (Sakurazuka Seishirou x Sumeragi Subaru from Tokyo Babylon, these characters can also be found elsewhere in the Clamp universe especially X/1999 which takes place after TB and TRC)

2.💕Hak x Yona (Son Hak and Princess Yona from Akatsuki no Yona)

3. 💕MomoJirou (Yaoyorozu Momo and Jirou Kyouka from BNHA)

Lipstick or Chapstick: Chapstick

Last Song: Mysterious Messenger [English version] by Han

Last Movie: Psycho-Pass Movie

I was tagged by @regenbogen-flummi (Thanks Sim)

I'll tag 9 people: @thewondrous-asian @queendumpling @cupcake-diangelo