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X/1999, Volume 1: Prelude
 
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X/1999, Volume 1: Prelude [Paperback]

CLAMP (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)


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Book Description

December 10, 2002 X/1999 (Book 2)
As part of the X/1999 series, this volume features breathless action and stunning art. When Kamui returns to Tokyo, he learns that his childhood girlfriend Kotori and psychic Princess Hitoni are having strange dreams about his role in a coming apocalypse! Is he the angel of salvation, or the devil of destruction?
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 184 pages
  • Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; 1 edition (December 10, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1569311382
  • ISBN-13: 978-1569311387
  • Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,667,585 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Clamp, stylized as CLAMP, is an all-female Japanese manga artist group that formed in the mid 1980s. Many of the group's manga series are often adapted into anime after release. It consists of their leader Nanase Ohkawa, who provides much of the storyline and screenplay for all their works and adaptations of those works respectively, and three artists whose roles shift for each series: Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi. Almost 100 million Clamp tankōbon copies have been sold worldwide as of October 2007.

 

Customer Reviews

31 Reviews
5 star:
 (21)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Series, but what else do you expect from CLAMP?, September 3, 2005
X, or X/1999 as it's known in the US, is a story about the end of the world as it comes about in the year 1999. Kamui Shiro, the hero (I hesitate to call him that, since there are so many "heroes"), comes back to Tokyo after his mother's death to face his destiny. His destiny is explained in later volumes.

As with all CLAMP works, whether the art is done by Mokona Apapa or Mick Nekoi, the art is simply awe-inspiring. The art is undeniably CLAMP, and even the gory scenes seem beautiful (that's saying something, since I'm not really a blood and guts type of fan).

The story may seem a little confused in the first volume, but things really (I mean really) start to pick up in the later volumes. That could be my character bias (my all-time favorite CLAMP characters don't show up until volume 7 and 8), but the story really does get addicting.

Any fans of Tokyo Babylon, or people who tore their hair out screaming because of the end of Tokyo Babylon (guilty as charged..) can rejoice with this series, because Subaru-kun and Seishiro-san show up and have many moments together which will make you want to scream/cry/lock them in a room together. (*sobs* volume 16.....*sobs*)

My one warning is this: make it through the first volume and you're hooked. Continue through to volume 8 or 9 (ppl, vol. 8 is called Crescendo for a reason....), you'll want to sit in the manga section of your nearest bookstore and finish what's been released (18 volumes) in one go. Trust me, it's money well spent.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars CLAMP did it again...., December 11, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: X/1999, Volume 1: Prelude (Paperback)
The first thing about this series that will grab your attention is the artwork. While CLAMP always does a suberb job when it comes to illustrating their mangas, this actually tops most of their other works, IMO. Every facial expression, gesture and background is rendered with incredible detail and CLAMP's own unique style. It also succeeds in creating the perfect atmophere for a dark series such as this. Backgrounds typically range from grays to black (this is seen more frequently in the later installments though) and more shading than usual was used for the characters and scenery.
But you were expecting that, right? This is Mokona Apapa's work we're talking about here, so gorgeous artwork (with equally gorgeous bishounen ^_^) is sort of guaranteed. So, ignoring that for a moment, let's take a look at the actual plot and characters.

Now, I personally love the plot. The end of the work is an intriguing storyline to work with and I think CLAMP did a wonderful job of creating an _original_ story based around it while still incorporating loads of mythology and biblical references (just look at Revelations from the Bible if you don't believe me). I'll admit it moves a bit slowly though. Very little actually occurs in volume one. It is primarily an introduction of the characters and story (not that the whole plot is introduced). Each volume also takes place over a short period of time which may not interest all readers. It's hard to be bored by it as the atmosphere is so tense. In addition to this, the plot begins to increase in pace later on.

The characters are another high point of this series (not that I've found a "low" point yet...). Kamui is not your standard hero in any way. He is below average height and features a slightly more feminine face for starters. In terms of personality, he again defies the stereotype set for a male protagonist. He is not simple or easy to understand within several pages. He has many facets to his personality, some likable and some not. He is a complex character, almost fully human in a way.

I'm not going to put a conclusion in any form here as that would be redundant. I've already said repeatedly that I adore this manga. I would however like to make a warning to parents who are considering buying this. This particular volume does not contain a tremendous amount of objectionable content (there is some blood, but nothing really shocking) but later installments do. Books after this feature decapitation, dismemberment and lots and lots of blood. As I said before, the artwork is exceptional so the gore is very realistic. This was not written for a pre-teen audience and it probably shouldn't be read by one. The rest of you, enjoy ^_^

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite manga ever, hands down, June 21, 2005
CLAMP has always enchanted me with their gorgeous art and great plot lines and X/1999 is by far their best work. If you're looking for something upbeat and bouncy, turn around and run in the opposite direction as fast as you can. But if you're looking for something dark, twisted, apocolyptic, and beautiful, you've found it. This manga is violent, bloody, and often depressing. It becomes even more so as you move on to volumes 2-18. CLAMP has been known for sometimes known for wimping out on their endings (like in the sequel trilogy to Magic Knights Rayearth and Wish), let's just pray they don't do that here. If they do, I'll have to kill them. *Grabs a katana and combat boots*
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