Product Details

• Format: AC-3, Animated, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: Japanese, English
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Section 23
• DVD Release Date: September 21, 2010
• Run Time: 325 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003TX8QBU
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,197 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

XAM'D:COLLECTION 1 - Blu-Ray Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing Sci-fi Action/Drama Anime, October 23, 2010

By 

HiroNotHero - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Xam'd: Collection 1 [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

This blu-ray box set collects the first half, epiosodes 1-13, of this awesome sci-fi action/drama anime series. The animation is sleek, from the backgrounds to the characters themselves. The animation studio Bones, also responsible for series like Fullmetal Alchemist and Darker Than Black, does an amazing job bringing this intriguing series to life. The accompanying soundtrack is also very well done and fits the mood and theme of the show. Plus, the character designs are nice. This release yet again shows why anime is best when viewed in full HD.

The story is basically about a normal high school boy turns into a superhuman-like warrior called Xamdou when a mysterious girl implants a gem into his arm. From there on out, he has to leave his hometown, friends, and family behind to battle other superhuman-type beings. The depiction of how the boy deals with this new found power and how it effects the people around him is at times humorous, dramatic, and other times heart-wrenching. You're left wanting to find out what is going to happen to him and his friends, new found allies, and family from episode to episode. Yes, it's really that gripping, in my honest opinion. Definitely not your typical sci-fi action/drama anime show. Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'll be Xam'd, February 2, 2011

By 

Celeste "Vodka, Apple Pucker & Sweet 'n' Sour" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Xam'd: Collection 1 [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

I thought my husband's head was going to explode when this series came to PSN. He wanted to see it so badly, but the cost per episode, for a rental, was just more than we could justify. He was thrilled when the series came out on Blu-Ray.

Unlike some anime series that seem to go on forever, this series comes to conclusion after season two. You should, however, be aware that the seasons do not stand alone. Season one ends on a cliff hanger, and if you only watch season two you will be beyond confused. (Honestly, you may still be a little confused if you watch both seasons.)

The story has a lot of classic love story elements in it. There is a lot of action and a lot of conflict, but for me the center of the story is a tale that has been told over and over again. Best friends are in love with the same girl, but she's always known where her heart belongs. The side stories are as compelling as the main story; they are stories about the different ways we love each other. A mother's love for her child, an older sister's love for her younger sister, and the sacrifices we are willing to make for the ones we love the most.

If you are looking for a cute and fluffy anime, this is not for you. Xam'd is not afraid to break your heart by killing off a character they made you love, and in the end, not every character gets to live their happily ever after. There was something about this anime, although I'm not sure what, that reminded me of Eureka Seven.

Overall, I don't know if this is one of those series that you just HAVE to own, but it is well worth watching. I'm pretty sure that we never watched less than three episodes in a sitting, and we finished the second series in a weekend. It's hard to turn off, and even when it ends, you'll find yourself wanting more.

3.0 out of 5 stars Could be great, but it is only good, January 17, 2012

By 

James Y Glass - See all my reviews

This review is from: Xam'd: Collection 1 [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

Anime Review

X'amd: Lost Memories

By: James Y Glass

What an odd and beautiful anime, I really, really like X'amd, but no matter how hard I want to, I can't love it. What keeps X'amd from achieving true greatness, is its lack of development and explanation of the world of the story. For while there are many wars, governments, battles, and creatures, the show never takes the time to give you any substantial explanation for what any of them are, or why they are significant. As a result, it is always hard to feel for the characters, and the gravity of the situation they are in. The potential for true drama is wasted most of the time. Instead we're just expected to believe that war and hatred is bad, and peace and love is good. Unfortunately this is far from the first anime to have that message, and others have done it far better.
This particular story of good and evil begins with Akiyuki, an average, everyday high school student. But the anime universe seldom allows average high school boys to average for very long, and by the end of the first episode, his island home is attacked, and his body becomes the host of a mysterious being known as a X'amd. He is then saved and spirited away by a mysterious girl who has all the answers (But never gives them to the audience), she takes him to the postal airship she lives on, and introduces him to the rag tag group who also occupy it, and who will be responsible for teaching him the life lessons he'll need to learn in order to overcome his status as average high school boy, and help save the world.
It's a shame this story doesn't rise to become something unique, because it always feels it has the potential to do so, if someone would just explain what the heck a X'amd is, besides some sort of generic supernatural guardian of the world. Part of me wonders if this isn't drawing from some well-known piece of Japanese mythology, which would explain the lack of explanation. Sadly this is unacceptable as truly great stories should be universal, so there should have been some kind of explanation.
What this series does have going for it is its lovable cast of characters (but what anime doesn't?). They must have meant something to me for I did shed a tear or two towards the end, not something that happens often, I just wish I had understand the situation more, maybe then I would have cared when one of the characters died, and why his sacrifice was significant. The animation for the show is also quite good. It must also be noted that the English dubbing of the show is superb (save for some brief cringe worthy lines from background characters), another example of how far English dubs have come in the past half decade. Another high point is overall atmosphere of the show, which is extremely reminiscent of Princess Mononoke. It really does ultimately feel like this anime could take place in the same world as Mononoke only thousands of years later. Sadly X'amd's world is much more complicated then Mononoke's so the simple explanations don't suffice. And neither does the ambiguous ending. Though as far as ambiguous anime endings go, this one is pretty good.
If you can watch this show for free on Netflix streaming or some other streaming service, I would definitely recommend it. Otherwise I would never suggest paying for Blu-Ray's or DVDs or digital downloads, without seeing the whole show first, and then deciding its something you always want to have with you.