Customer Reviews

Xam'd: Collection 1 [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

The animation in this series is simply amazing - I swear some was motion captured it's so well done. The plot lines, characters - even the equipment - all are captivating. Doctor Ryuzo - his past, and self-inflicted atonements. But, man, his wife - I just wished someone would shoot her - her character was just so spiteful, full of hate and annoying. Just examples of two of the well fleshed-out minor characters. They are all very real. There's the required unrequited love with the two major players, Akiyuki and Nakiami, and among several of the other characters as well.

Many of the voice-actors were recognizable - after looking them up I found they were also in many of my favorite Anime. Full-Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, Vexile, Vandread, Speed Grapher, Gunsmith Cats and many more. It's an all-star cast - voice quality to match the production quality.

On to the action - there's plenty of it. One on one fights, aerial combat, giant monster sized critters - petty much everything. But little is gratuitous - 95% is directly related to the plot.

If you liked Full Metal Alchemist, Vexile, Elfen Lied, Full Metal Panic, Claymore - anything along those lines, you'll really enjoy this series.

Xam'd: Of the Lost Memories is an exceptional anime, one of the best I have ever seen. It is currently available on Netflix and, at the time I'm writing this, is available for instant viewing. I say that Xam'd is one of the best anime I have ever seen, and I am completely serious about this, currently it ranks in third place on the list of my top five favorite anime - and honestly I think that it is technically better than Record of Lodoss War (1st place), but my love for this anime sometimes approaches religious devotion, and so I can't rank Xam'd as number one. I will warn you from the beginning that Xam'd is somewhat difficult to get into. The story throws you into the middle of a truly fantastic world with very little explanation of what is going on, and then expects you to pick up the clues on the way. Although it offers a significant number of clues (way more than Ergo Proxy), I imagine that many viewers will have some trouble catching up and figuring out what is going on. Trust me when I say that it is worth it to push through. So, on to the review:

Overall: 10/10

As I said, Xam'd currently ranks third in my top five anime list. So, I can safely say that I have seen very few anime that I enjoyed more than this, and I don't think that either of the first two are technically better than Xam'd, but due to either subject matter, or loyalty, they remain my top two. At its core Xam'd is a love story, and it is the best kind of love story - a real one. Nowhere in this anime do you find the cliche `love at first sight' or `wedding after two weeks' plots that are so common in romantic tales. Xam'd is the story of two young people who do their best to remain true in their love for one another through a wide variety of trials. The two main characters, Akiyuki and Haru, spend most of the first half of the anime apart, and so we see a growing commitment in their love for one another that is born of their separation. All in all, Xam'd is the best romantic anime that I've ever seen, and the romantic angle is only one part of the story. Xam'd is a very complex show, blending themes of romance, identity, hope, loss, and the necessity of accepting pain as a part of life, all on the backdrop of a world war. Think this sounds like too much for one show? Generally I would agree. There are not many studios that could have pulled this off. However, Bones Studio has been responsible for RaXephon, Wolf's Rain, and both versions of Fullmetal Alchemist, so they have a lot of experience at this kind of thing.

Writing and Art: 9.0/10

With an anime I can't review writing in quite the same way that I would with a book. However, the writing in Xam'd flows well from scene to scene. Transitions are strong, and while things are confusing at first, nothing is ever out of place. If you pay attention, then you should be able to pick up the world easily enough. The art is where this series takes a slight hit. The art in Xam'd ranges from good to great, there is never a scene that is poorly drawn. However, there is also not a consistent excellence in the quality of the art. Some scenes just don't live up to the majority of the show.

Characters: 10/10

There is no bad character in Xam'd. There are some very negative characters, however there are no bad characters. Even the minor characters are well-developed, and shown a lot of care by their creators. You will fall in love with Akiyuki and Haru, it can't be helped; you will root for Akiyuki's parents as they try to find their way back to each other; you will join Nakiami in her ever-present hope, and you will feel both frustration with and pity for the villains of the series. As you watch this series, you will become deeply involved with each of the characters - which, in my opinion, is one of the most important aspects of any book or show.

World: 9.5/10

The world of Xam'd could be better explained, especially at the beginning of the series, and I know that this will scare some viewers away. However, it is a complicated, fully developed (if slightly cliche in some areas) world that is both intense and interesting. There are a few aspects of the world that are difficult to accept, such as the war between the North and the South that has (apparently) been going on for the last thousand years. However, these are very minor points to the overall story, and are fairly easy to overlook.

Plot and Content: 10/10

I'm not going to say much because I don't want to give anything away, but Akiyuki's story will take you from joy to tears and back to joy more than once. The plot of this show is excellent, deeply thought out, and very well framed. As for the content, there is a reasonable amount of violence (it does take place in a war after all), but this is far from excessive. There is also one minor female character that walks around in a halter top, usually covered by a jacket. Again, this is not excessive, but it is also not explained, it just kind of is. So, Xam'd takes no hits from me for content. If you get sick at the sight of cartoon blood, or you think that women should always be covered from head to toe...well, then you probably shouldn't be watching anime in the first place, but this one isn't for you.

Pacing: 9.5/10

Xam'd is a slow moving anime. It is very well paced, and the story moves along at a near perfect rate. However, it is generally slow. If you don't like slow, deep stories - then Xam'd will probably bore you. You'll be missing out, but I doubt that you'll be able to finish it.

Commentary: 10/10

This anime has some of the best thought through commentary of any I have seen for a long, long time. This is one of the big reasons that it made it to the top of my list. The commentary in Xam'd largely focuses around the nature of identity. However, there are strong aspects of the necessity of accepting pain, the importance of commitment, and the need to hold on to hope. Xam'd has deeply thought out commentary about what it means to be human, to know yourself, and to chase after both your desires, and your responsibilities.

Conclusion:

You need to watch Xam'd. Even if you don't like it at first, keep going. Let yourself fall in love with the characters, and let yourself learn from them. It will be worth the effort.

The story starts off with a pretty hefty right hook. I felt captivated after the first episode and watched as much as time permitted. The animation was really well executed, the characters have an extraordinary amount of depth, and the story has more than enough plot twists to keep you on your seat.

I found this anime to be more of a drama type than action type, which caught me off guard when looking back at the trailers and reading the product description. Mind you, this isn't a bad thing. Where the series lacks in action, it makes up for in character development and plot. The first half of Xam'd was truly the best of the series. The second half, however, felt like it was starting to stray off base and lose momentum. Regardless, I highly recommend this anime to just about anyone that enjoys a good story, with or without action driven content.

If you like steampunk, mechs, and typical Japanese lover's drama than you will like this series. It is not heavy on plot, but is heavy on action and from the start goes at 100 percent speed.

Xamd is one of those series that is constantly speaking to its audience. It reminds me of Neon Genesis in some ways, only it has a lot more push and a lot more modern flair. besides, it is its own beast - and then some.

From the Boom boom Satellites singing Shut Up and Explode you can feel the energy in this series. and why not. In the first 13 episodes sheltered here, you get quite a bit and you still find yourself wondering quite a bit more. Basically, you have a war that went on and that is currently still raging and it involves all types of weapons. Amongst those are things called humanform weapons, where a person becomes something more and something horrible, weaponizing but dying in the process. The secret to this is discussed more and more as the series develops around the island where and incident happens on a bas and where our main character, a young boy on his way to school, is caught up in a strange explosion. The end result of this is a seed in his arm that makes him become Xamd, a thing that has the ability to consume him and, in the process, turn him to stone. Before that can happen, however, he is saved and is hidden on a postal skyship, where you find a montage of loveable characters and secrets that just keep coming.

I haven't loved a series in a little while, but this is one I really like a lot. I have been trying to buy them all recently, and am glad to see that they keep on coming. That's because it is hard to find something that makes you want to keep on learning, but xamd does it. It has the story and it has the art, making you want to understand. It also has twists and turns in it, making you wonder where the line is drawn when it comes to how is pleasant and who is pleasantly evil.

I know that this is dubbed but I couldn't wait around. There are some version that are not - you can look for them and they are rewarding - but I ended up with the dubbed stuff. The voice actors are not THAt back considering, but a language is an art and not a toy. Still, this is a 5 star easily

I was disappoint to see that the anime was only up for rental on the Playstation Network for about $4 an episode. When I heard that Xam'd was getting a Blu-Ray release - I jumped onto the opportunity of owning it. Great anime - great artwork - well worth the purchase. It ends on a bad note due it feeling more of sucker punch than actually having any closure - but the second season looks to be so much better than what was already delivered here. Recommend.

After seeing two episodes I thought that it would be an enjoyable series to get but after finally seeing the series all I can feel is disappointment and confusion on why I got this in the first place. One of the major things I've said before I like in my series is the ability to emphasize with the characters and the situations they are going through, and while there are traumatic events going on during the series you feel almost no trepidation to what's going to happen to the people as none really endear themselves to you. Actually there are a few characters you wouldn't mind seeing killed off for their apparent apathy to the people they supposedly care for which makes them more unlikable and feeling less uncaring if they die in the series which is sad since almost half of them are the main characters in the series. The animation I think will remind people a lot of another series Eureka Seven and also with the storyline which almost seems a mix of E7 and another confusing series Neon Genesis Evangelion. The action scenes won't be like other series like Gundam an the like and that's to be expected but still even as you watch these battle scenes they seem to be more boring and you just feel like skipping these scenes over. So is the series worth getting?, that is a hard question to answer all I can say is check a few episodes online and see if you truly feel the series is worth getting for your own anime collection...