X

So what is it you like about anime? Fast paced action? Apocalyptic destruction? That fine balance of buxom nymphs, nudity and gore? Maybe it's shallow characterisations and loosley motivated plot lines? Great, because X delivers all these in spades.

X is an apocalyptic tale set in the year 1999, the so-called ‘Year of Destiny’, and the beginning of the end of the world. After the death of his mother, Kamui Hirata, a young man with extraordinary powers, honours his mother’s dying wish and returns to Tokyo, vowing to protect his childhood friends Fuma and Kotori.

Little does Kamui know that his arrival heralds the start of a monumental battle that will decide the fate of mankind and of the earth itself. Seeking the destruction of the human race and the purification of the earth are the seven Dragons of the Earth. Ready to stand against them in the defence of mankind are the seven Dragons of the Heavens. The dragons, Tokyo citizens possessed of extraordinary psychic powers, have been foretold of Kumai’s arrival. It is Kumai himself that holds the balance of power and, as he becomes embroiled in the final battle, must ultimately decide between the fate of the earth and the fate of the human race.

The most interesting aspect of X is the thematic refusal to clearly identify protagonists and antagonists, a moral complexity shared by many anime and Japanese films. Unlike western films, in which good and evil must be clearly delineated, X consciously avoids drawing conclusions as to what constitutes the right or wrong side of the conflict, presenting two opposing forces, each purporting a reasonable agenda.

As a fast-paced yet utterly dark film, X has some glorious moments, and is filled with impressive action sequences that will satisfy every anime fan. And yet, ultimately, X is disappointing. The main problem is a complete lack of character back-story and development, the result of cramming over ten volumes of one of Japan’s most popular manga series into a 100 minute film. The plot is basically a vehicle for mounting monumental psychic battles, with combatants meeting suitably grisly ends. The viewer is left with the feeling that they've missed the first two thirds of the film and the result is a total lack of empathy for the characters, for whom the sense of tragedy and loss is completely removed. In the end, X is reduced to a series of explosive one-on-one battles between combatants for whom the audience cares very little.

Presented at an aspect ration of 1.85:1 on a single-sided, single-layer disc, the transfer is disappointingly non-anamorphic. This is a shame because the image itself looks very nice indeed.

The artwork on display in X is comparable in quality to other anime produced for theatrical release, and is composed of lush images and beautiful animation. Interestingly, the characters themselves, at times much softer than productions such as Ninja Scroll and Ghost in the Shell, look more like anime produced for television rather than for the big screen. In contrast the backgrounds, conceived by art director Suichi Hirata (award winning background artist behind Ghost in the Shell), are sharp and stunningly detailed. Although animated by Madman studios, the production team behind Ninja Scroll, the animation retains the distinctive style of Clamp Studios; the all-female Japanese animation team that have published some of the most popular manga titles in Japan including Tokyo Babylon, Rayearth, and of course X.

X displays a dark, gothic style with colours that are fairly mute. However, like most anime on DVD the colours that do appear are very well balanced and the all important black level is perfect. There are no film or video artefacts evident in what appears a perfect rendition of the original source material.

Interestingly, our PAL transfer of X suffers from interlacing, an effect that is derived from using a source with a lower frame rate. This is surprising for a film that is supposedly a theatrical release, and may indicate that the transfer has come from an NTSC master.

In terms of audio, Anime aficionados can breathe easy - Madman have included the original Japanese soundtrack (be it only Dolby Digital 2.0) with this release. The English dub is also available, both in Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0. Viewers should note that the English script contains key departures from the original Japanese production in an attempt to close some of the moral ambiguities in the original plot. Although these changes may serve to make the film more digestable to a western audeience, we miss out on experiencing the original Japanese plot with 5.1 sound.

This aside, the film features a vibrant soundtrack and a prominent and evocative score that blends traditional Japanese and classical western instruments to create a dark a gloomy mood that nicely complements the gothic-style visuals. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundstage is quite immersive with almost continual use of the surrounds to add ambient noise and to carry a balanced portion of the score. Separation however is a little on the average side, and directional effects are few and far between. The subwoofer is never quiet, with an almost constant string of explosions errupting in every scene. In the few instances that explosions are not called for, the subwoofer adds body to the score, and provides lashings of brooding menace. The mediocre 5.1 channel separation means that both the English and Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtracks compare very favourably, providing a high level of ambient sound and almost as good a use of the subwoofer.

At all times, in both the Japanese and English dub, the dialogue is clear and distinct. The English subtitles are white against the mostly dark image and therefore easy to read. All in all, although this is not a soundtrack that will win any awards, it will still shake your pictures off the wall and annoy your neighbours.

As we have come to expect from recent Madman anime releases, the disc displays high production values, with beautifully animated (if non-anamorphic) menus. A reasonable set of extras, be they mainly text-based, have also been compiled:

Tarot Cards: A set of character profiles for each of the main players in this epic drama including all Dragons of the Heavens and of the Earth. Fills in some of the back story that is lacking from the feature itself.

Photo Gallery: 26 stills from the movies more intriguing scenes.

Director’s interview: ANIAMERICA interview with director Rintaro, comprising 23 pages of text. Topics include aspects of X’s production, japanese animation, and more general information on Rintaro himself. Fairly comprehensive, but a bit too much fan gushing for me.

Theatrical Trailer: Non-anamorphic widescreen at an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Clean print, sharp transfer. The quality matches that of the feature.

Manga Video Previews: A string of previews for other Manga releases - Blood: The Last Vampire, Street Fighter Alpha, and Perfect Blue.

Manga Merchandising and Catalogue Info: a montage of stills displaying other programmes available from Manga on video.

There is no doubt that X has its failings, due mainly to its lack of back-story and character development. Compared to some other R4 releases, the plot feels shallow and incomplete. However in truth, this is a problem shared by even some of the best anime titles, many of which are derived from popular manga or OAV series, and I would seriously doubt if any anime fan lets this spoil their enjoyment of the genre. With its lush visuals and crashing soundtrack, this is still a title that many fans may want to judge for themselves.