X - Eight (TV Series, Vol. 8)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Incredible and Powerful!!!, 2006-08-21
br /The outline that follows is an outline that refers to the entire series and spoilers will be included. br / br /To begin with, if you are looking for an anime that is more in the style of Love Hina, than you should skip this one. If on the other hand, you are looking for an anime that is powerful, emotional, has love/romance, great character development and strong story, than you are definitely right here. br / br /Outline of the story: br /The story resolves around the Seven guardians of Heaven and the Seven guardians of Earth. The one group wants to preserve earth as it, believes in humanity no matter what they have done to earth, and hope for a better future. The other group wants to erase humanity from the face of earth so that the planet and its other creatures can life in peace etc. br / br /The `problem' is that when watching the show you will - like it or not - agree with both groups (not to mention the fact that there is no `black - white answer' but a grey version (You will have to watch it in order to understand or otherwise I will give the entire show away, sorry guys)). Apart from it, the age of the group members does not matter much; meaning that you will see in both groups' teenagers and adults fighting side-by-side or against each other till death. Others will fight against the other group for their own personal reasons. br / br /The biggest problem however is that there can be only one Kamui (chosen one) and the side he decides to follow will win; but, it proofs that the real Kamui has a twin star, meaning that there is another Kamui out there as well. This will lead to an explosive mixture of emotions. Lovers, who will belong to the opposing group, will be forced to fight till death against each other, brother against brother, best friend against best friend and so forth. To be honest, the story will get very emotional indeed. No matter the age, the group members will fight and die. br / br /As for the action, you will get more than enough. To begin with, the fights occur in both astral plane and our materialistic world. In order to prevent damages in our world, the group members are able to form a kind of a shield, in which most fights happen, and no matter the destruction our reality remains unaltered. That is, if the fights remain inside the shield, something that will not always be the case. In addition, all group members have their own supernatural `super powers' etc. For instance, some can use the five elements, some others are psychics, some others use magic, some take advantage of technology, some bend reality etc. br / br /Who will win in the end and what will be the cost of this destructive victory? br / br /The genre of this anime could be categorized under: fantasy, supernatural, action, and love / romance. br / br /The music that accompanies the show is very well orchestrated and good. Starts with a rock/pop song and ends up with a melancholic ballad. In-between the music changes in accordance with the shows (very good done). br / br /As for the dub, in my humble opinion, it is very good and professional done, in the same level as CB is done. br / br /The animation is excellent. br / br /As for extras, it has more or less the typical stuff: Textless opening and ending, previews, trailers etc. br / br /As for the box-set: The first DVD comes with the box and every DVD you buy it fits in there; imagine it something like a shelf. br / br /As for the story: It is very emotional, has great character development, solid storyline (that moves forth and back, with flashbacks etc.), many twists and is very mature and character driven. br / br /Tip: The first episode, called X-0, of the first DVD is like a prelude and `summation' of the story. If you don't want anything to be given to you in front but want to be glued to your sits from episode one, that skip this one. br / br /Last but not least, is it worth buying or not? In two words: Definitely yes! However, by collecting all 8 volumes the cost may raise around $200. To be honest, it is worth having in your collection but if the cost might seem to you as an obstacle than try to rent it and to watch it. The show is highly recommended! br / br /I hope that I could help you, if so than please click on the yes button below ^_^ br /

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Good Series, Strong Build Up, Bad Ending, 2005-03-17
I really loved this series. Everything lead to Fuma and Kamui in a final comfrontation. What I thought would happen, was at least our hero finally awakening to his true power. Instead we get some kind of love conquers the day event, which leave me feeling like I was cheated of a real good fight. It's the only reason I rate the series so low. To go through the series, and to get that little of a payoff is not good to me.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

Great series but why such a dumb ending?, 2004-01-27
I loved the whole series it was great, the characters were all interesting. The only thing that angered me was that they built up this whole final battle thing and when it finally happened it was all of like 1 minute. Also it was one of those typical anime type endings with all the emotional you are in my heart along with this dead person and that dead person type of talk and suddenly the bad guys are defeated. Give me a break I want a real ending for once in an anime. All complaints about the ending aside this series was awesome.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Great Retelling, 2003-12-25
This is a great retelling to Clamps X. I think that this story was very well done. Great CHaracter formation and also great story consept. The one thing I would probably complain about is all the volume were too short. 75 mintues wasnt that long to be telling such a wonderful story. Great Ending. I recommend this for everyone.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

All Good Things..., 2003-12-24
This is the last volume in what has been a remarkable retelling of Clamp's original manga series. The final apocalypse has come, and the two Kamui's (Kamui and Fuma) must face each other to decide the fate of mankind and the earth. Building to this final struggle are a series of battles between the Dragons of Earth and Heaven. Betrayal and counter betrayal crisscross until only these last two, the bearers of the dual aspects of the divine shinken, retain their powers.pI've been looking forward to this DVD for some time. The original film completely bobbled the story from the manga, creating more confusion than anything else. This series has managed to capture the essence of the manga, even while carving out creative ground for itself. I wanted to see how the grim build to the finale and the finale upsurge as the last, true message of the story was delivered. I can honestly say that director Yoshiaki Kawajiri has exceeded my own expectations. While many great series have seen release in the U.S. this year, X is the closest to that indefinable perfection that anime strives for.pThe story managed to retain its focus on Kamui's struggle with destiny and fate while polishing each of the characters on both sides of the conflict. My worst criticism is that Fuma, Kamui's twin star, is painted too darkly. While the Dragons of Earth believe that humanity must be destroyed if the Earth is to be saved, I feel that they should be frightening, but not black hearted or evil. Of course, this is a quibble. Kawajiri has chosen to highlight the dramatic difference between the sides, which enhances the impact of the end. I certainly can't say that his interpretation of Fuma was a failure.pUnlike many other series who have shifted to Kabbalistic, Christian, Aztec, or other symbolisms to create an esoteric atmosphere, Kawajiri (and Clamp) have always depended on roots in Japanese mythic and occult processes. This gives the elements of the story a sense of belonging which is often missing when the spiritual layer is only a thin veneer. In any case, the story, acting, art, and music are all superb, with nothing being spared to make this a landmark production.