clamp

15th anniversary

This year marks the 15th anniversary of CLAMP's debut! Though they started out creating manga aimed at girls, over the years they've expanded their repertoire to include titles for boys and even young men. Let's take a look at the history of CLAMP and rediscover why we love them!

It's been 15 years since CLAMP debuted with Seiden RG Veda. Since the release of that first title, CLAMP has produced a steady stream of fantastic manga. Maybe you're amazed that so many years have passed since you started collecting CLAMP manga, or perhaps you're blown away that they've been able to put out so many volumes in such short amount of time. After all, who else has had such a long, successful run in manga? CLAMP has consistently released great titles from the start.

At least 10 of there anime's have been made into anime, which is quite a feat. But if you count the ones used in music videos and audio dramas more than half of there titles have made their way to some form of alternate media. That's a stunning fact when you consider the sheer volume of CLAMP manga out there.

Something in their work must attract the attention of media producers as much as it does fans, When you think about it, CLAMP's work has everything: characters that are lively and lovely to look at and who are appealing in any format; settings that are both creative and flexible; and stories that are well planned and masterfully executed. This is why their work has been so easily adapted, as well as the reason people stand up and take notice of them.

Last year, CLAMP broke new ground with xxxHOLIC and Tsubasa, two new series that began running in young men's magazines. Their long and fruitful career shows no signs of slowing down; these ladies will be producing hit manga titles well into the future. Long live CLAMP!

The Artist Known as CLAMP
You know them as CLAMP, a collective of four female artists who've taught us that it's OK to fall in love with a computer, that you can battle monsters with a deck of cards, and that if you've ever transported to a magical land to fight evil, you'll always win. Together, Satsuki Igarashi, Nanase Ohkawa, Mick Nekoi, and Mokona Apapa have been a big part of the current popularity of manga and anime in the US.

15 Years of CLAMP

1989: Having built a strong reputation producing self-published manga (dojinshi) in Osaka, CLAMP makes their commercial debut with Seiden RG Veda, appearing in Shinshokan's South magazine (the manga later moves to another Shinshokan publication, Wings) The dynamic fantasy based on indian mythology garners a lot of attention, 20 Menso ni Onegai!!! ("Man of Man Faces"), which ran in Kadokawa Shoten's Comic GENKAI magazine, proves CLAMP can do comedy as well as serious fantasy.
1990: The first Seiden RG Veda graphic novel and music CD based on the title go on sale, followed by the drama CD 20 Menso ni Onegai!!! Shining Star a few months later. Tokyo Babylon starts running in South. Characters like Subaru Sumeragi and Seishiro Sakurazuka (who also appears in X) becomes very popular.
1991: Gakuen Tokkei Duklyon ("Duklyon: CLAMP School Defenders") begins running in Comic GENKI. The sense humor CLAMP displayed in 20 Menso ni Onegai!!! is further developed in this new work. The first OVA of CLAMP title (RG Veda) is released.
1992: CLAMP Gakuen Tanteidan ("CLAMP School Detectives") begins running in Kadokawa Shoten's Asuka magazine; it's replaced by X after a few months but is later picked up in another Kadokawa Shoten Magazine, Mystery DX. CLAMP breaks new ground with Shirahime Syo ("Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess Tales"), in which they eschew screentones in favor of brush and ink. An announcement for the new CLAMP manga Shin Shukadan ("Legend of Chun Hyang") appears in Hakusensha's Serie Mystery Special. The Tokyo Babylon OVA is also released.
1993: Magic Knight Rayearth appears in Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine, creating a sensation as a robot-themed mana in a magazine for young girls. Watashi no Sukina Hito ("The One I Love"), a series of romantic short stories the combines manga and essay, appears in Kadokawa Shoten's Young Rose magazine. Also released is the music vide "X2," directed by Ritaro and produced by MADHOUSE. Around this time, CLAMP begins working on a manga version of the Kadokawa Pictures film REX Kyoryu Monogatari.
1994: CLAMP IN Wonderland is released after screening at a convention of the same name. The lavish, MADHOUSE-produced music video showcases popular CLAMP characters. Mokona Ojo no Ehon~Ohanabatake no Gyakushu~, their first children's picture book, is released by Kadokawa Shoten. Tokyo Movie Shinsha produces a Rayearth anime directed by Toshihiro Hirano. CLAMP's Nanase Ohkawa works as editorial supervisor for Episodes 1-24, and then becomes series organizer with Ep. 25. Rayearth's theme song ("Yuzurenai Negai" by Naomi Tamura) becomes a big hit.
1995: Magic Knight Rayearth II begins running in Nakayosi immediately following the stunning conclusion of the first series. The OVA Fushigi no Kuni no Miyuki-chan ("Miyuki-chan in Wonderland") is released, preceding the graphic novel release form Kadokawa Shoten. Wish begins running in Mystery DX.
1996: CLAMP's debut work Seiden RG Veda finishes it run in Wings. The manga Cardcaptor Sakura starts running in Nakayosi and attracts a wide following. X is made into a movie, created by almost the same staff that produced the "X2" music video. CLAMP member Nanase Ohkawa participated as a scriptwriter. The film also introduces Shouga Asagi, an original character who didn't appear in the manga. Seven X Character File drama CDs are released.
1997: Clover starts running in Kodansha's Amie magazine. Each page is designed to be an individual work of art. The Rayearth OVA is released amid buzz about how it places the characters in an alternate universe instead of continuing the TV series. The anime CLAMP Gakuen Tanteidan ("CLAMP School") is produced by Studio PIERROT and directed by Osamu Nabeshima. Wish Gift Box, a music video and CD tie-in to the manga Wish, is also released.
1998: The Cardcaptor Sakura anime, produced by MADHOUSE and directed by Morio Asaka, becomes a huge mainstream hit. CLAMP member Nanase Ohkawa handles series organization duties for the show.
1999: The manga Suki. Dakara Suki ("Suki") begins running in Mystery DX, and Angelic Layer starts in Kadokawa Shoten's Shonen Ace. The first Cardcaptor Sakura movie ("Cardcaptors: The Movie"), a side story to the main series set in Hong Kong and produced by the same staff, is released.
2000: The second Cardcaptor Sakura movie, Fuin Saretta Card ("Cardcaptor Sakura: The Sealed Card") comes out as the manga end it runs. Chobits starts running in Kodansha's Young Magazine, marking CLAMP's entrance into young men's comics. The psychic mystery Goho Drug ("Legal Drug") starts running in Mystery DX.
2001: Both Angelic Layer and X are animated for TV. The former becomes Kido Tenshi Angelic Layer ("Battle Doll Angelic Layer") and is produced by BONES and directed by Hiroshi Nishikiori. The X anime is written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri and produced by MADHOUSE. Its TV release is preceded by the OVA X Yocho ("X: Episode O").
2002: To the delight of fans, the Chobits anime, produced by MADHOUSE and directed by Morio Asaka, with character design by Hisashi Abe, reunites the staff of Cardcaptor Sakura. The Chobits manga ends its run.
2003: xxxHOLIC starts running in Young Magazine, and Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNICLE starts up in Kodansha's weekly Shone Magazine. Both Tsubasa and xxxHOLIC are noteworthy as alternate-universe crossovers between multiple CLAMP series, including CLAMP characters like Sakura, Syaoran and many others. These two manga prove that CLAMP can do buys' manga just as well as girls'.
2004: CLAMP's 15th anniversary. And�

X: X is a mystical epic about the battles between the seven Dragons of Earth who threaten to destroy humanity and the seven Dragons pf Heaven who oppose them. Each side fights to control Shiro Kamui, who holds the key to the apocalypse. The series has been running in Kadokawa Shoten's Gekkan ASUKA since May 1992, and 18 volumes have been released so far in Japan. X is one of CLAMP's biggest titles, having been adapted to music video and produced as both a theatrical film and TV anime.

Cardcaptors Sakura: Cardcaptors Sakura ran serially in Kodansha's Gekkan Nakayoshi magazine from June 1996 to August 2000, and it was compiled into a 12-volume graphic novel series. This fantasy manga focused on a Cardcaptor name Sakura Kinomoto who runs around capturing Clow Cards. This ambitious work combines elements from card-battle and magical-girl genres. The anime version, directed by Morio Asaka, was extremely popular. Incidentally, "Sakura" was No. 1 girls' name in Japan in 2000.

Chobits: Chobits ran in Kodansha's Shukan Young Magazine from 2000 to 2002, and it was also published as an eight-volume graphic novel series. IN a world with humanoid computers called Persocom, a penniless young man studying to get into college stumbles upon a beautiful and innocently mysterious female Persocom named Chi. The manga, which chronicles the characters' lives with a touch of comedy, was made into an anime in April 2002 by Cardcaptor Sakura director Morio Asaka. It received high rating despite its late-night timeslot.

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNICLE: Tsubasa has been running serially in Kodansha's Shukan Shonen Magazine since last year, and five volumes have been released so far in Japan. In it, a youth named Syaoran travels to a parallel dimension to search for the scattered memories of Sakura, the princess of Clow. This adventure story is a crossover with xxxHOLIC, and characters from other CLAMP titles show up as well.

xxxHOLIC: xxxHOLIC has been running in Kodansha's Shukan Young Magazine since 2003, and three graphic novels have been released so far in Japan. It's an occult comedy revolving around Yuuko Ichihara (known as the "dimension witch") and her assistant Kimihiro Watanuki. It turns out that Yuuko is based on a real person, a woman form the Kansai area with a similar name. "I was sure it was modeled after Nanase Ohkawa," Kotani says with a laugh. "Nope," CLAMP replies. "But we get that a lot."