The Plain Dealer 

July 13, 2000 Thursday, FINAL / ALL 

SECTION: ARTS & LIFE; Pg. 5E 

LENGTH: 366 words 

HEADLINE: ANIMATED FANTASY FROM JAPAN IS A BLOOD-AND-THUNDER BEAUTY 

BYLINE: By JOHN PETKOVIC; PLAIN DEALER REPORTER 

BODY: 
   Pretentious nonsense, apocalyptic revelations and blood-soaked dreams were 
never so much fun. Despite its >excess, "X" is one of the most enjoyable trips 
in Japanimation in years. 

Set in the near future of 1999 (hey, it was the near future when "X," just 
released in America, was made in '96), the anime, based on the Japanese comic of 
the same name, paints a stark picture of the end times. Tokyo has become the 
Earth's final battle ground between the Dragons of the Earth, who want to 
destroy the human race in order to cleanse the world of man's "obscenities," and 
the Dragons of the Heavens, who want to preserve it. 

The only one who can stop the apocalypse is a young psychic named Kamui (voiced 
by Tomokazu Seki). Except that he isn't a savior on a mission. He's dazed and 
confused, tormented by dreams and demons that blur all lines: between good and 
evil, between reality and fantasy, between fate and free will. 

Most of the time Kamui can't even tell the good and bad guys apart. The rest of 
the time he doesn't know what to do. Throughout, two oracles from the rival 
armies manipulate his dreams to show him what the world will look like if he 
follows their path. Even worse, a vision of his exact twin shows up - and 
promises to oppose him no matter which side he takes. 

Sound confusing? It is. But that's what makes this dream wrapped in a vision 
wrapped in a hallucination blur so many of the well-worn conceits of the genre. 
Rather that wallowing in the extremes, veteran Japanimation director Rintaro and 
the all-female animation studio Clamp opt for the far more complex middle 
ground, where the ultraviolent cyborg action flick and mystical meditation 
collide. 

Even when "X" detours into portent, it manages to swerve back into focus. The 
opening image - a bloodbath of psychobabble while Kamui's mother pulls a sword 
out of her belly - is followed by a poetic scene of falling flower petals. And 
the dialogue, full of doozies such as "This is the beginning of the final 
battle," is dovetailed by flourishes of cybermagic that mixes sculpted graphics 
and fairy-tale fluff. 

OK, so the world is ending. "X" proves that it can still be a lovely ball of 
confusion. 

GRAPHIC: BOX: REVIEW; X Screens at 8:50 tonight and 9:40 p.m. tomorrow at the 
Cleveland Cinematheque, in the Cleveland Institute of Art, 11141 East Blvd. $6. 
(216) 421-7340. Japanimation overdubbed in English. Directed by Rintaro, 
illustrated by the Japanese animation studio Clamp. Running time: 98 minutes.; 
PHOTO (COLOR): NO CREDIT; A clairvoyant in tghe Japanimation flick "X" looks 
into the future. And she doesn't like what she sees.; PHOTO (COLOR): NO CREDIT; 
A fairy princess waits for a white knight to rid the world of dragons and dreams 
in the Japanimation flick "X."