"There are many paths for individuals, but there is only one for Kamui. Or is there?"

X revolves around this vague sequence of words, which question whether destiny can force the protagonist to join either the Dragons of Heaven or the Dragons of Earth and thereby save or destroy the world. Prophecy has foretold that Kamui is the one who controls the tide of battle between these two contending clans who fight for the fate of the world. Unfortunately, Kamui cares only for the safety of his childhood friends...

The opening sequence itself shows the mystifying nature of the movie. An ambiguous stream of petals falls continuously in a completely black realm, like a dream. Amidst all this is a meeting of Kamui and his mother. She calls out to him, saying, "Go to Tokyo: your destiny awaits you there." All of a sudden, she bursts into flames. To complete the bizarre scene, she pulls a bloody, flesh-covered sword out of her body and transfers it to Kamui’s body.

Will Kamui join the Dragons of Earth or the Dragons of Heaven?	Attack sequences are beautifully animated, CLAMP style.

"Eye candy" would be the words best describing what this movie is all about. This should come as no surprise, since CLAMP is responsible for the creation and artistic vision of the anime, while the animation itself was handled by Studio Madhouse. What is most significant in their work is the amount of detail they put into the background and character artwork. Just contemplating the sheer amount of work put into animating each eyelash leaves me in awe. The stunning detail work does not stop with the eyes, however, as each character is fully fleshed out with intriguing clothing designs, facial expressions, and unique powers. The special attacks are flawlessly animated, including sword wielding, dog summoning, wiring controlling, ribbon maneuvering, and elemental attacks based on lightning or water. As an added bonus, there is even a sweet-talking, surfer-Buddhist priest!

Musically the movie lacked an orchestrated beat. However, the background music did capture the morbid feel of the gloomy world. Once in a while the music's moodiness permeates the listener with a dark aura of corruption. It's not a good feeling...

Overall this movie does put up a great fight to be one of the top movies done in Japanese animation. It is dischordant, though, with a deliberately jarring ending. There is some gore and nudity included for shock value, which should restrict children from watching this anime. Otherwise it’s suited for all. On a final note, if you do watch this movie and love it, you can get more from the X/1999 manga upon which the anime is based. From what I know, the ending is completely different from the movie.

"Do you control destiny or does destiny control you?"

Distributor: Manga Entertainment
Creator: CLAMP, Studio Madhouse
Released: 1996

Plot: A
Character Design: B+
Animation Quality: A-
Music: C-
Overall: B+