Tokyo Babylon
|
|
Tokyo Babylon (東京BABYLON) is a shojo manga series created by CLAMP. In 1991,it was made into a two-part anime OVA series. In fact, the two OVA's are made one year apart and are available in the United States in DVD and VHS forms. There is also a live action movie called Tokyo Babylon 1999. The English manga is published by TokyoPop.
Names are in Western order, and are romanized according to TokyoPop's spelling.
The plot is told in a series of substories, 2-3 per volume. They start out being pretty much independent, but gradually the plot becomes continuous and backstory is introduced. The focus throughout is on the development of the characters and the relationships between them.
The main characters are the yin-yang magician Subaru Sumeragi, his sister Hokuto Sumeragi, and the veterinarian Seishirou Sakurazuka (Sakurazuka Seishirō). The plot involves Subaru and Hokuto, two onmyouji (omyōji), protecting Tokyo from spirits by exorcising them. It also involves Seishirou's love for Subaru and the development Subaru's reaction to it; from rejection through acceptance to a growing romantic attachment; until the twist in the final two volumes. Characters from Tokyo Babylon make significant appearances in other CLAMP works, including X (a.k.a. X/1999) and Tsubasa.
The OVA's are similar in content to independent stories taking place in the middle of the manga series. The second OVA gives hints toward the overall plot line.
In terms of plot timeline, the movie takes place after the ending of the manga and before the beginning of X.
| Contents |
Characters
Subaru Sumeragi
An extremely talented onmyouji (also referred to as a yin-yang sorcerer or spiritualist medium) and the 13th Head of the Sumeragi clan. He tends to be rather shy, but extremely kindhearted. He constantly wears gloves over his hands for reasons known only to his grandmother. A shadowy childhood moment may provide the answer though...
In the story of X/1999, Subaru is also a Dragon of Heaven.
Hokuto Sumeragi
Subaru's eccentric twin sister, she is quick-witted, bold and impulsive, the polar opposite of Subaru. While she lacks most of Subaru's strong spiritualistic abilities, she is still able to cast spells unique to her. She always means well and acts in Subaru's best interests. Hokuto also happens to be the designer of the outrageous outfits she and Subaru often don.
In X/1999, she appears in flashbacks of the memories of Subaru, Seishirou, and X/1999's Kakyou Kuzuki.
Seishirou Sakurazuka
While he works as a friendly veterinarian who happens to hit on Subaru a lot, Seishirou is actually the Sakurazukamori, an assassin who uses onmyoujutsu (yin-yang techniques) to kill. Victims are fed to a demonic cherry tree, whose white blossoms are dyed pink from the blood of the bodies buried beneath it. The question to be answered is how will this knowledge affect Subaru...
Seishirou also appears in X/1999 as a Dragon of Earth and in Tsubasa.fr:Tky Babylon ja:東京BABYLON de:Tokyo Babylon
Categories: Anime | Manga