As I was thinking of older anime to watch, this certain series came to mind. I have watched this before and I was quite sure that I enjoyed it since I remember telling some of my otaku friends from university about it. I just couldn't remember why I liked it, so I decided to remind myself by rewatching it.
It's called X (2001) or :X: The Series" because apparently, it has a movie version released in the late 90s. I still decided to check out the series that I previously watched maybe almost 15 years ago instead of settling with the movie version.
In the anime, X, humanity is destined to end due to the fight between "The Dragons of Heaven" and "The Dragons of Earth", as seen by a dreamseer Hinoto. And in the center of all these, Kamui Shirou is to choose whether to be with the Dragons of Heaven to save the people or be an ally to the Dragons of Earth and get rid of all civilization to protect the planet.
Before Kamui's mother died, she told him to return to Tokyo. After a certain incident during his childhood, they decided to move out and live in Okinawa.
When Kamui arrived in Tokyo, he attempted to steal the Divine Sword from the temple which was under Kyougo Monou's care. Kyougo is the father of his childhood friends Fuma and Kotori.
As Hinoto (the dreamseer) tried to convince Kamui to join their cause (Dragons of Heaven), Kamui constantly rejected. He didn't want to let destiny decide his life. However, the people he holds dear have been attacked despite him not wanting them to get involved. He was somehow forced to finally choose a side.
What would his choice lead to? Watch it to find out!
Here's a trailer or an introduction of the series.
Why did I like it? --- this was my question before rewatching the series and I found several answers.
One, the art style is the bomb! I really love the 90s and early 2000s art style... what more, this is originally from a CLAMP manga and CLAMP art style has always been so beautiful like Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits, Magic Knight Rayearth, among others.
In addition, the animation was done by Madhouse which is also an amazing studio which produced a lot of awesome anime.
So much for the technical aspect, the story was also really intriguing. The concept of defying one's destiny is always really impressive... especially when it's not just a single person's destiny that's involved, but the fate of humanity and the world.
I love the twist and turns of the events and how some of the characters tried to make choices which somehow changed the story. The characters in the series are also really interesting. Their backstories and how some of them (from both groups) were interconnected were also fun and amusing to watch as well.
Despite that, this series made me quite emotional. I do remember some of the scenes and despite anticipating what's about to happen, it still hurts to see how some of my favorite characters ended up. I felt quite attached to some of them. Hahaha No wonder I enjoyed watching this years ago.
Did I regret rewatching it? Not a bit... the pain was quite refreshing. hahaha
But really, I'm glad to watch it again. I hope you also give this one a shot.
Thanks for reading and see you around! (^^,)/
