Definitely worth it, 02 Apr 2006
I first saw this book a few months ago and was put off by the lack of reviews. However whilst in London i found myself buying against my better judgement and im glad i did. i have so far bought and read thefirst three volumes of this series and i will definately be buying more. I can understand how some have been put off by the love implications between the two main MALE characters, however it doesn't really bother me. Both me and my friends adore the series and think it is great. It is definately one of clamps better works and worth taking a look at.
The Sakura are pretty, aren't they? ^_^, 26 Nov 2004
This is probably one of my favourite Clamp series so far and would recommend people to read this series - unless you are a bit fidgety over shounen-ai/male x male implications (well the ladies of Clamp are known to do weird things in their works).
I first discovered Tokyo Babylon via the X TV series and the minute I set eyes on Seishirou and Subaru and the past they shared, I was interested in them straightaway. As a result I took a peek into Tokyo Babylon and I can officially say it has got me hooked.
The main characters consist of the trio Sakurazuka Seishirou, Sumeragi Subaru and Sumeragi Hokuto and they all have their own supernatural powers. Character-wise, Subaru is sweet, naive and polite, if not very feminine for a boy. Hokuto is his older twin sister but acts the complete opposite to him (loud and flamboyant). As well as being a wild dresser, she makes Subaru's wardrobe.
Seishirou is the oldest out of the three and is a veterinarian. On the outside he is happy-go-lucky and often teases Subaru, making him blush and also acts goofy around his friends. As we turn the pages, we see there is a mysterious side to Seishirou. Is he the dangerous Sakurazukamori? The Sakurazukamori are also Onmyouji like Subaru however they use their powers for killing and only appear during the night. On the one hand, the Sumeragi clan protect people with their supernatural powers.
This first volume is enjoyable because you have a mix of mystery and light comedy (Subaru face faults a lot of times in this volume - and not because of Seishirou's teasing). It makes you want to read more.
Fantastic - A must for any CLAMP or manga fan!, 08 Mar 2004
This is, in my opinion, one of the best pieces CLAMP has produced as of yet. And considering I've read practically everything I can get my hands, that's an awful lot of manga to choose from (even TSUBASA: Reservoir Chronicles and XXXholic - which, may I point out isn’t all that good-).
Anyway, this is a sort of prelude to X:1999 and follows the same kind of vein so if you like X... But I think the characters are better. Although you don't need to have read X to understand this, nor do you have to go onto reading X after you've finished this but it does make sense to do so.
This follows the life of the lovable Subaru Sumeragi - our main character. At the age of 16, he became the 13th head of the Sumeragi clan - some of the top onmyouji (a type of exorcist, they speak top the dead and send them... off to wherever they have to go).
Backing up Subaru is Hokuto (Subaru's twin sister) and Seishirou Sakurazuka. The hyperactive Hokuto is always teasing Subaru and claiming that he and Seishirou will be married one day (and yes they are both guys, this manga does contain shonen ai (male/male relationships)) but is Seishirou related to the Sakurazuka-mori? An 'assassin group' that uses the same skills as the Sumeragi's to kill?
This is a fascinating series filled with moments of sudden and unexpected humour, heart-wrenching angst, betrayal, sweet bits of romantic fluff, mystery, magic, and a dark underlying theme of death and murder... In other words it has something for everyone!
I haven't read the Tokyo pop version of this manga, so I don't know what they've done to it, but I can assure you that it is a brilliant read that will capture your attention and leave you begging for more.
