Tokyo Babylon

My love of CLAMP spills out again. Tokyo Babylon is another beautiful tragedy that every CLAMP follower, and manga reader should try.

Story: Find yourself in Tokyo, the 90s, following Subaru, a young progeny onmyouji. Exorcist for all who don't know what that is. Sounds so ordinary, so very relative. You can't even begin to understand how absolutely tragic and emotional this manga is. Subaru's companions, Seishirou and twin sister Hokuto accompany him as he travels throughout Tokyo and what is ultimately the setting for X/1999. There's plenty of humor here, parallel with tragedy and drama.

If you're uncomfortable with shounen ai, you may not like this as well, although nothing outright is done. But there is always something alluded to it in Tokyo Babylon. Personally, I love CLAMP most for this fact alone. Their mantra, of someone's most precious person, no matter what gender, age or color has always been a redeeming quality. I support them alone for this factor in all of their work.

There isn't really much I can say without revealing spoilers for the manga and I can't ruin this beauty. The story will truly bring you in and you'll want to know just why Seishirou is always there for Subaru and you'll want to see more of Hokuto's deliciously charming fashion. This is certainly a twist of a story and you'll never guess it. Enthralling and completely CLAMPesque.

Art: It's a CLAMP classic and I love their older works. The artwork of their older ones is so beautiful and so rich in texture, I always feel like I'm watching it move. There's a sensual feeling to the older works of CLAMP and this one definitely has it. Especially when you see Hokuto's outfits that she makes for her and Subaru. It's highly detailed and dark, which adds to the effect of the dark tones to the story. It's so elegant that it amplifies that tragic atmosphere to the story, making it all so much more impacting.

Character: I love Subaru and Hokuto. Hell, I even loved Seishirou despite certain things. There's certain character development that happens, that is significant to the story and what happens after the story that makes it all so...tragic. God how many times have I used that word in this review? Subaru is the absolute representation of purity and good. Watching how he changes throughout the manga is wonderful (which means you must then read X/1999-you really must. I've written a review for that as well so check it out), and Hokuto is the sweetest sister ever. She's fiercely protective of Subaru and I loved that about her. And Seishirou is like an enigma. Their interactions throughout the story are what make it all and how everything comes together in the end makes it all so much more...
Just read it guys.

Enjoyment: If you can't see it now, you're blind. I love Tokyo Babylon. I fell in love with it in volume 1. Something about self-sacrificing Subaru just made me want to love him. I think, as humans, we can identify with tragedy because we all experience it in one way or another. And this is what makes us connect to what we read or watch. I can feel these characters and I can connect with the story and I love that I am pulled into this story not of my own volition. There wasn't one second where I thought, "Nah, I'm just going to put this book down and go wash dishes or something." This book gripped me by the heart and squeezed me for every tear that I had.

Tokyo Babylon was one of the first few mangas that I started reading years ago and up till today, I still think it is one of the best mangas CLAMP has produced.

Warning, this manga does contain some elements of shounen ai (boy love).

Story:

Looking at the summary one would think that che, it's your typical magical boy running around Tokyo exorcising your ghost for the day. I must say, the story line reflects more than that and it addresses some of the issues society is facing from the aging population to bullying. There are some really cute moments (a big hug for Hokuto-chan and her very loud fashion!!) in the story but overall it has a pretty dark storyline with a tragedy for its ending. Great story twist and sob!!

Art:

It's CLAMP, so safe to say the art it really detailed and beautiful. Of course it is pretty outdated now (it being drawn in the 90's so the clothes were quite old fashion).

Character:

I love the three main characters!!! Each of them have a complex personality, all contrasting each other. Even some of the supporting characters are pretty interesting. My personal fav is Seishirou.

Enjoyment:

Enjoyed it to the max!!!

Overall:

I give it a 9 due to the artwork (and I'm stingy w/ marks). And when you are done with this manga, move on to X to watch the conclusion of Subaru and Seishirou's twisted, twisted relationship.

Basically I had found out that the 2021 anime adaption of this series is gonna be delayed so without waiting decade for it to come out, I decided to dig into the manga. I gotta say at first, it's complex af like I didn't have a clue wtf was going on. I kinda let the story speak for itself without deep thought and it worked!

Without not trying to spoil too much, it's basically about a spiritual medium named Subaru and he mainly partners with his twin sister Hokuto (she has great fashion sense) and a very "Subaru-fan" veterinarian, Seishirou. Now heads up, do not read this manga if you're gonna be grossed out by Seishirou always doting on Subaru. Luckily no funny business goes on but just don't waste your time if it isn't your thing.

Even if the ending is a bit disappointing, this old skool manga has a really interesting story that is pretty addicting and makes you want to learn about the characters for who they are!

“Love is just a blood-match, to see who can endure lash, after lash…” – St Vincent


Though the title "Tokyo Babylon" evokes a contrast between the urban sprawl of 1980s cityscape and the ancient city of desolation, perhaps Sodom and Gomorrah would be a better allegory for the cold and corrupt city that lends itself to the scenery of Tokyo Babylon.

The city’s influence on our main character, Subaru Sumeragi, is undeniable. Thirteenth in the long line of onmyouji (spell-casters, mediums, or exorcists), he is employed as a kind of spiritual psychiatrist to relieve Tokyo’s residents, past and present, of their emotional baggage. Despite his obvious power he has a passive, neurasthenic personality, as soft as wax and as wavering as candlelight. Ultimately a kind and selfless sixteen-year-old boy, the pressure and grime of city life slowly weighs down on his soul.

Not that Subaru’s life is one of introversion and agony – at least not at first. His twin sister Hotoru ensures that. Aggressively cheerful, her personality likely an unconscious front put on to support Subaru’s weaknesses. Her idiosyncrasies are a source of humour and warmth throughout, especially her endevours to push her brother together with their mutual friend Seishiro Sakurazuka. “I wanted you to have something you would love so much, that you wouldn’t care what others thought. Something you wouldn’t change your mind about. It didn’t matter what it was. I just wanted you to have something like that,” she explains to her brother. Seishiro, despite his surname having distinctly sinister connotations with death, is a mild-mannered and chirpy vet who couldn’t possibly be anything more than he first seems.

Starting in a generic monster-of-the-week format, Tokyo Babylon gradually reveals more and more of the characters’ backstories and the tangled web woven between fate and free will.

This is something of a hallmark of CLAMP: the notion of “inevitability”, though it may not be as evident in this as in their other work. Tokyo Babylon could be thought of as the encapsulation of their various themes and tropes: the occult, good and evil, self-sacrifice, sexuality. While some may view this as nothing but talentless repetition or ego masturbation, despite being somewhat cliche due to the context of CLAMP’s subsequent fame, Tokyo Babylon is what I consider the pinnacle of CLAMP’s craft.

Stylistically, the art in Tokyo Babylon gradually improves throughout the seven volumes. Subaru is drawn effeminately and with an elegance that belies his innocence. CLAMP in true form take great pains exploring extremely detailed fashion and distinctive character designs, replete with standard 90s CLAMP anatomical proportions. This is particularly prominent in Subaru’s dress-sense, with his trade-mark gloves and meticulously rendered coats with buttons, zips, lapels, pleats et al. Whether this is truly the style of a sixteen-year-old boy is up for debate, but it is certainly stunning to look at, especially on the full-colour covers and the small posters inside the front cover of each volume.

While Tokyo Babylon may seem like fluff, even in the earlier stories its use of Shinto ideology to present didactic inquests into social issues is scathing. Subaru’s power leads him to help many people, from the murderous to the lonely, and very few sections of society escape without commentary.

It’s this pull of inevitable reality where Tokyo Babylon’s true intentions start to unfurl.

In a dream, a man tells the child Subaru, “Did you know? They say buried underneath every cherry tree is a corpse. [...] The reason the cherry blossoms bloom so beautifully every year is because of the corpse buried underneath.”

Just as the true form of beauty is seen to be one of ugliness, everything we know about the characters is perceived a different shade in the light of truth.

As we saw through the relentless critique of society, so we see more starkly the juxtapositions of obligations and choices, industrialisation and sorcery love and death, and ultimately the selfishness inherent in selflessness.

We see how the catalyst of despair that ultimately manifests as malevolence in the last volume began as an undercurrent that has rippled in every page, panel and brushstroke since the very beginning. Perhaps it is this that gives Tokyo Babylon its unusual allure, palpable tension and lurking melancholy that has endured the 23 years since Tokyo Babylon’s first printing.

RRP: £9.99
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Tokyopop (15 July 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1591828716
ISBN-13: 978-1591828716

Originally posted on my blog http://marusamarento.wordpress.com/

Tokyo Babylon is the beautiful, classic manga from Clamp that lures you into the false sense of security that everything will be okay and perfect at the end – when it is anything but, and much, much worse. It’s been about 20 years since this manga was written, and it is still one of Clamp’s greatest and most memorable works; and the work that spawned such beloved characters, and the somewhat sequel, the gorgeous X (X/1999) where Subaru and Seishirou appear nine years later.

★ Story (10) – Tokyo of the 90’s– a modern, powerful cityscape, a glorious empire of sprawling lights and commercial skyscrapers; a bitter world hurling itself evermore into a state of Babylon, and eventually utter destruction. Dark, sinister, and brooding, this manga focuses on the problems of this modern society by following the life of young Subaru Sumeragi; a 16 year old onmyouji – a powerful exorcist and the head of the powerful Sumeragi family. The premise of this manga sounds so simple, so very dull; so very overdone. I can assure you, it is anything but. Subaru goes through the manga solving different cases, each of which focus on different social problems and issues that run amok in the world. Every story does not have a happy ending, yet the readers eyes are opened to the different points of view surrounding the problem, and are asked some hard, insightful questions directed to solving the issue. Tokyo Babylon is far more than a fantasy story; it is a social outcry and a voice for the problems of a modern world which still exist today.

Though it is a dark story, Tokyo Babylon is nonetheless supplied with plenty of lighthearted scenes. The humor is laced in-between the darkness and balances it out nicely. The mile-long speeches of Hokuto, the suave and silly flirting of Seishirou towards Subaru, and of course Subaru’s adorable embarrassment at the hands of the other two partners in crime is very adorable and fun. The humor is a very sharp contrast to the ever evolving tragedy and drama that in fact lures the reader into a false safety net of “everything will be okay in the end”. Which is exactly what Tokyo Babylon sets out to do, and succeeds. Whatever tragedy you expect to happen will happen, but it will be far, far more horrific than expected.

Throughout the tale, young, shy and sweet Subaru is flanked by his two companions – his energetic and witty twin sister Hokuto, and the charming, flirtatious but mysterious Seishirou Sakurazuka, a 25 year old veterinarian and head of the Sakurazuka clan; the age-old rivals of the Sumeragi. Throughout the manga, innocent and gentle Subaru becomes more and more worldly wise in his job and his duties as he is exposed to a darker and darker world; the pinnacle of his heartbreaking change from an innocent child into the brooding, tragic young man of X (X/1999) is brought about at the end of this series through a shocking, brutal betrayal that destroys and breaks him down entirely. In the end, Subaru’s childlike faith and trust in people, and the belief that they will not betray him is utterly destroyed, and he stands alone; a bitter figure amidst a world heading towards to inevitable Apocalypse; a person left in ruins among the towering skyscrapers of Babylon.

★ Art (8) – An older series, the art style has a distinctive late 80’s early 90’s touch that makes it very nostalgic and stylish in a retro way. The art is beautifully drawn nonetheless, in Clamp’s detailed but neat style, reminiscent of their older, far more lavish works. Slender, long-limbed good looking characters and whimsical clothing are supplied in all their attractive glory; a handsome, seductive older man, a very pretty boy and an adorable, stylish girl all become eye candy at the hands of Clamp. I did not give the art a perfect score, because at times, some of the bodies look a bit awkward, the positioning is rather off and the proportions can be odd. Overall though, while Clamp’s artwork may be an acquired taste for some, Tokyo Babylon is still very appealing to look at, especially in the later and final volumes where everyone looks their best, and the style is perfected.

★ Character (10) – A series with only three main characters? How will that work? But it does, and very well. With only three characters, the story becomes very intimate and close-knit (which of course, further goes to hike up the sheer tragedy of the ending).

There is a reason that Subaru is one of Clamp's most popular characters even after 20 years; he is a completely endearing, loveable, innocent person, and utterly adorable. His gentleness, kindness and sweetness are constantly at odds with the dark work he is destined to do; yet they all remain with him -though much more subtle- even when he loses so much at the end. In all my years of keeping up with Clamp, I can honestly say that I've never come across even one person who disliked Subaru.

Hokuto is the comforting, encouraging and bubbly twin of Subaru's - she the loud to his soft, the friendly to his shy and his number one supporter (especially when it comes to Seishirou). On her own, Hokuto is extremely likable, loving and very self-sacrificing; everything she does is for her brother's happiness, and she's willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that...

And last but anything but least, there is Seishirou who is the enigma of the group. By day he is a friendly, flirty veterinarian; friend -and more- of Subaru's, and Hokuto's partner in crime. And yet, his real personality and true agendas are incredibly shocking and sinister; giving out anymore would ruin the secret of the story, but however sinister you think Seishirou is...When it is truly revealed, he is far, far worse, and the results of his true personality are utterly devastating.

★ Enjoyment (10)- While some may be turned off by the light shonen-ai, there really is nothing NOT to enjoy with this little gem. Don't just sit there reading my review; go and read this yourself.

★ Overall (10) - Everything from the cases, to the art and the wonderful characters are all very worth a read and more. This story has the humor, the darkness and the overwhelming shock of brutal tragedy all wrapped up in a highly appealing package. This is an absolute classic from Clamp, that delivers far more than expected in the 7 volumes that this story spans. And afterwards, when you're done, and the final volume is finished leaving you saddened and shocked with more questions that answers...Turn to Clamp's X, the somewhat sequel of this manga. There, you'll find the answers to what happened, and IS happening to Seishirou and Subaru nine tragic years later. Don't expect a happy ending for them though; after all, how could there be? There can never be a perfect ending for those who lived and were victims in the crumbling world of Tokyo Babylon.

I always add CLAMP works to my manga list for reading; the artwork is amazing, the stories are intriguing, and the way CLAMP touches on feelings that people in everyday life endure all the time is astounding. Tokyo Babylon is not an exception, though I must confess that I've never heard of this title before. It's one of CLAMP's oldest series and despite its age, still delivers exactly what CLAMP is well-known for; timeless manga that people of many ages can enjoy.

What's wonderful about this plot is the way it is character-driven. Subaru's responsibility as a powerful exorcist puts him in dangerous situations all the time as he takes odd jobs. He meets a slough of characters that are battling some demon or another, emotions of extreme hatred and sadness, past ghosts that refuse to leave, etc. I found myself relating to some of the victims that Subaru met, and it's a little sad to see that the issues plaguing Tokyo in the 90s are still relevant in today's society. Justice can't always be served, murder and death will always exist, and the world isn't a nice place.

I've seen a few of these characters before because I read Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle first, which features a host of characters from CLAMP's earlier works. But just in case you haven't read that manga, either, I'll just say that Subaru and Seishirou appear in it :)

Anyway, the main characters in Tokyo Babylon all for the most part have strong attributes:

The protagonist Subaru has that cool power to exorcise ghosts and demons using a variety of spells passed down from his grandmother and earlier generations. He's a pretty level-headed person, but even his emotions can get the best of him. I find that to be a good flaw, though, considering how powerful his abilities are. His limitations are in his mind.

It is unclear what Hokuto's true strength is, but as the more lively and less serious twin sister of Subaru, she can still be quite ferociously protective of her younger brother. She doesn't get as much attention in the manga as Subaru, but she's still an important character. She looks out for Subaru all the time and repeatedly encourages him to pursue a romantic relationship with Seishirou.

The most mysterious character of the trio, Seishirou happens to be a veterinarian with some powers of his own that even Subaru is not sure of. He takes an unusual interest in Subaru, though, and makes a lot of flirtatious advances. He has a habit of changing the subject not too subtly and innocently when he wants to. It's a little tiring seeing him act suspiciously all the time without an explanation, which is dragged out until the very end of the manga, but it makes his character seem very cool.

As usual for CLAMP, there is not one flat character in this manga. Subaru learns a lot through his work about how the people of Tokyo suffer every day, and his ideas of the world change. Hokuto becomes more mature when she meets others that suffer in ways she can't understand. Seishirou was never an ordinary person from the beginning.

While the artwork in this manga is rougher than in their newer works, it still has that shine that unique style that only CLAMP possesses. Even small eyes are detailed. That passive emotion that I remember well from CLAMP is in here. Splash pages are illustrated with incredible detail, clothing, strands of hair, eyes, everything. Their chibi art is also endearing. If you've read CLAMP works already, you know what I'm talking about.

It goes without saying that I enjoyed this manga immensely. I've read XXXHolic before reading this, and the fact that every chapter was a side story reminded me of it. That kind of progression helps the reader understand Subaru's abilities fully without having to go through a lengthy explanation beforehand. Each subplot is unique and captures the reader's attention. Now, I wasn't very happy with the ending, but that's because I was expecting something a little different, missing the tragedy tag before reading. Otherwise, it's still a magnificent piece years after it was finished.

One of the best series' I've read! Dark, corrupted and very tragic. There is also a few comedy moments in there too which I like, but that's as far as it goes with the plot being anywhere near a happy place.

I found it very enjoyable, despite it's plot, which also nearly had me in tears. :p

Most that needs to be said about Tokyo Babylon has been said by other reviews, it's a fantastic story with fantastic characters and a great emotional ending. What I'd like to mention however is in its relation to other series be Clamp, namely X1999 and xxxHolic.

This book serves as a prequel or prologue for X1999, providing backstory for (primarily) two of its side characters, while at the same time having nothing to do with X1999 beyond a few hints. It effectively works as its own standalone tittle they bear so little in common.

As for xxxHolic, while not directly connected they share the same plot structure and themes, that of an episodic story of helping people overcome their (usually) self-induced spiritual problems. It can and has been said that xxxHolic serves as a spiritual successor to Tokyo Babylon for these reasons. And in that respect they also quite often share the same tone aswell.

I dropped Tokyo Babylon the first time I read it directly after the first few pages and decided to never pick it up again. For someone who loves mainstream battle shounen shit, the start of Tokyo Babylon already decided how weak the story line is going to be.
So why did I pick it up again? Because I saw a beautiful picture of the protagonists on someone's profile. Not because I thought it might be worth reading again, or that it deserved another try. I was just fascinated by that picture, which turned out to be not from this manga at all.

The protagonist of Tokyo Babylon is Subaru, the young head of a clan of exorcists. He is accompanied by his twin sister Hokuto and a veterinarian called Seishirou during his journey to complete tasks as an onmyouji, exorcist.
After finishing it my geuss about the story line turned out to be quite right. Weak. It wasn't bad, just weak. That's probably caused by how the story started. If all mangakas were to cut a certain part of their protagonist's life and put it in a manga, then CLAMP began to cut Subaru's during the middle of his adventures. This made Tokyo Babylon seem rushed.

The story started just like that, with all the important characters casually talking to each other. It was as if we were supposed to know who they are. Sure there is a slight character introduction, but it seemed like a quick summary of who who is in a series after a long hiatus.

This would probably, together with its typical historical shoujo art style, make you expect Tokyo Babylon to be your typical shoujo manga about spiritual incidents, but it isn't.
It focusses on important issues on ones mental behaviour and suffering which is very realistic and sometimes maybe even relatable. No one understands them, but Subaru will reach out to all those people and try to relieve their pain.
In Tokyo Babylon you won't only get the victem's and the protagonist's point of view, but also those of the secondary characters and those around the suffering ones: "She was surely enduring a lot of stress and sorrow, but everyone cares for a sick loved one and feels the same pain."
Tokyo Babylon makes one thing clear: "No two people can ever feel the same pain!". Sure all of us, as civilised rational thinkers we all should be, know this. But do we ever consider it? No. No we don't. Tokyo Babylon however reminds us about this important fact and makes us think again about those around us.

The relationship between the characters is absolutely adorable. The twins are very devoted to each other, and with Seishiro meddling in they become the ultimate threesome. Even though Subaru is in the beginning a bit hesitant about the behaviours of Seishiro, his feelings towards him slowly develops, whether it's in a romantic way or not. Seishiro's nature is however pretty mysterious which will make you wonder about his feelings.
The messing around and quarreling of these three brings hapiness in the sad times and prevent the story from growing darker than it already is.

I would recommend this manga to everyone who's able to handle tragic events. I think that this, despite the weak story line, is a stunning manga that looks at real issues in this world from different perspectives. It contains both tragic and happy parts that balance each other quite well (at the beginning at least).

Well damn...
This is not the kind of manga a read every day. I typically read adventure shounen or horror/ mystery type of stuff and Tokyo Babylon is pretty much on the other end of the scale HOWEVER it is worth the read, surprisingly, and here's why;
(PS. If you just want the short version of it skip to Overall :p)

Story: 9/10
I was extremely confused at the beginning. Not only was the wording terrible but what was happening in the story made no sense. I really have no idea why I kept reading because I felt like dropping t right there HOWEVER I am grateful I kept reading on. It went from "is this series a joke/I seriously don't expect anything out of this series" to "well damn me....".
If you have read some of Tokyo B. and thought what a joke I order that you go back and keep reading. It will get better as the story goes on; trust me.

Art: 8/10
I'm not very familiar with the shoujo typical kind of art so I'm not sure how it would score if you take that into consideration but overall it wasn't that bad. It is better than what I can draw so I can't really complain haha. At first I thought that the author would use the same face for all the characters but once you keep reading you see that all the characters have different facial characteristics and I appreciate that.

Characters: 9/10
You may think Subaru should just man up and stop being such a wimp but as you go on you appreciate his character and personality. You also begin to appreciate the characters and how they go on throughout the story and I really like Sei's development too. If you're a character development kind of person, this may be something you should add to your reading list.

Enjoyment: 10/10
To be honest with you, when I started reading I was prepared to spend the whole time laughing at the artwork and the characters and how terrible it was but as I kept reading I kept getting sucked in until I finished. I enjoyed that. I have really never had this kind of experience before so I applaud it for fooling me like this. After finishing it I wanted more ;n;. It seems like X is the sequel but I see no Subaru in it ;A;.

Overall: 10/10
I did give an 8 for the art but that is just me being picky, therefore I give11/11 7s for this. If this ends up in your list because of some kind of randomizing tool, read it. If you like this genre, read it. If you don't like this genre, read it (ok maybe don't but just give it it try >83), If you don't like shounen ai, read it. The is no ai in there what so ever apart from Sei being odd with his 'I love you' teases. I surprisingly enjoyed it and I bet you will too. It is not a long series and worth if you have the time to spare. My final comment on Tokyo B. is "damn that ending though"