Tokyo Babylon

Original Title: 東京BABYLON / 東京BABYLON 2
Romanized: Toukyou Babylon
Literal:

Plot Synopsis

Subaru is the youngest member of a family of powerful mediums that have protected Japan for over 2000 years. Though the family has lost much of its power in recent times, they continue to be called upon by people who still believe in the power of the spirit world. Tokyo Babylon chronicles the exploits of Subaru, accompanied by his sister and a somewhat mysterious veterinarian with some abilities of his own.

In part 1, Subaru is called upon to investigate a series of mysterious accidents that have killed executives of the MCC corporation as it tries to complete an ambitious construction project. Even more mysteriously, one "lucky" man has been present at every accident, and miraculously survived all of them.

In part 2, serial killer has been brutally murdering women riding one particular train alone. Subaru becomes involved when he witnesses the most recent killing. While working with the police to catch the murderer, he befriends the other "witness": a woman gifted--or cursed--with the ability to look into the past.

Quick Review

Rating: 4 / 5
Reviewer: Marc
Review Date: 2006-07-22

Moody, well written, and subtly detailed, Tokyo Babylon is supernatural suspense done right, and an all-around good piece of anime. Something like a mystical Japanese version of the X-Files, its engrossing tales blend the supernatural and modern investigation. Though shoujo-themed, it has all of the strengths of the genre without any of the weaknesses--well-developed, believable characters, carefully constructed stories with strong emotional overtones, and dark, vivid art. Despite the short length, it is paced steadily and maintains a palpable sense of tension.

Tokyo Babylon is a fascinating tale of paranormal suspense and mystery, with fine art, tense, well crafted stories, and deep characters. Highly recommended to CLAMP or X fans as well as anyone who likes a good tale of the supernatural, mystery, or subtle suspense.

US DVD Review

The DVD includes both parts, with Japanese and English sound tracks, English subtitles, and to my knowledge not much else.

Content Guide

Has a few realistically violent moments, particularly in the second story, and the themes are generally mature, hence the 13-up rating.

Violence: 3 - Never gratuitous, but there are some intense violent moments.

Nudity: 0 - None.

Sex/Mature Themes: 0 - Again, none.

Language: 0 - Nothing worth noting.

Notes and Trivia

Tokyo Babylon is based on a manga series created by CLAMP (available in English from TokyoPop). In theory, these side stories fit in with the manga version, between books 2 and 3, and 4 and 5, respectively. It is also something of a prequel to the long, involved story of X, although familiarity with X is not any sort of requirement to understanding or appreciating Tokyo Babylon. The Tokyo Babylon manga also spawned a live action movie, Tokyo Babylon 1999, which is supposed to take place 5 years after the end of the manga.

CLAMP, for those unfamiliar, is a group of women responsible for some of the most popular shoujo (girls') comics, and the inevitable spin-off animation.

Shoujo, for those not familiar with the term, is the Japanese word for girl, and "shoujo animation/manga" are terms frequently used to refer to the style of art and writing specific to comics targeted at girls and young women. They are more "soap opera" style than other animation/comics, focusing on characters and relationships instead of action. The art (particularly CLAMP's) is often characterized by large eyes (even by anime standards), very thin bodies (I'm not going to go into the social implications of that), and attractive men who seem to look remarkably like women. For a prime example of all of the above, look no further than Subaru himself.

Availability

Available in the US from US Manga Corps on hybrid DVD, apparently out of print as of this writing. The DVD was a price-reduced re-release of their original DVD release. Was originally released on two subtitled or dubbed VHS tapes.

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