X/1999 Vol 11/12

[meganbmoore]

Uhm…why the long, heavyhanded “ZOMG!Angst and fate and destiny!” recap at the beginning of vol 11? Did Clamp take a break back when this was coming out?

Kamui seemed to be under a constant bombardment of cheerful people invading his gloom and doom this volume. Maybe Clamp realized he isn’t as entertaining when he’s being emo and mopey if he isn’t screaming and cradling a decapitated head at the time.

Though he does seem to be setting up permanent residence at the tree Kotori is buried under. Which may or may not be the tree of “KOTORI YOUR HAT IS IN THE TREE AND I WILL PROVE MY CHIBI LOVE FOR YOU BY RISKING MY LIFE TO GET IT BACK AND I WANT TO BE YOUR WIFE WHEN WE GROW UP!”

Sorata is checking foreheads for fevers and Arashi is cooking for everyone. Are we sure they didn’t secretly get married and adopt Kamui and Yuzuhira? Also, I think the reason Arashi never talks is that he talks enough for both of them.

The spreads with feathers and clock gears are pretty and all, but I’m getting tired of them.

On a more serious topic, the scene where Kamui is at the operating room door after Fuuma takes out Subaru’s eye is a nice sendup to the similar scene in Tokyo Babylon. As is the reminder that Subaru wanted to lose his left eye because of Seishiro’s.

But smoking makes Subaru more powerful when it usually decreases power? Why do I think Clamp wanted an excuse to justify the smoking? (I know that’s supposed to be cool and attractive, but…not my thing.)

And Nataku is the clone of the old guy’s granddaughter with her father’s body parts thrown in to make a full body? That’s…special.
 

Comments

[umadoshi.livejournal.com]

Sorata is chexking foreheads for fevers and Arashi is cooking for everyone. Are we sure they didn’t secretly get married and adopt Kamui and Yuzuhira? Also, I think the reason Arashi never talks is that he talks enough for both of them.

I'm still irritated that the anime made Arashi utterly incapable of cooking. >.< There were plenty of adorable domestic moments in the manga (in these very volumes! ^^) without throwing in Sorata teaching her how to chop onions.

Secret marriage FTW!

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I think Sorata is trying to create the secret marriage by the power of suggestion.

[the_rck]

It's been so long since I read these volumes that I remember next to nothing. Every once in a while, I think that I should reread the early volumes of this series and then read the four that I haven't gotten to yet. Then I realize that there's no point-- I don't care enough, and I wouldn't be getting the end of the story anyway.

Your comment on Subaru smoking made me think, though. I have the impression that smoking in Japan is regarded differently than is smoking in the US, but I don't know what the attitudes are. Looking at Subaru through my own cultural goggles, I'd immediately assume that him smoking was a sign that he'd stopped caring about his own life. I suppose one might cobble together some sort of weird justification for smoking helping his powers by bastardizing certain Native American traditions around tobacco. Maybe.

As to looking cool, it's possibly cultural again. Although I seem to recall reading somewhere that smoking stuck around in films and theater because it gives actors a constant bit of business for their hands and can be used to punctuate and frame a large range of body language. I don't know how far that would translate into the more static medium of manga, but it might be something to consider.

These early morning meanderings brought to you by my first half cup of coffee.