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The List - Top 5 CLAMP Anime


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cchigu



Joined: 15 Feb 2020
Posts: 250
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 1:17 pm Reply with quote
Cardcaptor Sakura is easily the best for me, I used to think badly of the whole Mahou Shoujo genre before that.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18135
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 1:20 pm Reply with quote
Never much cared for CLAMP's artistic style, but I did enjoy both Chobits (which is probably the least typical-looking of CLAMP-originated anime titles) and Rayearth despite that.

I'm also curious: How does the X TV series compare to the movie? I have seen the latter (though it was a long time ago) but not the former.
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Ajc228



Joined: 29 Dec 2015
Posts: 264
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 1:42 pm Reply with quote
Key wrote:
Never much cared for CLAMP's artistic style, but I did enjoy both Chobits (which is probably the least typical-looking of CLAMP-originated anime titles) and Rayearth despite that.

I'm also curious: How does the X TV series compare to the movie? I have seen the latter (though it was a long time ago) but not the former.

The X TV series has the obvious benefit of a less compressed storytelling format. It explains character’s motivations and the general story more clearly than the movie. I don’t know how you feel about Yoshiaki Kawajiri but it does a good job of balancing the multiple characters and delivering some fun action scenes. It’s nowhere near the level of spectacle as the movie but I remember the animation being very good for an early aughts digipaint show. I tend to think it’s one of the better CLAMP adaptations. I prefer the direction, and the pacing of the show over the film.
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pachy_boy



Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 1323
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 2:19 pm Reply with quote
Ajc228 wrote:
The X TV series has the obvious benefit of a less compressed storytelling format. It explains character’s motivations and the general story more clearly than the movie. I don’t know how you feel about Yoshiaki Kawajiri but it does a good job of balancing the multiple characters and delivering some fun action scenes. It’s nowhere near the level of spectacle as the movie but I remember the animation being very good for an early aughts digipaint show. I tend to think it’s one of the better CLAMP adaptations. I prefer the direction, and the pacing of the show over the film.

I saw the movie 1st, and the show 2nd. When I saw the movie, it was just a pointless, tasteless kill-fest that left such a bad taste in my mouth. Then I read somewhere someone saying if that if you hated the movie, one should give the show a chance. So I did, and within the first few episodes it made such a vastly better impression that I was able to block the movie from my mind, and it didn't let up all the way to the final episode. I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking the ending was actually satisfying, whereas popular consensus seems to indicate otherwise. My only guess is that those who anally followed the manga must've felt the show's ending was out of place, but I watch the show for itself and the signs of everything that lead to the show's ending were indeed there. Out of curiosity, I happened to the watch the movie again some time afterwards--I don't hate it as much as I used to (having understood it a lot better thanks to the show), but when all is said and done the show is definitely superior with its narrative structure, characterization and a conclusion that didn't make me feel I wasted my time.

I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed the Rayearth series, it's definitely one of the classic Isekai series right up there with El Hazard. I would also like to give a shout-out to the OVA, which really went beyond what the Rayearth story could have been. Your mileage may vary, not everyone appreciated how dark and gritty it got, but in my opinion it was very intriguing with how it executed this version of the story. Here's hoping for at least a cleaned-up DVD should it get license-rescued.

Coincidentally, my least favorite Clamp title is this list's #1. I had no appreciation for XXXHolic's blatant message in that it absolutely doesn't matter what any of us do, there's no such thing as choice and that everything's predetermined--something the first episode made quite clear when the forces of existence just literally force Watanuki to come to Yuuko's shop when he otherwise wouldn't have. And if I had any power I would actually save people from ever coming to Yuuko's shop since it always seems they get worse off from Yuuko's services. I still remember that one BS episode where a woman gets a device from Yuuko, to which Yuuko says "I wouldn't take that" and "everything is up to her" but does nothing as a responsible shop-owner in just taking the device back and telling her it's not for sale so to help prevent the disaster that happened later. By the series's end, I saw no reason to trust Yuuko at all. It's been so long since I've seen this series, but that's what I distinctly remember.
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Megiddo



Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 8360
Location: IL
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 2:25 pm Reply with quote
Super happy to see Chihayafuru so high on that reader poll.

My top 5 CLAMP would be CCS, Rayearth, Chobits, Angelic Layer, and xxxHolic
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killjoy_the



Joined: 30 May 2015
Posts: 2457
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 2:36 pm Reply with quote
Haven't really watched any of Clamp's anime (unless you, for some reason, are counting Code Geass on that). Manga though, I really liked Chobits, Kobato and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle (though I'm sure I missed at least 50% of what it was about, especially given how I had dropped xxxHolic before).
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Gonbawa



Joined: 28 Jun 2016
Posts: 53
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 2:58 pm Reply with quote
On manga side, the epic "RG Veda" and the very dark "Tokio Babylon", their first works, are my favorites.
Clamp works have always been dark, Xxxholic is not their first try in horror genre.
With others titles like Rayearth or Cardcaptor Sakura they were going full mainstream but kept a little darkness even in those.
On anime side, my favorites are "Cardcaptor Sakura" (Madhouse!) and "Angelic Layer" (Bones!) : great TV series, far better than the original manga.


Last edited by Gonbawa on Sun May 10, 2020 3:17 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Just Passing Through



Joined: 04 Apr 2011
Posts: 276
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 3:14 pm Reply with quote
My favourite CLAMP art show would be Code Geass...
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Ampharos



Joined: 21 Jan 2014
Posts: 195
Location: New Jersey
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 3:26 pm Reply with quote
Angelic Layer was left off this list because it's way, way, way better than the manga it was based on, right? Like it's just TOO good to be on this list? (And I *like* the manga, mind you. But the anime is unbelievably better.)
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pachy_boy



Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 1323
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 3:55 pm Reply with quote
Now that I remember, I would be remiss to not also include Blood-C as a favorite, in which Clamp provided the writing as well as the art, not to mention its crossover with XXXHolic. It may well be the most underrated title of them all, I find myself gravitating toward it once a year (usually around Halloween time, go figure).
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capt_cardor



Joined: 06 May 2007
Posts: 14
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 4:10 pm Reply with quote
Inuyasha?
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Oggers



Joined: 29 Nov 2017
Posts: 357
Location: Ontario, Canada
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 5:00 pm Reply with quote
My favourite CLAMP series would definitely be Cardcaptor Sakura and Magic Knight Rayearth. While I appreciate what else CLAMP has brough to manga and anime, I've never really been able to get into their other series (for Chobits in particular, Chii and Hideki's relationship never gelled with me since Chii has such a childlike mentality that it's hard for me to root for them romantically).

capt_cardor wrote:
Inuyasha?


Inuyasha is by Rumiko Takahashi, not CLAMP.
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Jess-chan



Joined: 30 Nov 2008
Posts: 63
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 5:16 pm Reply with quote
Cardcaptor Sakura in my opinion is CLAMP's masterpiece!
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Zalis116
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Joined: 31 Mar 2005
Posts: 6864
Location: Kazune City
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 5:42 pm Reply with quote
Have to give another +1 to Angelic Layer as a cute, heartwarming, and tearjerking show that combines shounen tournament action with shoujo family/relationship drama.

Although it's not quite top 5 material, Kobato hits similar heartwarming notes, and has plenty of crossovers, references, and Easter Eggs for CLAMP fans, as well.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle is okay if you want to mildly torture yourself with that ultimate 2000s sleep-inducing combo of Bee Train + Koichi Mashimo direction + Yuki Kajiura music, seen also in Noir, Madlax, Avenger, and the .hack franchise.

pachy_boy wrote:
Now that I remember, I would be remiss to not also include Blood-C as a favorite, in which Clamp provided the writing as well as the art, not to mention its crossover with XXXHolic. It may well be the most underrated title of them all, I find myself gravitating toward it once a year (usually around Halloween time, go figure).

Recently I was looking into Blood-C to check out its chronological/sequel relationship with Blood+ and Blood the Last Vampire. Though I expected a fairly straightforward chart, I was instead taken to a very familiar, very convoluted web, and found myself thinking, "wait, how the heck did this get tangled up in the CLAMP universe"?
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Covnam



Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 3627
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2020 5:51 pm Reply with quote
CCS is my favorite Clamp series by far (and one of my favorites in general). Angelic Layer was pretty great too.

I haven't watched MKR, but did play the SNES game (which covered half the story I think?). I really should watch it one of these days...
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