Tokyo Babylon is one of the all-female manga powerhouse group CLAMP’s earliest works, and it is rife with all the things CLAMP is now famous for (including crazy fashion designs, gratuitous pratfalls, prophetic but vague dreams and a smattering of the Tokyo Tower). The series opens in a very lighthearted way which is great fun to read, but as you go on it hints at truly dark stuff to come (and, since the manga originally came out in 1991, it’s easy to confirm that suspicion with a bit of googling- don’t do it if you’re wary of spoilers, though!). As a very proud CLAMP fangirl who has always meant to read Tokyo Babylon but never got around to it, I now find that I’m kicking myself for never having sought it out sooner; I may just have a new favorite. It’s textbook CLAMP, and I love it because of it.
Before I get into the meat of the review, I want to take a moment to discuss the art style. CLAMP is currently (in)famous for their “noodlepeople” aesthetic; if you’ve seen anything from Tsubasa or xxxHolic, you know exactly what I mean. While it’s clear to see how Tokyo Babylon’s art style provided the basis for what would become Tsubasa and xxxHolic’s, it’s not quite as pronounced just yet. There’s a decidedly 90s vibe to it, but that’s hardly a bad thing. For someone who’s first real manga series was Magic Knight Rayearth, it’s downright nostalgic; the distinctive eyes and detailed hair of CLAMP’s early work is out in full force here. There’s also brilliant use of black space which provides a strong emotional feel to certain scenes, and, of course, ridiculous costume design. It just would not be a CLAMP series without it.
Now, on to the story. Tokyo Babylon really only has three characters: the twins Subaru and Hotuko Sumeragi and their friend Seishiro Sakurazuka. Subaru is the main character, an onmyogi who is hired out to take care of spiritual problems plaguing Tokyo. His family is a famous clan of onmyogi of which he is the head (although his grandmother is still alive). Subaru is selfless to a fault, refusing to do anything that might harm another and more than willing to bring harm unto himself if it means protecting someone else from it. Despite wanting to be a zookeeper, he performs his job as an onmyogi willingly because, according to his logic, otherwise people could get hurt.
His twin sister, Hotuko, is mainly presented as his caretaker and is constantly enthusiastically trying to get him with Seishiro, largely because she just wants her incredibly selfless brother to want something for himself for a change. For fans of CLAMP work, she feels a lot like a precursor to Tomoyo from Card Captor Sakura, right down to the designing special clothes for the one she loves as a sign of affection. It’s also possible she serves as a bit of comic relief (at least in the first omnibus- I spoiled myself for the end of the series and let’s just say be prepared for some massive mood whiplash) as her enthusiasm and snarky comments can’t help but bring a smile to one’s face. Her line of “It’s like we’re living in a shoujo manga!” firmly establishes her as the character to lean just a bit on the fourth wall.
Finally, there’s Seishiro, the family friend/love interest/guy that is clearly more than he seems. On the surface he’s an easy-going veterinarian who flirts with Subaru and is easily goaded on by Hokuto. However, there are many hints that he is much more than he seems. For one, Hokuto often alludes to his last name, Sakurazuka, which is the name of a clan of assassin onmyogi diametrically opposed to the Sumeragi clan, and wonders if it means he’s part of that enemy clan. For another, throughout the manga it’s clearly shown that Seishiro both has strong mystical power himself and knows a lot more about Subaru than he’s letting on. I don’t want to go too into it as it’s a bit of a plot point, but it’s very obvious there is far more to Seishiro than kindly-family-friend-turned-romantic interest.
On that note, the Subaru/Seishiro pairing should probably be addressed. The early “shipping” of Subaru and Seishiro by Hokuto can feel a bit off-putting, almost Renge (of Ouran High Host Club fame- if you’re not familiar, just think of any fangirl shipper you’ve ever encountered and you’ll be about right)-esque , but this doesn’t last. The more you learn about Hokuto and Subaru, the more sense it makes- Hokuto desperately wants her brother to want something for himself, to show a bit of selfishness, and Seishiro seems the most likely candidate. It’s not simple yaoi goggles going on, in other words. Plus, CLAMP has a well-established trend of having intimate homosexual relationships (Touya and Yuki in Card Captor Sakura, Fai and Kurogane in Tsubasa, Eagle and Lantis in Magic Knight Rayearth, etc.), so really this is par for the course. One of their overarching themes is that love transcends all, and this most certainly includes gender.
The plot itself is set up as a monster-of-the-week sort of affair, with a different job for Subaru each chapter. These jobs range from exorcising a bed to combating a trio of amateur witches to going into the mind of a former acquaintance to bring her out of a coma. Trigger warning for rape regarding that chapter, actually, although the treatment of it was very delicately and poignantly done in my opinion- the character in question poses such questions as “What’s wrong with living in a dream? It may be nicer than the real world.” It’s a pretty emotional, powerful chapter.
Most of these cases allow for some reflection on how horrible things happen every day to all manner of people, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it; the harsh reality of Tokyo life is not glossed over here. Seishiro directly acknowledges this by asking, “Where else on earth do so many people enjoy their descent into destruction?” Looking back on Tokyo Babylon from the perspective of someone familiar with X/1999 (also known as X, but for the purposes of this review X/1999 is just easier for me), it’s easy to see how these themes carried over into that work, and why Tokyo Babylon is a prequel to it. Lots of reflection on the destructive nature of humanity, without a doubt. If you’re a particular fan, moving on to X/1999 (or just X, depending on the format) could be worthwhile, but bear in mind that X/1999 is currently unfinished in manga form and it’s not really clear if CLAMP will ever return to it or not.
When it isn’t trying to rip your heart out, this manga is just plain fun. It’s silly and indulgent, almost as if the early chapters are trying to apologize for the trauma it’s going to put you through—and it WILL put you through emotional distress later on. For fans of CLAMP, especially xxxHolic which has a lot of thematic similarities, it’s a must-have, and the omnibus form makes it particularly convenient to collect it. That said, I am a little curious if anything was cut from the omnibus format; it feels a bit short for the number of standard manga volumes it supposedly contains, although it does include some color artwork that’s great for fans of CLAMP’s style. I’m mainly concerned they cut a side story chapter of Hokuto’s that I’ve heard of, as I think it was supposed to be in one of the volumes contained in this omnibus yet it’s nowhere to be found. It’s possible they did cut some material and, if they did, I can only hope it ends up included at the end of a later omnibus.
Even with the possible exclusion of some material, the strong translation and the ease of format make Tokyo Babylon a more than worthwhile purchase for a CLAMP, shoujo, or apocalyptic/supernatural fans. At a staggering 560 pages (seriously, I did a double take during this review as I managed to gloss over the fact that it was an omnibus), its $19.99 price tag feels quite reasonable, considering just a single volume of manga runs around $10. It’s a great chance to grab a well-translated shoujo classic, by one of the greatest manga teams around that’s still going strong.
Jeni “Science Whyzard” Hackett is not joking when she calls herself a CLAMP fangirl, as she currently has over 30 volumes of various CLAMP manga, two art books, a set of Clow Cards and a Mokona Modoki hat and plush toy. She is not ashamed to admit that she created her own CLAMP drinking game in the making of this review. You can find her on twitter under the name @allonsyjeni, email her at jeni.is.a.geek@gmail.com, or find her on tumblr at hellomynameisgeek.
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