"Tokyo Babylon": Review and impressions of the story that saves Tokyo

TOKYO BABYLON A SAVE FOR TOKYO CITY STORY

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

comics

■ Release date

October 21, 1992

■Release and sales

・Distributor: SME Visual Works

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 2

■Original Story

CLAMP

■ Director

Koichi Chiaki

■ Production

・Production cooperation: Madhouse ・Production: Animate Film ・Production and copyright: Movic, Sony Music Entertainment

■ Story

When mysterious deaths occur one after another at a construction site for a high-tech skyscraper in Tokyo, the onmyoji Subaru heads to the scene. There, he discovers a cursed talisman. He comes into contact with Aso, who had cast the curse, and discovers a man named Nagumo who is involved in the series of incidents.

■Explanation

This is an OVA series based on the CLAMP comics that were serialized in "Monthly Wings" (Shinshokan) from 1991 to 1993. Although the story is an original for the anime, it retains the atmosphere of the original, incorporating elements of supernatural fantasy and suspense that deal with the darkness that people living in Tokyo carry.

■Cast

・Kosho-ryu/Kappei Yamaguchi・Kohokuto/Miki Ito・Seishiro Sakurazuka/Takehito Koyasu

■ Main staff

・Original work: CLAMP
Director: Koichi Chiaki, Screenplay: Tatsuhiko Urahata, Character Design: Kumiko Takahashi, Animation Director: Kumiko Takahashi, Music: Toshiyuki Honda, Art Director: Yuji Ikeda, Color Settings: Osamu Mikasa, Director of Photography: Hitoshi Yamaguchi, Music: Toshiyuki Honda, Sound Director: Jun Watanabe, Production Cooperation: Madhouse, Production: Animate Film, Production and Copyright: Movic, Sony Music Entertainment, ED1
・"Kiss Kiss"
Lyrics: Hideaki Matsuoka Composition: Hideaki Matsuoka Arrangement: Hideaki Matsuoka Singer: Hideaki Matsuoka

■ Main Characters

The 13th head of the "Koichimon", a clan of Kou Subaru-style onmyoji, and has outstanding abilities among all the previous heads. A pure and earnest high school student. He always wears gloves on both hands at the command of his grandmother.

・She is the twin sister of Subaru, who has a light-hearted and cheerful personality. She cares for Subaru very much, but she often finds the relationship between Subaru and Seishiro amusing and teases him.

A member of the Sakurazuka Mamoru group, an assassination group that uses Onmyou magic. A calm young man who runs a veterinary practice in Tokyo, he sometimes shows his ruthlessness. Whenever he gets the chance, he approaches Subaru with meaningful words and actions.

■ Related works

OVA "Tokyo Babylon 2"
Live-action video drama "Tokyo Babylon 1999"

Detailed evaluation and recommendation

■ Background and production of the work

"Tokyo Babylon A Save for Tokyo City Story" is an OVA based on the popular manga "Tokyo Babylon" by CLAMP. Released in 1992, this work attracted attention in the anime industry at the time. CLAMP's works are known for their unique style and deep storytelling, and "Tokyo Babylon" is one of them that has gained many fans.

Director Koichi Chiaki played an important role in adapting CLAMP's works to the screen, and the OVA received high praise as a result of the perfect fusion of his vision and CLAMP's worldview. The fact that Madhouse participated as a production collaborator and Animate Film was in charge of production was also a major factor in supporting the quality of the work.

■ The appeal of the story

The story of this work begins with a mysterious accidental death that occurs at the construction site of a high-tech skyscraper in Tokyo. Through the figure of onmyoji Sumeragi Subaru attempting to solve the case, the work depicts the darkness of the city, human desires, and the power to transcend them. While faithfully recreating the atmosphere of the original work, it also incorporates original elements to provide viewers with fresh surprises.

In particular, the scene where Subaru finds the cursed talisman and confronts characters such as Asou and Nagumo is tense and suspenseful. In addition, the contrast between Subaru's purity and Seishiro's cold-heartedness adds depth to the story.

■Charm of the characters

Each character in this work is unique and attractive. Subaru Sumeragi is a pure and serious high school student, but he also has high abilities as an onmyoji, which is a contrast that is appealing. The fact that he always wears gloves at the command of his grandmother also draws the interest of viewers.

Hokuto Sumeragi is Subaru's twin sister, and while she cares for him, she is a light-hearted character who finds the relationship between Subaru and Seishiro amusing. Her presence adds brightness and humor to the story.

Sakurazuka Seishiro is a character with two sides to him: he is a member of the assassin group "Sakurazuka Mamoru" but also lives a peaceful life as a veterinarian. His ruthlessness and meaningful words and actions towards Subaru are important elements that heighten the tension of the story.

■Video and Music

The visuals of this work faithfully reproduce the unique style of CLAMP. Kumiko Takahashi, who was in charge of character design and animation direction, succeeded in bringing out the beauty of the original work in the anime. In addition, the background art by art director Yuji Ikeda also realistically depicts the cityscape of Tokyo, enhancing the atmosphere of the story.

The music was composed by Toshiyuki Honda, and effectively emphasizes the elements of fantasy and suspense. The ending theme "Kiss Kiss" in particular, written, composed and sung by Hideaki Matsuoka, further deepens the worldview of the work.

■ Related works and their influence

"Tokyo Babylon: A Save for Tokyo City Story" can be enjoyed alongside other related works such as the OVA "Tokyo Babylon 2" and the live-action video drama "Tokyo Babylon 1999." These works expand the worldview of the original work and provide viewers with new perspectives.

In particular, the OVA "Tokyo Babylon 2" continues the story as a sequel to this work, digging deeper into the relationship between Subaru and Seishiro, while the live-action video drama "Tokyo Babylon 1999" provided fans of the original with a new interpretation and played a role in expanding the influence of the work.

■ Recommendations and ratings

"TOKYO BABYLON A SAVE FOR TOKYO CITY STORY" is a work that can be highly recommended not only to CLAMP fans, but also to viewers who like supernatural fantasy and suspense. The story faithfully reproduces the atmosphere of the original work while incorporating original elements of the anime, providing viewers with fresh surprises. In addition, the unique characters, beautiful visuals, and effective music also enhance the appeal of the work.

This work was highly praised as an OVA in 1992, and it still has the same value today. By enjoying it together with other related works, you will gain a deeper understanding and be deeply moved. Please give it a watch.