Off the Cliff

paleaswater said she found X resonant of Tokyo so I watched some X. And it /is/ Tokyo, pretty much, the generic Tokyo of pedestrian overpasses and schools and construction sites; but for me it lacks the distinct sense of place that the second Otogizoushi arc has. X is prettier than (the determinedly ugly) Otogizoushi, of course-- it's CLAMP-- but I find that a drawback. It rains in X but you don't feel the rain: it's just generic Tokyo rain. Whereas boy do you feel the heat and smell the unsavoury Ogikubo smells in Otogizoushi. I haven't seen that one right through, and as far as I did see it, it looked rather a mess narrative-wise; its unprettiness extends to the VAs who all manage the neat trick of making my skin crawl; but its version of Tokyo is the real thing. Ugly and in your face and take it or leave it. It's a world away from CLAMP's ethos.
( 'easy, vulgar, and therefore disgusting' )