Tokyo Babylon:

Manga-ka: CLAMP

Translated by originally- Tokyopop in 2004. Yen Press is re-releasing them now.

Rating: 16+ (Death, Suicide, Supernatural, Boy Love, Age Gap Romance)

First Published: 1991

Genre: Occult, Supernatural, Political and Social Commentary, Boy Love, Detective, Dark-Modern Fantasy, Rival Families.

Cover Price: Yen Press has released it in 2023. Each volume is about $15 new on Amazon.

FIND IT HERE:

Blurb: “Tokyo―a beautiful yet cold city, full of life and twinkling lights. There resides Subaru Sumeragi, the thirteenth head of his clan and a powerful onmyouji. Aided by his glamorous twin sister, Hokuto, and the veterinarian who claims to love him, Seishirou Sakurazuka, he solves the supernatural troubles that plague the citizens of Tokyo―both living and deceased!”

Musings: “I hate Tokyo.”

This is the opening line of this 1991 staple to CLAMP’s creation list: “Tokyo: Babylon.” What a powerful way to introduce a series, especially one set in Tokyo. In fact, the manga originally was going to be called just “Tokyo.” But there was a Japanese song by that title. The Babylon was added based on the biblical story, which matches some of the philosophies in this tale:

Occult/supernatural stories have always been appealing to me, hence why my first book was set in this genre. During the run of their first serialized original manga, “RG Vada,” which ran a chapter monthly, CLAMP was also asked for a story in a seasonal magazine too and this is where “Tokyo: Babylon” came in. They said it was challenging to balance both, especially with the type of color tones they used, them being hard to use (and not made anymore sadly.) They said now, they have a cute, so there is no way they could do it! HA! Detective mangas where supernatural elements are involved have been popular since the late 80s (I recall reading several from the late 90s and early 00s.) With this, their compelling stories, thought-provoking themes, and beautiful art style, they knew they would have a hit.

Our main fellow, Subaru, and his twin sister, Hokuto, were already made for a previous original graphic novel they made in the late 80s (although in that one, both had spiritual animal familiars! They sounded so cute!) Like most of CLAMP’s works, the themes make you deeply ponder. CLAMP stated in an interview that it was a series of its time. From the fashion…Hokuto’s style is…phew. All her. LOL! But also in seriousness; how a big city is full of life, and yet can suck the life out of you. Political and social commentary. An example being how in volume three, there is a story about organ donation and the rights of organ donation was a hot topic at the time in Japan in 1990. The themes go even deeper than that, but I do not want to give spoilers. Just…prepare your heart.

Now, to the manga itself!

Subaru is an onmyouji, which is a cleric/priest who protects the world from spirits. With his good heart to help others, living and non, and his incredible abilities, he is making his destiny as the 13th heir to the powerful Sumeragi family justice at only 16, even if he is shy. Thank goodness his twin sister, Hokuto, is outgoing, always there for him, and makes sure he looks his best (their clothes matching often is darling.) They also work with their friend and vet, Seishirou, who is also the heir to the shadow assassins of the rival Sakurazumamori clan… but he is in love with our Subaru! And Hokuto wants them both to marry each other! HA!

For the first two volumes (out of seven total,) we follow adventures with Subaru going to help locations and people possessed by evil spirits. A Chanel suit possessed with envious thoughts. A girl sucking children into a world of dreams so she can play with them forever. A failed actress who committed suicide. However, there is a prequel mini-chapter at the end of the first volume that connects the whole overarching story. It is haunting, a perfect yin-yang description of a beautiful cultural symbol: the sakura (cherry blossom.) The story that is told:

“Why do you think cherry blossoms bloom so beautifully each year? You see the flowers of cherry trees used to be white. Pure white like snow. So why do you think cherry blossoms turn that pale crimson shade? It is because they drink the blood of a corpse underneath the tree.”

See?! Eerily breathtaking. And this prequel scene is critical to the entire story, the visuals of it are stunning!

I did enjoy this manga, although I agree with CLAMP, it is a product of its time. STILL, the art is lovely, the messages profound, the comedy well-composed, and you feel its influence fairly quickly in their universe. These manga mistresses confessed that out of all their older mangas, this is the one that they feel if they were given the chance, they would not change anything about this story (creatives always yearning to improve, lol!) I think this speaks heights of their skills and discovering who they are…like the towers of Tokyo and Babel themselves.

If you like big shoulder pads and cosplays too, Hokato will be your girl. ^_-

CLAMP also made the original art for the soundtrack for the series (which they had a big hand in selecting the songs) and the Japanese OVA (original video animation) covers. I own this. They are two 45 minute episodes that are used to advertise the manga, but it is pretty and action-packed. My anime club students loved it too. CLAMP also helped write the live action film “Tokyo Babylon: 1999!” I would LOVE to have an English subtitled version of that to watch. It was wonderful to see they have a lot of influence over these other medias for their work. Although they did say the OVA anime did make Subaru less confident in his abilities.

But, Subaru’s story does not end at the end of his series! He becomes a secondary character (although there are several in this series, lol) in the dystopian series by CLAMP, “X,” along with the one he seeks revenge on…DRAMA!

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Educator of young minds by day, super nerdy savior of justice, and cute things by night, Morgan Straughan Comnick has a love for turning the normal into something special without losing its essence. Morgan draws from real-life experiences and her ongoing imagination to spark her writing. In her spare time, she enjoys doing goofy voices, traveling to new worlds by turning pages, humming child-like songs, and forcing people to smile with her “bubbliness.” It is Morgan’s mission in life to spread the amazement of otaku/Japanese culture to the world and to stop bullying; she knows everyone shines brightly.

For more information about Morgan and her works, check out her website, which also has links to all her social medias: http://morganscomnick.com

Tokyo Babylon:

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