CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION: X vols. 4 & 5 covers

The covers of volumes 4 and 5 of X for the CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION edition have been announced!

We have Hinoto and Kanoe this time, which were from volumes 2 and 3 in the original series.

The covers are somewhat mirrored and, contrary to what the first three covers seemed to indicate, Kamui is not in either of them! So there isn’t like a “rule” in which Kamui must appear in all covers. Surprising!

I think from now on CLAMP will play around with this mirrored/paired concept. It makes sense to have Kotori paired with Fuuma and Hinoto paired with Kanoe. We will probably be seeing more “pairs” such as Seishirou and Subaru, Karen and Aoki, Yuzuriha and Kusanagi, Arashi and Sorata, Satsuki and Yuuto, and so forth.

Again they are respecting the “color” of each volume (purple for Hinoto and green for Kanoe), not only in the font color, but also their clothes.

As far as I see, there are no elements from the tarot cards, so I really think CLAMP are not too attached to this concept for the CPC covers at all.

Of course, as expected, Kanoe’s design in the current art style has the biggest impact.

I quite like the golden pattern in the back and I am really excited to see what they will look like for the next covers. Plus, they look prettier printed than digital (it has a small glossy/shiny effect in the print version).

Here’s the full CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION schedule for X:

April 3: vols 4 & 5
May 2: vols 6 & 7
June 2: vols 8 & 9
July 4: vols 10 & 11
August 4: vols 12 & 13
September 4: vols 14 & 15
October 4: vols 16 & 17
November 4: vols 18 & 18.5

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CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION: X vols. 2 & 3 covers

The covers of volumes 2 and 3 of X for the CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION edition have been announced!

Wow, so unexpected! We already have Kotori and Fuuma? No Hinoto and no Kanoe, but I think they might still be using elements from the tarot cards, except they are not following the original order. For instance, Kotori is holding a flower and the composition (Kamui behind her on his back) is very similar to the tarot card. The color pink is also the same. On the other hand, we don’t know Fuuma because he hasn’t appeared in a tarot card yet. Could this cover be a little foreshadowing of the tarot card he would feature? If that’s the case, does this mean he will be The Sun? (there is a sun at the back) Does this mean the color of volume 19 will be this shade of blue?

Kotori looks great! This style suits her very well.

I guess we can expect Kamui to be the common character of all covers (and his ragged red cloth)? I actually love this idea, I don’t mind seeing 19 new Kamuis at all.

The symbol in the back also changes for each cover. It shall be fun to look at all the 19 different symbols and patterns that they will come up for every cover!

The colors are so unexpected as well, We have pink and blue instead of purple and green (like the classic edition).

Between the two covers, volume 2 is my favorite! Kamui and Kotori look great and I love the wings in the back.

Here’s the full CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION schedule for X:

On sale: vol 1
March 3: vols 2 & 3
April 3: vols 4 & 5
May 2: vols 6 & 7
June 2: vols 8 & 9
July 4: vols 10 & 11
August 4: vols 12 & 13
September 4: vols 14 & 15
October 4: vols 16 & 17
November 4: vols 18 & 18.5

X is the 4th series of CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION (Updated)

© CLAMP・Shigatsu Tsuitachi CO.,LTD. / 角川書店

The 4th series of CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION has been announced and it’s going to be X!

Following the Kodansha/Kadokawa pattern, after Magic Knight Rayearth (Kodansha), fans already anticipated the next title would be one from Kadokawa.

The news comes from Amazon Japan, which lists X volume 1 of CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION for a February 3rd release date.

The description informs that all color pages that were originally printed in black and white on the original tankoubon version of X will be in color in the CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION! Moreover, the 5 chapters released for X 18.5 will also be included in this edition!

The bonus for those who purchase all volumes will be a set of 19 clear tarot cards! Gentle reminder that it must include The Fool, which was only published in the X ZERO artbook, which brings the total to 19 cards. Another gentle reminder that you must live in Japan or have a Japanese address in order to apply.

Kadokawa is coming with a bang! Bringing their longest CLAMP series next (albeit still unfinished) and including (some) original color pages!

This solves one of the major questions that fans had: whether incomplete series would be included in CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION and X confirms that they will!

I’m already looking forward to the new covers, CLAMP’s commentary YouTube videos (hopefully), Kadokawa promotional efforts and enjoying new re-releases of X for the next 9 months!

UPDATE: Kadokawa already has all 19 (18 + 18.5) volumes listed on their website!

Here’s the full schedule:

February 3: vol 1
March 3: vols 2 & 3
April 3: vols 4 & 5
May 2: vols 6 & 7
June 2: vols 8 & 9
July 4: vols 10 & 11
August 4: vols 12 & 13
September 4: vols 14 & 15
October 4: vols 16 & 17
November 4: vols 18 & 18.5

It’s confirmed now that volume 18.5 will have its own volume and not have its chapters included with volume 18.

UPDATE 2: The cover illustration has been announced!

© CLAMP・Shigatsu Tsuitachi CO.,LTD.

This is just the illustration that will be used for the cover, it is not the actual cover. It’s still missing the typography of CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION.

It looks a bit similar to the tarot card from that volume, so I wonder if all covers will follow the same pattern… I also wonder if they will all be black (how cool would that be?)

The art style is simple, which is expected from this series.

Waaaah I’m excited!! =D

UPDATE 3: The final cover has been announced:

It’s been announced that a box to hold all 19 volumes (18 + 18.5) will be released. Details to follow.

CLAMP no Kyoto Agaru Sagaru #13 – 2015/12/24

© CLAMP・ShigatsuTsuitachi CO.,LTD.

© CLAMP・ShigatsuTsuitachi CO.,LTD.

Episode 13 is up for download at CLAMP no Kyoto Agaru Sagaru‘s official website.

This episode’s guest was seiyuu and singer Iwao Junko. They basically interviewed her about her career as voice actress and singer (she has such a soothing voice!).

Here’s a picture taken by CLAMP of Iwao Junko in KBS’s radio studio:

 

CLAMP no Kyoto Agaru Sagaru #11 – 2015/12/10 (Updated)

© CLAMP・ShigatsuTsuitachi CO.,LTD.

© CLAMP・ShigatsuTsuitachi CO.,LTD.

Episode 11 is up for download at CLAMP no Kyoto Agaru Sagaru‘s official website.

Here’s a brief summary:

  • They spent the first 5 minutes talking about X because of an e-mail sent by a listener asking them about Kamui’s settei blood type.
  • Then, they read another e-mail which asked CLAMP to talk about their latest collaboration with Suga Shikao and XXXHOLiC. Basically they talked about the experience of drawing a comic based on a song. Mokona said she had a lot of fun drawing the storyboard and I think she said something about being similar to CLOVER.
  • Ohkawa mentions that the main drawing and inking in XXXHOLiC are done in analog format while finishing is done digitally using Photoshop (I would like to hear more about this…).
  • Then, they go into a long talk about glasses (reading glasses, round glasses, sunglasses, Suga Shikao’s sunglasses).
  • The show has a new Ending Theme song performed by Iwao Junko called “going, which will be included in her upcoming new album “Return to Myself.
  • At the end of the episode they mentioned having drawn a shikishi to Misaki Tomoko, the lady from KBS who narrates the show, featuring Hikaru and Mokona from Magic Knight Rayearth. She tweeted about it:

Update: Here’s a brief summary by the always so helpful Claudio, from Argentina:

-They first speak about how Kyoto is warm even though they are entering winter nowadays.

-Nekoi reads listener’s message: The listener has a fetish with characters blood type, and he/she says that is always having fun trying to guess the blood types of the characters when reading and trying to verify the actual blood types later to see if he/she was correct. So he/she asks about X’s Kamui character. He/she thinks Kamui is pretty much a typical B type, but is that really so? He/she also ask CLAMP to tell the blood types of other X’s characters.

-Ohkawa immediatly surprises that Kamui could be think of as a B-type person. Mokona says that she relates B-blood type to Oka Hiromi (famous old manga “Ace wo Nerae!”main character). Being this character the kind of person that has a clear goal to achieve and all her efforts are aimed to achieve that goal, so she doesn’t really think of Kamui as a character with such profile.

-Nekoi says that is not because of the blood type, and that is because she is a girl (a girl fighting her best I assume she means).

-They also mention Kitajima Maaya, a character of the famous manga “Garasu no Kamen” being a B type kind of character.

-So Ohkawa clears that Kamui is not B-type. So the rest of them starts to guess and finally Satsuki says it was A-type, and Ohkawa confirms this.

-Ohkawa says that it may appear like a O-type character though. And Satsuki says that the image she has about A-type -including herself- is sort of an irresponsible type of person. She says that she hasn’t seen any A-type steady/firm/sure of himself.

-Ohkawa says that she thinks of O-types as kind of annoying, and lovers of cleaning and order. But of course this may be just based on their own prejudice, since 3 of them are A-type and just 1 is O-type. With this kind of combination The O-type one is surely having a hard time.

-Ohkawa continues telling that even though they could say somebody is strict/methodical, but that doesn’t really means it is that way. Commonly you could think of a A-type with a bold/strong appearance/outer face, but when it comes to reality to comrades/people of the same group, it can be annoying (they say “guda guda”, this means mainly annoying people reppeating over and over the same thing)

-Satsuki says she shouldn’t be saying that and Ohkawa replies that she thinks this way pretty much about the group as well. So they start talking about the the usual exchange they have every day, somebody is being asked to wait when visiting the home of the other, or when someone asks Mokona if it’s ok to take the day off, she replies telling to take off the day after tomorrow better, and that sort of things. Ohkawa says once Satsuki said to her not to come (to her house I suppose). So Satsuki said they can meet in other places it doesn’t have to be necessarily on people’s home. And Ohkawa clears up that in those days there were so much books inside Satsuki’s home that you couldn’t physically enter. Pilled up on like towers. So this is the kind of things O-types do. You can go to Nekoi’s house anytime and she won’t be mad about it (says Okhawa). Nekoi may tell you is not really ordered but it isn’t that much of a mess – and Nekoi comments that the little garbage is on purpose, so the cat can play with it.

-So Okhawa says, if you think of Kamui’s home, it may be in part well ordered and clean, and in parts wildly untied. And Fuuma’s place would be clean. And since A-types like to decorate with the stuff the like/hobbies stuff they show it, but O-types tend to hide it.

-Ohkawa mentions Sorata was B-type but she really doesn’t remember  having published this data of each character, so Satsuki reminds her that it was published on the Materials Book of the anime series.

-Around minute 6 they started talking about Suga Shikao’s new song and the special one shot.

-On this one shot there are not much dialogue globes. Which is pretty different to how XXXHOLiC is normally. So at drawing stage it gave them the feeling of drawing shojo manga because this is a typical narration technique on Shojo manga (not having that much dialogue globes).

-Ohkawa says that at the storyboard stage it looked a little bit like CLOVER since the premise was that the art will be used as some sort of illustration. So when they passed it to the editors, they passed a plain line only version, a version without the places (textually “frames”) to put the lyrics, and a final version with the lyrics and all. So it was a lot of work for Nekoi to save all the data (image files in this case you may think) by separate.

– Ohkawa continues saying in the case of XXXHOLiC, is basically analog drawing until pen-inking stage only. And the finishing is digital.

-They actually name the software as Photoshop (they say the company name at min 9:49 but I could really connect it to a known software name, they say something-something-MAX Photoshop). They do say clear not to be using Studio Comic though and also mention Clip Studio.

-Ohkawa explains that in the old days was all manual processes, but that now, even though they draw the lines manually they input on the computer once and used within the software. So this makes the tasks easier and quick. In the old days they had a lot of trouble with having no time to do the final lining.

-But on the other hand, now they sent the chapters digitally (by e-mail or uploading to storage cloud) so they can not excuse themselves saying the bike guy was slow.

-So this time they sent 3 versions. They have watched the YouTube preview but they still didn’t know at that time how it was going to end up so they were eager to know.

-Mokona says that from now on they should draw XXXHOLiC always listening to that song, and Ohkawa added that felt like a persevering kind of feeling. Mokona said she liked it.

-Ohkawa also mentions that it has been a long time since they didn’t draw actual-Yukko (meaning not Memmories-Yuuko). At firsts starts with Yuuko going to the shop and then the story focuses on Watanuki. So the first part is not like a dream or a memory, it appears the Student-Watanuki and all.

-It appears that every time Watanuki appears on scene Nekoi asks which glasses should draw (hahaha). The glasses broke once, and also when he takes in charge of the shop the glasses become more circle-shaped (rounded). Those are the ones Clow left on a box.

Happy Birthday Satsuki Igarashi!

Today is the birthday of CLAMP's member Satsuki Igarashi! She's turning 44 years old today.

Here's wishing all the best to her! ♥

The other CLAMP members posted birthday messages on their twitter channel.

Tsubaki Nekoi:

Mokona:

Nanase Ohkawa:

Including this very cool illustration of Satsuki from X and a rubber duck (CLAMP's Satsuki has a collection of rubber ducks):

Untitled-1
Click here to see a larger version.

So this is how X would look like these days… OMG! *_*

Satsuki herself also tweeted, thanking everyone for the birthday wishes:

7 years without X

Today marks the 7th anniversary of X’s hiatus. 7 years ago, the last chapter of X was being published in ASUKA magazine, after that, the series went on a hiatus that remain until this day.

If you have twitter and want to moan over, come and join us in our (pointless) cause, tweet anything using the hashtag #CLAMPWeWantANewXChapterNow. Since it’s 7 years, the idea is to make 7 tweets, but feel free to do as much as you like xD

Do we intend to get X back by doing so? No.
Do we intend to get into Twitter’s trending topics? Hell no.
Then why doing it? Because it’s fun =D

The idea came last week when I was talking to flowright about 7 years without X and we thought “let’s do 7 tweets of silence on twitter!”, but you can’t obviously do “silence” tweets so instead we came up with that hashtag xD

It’s really just for entertaining purposes, no greater intentions =)

You can check on real time everyone’s manifestation here.

CLAMP featured in PLUS MADHOUSE 04 Rintaro

The 4th issue of PLUS MADHOUSE magazine, a magazine focused in animation creators, is on sale and the current issue is centered on director Rintaro, reponsible for directing MADHOUSE’s anime movies “Metropolis” and “X”, among others.


CLAMP has collaborated for this issue with an illustration of Rintaro and a message for the director. Other artists who drew for Rintaro are character designers Nobuteru Yuki and Takuo Noda.

The magazine features information about Rintaro’s works, such as the movie version of X, and includes the director’s original storyboard for the movie.

The magazine is on sale since December 16.

Looks interesting! =) But I wonder if we’ll ever see this XD

X and Gouhou Drug status

No, they aren’t back just yet.

This post is dedicated to everyone seeking for some information about the current state of these works who have been on a hiatus since 2003.

I took the liberty to e-mail Kadokawa inquiring them about X and Gouhou Drug, and here’s their answer:

Thank you for having supporter our company’s publications.

As you indicated, the series “X” and “Gouhou Drug” have not been published since 2003. We have periodically discussed the resumption of their serialization with the authors.

However, because they are currently working on so many series, the authors have expressed that their intent is to wait until their schedules become more flexible before planning the resumption of the serializations. It will still be a while before the series can recommence.

There is also the question of what magazine to publish them in.
We apologize for making you wait, but please bear with us for a while longer.

Translation thanks to usomitai-san ^^

Cut for original reply in japanese