Solo Review: Sanada Usako
X-1999 TV Series Episode 16: Slaughter

This is the single most heart breaking episode of X thus far. In the eyes of someone who has followed and loved Seishirou and Subaru from the begining of Tokyo Babylon till this very moment it is a very hard to watch. The shadowplay between them has always been fascinating for me and this is the single moment all that lead up to.

While by deffinition I am SubaruxKamui girl but I truely did appreciate the special relationship between Seishirou and Subaru, and maybe if Seishirou could have lightened up a little it might have worked out. This episode the last and most haunting bits of shadowplay between the two. Over the course of TB and X it became apprent that Subaru loved Seishirou, but did Seishirou love Subaru back. That certainly seems to be implying here. But true to CLAMP style they seem unwilling to reveal to us even that much of Seishirou's true self. Sakurazuka Seishirou was, is, and will always remain the enigma that CLAMP intended him to be.

The way this final episode of shadowplay between two of CLAMP's most intriguing and deep characters is handled in a way that renews my faith in animation being able to convey the true emotions of the origanal work. Once, as always, we can apprciate the beautiful artwork that is X, which has been so deftly brought to lift by Studio Madhouse. And we can also apprciate the more subtle beauty of X, the complexities of its characters. This aspect is brought into the forefront in this episode which deals so strongly with two of X's most beautiful, contrasting, and complex characters.

Plot wise this episode ties up as many loose ends and it leaves hanging. The true purpose of Hokuto's death in Tokyo Babylon is finally revealed, and we are also treated to the scene in which Seishirou's mother, Setsuka, prophecises his death at the hands of the one he loved the most. What is Subaru's true wish? And why exactly did Hokuto chose to die? These questions that have been left hanging for so long are finally answered. Subaru really wanted to become someone worthy of being killed by Seishirou. And Hokuto wanted to prevent these very events f happening. But the question of Seishirou's true feelings towards Subaru is left unresolved. As CLAMP has teased us with these two so many times they once again leave us hanging. From Subaru's reaction we can only guess that in his death Seishirou finally said what he could never say in life, that he loved Subaru.

And even the aspect of Kamui's unique relationship with Subaru is carefully and artisticly shown in this pivotal episode. Not a single aspect of the origanal story was ignored in this important episode. Some may argue this episode's importance to non- Subaru and Seishirou fans, but I can prove otherwise. Seishirou becomes the first Angel to die as Subaru becomes to first Seal to die. Not to say that Subaru has literally died, but in spirit he seems to be nothing more than a hollow shell of the person who once was a powerful Ten no Ryu.

What more can I say. The art was great, the story was retold on screen gracefully, the imagery was gorgeous. This is an episode not to be missed for the Subaru and Seishirou fan. Even if you're not, I imagine there might still be a few tears near the end. No matter your preferences, this episode is hauntingly beautiful and is indeed the tearjerker it is ment to be. There have already many tearstained volume 16's in the manga format I'm quite sure. So make sure you have a tissue with you when you watch 'Slaughter', because this is truely a sad ending to a sad story.