Alternative TitlesEnglish: Xam'd: Lost Memories Synonyms: Bonen no Xamdou, Bonen no Zamudo, Bounen no Zamudo, Bounen no Zamned Japanese: 亡念のザムド
Information
Type: ONA
Episodes: 26
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Jul 15, 2008 to Feb 4, 2009
Duration:
24 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 7.971 (scored by 23016 users)
Ranked: #4902
Popularity: #370
Members: 42,788
Favorites: 551 1 indicates a weighted score
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SynopsisSentan Island is a small island surrounded by the Yuden Sea. It exists in a state of dreamlike tranquility, cut off from the war between the Northern Government and the Southern Continent Free Zone. Our hero, Akiyuki Takehara, lives on Sentain Island along with his mother Fusa. He is currently separated from his father, the town doctor Ryuzo, but the bond between father and son remains. One day, after taking Ryuzo the lunch that Fusa has made for him as usual, Akiyuki arrives at school, where he is caught up in an explosion along with his friends, Haru and Furuichi. The explosion produces a mysterious light, which enters Akiyuki's arm, causing him excruciating pain. He's given no time to understand it, however, as the white-haired girl who rode on the bus with him guides him to a power unlike anything he's ever known. |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Bounen no Xamdou: Junreisha no Compass
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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Nvrtry
19 of 32 people found this review helpful
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26 of 26 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Character |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
"Everyday I wake up thinking it'll be okay. 'Cause you promised me that, you'd come back some day. My heart is throbbing but I will wait. And I'll strive... to stay strong..."
Try as I might, I cannot think of a song that matches the content of a series better than the first ED of Xam'd: Lost Memories. If you wanted to, you could probably put these lyrics as the synopsis of the series and have it hold the same effect as the current.
Xam'd is not a series that everyone will enjoy. At first glance, it would appear to be another action series that people watch to see intense fight scenes and fast pacing. While the action scenes that are included are displayed beautifully, this is not what I, or anyone else, should classify as any other action-adventure. If that is what you are looking for, Xam'd may not be the right fit.
However, if you want to watch a series that will make you think, or perhaps are looking for a hidden gem that will tug at your heart-strings, you should seriously consider picking this up. It is not fast-paced, and I cannot stress that enough. You have to be able to think and decipher hidden messages in the plot to enjoy Xam'd to its full extent.
Set in a world where the two major continents, the North and the South, are fighting a bloody war that is beginning to take civilian lives, Xam'd does a brilliant job of displaying the devastation, loss, and beauty of war. The story, while confusing, accurately depicts the fight between two warring factions who both believe are doing the right thing. Let's get this straight. War is NOT simple, and in a world as complex as the one Xam'd is situated in, it is even more complicated.
I am not going to explain any part of the story in detail, because I believe that one of the major attractions of this series is being able to discover for yourself what is going on. I will say this however; if you find yourself lost, do not hesitate to re-watch certain episodes, especially ones around episode 20, where the story really begins to get serious. The show goes from a more light-hearted mood to very serious rather quickly, and begins leading the viewer down a twisted path where you WILL find yourself lost at least once or twice. But such is a story of love and war.
Akiyuki, the main protagonist of Xam'd, at first seems like any other shallow MC that the industry spits out 10 times a season. While he is similar to many MC's in the past (Especially Renton Thurston, another one of BONES' brain childs') he has one major thing going for him.
Akiyuki has a heart, and an undying love for his friends and family, especially his child hood friend, Haru. This heart of Akiyuki's will guide him on a quest across his world to discover why he was chosen to lead a new life as a Xam'd, but to find his passion for the ones he loves.
If there is one negative aspect of this show, it's that it brings in A LOT of characters, while only truly developing a handful throughout. The three main protagonists are quickly pinned as Akiyuki, Nakiami, and Haru. With them, however, each protagonists brings in more characters that the viewer my find difficult connecting to.
Akiyuki brings his parents, who get a lot of screen time with most of the development coming with his father.
Nakiami brings an entire ship full of characters with her, of which, only three (Raigyo, Ishu, and Yango) get a true development to the point where the viewer will connect with them on a certain level. Along with the crew, Nakiami also brings Lady Sannova, the white-haired children, and also her village of Tenjo and Tessik peoples, some of which are not thoroughly explained. The whole religion aspect of the story is an extremely weak point of the story, as it does not truly get proper development.
Haru brings her family and good friend Naruichi into the story, of which her sister Midori is the only to get a decent level of development.
The military comes in without a true explanation as well, but the viewer will quickly pin Toujirou and company as the main antagonists of the story. Throughout the show, you will need to re-watch certain parts to be able to understand what exactly the whole military-versus-religion thing is really about. Not until the end will you really be able to understand, so don't fret if you get to around episode 23 and still aren't too positive about what's going on.
Akiyuki is without a doubt the main character of the show, and a beautiful one at that. On his journey from his home island of Sentan to the Northern continent, he has many struggles to deal with. He handles them quite well, from his love and want to be reunited with Haru, to understanding a war which he has been thrust into unwillingly. You will find a quick connection with Akiyuki, and share his tears, as well as smiles.
Nakiami, however, is a more difficult character to understand. She goes VERY late into the story without getting a true explanation of who exactly she is, and why exactly she has such a connection with the Xam'ds. She is a character completely shrouded in mystery, but one that will steal your heart regardless. It is tough not to grow to love her as the story progresses, and by the end, you will shed a tear or two if you have watched the series correctly.
Haru is a girl that has experienced great loss in her life, and with her sudden and even greater loss of Akiyuki, this character will tug at your heart-strings like few characters are able to. You will find yourself rooting for her with every action she takes, and although I will admit I was FUCKING PISSED when she cut her hair (what's with BONES and having female leads cut their hair half way through? First Talho and now this), she was my favorite character when I finished the show.
These three MC's, as well as the several side characters that get an actual development (Raigyo, Yango, Midori, Ryuzuo, Toujirou) will bring you on a ride that I can guarantee you will not soon forget.
As beautiful as the story and characters are, it is the sound and animation that really bring this series to life. I am a huge fan of BONES' choices for the OST. The ED's and OP's are awesome, and the music that plays throughout is beautiful and heart-warming.
The animation is on another level when compared to other series of the same genre. While the character designs are quite unique and vibrant, it is the design of the world as a whole that makes this story beautiful. You will find yourself pausing to admire the amazing detail this studio put into making this series a real winner.
As the series comes to its end, you may find yourself struggling to hold back a few tears. The ending is beautiful, and I'll admit that even thinking about it clouds my eyes. A word of advice for the ending, Ishu is not rambling some incoherent poem in the background as the final credits begin to roll. Listen to (or in most peoples case, read) what she is saying and pay attention to what is being shown to you. It is only then that the true power of this ending with touch your soul.
As I said before, Xam'd is not for everyone, but if you close this review with even a slight interest in the story, characters, or art, then please, check out Xam'd: Lost Memories. It is not often that you can find a series as beautiful and moving as the tale of Xam'd, and the opportunity should not be passed up.
Personal Note: This is my first ever review. Please help me out with suggestions, tips, and constructive criticism through messages, or feel free to send me a friends request and post on my wall. Thanks everyone. read more
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agentsmith
98 of 184 people found this review helpful
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26 of 26 episodes seen
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| Overall |
7 |
| Story |
6 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
As many people have already said, this anime is produced by the same people who brought you Eureka 7. Keep that in mind if you plan on watching this anime.
First off, check out the OP. Holy jebus it's sweet. Catches you instantly, and gets you all excited for what looks (judging from the animation quality) an awesome show. In some respects, this is a let down. While the animation is superb, the soundtrack is hauntingly good, and the characters are generally quite fleshed out (just enough info for you to find them interesting)... the story is near random. This anime seems confused as to what it's trying to say. On the one hand, we are basically following Akiyuki on his journey becoming a Xam'd, which is done quite well in terms of painting a comprehensive picture of the trials he endures.
Then it falls apart. The world as it is presented is split into two warring hemispheres, with some kinda naturalist "Tessik" tribe caught in the middle. No justification is ever given for this war, and for some unknown reason the Tessik are ostracized by everybody. As the series progresses, I was torn. In some regards, it's amazing: The characters are brought to life fully. You understand their hopes and dreams, and why they may be sabotaging their own attempts to reach them. In other regards, it's confusing and disappointing: Things keep happening to Akiyuki with no background reason, and the whole concept of a Xam'd is some kind of forbidden topic. Also, side stories seem to be the order of the day. A LOT of episodes are devoted to Nakiami's side trips, where she always seems to be preventing some poor sap from being engulfed by the Xam'd in him. (They also never explain the nature of a Xam'd... that's for you to decide. And good luck figuring out what the deal is with Human-form weapons...)
Conclusions? Well, it was a fun series to watch, but you'll get MUCH more out of it if you focus on a character driven storyboard. Pay attention to character interactions over actual plot, and you'll be much more satisfied. Otherwise you'll end up like me, wishing the creators had decided to actually make the 50 odd episodes that would have barely been sufficient to explain the story they threw at you, instead of cramming way to many (admittedly interesting) ideas into a mere 26 eps. Bottom line: If you found Eureka 7 too slow, but liked the ideas... you'll have a good time with Xam'd: Lost Memories. But you'll still wind up with a couple wtf moments and an abrupt ending. read more
Recommendations
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Both are done by the same studios and have very similar animation, and the 'family' feeling amongst crew members in both series is very strong, particularly at the beginning.
Both of them have few favourite Bones features, which they applied to almost all of their original works:
- a mysterious girl with unique abilities, which is somewhat apathetic towards her life;
- a special crew of few members which accept our main (or not so main) hero and he starts to learn about their past and ways of living;
- a Green Peace scent - let's save the nature and all the people, though in Xam'd it's not as strong as in Eureka;
- a teh genki brown-hair shounen, destined to save the Earth from some great disaster;
- lots of support characters which don't hesitate to make appearance even more often than main ones etc.
and loads of minor similarities as character designs, plot twists, seiyu etc.
The art styles are similar... done by the same team. Also, both have science fiction/fantasy type themes. Both also have airships xD
The same team that worked on Eureka Seven came back to work on Xamdou.
Premise of plot is similar, as well as character roles and art.
Airspace, adventure, action and a great base story. Characters show similarity, being on a 'neutral' airship doing 'odd-'job(s) to make a living. Sound, visual and the scenery are in both anime's stunning. While Eureka Seven has more episodes, sidestories, Xam'd seems to be sticking to the storyline. But both are awesome to watch, taking you on a great adventure.
Bones, the producers of Eureka seven (aired 2005-2006) made another great anime: Bonen no Xamdou (aired 2008-2009)
(if you liked eureka seven then you might even be more hyped about this anime.)
- Both animes got some wonderful characters with some great depth
- The fantastic sound and music in both shows makes the experience watching these shows wonderful
- The story in both animes is probably what will catch your interest the most though! Sci-fi Action Adventures can't go wrong honestly ... hah
- Oh and ofc ... The animation is amazing, nuf said!
You'll find some big similarities between the shows, but i wont tell you what, since you'll notice them yourself when you will start watching. However.. They are very much alike ! ;)
I believe that both animes are based on awsomness!
The design of the characters and art is identical to Eureka, which I love! The genre is the same.
They both have similar story lines and progression. They also reside in about the same universe.
Same creators, same style of story line, same style of art. Basically if you liked Eureka Seven you'll like Bonen no Xamdou. However, I fell Bonen no Xamdou will be better then Eureka Seven...
Common themes. Similar characters.
Bonen no Xamdo has the same character designer as Eureka Seven, as well as sharing similar animation styles and mecha themes. Both anime are created by Studio Bones.
Xam'd is made by the same company as Eureka SeveN and as quite a few similarities with Eureka but has it's own Unique style to itself... if you liked Eureka SeveN You would most definitely like Xam'd!
By Bones, Similar universe to Eureka 7 but main character is a bit more manly.
"Xam'd" is pretty much a reused version of "Eureka 7."
Ideas, characters, plot elements are all recycled.
But hey, isn't recycling good?
Xam'd feels like a re-envisioning of Eureka Seven. Just like Eureka Seven, it has a motley crew aboard aircraft/airship zipping around here and there with some awesome mecha action thrown in. So if your ever looking for something similar, give Xam'd a shot.
Same studio and similar world.
great animation and same producers
Both of the main male roles are supported by a group of interesting characters who've got their own flying ship. Both have strong mecha themes, and both Renton and Akiyuki have to mature in order to survive. Both animes start focusing around the every day guy's life and develop from there. Xam'd and Eureka 7 both have protagonists resisting the military.
So... these have pretty similar themes, styles, and whatnot (same makers, after all), and the plots could also be called similar, what with a dumb guy who happens to land on a cool airship with a crazy crew and a strange girl with short colored hair that has jewelery adorning a right strand of her hair, and then they fly around having to battle ancient evils and conspiracies and crap like that.
Same animation style, pace, plot, character growth...Pretty similar over all..
i recamend this cause well it has a nice similarty just watch and see!
Almost the same experiences. However, while E7 has a deeper plot (and twice the time to develop it) Xam'd is more dense and dramatic. Both are brilliant shows.
I got the same feeling watching both.
Both stories have a main character getting away from his home on a Ship for different reason after meeting another important character. To survive. To Follow someone. To make their life something more. Doesn't matter. Both Character, non really knowing what is happening at first start to slowly get it and pretty much 'Make' the Ending happen the way it does by becoming character with a important impact on other character and on the story.
Both are good show really entertaining.
Don't expect some Mecha in Xam'd tho you won't find any.
Both series contains sci fi theme as well as very similar character designs considering the same studios are involved.
Both series also contain interesting cast of characters and rather similar setting with technology beyond our modern world age.
Both series contain action, sci fi, drama, some comedy, tragedy, and even romance. Both series' main protagonist also has their lives completely turned upside down after strange events in the pilot episode.
Story, What happen to the MC and how they both ended up on a ship that they don't fit in the start.
Nakiami and Eureka, Takehara and Renton. Their personality are pretty much the same as well.
If you like the one then you'll 100% like the other
Xam'd : Lost Memories is very similar to Eureka Seven , first it's the same studio who produced the two series , which is studio BONES . That's why it has the same art (thanks to Ayumi Kurashima )
The heroes are two teenager who following an incident finds themselves transported into an airship. On board a commander who dictates orders, and a crew who will laugh at them before they become one of them .
And in the two series the plot revolves around love ...
Yes it's exactly the same ...
We could even say that the stories are taking place in the same world .
In conclusion , two EXCELLENT series who will fascinate you by their story and originality .
Both are very similar, Eureka Seven has more drama and romance while Xam'd has a little more action, but both are still amazingly good.
The art style is similar, and so is the plot.
Similarities:
- By Studio BONES
- engaging story lines
- Well designed characters
- Great Artwork and Music
- Similar genres: Romance, Action, Drama
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The first five minutes of the very first episode of Xam'd gave me an overwhelming Nausicaa vibe, and the feeling really hasn't diminished with successive episodes. I guess the most obvious similarity is that both feature a heroine who flies a single-person light aircraft and grows things in jars and is tough yet deeply compassionate, to the point of defending or weeping over creatures others would think of as monsters. Also, there's lots of airships and goopy stuff and morally complex war stuff and a cute animal. Basically, if you like Nausicaa, be sure to check out Xam'd. If you like Xam'd and you've never seen Nausicaa... have you been living under a rock? It's a classic!
Xam'd gives of a very strong Nausicaa feel. If you've seen the movie, then i'm almost certain you'll know what i'm on about when watching the first episode of Xam'd. Check it out.
The art & type of story...very simililar...i'm impressed that an anime series can achieve..the studio's detailed art work..story is captivating...whimsical
The world and character designs of Xam'd are all very Ghibliesque. Nakiami is pretty much a copy of Nausicaä, with traits similar to some of Miyazaki's more stoic women. When Nakiami first appears she subdues the enraged Xam'd, similar to Nausicaä's handling of the angered Ohmu.
flying vehicles; adventures; strange worlds;
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Opening Theme#01: "Shut Up And Explode" by Boom Boom Satellites
#R1: "Back on my Feet" by Boom Boom Satellites (TV Broadcast Opening)
Ending Theme#01: "Vacancy" by Kylee
#R1: "Just Breathe" by Kylee (TV broadcast ED)
#R2: "Over U" by Kylee (TV broadcast ED2)
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