Ranked #230

Xam'd: Lost Memories

Xam'd: Lost Memories is an absorbing, multi-faceted science fiction anime that manages to throw in elements of war, romance and drama into the mix.

The anime follow the lives of the people on Sentan Island, a zone that has remained peaceful in the outside warring world of the North and South. In a split second, in time hyphenated as shortly as the seconds ticking on a figurative and literal bomb, the islanders' war neutrality is compromised and they are thrown into the fray of impending violence. The North uses a weapon called the Humanform, while the South has their version of it; war has taken on a different face by using advanced (and monstrous) weaponry.

Caught in the middle of this is Akiyuki, a boy whose life is irrevocably changed when a blast from a suicide bomber tears through him, his friends and the people of Sentan Island. He is implanted with a Hiruko, and soon, he is forced to share his body with an alien force that can swallow up his humanity and turn him into a monstrous weapon. As war starts to spread to all over the land, Akiyuki is taken into the care of the mysterious Nakiami, a young woman with a greater understanding of the problems that Akiyuki now faces as a Xam'd.

Xam'd: Lost Memories manages to compact a terrific action anime into a deep character drama, making it a lot heavier than other war-based anime or even monster-based anime. The anime follows the stories of its ensemble cast, from Akiyuki himself, to the crew members of the postal ship he later is employed by, a General of the Southern army, his parents, an enigmatic group of people with strange powers who create Xam'd creatures and rescue Hiruko seeds, and an ostracised race of people known as the Tessik.

The problems with this story is that too much seems to be taking place at the same time, so much so that if you stop paying attention for a moment, you're going to left wondering what is happening, where are the characters now, who are the characters now and what exactly is everyone doing because they all seem driven with some sort of purpose that isn't exactly clear. Not only that, there are about three different names to refer to the same thing, and discerning what's the difference between a Hiruko, a Xam'd and a Humanform is a little tough especially if, as mentioned earlier, you stop paying attention for half a minute. Not to be excluded, the stance of certain factions in the war is a little convoluted. Are the Northerners the ones at fault? Is Lady Sannova and her creepy white-haired children affiliated with the North or the Tessikans? Are they an independent group? Whose side are the Tessikans on, anyway? What's the Quickening Chamber and its purpose? If the Emperor of the North is so all-powerful, why didn't he just take a little trip to the South himself and destroy all his enemies instead of dispatching faulty Humanforms who can't finish the job properly?

All these questions and it only really makes sense had your eyes and ears been glued to each episode and every word uttered. The finale clears things up just a little bit, though be keen on the words 'just a little bit'. So, the story is a little difficult to get into in terms of presentation, but if you're watching this for great action scenes (which there are many) or cool humanoid monsters (which there is a decent amount of) and perhaps the ensemble cast (there are a lot of characters) then the storyline might not be that much of a bother.

Technicalities of the plot aside, Xam'd still bears a very good story. Akiyuki's life aboard the postal ship provides the anime with some excellent scenes, geared towards the slice of life appeal, in which we see him working with and living amongst a quirky cast of characters as they try to combat air attacks and deliver the mail on time. The dynamics of human relationships are also explored very well, and handled quite maturely. Friendships, a married couple, sisters (biological and otherwise), lovers, comrades, and possibly most importantly, parent and child; all these different types of relationships are explored throughout the anime. The series is also thematic with great significance placed on the importance of your identity, the weight of a name, and moral obligations combating with personal desires.

The best aspects of Xam'd:Lost Memories are the art and sound. The artwork consists of intricate details and elaborate colouring. Elements such as the wrinkle in the skin where it creases at the joints, smoke sputtering out of a engine, or bricks in a wall being smashed, and the absolutely gorgeous scenery (magnificent skies and seas, cities and countrysides, Sentan Island itself) are painstakingly and prettily drawn. The animation is simply superb; the moments when Nakiyami soars through the skies on her airborne, mechanised kayak are breathtaking, some of the intense fight scenes are stunningly beautiful. The character design is very good, though the characters have simplistic features, they are well-conceptualised and given distinct appearances that actually complement their personalities.

The score for this anime is mostly traditional, utilising orchestrated music rather than electronically enhanced or composed music. A sweeping score of epic quality with haunting choir vocals, exotic acoustic sounds, stirring violin, pounding drums that build up and resound throughout the scenes, and poignant piano pieces. Sound effects are tight, exact. The modern element of Xam'd's soundtrack comes from the OP and ED theme songs. The OP theme is BOOM BOOM SATELLITES' extremely cool, rock-driven Shut up and Explode that is actually well-timed with the opening credits. From drums and crashing cymbals to the repetitive swells of the sung lyrics of 'run away', it grabs you and prepares to throw you into an exciting run of an anime. And then there's the heavy pop song that is the ED theme. Kylee's Vacancy is adds extra 'emotionally epic pop-rock song' appeal to the closing sequence, closing each episode of the anime with a punch.

Xam'd has a pretty large cast, as aforementioned, but its protagonist is Akiyuki. As the series begins, it can be understood from his actions and attitude that he has lived a generally carefree, spirited life. So as the anime kicks off and he's thrown into an alien environment and forced to deal with the creature that now lives inside him, Akiyuki eventually changes, though not without the expected "kicking and fussing" about it. He learns, through his life aboard the airmail ship, how to live symbiotically not only with the Hiruko, but with other people. His most important relationship is probably with his long-time friend Haru, who helps him to grow, and who aids in him truly understanding who he is and what he is, both to her and to himself.

Haru herself is an extremely persevering girl. Her role in the anime is a little difficult to define, as she is an extremely important figure with a significant portion of the anime dedicated to her. However she can be regarded mostly a supporting character, since she is only motivated by what she can do for Akiyuki, rarely for herself (so it appears on a surface level, anyway). She has her points of interest, and she's a self-reliant person who proves her strength several times, physically and emotionally, she is perhaps the protagonist most "held back" by her seeming position in the anime as simply 'the girl who likes Akiyuki'. Which is an unfortunate and unfair assessment. Don't mistake her for only that--there's more to Haru than how she might come across initially, and she holds her own as one of the main characters.

Nakiami is also one of the anime's protagonists, and possibly the most intriguing one out of all. She is a girl of simplicity who knows what she wants and what she needs to do even if it does not coincide with what others expect from her. Her philanthropic nature is spread to all things alive, good or evil, her enemy or friend, from her loved ones to complete strangers. Her agape love for every living creature shows the vulnerable side to her. Like a martyr, she is willing to sacrifice herself and live selflessly, though in doing that, ironically, makes her selfish, as her own desires come into conflict with other people's wishes for her. Her simplistic complexity (contradictory, but it she is that way--it's easy to understand that she does things because she can, but it's not easy to understand why she would ever want to do these things), enigmatic personality, strength, and general coolness as a character makes her one of the characters for whom you would watch another episode.

Then there are the actual supporting cast members. It is hard to decipher who is more important than who, since this anime pays attention to each one of them. Haru and Akiyuki's best friend Furuichi, for example, has a major role in the anime. As the story plays out, we see his subtle envy turn into full-blown jealousy and rivalry. Then there is his descent, as his blind dedication to prove himself and to assess his self-worth starts to envelop him to the point that he has truly forgotten himself. Plus, there's Haru's younger sister, a little girl with a growing bitterness caused by her disabilities and her ignored abilities, whose significance to the plot also grows as each episode passes. One of the villains of the anime is the commander of the Southern army; a sly, cunning, conflictingly composed man pressured by a string of successive failures. He eventually shows his true nature as a real soldier, a real beast of a human being and of war (self-loathing Oedipus complex aside; THAT actually expresses that there's still an ounce of humanity in him, curiously enough). Commander Kakisu bears the dead expression of someone who has expertly done their job for a long time, and who is passively bored with it.

Then there are Akiyuki's parents; a doctor and a housewife, who have grown apart, their son being the only thing they both seem to openly love anymore. And quite important to the anime is the string of characters aboard the postal ship. The captain, Ishuu, is probably the best character aboard the ship other than Nakiami. She is bold, brisk, and brash. Her harsh nature is a facade, especially when it comes to Nakiami. As she claims, that feelings cannot be expressed with words, most of her relationships are revealed expressively, emotionally. To her crew, she is their boss, the undisputed voice, the leader, their gravity. To those who know her more intimately, she is fragile. And to Nakiami, she is a mother. The Zambani's crew consists of a snarky cook, two precocious brats, an excitable mailman, a tough pilot, a kooky mechanic, a mysterious mystic, and a nomad photographer who remembered to return home.

Having so many characters, each of whom is given their own quirks, history and personality, however does not pay off in the end. One of Xam'd's flaws is that it presented a great, large cast of characters, and yet we only get character development from very few of them, or in some cases, the development is practically forced down the characters' throats, having their changes seem rather conspicuous than subtle. Perhaps with a lot more episodes at hand, or maybe less characters to deal with, there would have been perfect balance in this anime in terms of the handling of its very interesting cast.

While this is an excellent anime, it had the potential to be even better than it was given a clearer objective and perhaps more time to get into the myriad of characters that were presented. Despite its flaws and regardless of the sometimes meandering plot, this series still manages to be a great title with a sound emotional punch, great action sequences, excellent production aspects in terms of art and sound, and some pretty good characters whose lives you get into even if you don't get into their minds and motives. And while a lot of questions are never answered, it still makes a damn good watch.

Xam'd: Lost Memories is a great series that depicts a war-ridden world with monstrous people and humanoid monsters and everything else in between them. Given boundless inhuman power, a person has to find it within themselves to be human, to have responsibilities and remorse for their actions, and most importantly, to remember who they are at the end of it all. Those are the things that matter to us, really: a name, a face, an identity and of course, the memories. read more

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

First of all, I am impressed!

At first this Anime was long gone from my top 10 Anime's. It was good, I liked it ever since the first episodes. This is because Xam'd: Lost Memories really knows how to make itself enjoyable. Putting in effort into the Animation at the correct times; and not doing so at the correct times also.

However, due to some issues I was unable to see Xam'd: Lost Memories for a while. Then, when two newer episodes came out, I was honestly surprised. The Animation was fluid and looked outstanding, the story was becoming more and more of a build-up, which fits the story perfectly fine. That's because a lot of things still need to be explained. The drama in between sure got me seated at the front of my seat (especially a special son -scene in episode 13), it was terrific.

Not just that, the music adds up to it and is pretty great. They use a lot of basic sounds; which sucks. But when the music starts kicking in, oh boy, you'll be dragged in!

But what really got me the most is the cast. For one, the main protagonist is much more like your everyday guy. He's not quiet, he doesn't cry and he doesn't acts like a wimp (heck, a lot of Anime guys act like wimps). But he, Akayuki, though not liked all the time, sure is a fascinating character. The main cast is what interest me the most, and what adds to this story the best.

They aren't original, they aren't exceptional: but yes, they are incredibly fascinating and add something to the story every episode. I love it, I just love!

In the years I've watched Anime, I've only given a few Anime's a 9 in overall rating. Never have I given a ten however, and an 8 is already exceptional with me. However, Xam'd, even though it's not finished yet.. deserves a big fat 9 from my part. It just, becomes even better the more you watch it. And I have great expectations of this Anime, I just hope I won't have to come back on my words.

Watch it, bare with it.. and you'll be dragged into liking it as well. Because even though it isn't 'that' original; it still is one of those Anime I will definitely enjoy watching and that makes me sit at the edge of my seat! read more

Xam'd: Lost Memories starts with gorgeous visuals and a great score, a staple of any good Bones anime, but Eureka Seven this is not. Rather Xam'd feels so confident in itself that it forgets how to tell its story, and what the viewer is left with is a hodgepodge of plot devices, sudden character and relationship development, and twists that run on no backing whatsoever except that we didn't see it coming. There's only two judgments that can be made from Xam'd: Either it was planned as a 50 episode series or they made it up as they went along.

These aren't judgments I make lightly either. Characterization is a huge point to be made here. So focused this anime started with its characters with enigmatic pasts and unspecified mysterious connections, but some of these pasts aren't even explained, and most are barely even touched upon. Xam'd filled its cast list too full with too many promises of pasts and relationships that it couldn't cash all the checks it wrote early on. Relationship that aren't thrown to the gutter, such as Akiyuki and Haru's, flourished quite well, and Nakiami's past, while not incredible, was well-done and justified. The problem then is not that the series doesn't develop characters and relationships well, but that it didn't make enough time to explain everyone's character and the nature of their relationships.

The story however is inexcusable. For such a simple "lone hero must unite the world" plot, this series flooded itself with unexplained terminology (I'm still not entirely sure what the hell a Xam'd even is) and splinters off into so many subplots that the core of it becomes lost in the shuffle. Likewise, some of the subplots don't even connect in the end and the ones that do don't do so in any fulfilling way. I loved the character of Yango, but seriously, what was his purpose? He wasn't necessary for Nakiami to make her evolution, yet the story felt the need to carry his character to the end regardless. Never finding its own personal voice, this series tries to compensate by settling the series on an epic scale, but because there is no cohesive element to allow it to do such, it just looks sprawled out, messy and disconnected. In short, Xam'd loses itself in its own expectations for itself.

Technical aspects are standard Bones and of course that means its near bar-none. Richly painted and vast landscapes blend wonderfully with the conventional but uniquely appealing character designs. Likewise, the animation flows fantastically without flaw.

The music is also very suitable with some fitting BGM ranging from average to above-average but never below. The OP may not fit for some, but there's a great ED in the mix. Voices are decent but no one really stands out. Rather, the cast list looks like a vocal experiment with an actual little boy playing Yango and Yuko Sanpei playing a girl for once. There are places where it works and places where it doesn't, but the overall result is appealing.

I would ultimately call Xam'd a glorious failure. I liked it and there's no denying it didn't try to be great, but with multiple pacing problems, characters left unexplored and useless subplots, Xam'd spreads itself so thin that it falls apart. It looks great, it sounds great, but it's not great. Maybe next time, Bones.

Overall, I give Xam'd: Lost Memories a 7 out of 10.

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This series reminds me of a very elegant and beautiful mansion on the hillside. A most grandiose house amidst the whole perfect ambiance of the forest surrounding it. But, as you venture inside, you find the whole house empty. No residents, furniture scattered around, walls tattered, curtains ripped...there isn't even a single rat scattering about. You are then filled with grave disappointment as you realize that with just the right amount of good care it could have been the best sight you could have ever seen.

Xam'd Lost Memories is just this. It delivers very well on the aesthetics, but it tries too hard to deliver its plot that it ultimately falls flat on its face. This is disappointing, especially coming from BONES which is one of the production studios I respect(along with Production I.G)that hasn't succumbed to the 'moe' infection in anime today.

Story-wise, Xam'd had a lot of things going for it. Interesting concepts were abound, good settings and solid foundations for a great universe. However, the problem here lies in the execution. It starts off on a high note, but it increasingly becomes dragged down with too much exposition. Too many terms were dropped with hardly any of them getting adequate development. BONES is highly notorious for this. The Xam'd universe then became too convoluted for a 26 episode series and left me with more questions than answers. This inhibits the viewers to empathize clearly with the characters as they are often left confused as to why those characters are even in the story itself. Pacing issues and poor planning greatly hindered this series from achieving what could have been greatness.

Xamd's art is great, though. Backgrounds are detailed, with each place having its own motif. Character design is good. Every character has his own unique look and feel--especially the Xam'd. The many different Xam'd designs are innovative, reflecting the fresh approach the series had. Animation quality is top-notch, which is expected from every BONES series. From the visual department, Xam'd delivers perfectly well. Sound is also good; it delivers the right tracks at the right moments without ever sounding bland and dry. The OP and ED are fantastic--the OP being a very exciting and energy-filled song befitting the action-y feel of the show and the ED a somewhat mellower one to ease the tension, so to speak. Aesthetically, Xam'd is many leagues better than its counterparts.

But the visual and auditory greatness of a show is easily forgotten if the essentials are lacking. Such is the case for Xam'd's characters, who are relatively interesting at first, but are soon engulfed in the dreariness of the plot. The protagonist, for instance, is a copy-paste hero from every action anime. What depth his character had feels tacked on and he doesn't really put out something new. The only good character the show had was Nakiami, who was also shortchanged at the end. Supporting characters felt artificial, they had really no significant part to the plot. Some of them were even put there just to die meaningless deaths. The characters' uselessness is personified in the blonde military secretary who was just there too look hot and say snappy comebacks and one-liners. Haphazard character development definitely damaged this series.

Cookie-cutter characters, meandering plot progression, incessant and unnecessary exposition shouldn't really stop you from enjoying Xam'd though. You can just look at the well-animated fight scenes and the unique fantasy feel of the series or just listen to the OP song all day long on repeat(RUN AWAY RUN AWAY RUN AWAY, anyone?).The aesthetics should be enough for the casual anime watcher. For the more experienced and those looking for substance though, if you can get over the series' major flaws, you can definitely have fun watching the show--albeit with your brain turned off.

Overall, Xam'd Lost Memories isn't a bad watch at all. In fact, it could have been one of the decade's best anime series. It's just too bad that it shot itself in the foot with poor execution, terrible pacing and forgettable characters(I even forgot the doctor's name even though he was semi-important). Just like the beautiful mansion, just looking at it from the outside should be enough satisfaction for anyone. However, if you want substance and would want to look inside,turn away now. Disappointment awaits you just as you walk through the front door.Or even better, just RUN AWAY RUN AWAY RUN AWAY RUN AWAY RUN AWAY...

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In order to watch this show, just sit back and take in the visuals. Don't concern yourself with the plot or characters otherwise you'll have nothing to hold onto.

This is a tremendously creative series set in an intriguing world with beautiful animation. Unfortunately, nothing about the story or characters even comes close to matching the show's outward beauty.

This isn't a boring show; it constantly shows the viewer new locations, characters, confrontations. Locales include a pleasant island community, Himalayanesque mountains, and much more sumptuous scenery. Character designs are all equally creative from the military uniforms to the Zanbani's rag-tag crew to the various culture's depicted. "Xam'd" also earns points from me for some of the most creative monster designs I seen. Every bit of eye candy propels the show briskly through its 26 episodes.

Beyond that, there is nothing. Those who have seen "Eureka 7" will instantly recognize some of the characters and possibly carry over some attachment from that show, but really, "Xam'd"'s characters are simply hollow pawns to the story.

A story that is no more intriguing than any of its characters. Honestly, I would be hard-pressed to even give a plot synopsis. There are many good ideas in "Xam'd," none of which are developed to fruition. There's a war; however, I couldn't tell you who was on what side or what the cause was. There are things called Xam'd or hiruko or something; I have no idea what they are after even after watching the show. There are a hundred examples of this.

This damn thing takes so many directions, incorporates so many details, and continually adds to the fracas that nothing is ever given its proper gestation time. It almost feels like an abridged version of a larger series.

I still recommend "Xam'd" to people who enjoy quality art and good animation; however, don't frustrate yourself with the finer details of the story -they aren't all that fine anyway. read more

What a disappointment. I expected a lot out of this show as it was done by BONES but it definitely falls apart at a certain point in the series.

There were a lot of things that were done well in the show. The animation was quite beautiful and remained at a high quality all throughout. The music worked although they repeated some themes one too many times. The OP is pretty nice although I think others are better. The concepts they introduced in the first half of the series were quite interesting as well.

But a ton of problems arose as the series went on. The characterization was shallow, and this was surprising coming from BONES. Even at the end of the series, it's hard to sympathize with any of the main characters. The presentation was dramatic without being able to create any drama because the audience just never learns enough about anyone, even Akiyuki. The minor characters (especially Ishu and her crew) were there but you never feel like you know them that well either. When characters cried, I could barely understand why they were crying save for the part about Haru's mother. The most well-developed character was probably Nakiami, although she had less screentime than Haru.

Another issue was the world that Xam'd was set in. There is a war and there's apparently a North side and a South side but it never really matters because it's only ever important in relation to the military experiments with the Xam'd. I didn't care about any of the "suffering" or people affected by the war because it seemed to be there just to try to make the war more important. The military also makes a big deal out of the Humanforms, but those are pretty much useless in the grand scheme of things. In fact, many aspects of the show end up being pretty useless in the grand scheme of things including Ishu's postal ship, Ishu in general, Kakisu, Akiyuki's parents (who are shown in a ridiculous amount of scenes with absolutely no effect), and Raigyo.

There were so many interesting ideas and concepts, but the strangely dull presentation and slow pacing don't deliver them to their fullest potential. Everything up until about episode 14 was just fine, but it seems that every decision they made in the plot after that just contributed to less of anything being explained in the series. In my opinion, they should not have separated Akiyuki and Nakiami for the second half of the show.

It's bewildering to me how much I ended up disliking a lot of what happened in this series after such a charming first episode and beginning but I suppose BONES just hasn't been too successful with any of their original plots not based on a manga. read more

I was very excited to see Xam'd, Bones is my all time animation studio and I was looking forward to something amazing.

The Animation was some of the best I have seen for a very long time, and did not disappoint.

The story on the other hand I have a hard time liking, there was a enough substance to keep me watching till the end, but after it was over, and the initial flare from the ending had left me (as quickly as it had arrived) I realized I was deeply dissatisfied with the whole thing. It felt like the most of the anime was very nice story related filler, with no substance, adding very little to the characters, even though if felt like it was trying to. The ending left with little to no closure. There was a mixture of happiness, sadness, confusion, and a deep sense of being cheated out of a decent ending.

I'd recommend watching Xam'd if you like great animation, or if this genre suits you, but for a seasoned warrior in the anime world, it won't leave a deep impression. read more

Bounen no Xamdou is a story of a boy named Akiyuki Takehara who lives in Sentan Island a peaceful island away from war. Akiyuki is a highschool student who currently lives with his mother Fusa Takehara. His parents are separated. His father, who is the town doctor, named Ryouzou Takehara is a messy but brave man taken care of by Akiyuki. One day, Akiyuki goes to school by bus and on the queue to enter the bus he sees a scared white haired girl who he helps get on the bus. As soon as they reach school the girl blows up a bomb which Akiyuki is caught in. Soon Akiyuki turns into a monster and his whole life changes.

Story (7/10) : The story was actually pretty good, it had alot of potential. The Xam'ds and Hiruko was a pretty good idea, the crew which Akiyuki joined and everything was also pretty good. I enjoyed the fight scenes which were directed pretty well. The story started of with what seemed to be an exciting journey. Then the story went downhill, they started to focus on all the wrong characters who nobody gives a damn about. The main character was not even important and the main female character was on a long journey which was really boring.

Animation (10/10) : This was the best part of the anime. The animation is nothing short of what I expected since it was created by my all time favorite production company, BONES. The most stunning backgrounds gave the anime a kind of realism. The island was animated to feel peaceful and that it was. This is by far the best animation I have ever seen. If you are looking for a show with only amazing animation this is a must see.

Sound (6/10) : First I will start with the OP and ED. The OP I just really could not stand. It was horrible and totally Engrish. The ED was quite good I enjoyed listening to the it. The OST was not at all picked well most of them were really silly. They were made to sound like a Tribe playing the drums which was really not a good idea. The last are the voice actors. The Main Characters Voice Actor is horrible I hate the guy who did Akiyuki's Voice. He also did Kamijyo Touma from To Aru. Nakiami's Voice is very good since she also did Renton Thurston from E7. Many other voices did not suit.

Characters (4/10) : This is the most horrible part of the show. Akiyuki is a terrible main character as half the show he actually does nothing. He has a stupid personality and just looks lame too. Haru another main character is a pissing off girl who was really important for most of the show. No one cares about her and yet she and her psychotic sister keep appearing as an important theme for the anime. Nakiami was the only one I could really count on to be a decent character. She's pretty quiet and has an unemotional face. She fights and surpresses the Xam'ds. Raigyo was extremely cool as well but he appeared pretty late (his voice is pwnsome). The rest of the crew were annoying like the kids and the captain.

Enjoyment (6/10) : I began watching the show pretty late when there were only 2 episodes left. I caught up and have now finished it. I enjoyed the fight scenes and the animation and that's about it. I did not like the ending which I think was horrible. I would not recommend this anime because it is a waste of time. read more

Well, "Bounen no Xamdou", aka "Xam'd Lost Memories", aka "Why the F**k Do We Need a Story?" has finally finished. In one sense I must admit that the final episode was consistent with the rest of the anime; and I mean that in the most damning sense because the entire series was without substance. Let me be a bit clearer - the original TV ending to "EVA" was significantly more imaginative, original and meaningful when compared to the ending of Xamdou.

I don't really care how much effort and money was spent on the animation - Xamdou failed terribly as a story. We were never given any inkling of why there was a war, why there were competing apocalyptical forces at work, what the "Emperor" was, why the audience was supposed to empathize with terrorists, and worst of all, why so many characters that should have been very dead showed up again in the epilogue.

No matter how many times during the series I gave the writers the benefit-of-the-doubt they returned again and again to metaphysical b.s. that drove my suspension-of-disbelief screaming and running away. Characters pulled their motivations out of their butts at random. The pseudo-science and technology of the world was all eye candy and totally devoid of substance or purpose. Pointless sub-plots crawled out of the depths of triviality to waste any opportunities to provide any consistency to the story.

I definitely want back the 13 hours of my life that I wasted on this series. read more