Bethel Park Anime #24--CLAMP

Since I've been reviewing a good amount of CLAMP works (and also plan to put up a Tsubasa review) I thought this would be a good time to do an article about them.

CLAMP began as a doujinshi circle. "Doujinshi" in America is mostly thought to mean a comic form of a fanfiction, but many doujinshi are original works. Courtesy of wikipedia:

The term dōjinshi is derived from dōjin (同人, dōjin^? dōjin, literally "same person", used to refer to a person or persons with whom one shares a common goal or interest) and shi (誌, shi^? , a contraction of zasshi, meaning "magazine")

Unfortunately, many doujinshi can be found at 18+ tables at conventions. I currently own one doujinshi, which I'm very happy to say is entirely explicit content-free (except that Mai pretty much always dresses questionably, but that's another story). Anyway, CLAMP started as a doujinshi circle. Whether they were original or basing their comics on other series, I cannot say.

There were originally 12 circle members, which was then cut to 7, and finally the 4 that currently make up the group: Ageha Ohkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Satsuki Igarashi.

CLAMP generally errs on the side of shojo over shonen, though they're not quite as blatantly aimed at girls as, say, Yuu Watase. They have a very devoted fanbase, who take being a "CLAMP fan" very seriously. I have a friend that deems I am not worthy yet because I have not read enough titles. (Tsubasa, xxxHolic, Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits, Clover, Magic Knight Rayearth, X, Wish, and Legal Drug are apparently not enough.) It also might be because I tend to point out all their flaws. For example, artwork. CLAMP can draw gorgeously, but they still haven't mastered the art of drawing CLEARLY. Now, it may just be me being exceptionally picky about that. I'm not a FLCL fan. When I look at a panel, I want to know what's happening NOW. I don't want to have to study it and make out which line is the person fighting, and which lines are just effects or to make it look pretty. I'm of the opinion that things should be very easy to read.
Here's an example from a volume of Tsubasa I was reading recently. (SPOILERS!)

http://www.onemanga.com/Tsubasa_Reservoir_Chronicles/122/12/
http://www.onemanga.com/Tsubasa_Reservoir_Chronicles/123/10/

...maybe not the best example of unclear, but hopefully you get the general idea.

The other telling trait of CLAMP's work is their extreme plot twists. That also means that I can't give an examples without spoiling anything. Not only do they have shocking, confusing, and sometimes illogical endings and reversals, they save revealing things until the absolute last minute. Vague hints are given, but nothing telling enough to remotely guess what's really going on. This can be very frustrating to readers who like to have more than pretty artwork and a vague sense of the story line to get them through a series. Tsubasa, for example, spent 17 volumes trying to retrieve Sakura's feathers. Now... things have changed drastically, to say the least. They're still going for feathers, but not with the same cast of characters.

Tsubasa is unique enough that I'm going to take a moment to talk about it. The exact title is Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, the reservoir only being revealed (maybe?) in volume 17, and the opening sequence of the manga yet to be revealed at all. (with the new plot twists, more questions and no answers are added to that scene) Anyway, Tsubasa is a series aimed at those aforementioned devoted CLAMP fans. I do not know of any other series that have done this. In Tsubasa, CLAMP takes characters from other series of theirs, and puts them into different universes. It's not crossover with their other series, it's AU with other series characters. The main two protagonists are the well-known Sakura and Syaoran from Cardcaptor Sakura. Sakura's brother and Yukito also exist in their universe of "Clow". Sakura is the princess of a desert kingdom, and Syaoran in an archaeologist. They secretly love each other, and neither has confessed. Then a freak accident puts Sakura into a comatose state, "scattering her memories", and the high priest Yukito sends Syaoran to another world to collect them. Sounds like something out of a bad fanfic, right? Oh, wait... former doujinshi circle...
They are joined by original characters Kurogane and Fai, and old fan-favorite Mokona from Magic Knight Rayearth. If all that weren't enough, Tsubasa also crosses over with xxxHolic (pronounced "Holic", the Xs being a blank space like ___holic or [insert something you can be obsessed with] holic)

CLAMP is a well-loved, quirky group of artists, with a knack for torturing and pleasing fans at the same time. (Legal Drug, anyone?) Their works are celebrated, mocked, read casually, read devotedly, and known by many, many people. Who watched "Cardcaptors"? *raises hand* Any otaku worth their salt knows of CLAMP, and has generally read/watched SOMETHING by them. Cardcaptors/Cardcaptor Sakura is the most well-known, Chobits is the "best", and Tsubasa is the new hit. (FUNimation has a nice dub of Tsubasa out right now, and I would recommend it, along with the manga.) While certainly more shojo-y, CLAMP has something to offer to male and female fans alike. Go check them out!

Unfinished/current works

Name	Volumes Released	Current Status
Clover	4	Ran in the now cancelled Amie magazine.
Kobato (こばと。, Kobato ?)	3	Ran in Monthly Sunday Gene-X for seven chapters. Returned to publication in the November 2006 edition of Newtype magazine.
Legend of Chun Hyang (新・春香伝, Shin Shunkaden?)	1	The project was dropped after only a few chapters, though a recent interview has stated that Clamp would like to finish the work in the future.
Legal Drug (合法 ドラッグ, Gohō Drug?)	3	Not running in any magazine. According to Clamp, it will resume production soon.
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle (ツバサ−RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE−, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle ?)	24	Running since 2003 in Weekly Shōnen Magazine.
X/1999 (Ｘ, Ekkusu?)	18	Not running in any magazine since March 2003. Some social problems in Japan prevent Kadokawa from releasing further chapters. New chapters have surfaced on online manga sites.
xxxHolic (×××ホリック, Horikku?)	13	Running weekly since 2003 in Young Magazine.

Completed Works

Name	Publisher and Series	Volumes Released
Angelic Layer (エンジェリック レイヤー, Enjerikku Reiyā?)	Kadokawa Shoten Kadokawa Comics Series	5
Cardcaptor Sakura (カードキャプター さくら, Kādokyaputā Sakura?)	Kodansha KC Deluxe	12
Chobits (ちょびっツ, Chobittsu?)	Kodansha Young Magazine KC Deluxe	8
Clamp no Kiseki (CLAMPノキセキ, Clamp no Kiseki?)	Kodansha	12
Clamp School Detectives (CLAMP学園探偵団, Clamp Gakuen Tanteidan?)	Kadokawa Shoten Asuka Comics DX	3
Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders (学園特警デュカリオン, Gakuen Tokkei Dyukarion?)	Kadokawa Shoten Newtype 100% Comics	2
Magic Knight Rayearth (魔法騎士レイアース, Majikku Naito (Mahō Kishi) Reiāsu?)	Kodansha KC Deluxe	6
20 Mensō ni Onegai!!/20 Masks, Please!! (20面相におねがい!!, 20 Mensō ni Onegai!!?)	Kadokawa Shoten Newtype 100% Comics / Kadokawa Comics Series	2
Miyuki-chan in Wonderland (不思議の国の美幸ちゃん, Fushigi no Kuni no Miyuki-chan?)	Kadokawa Shoten Newtype 100% Comics Extra / Kadokawa Comics Series	1
The One I Love (わたしのすきなひと, Watashi no Suki na Hito?)	Kadokawa Shoten Young Rose Comics DX	1
RG Veda (聖伝, Sei-den?)	Shinshokan Wings Comics	10
Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess Tales (白姫抄, Shirahime-Shō?)	Kadokawa Shoten Asuka Comics DX	1
Suki Dakara Suki (I like, therefore I like) (「すき。だからすき」, "Suki; Dakara Suki"?)	Kadokawa Shoten Asuka Comics	3
Tokyo Babylon (東京BABYLON, Tōkyō BABYLON?)	Shinshokan Wings Comics / Wings Library	7
Wish	Kadokawa Shoten Asuka Comics DX	4

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clamp_(manga_artists)#Unfinished.2Fcurrent_works
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clamp_(manga_artists)#Completed_Works)