Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Xam'd: Lost Memories: Collection 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Does Part Two fulfill the promise of Part One?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 13, 2011

As has been the case with quite a few anime releases, specifically those coming from Sentai Filmworks, the release of Xam’d: Lost Memories was spread over two Blu-ray sets, each consisting of two discs and roughly half of the series’ episodes. My complete review of the first half of Xam’d: Lost Memories is here, but for those of you coming into this second half “cold” as it were, I’ll repeat a little bit of some the major points of that review in order to give some background and context before moving on to discuss the second half in particular.

At what point does sincere imitation tip over into outright plagiarism? The world of anime is similarly full of stylistic, content and character similarities that often make one project blend into another. Usually rising above this fray has been the iconic achievements of Studio Ghibli, specifically the beautiful, lyrical and often haunting work of Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki's work is so distinctive, odd even, that outright copying would seem to be a fool's errand. But anyone who has seen even one or two Miyazaki efforts is most likely going to have a certain sense of déjà vu as they make their way through the admittedly spectacularly beautiful Xam'd, an interesting if flawed anime that bears the distinction of being the first anime premiered on the PlayStation network in 2008. A little Nausicaä there, a smattering of Howl's Moving Castle there, a dash of Ponyo, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away sprinkled in just for good measure, and Xam'd may not exactly win points for originality, but it is undoubtedly one of the most visually arresting animes in recent memory (at least within the confines of the Miyazaki style), if its plot is often too complex and especially unexplained for its own good. Xam'd: Lost Memories (pronounced Zammed, a contraction of the original Japanese Zamned of the Lost Memory) was an interesting co-production of Bones, Aniplex and Sony Computer Entertaiment. None of these entities is evidently officially on record about Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli being a major inspiration, but the look and feel of the series is inarguably redolent of Ghibli fare. The basic plot of Xam'd: Lost Memories also harkens back to several Ghibli features. In Xam'd, a peaceful haven known as Sentan Island is the only place not affected by a devastating war between two factions known as the Northern Government and the Southern Continent Free Zone. The island is home to Akiyuki, a decent if somewhat emotionally roiled teen boy trying to cope with his everyday life in the wake of his parents' separation. On the way to school one day, his bus is the target of an evident terrorist strike, and Akiyuki is implanted with a weird energy, as well as items which look like gemstones, which immediately morph him into a huge cross between a giant white bird and a sort of mecha looking creature. A symbiotic relationship has begun, and that symbiosis goes by the name Xam'd. Xam'd is soon offered a life or death option from a mysterious girl named Nakiami, one of a species of purple cheeked people who seem to have an inner knowledge about the workings of the Xam'd creatures. Nakiami spirits Akiyuki away to her flying postal ship, the Zanbani, where she mentors him and helps him begin to understand what has happened to him. The first half of Xam’d: Lost Memories also dealt with Akiyuki's former friends and family left behind on Sentan Island. These include his parents, his father, a Doctor who is soon caught up in a secret government program, and his distraught mother who wants to know what's happening to her son. Akiyuki's friends include Haru, a girl who reveals she has romantic feelings for Akiyuki, and who stays in touch with him on the Zanbani through a series of handwritten letters. Rounding out the friend category is Furuichi, another high school male who harbors feelings for Haru and isn't exactly pleased to see any sort of relationship between Akiyuki and Haru develop.

If the first half of Xam’d: Lost Memories was sometimes a triumph of style over substance, the second half of the series settles down into a surprisingly serious and often quite dark rumination on such weighty topics as identity, sacrifice and salvation. Akiyuki has fallen sway to virtually complete control by Xam’d, all but erasing his identity. Soon he’s become chattel in a trafficking scheme which may nonetheless provide him with some long sought after answers. The really interesting aspect to this second half of the series is how very subtly the focus of the series actually shifts more to Nakiami, so that her character actually bears the brunt of a lot of the emotional heft Xam’d provides as it musters up fire power for its denouement.

The other interesting element is how Haru’s story also comes to the forefront as the story starts to wind up its many meandering threads. Part of this twin focus on the two main women of Xam’d is of necessity due to the fact that Akiyuki is “lost,” a boy stuck behind a mask who has little or no memory of who he is or what his “fate” may be. While the ostensible substitution of Haru and Nakiami for Akiyuki makes a certain kind of sense, it also makes the series strangely bifurcated when thought of as an ostensible whole.

One more kind of odd element in this second half is how quickly the militaristic side of the story is dealt with, leaving the bulk of the endgame awash in a lot of pseudo-metaphysical hoohah (a technical term), with various characters waxing philosophical about the nature of sacrifice, waiting for salvation and even more putatively banal subjects like loyalty and friendship. For a series which advertised itself (rightly or wrongly) as a mecha outing, this predilection toward weighty ruminative dialogue may end up turning off some of its key demographic.

So what does it all mean ultimately, and does Xam’d: Lost Memories actually fulfill its promise? The meaning is somewhat obscured by too much of that weighty ruminative element in the closing few episodes, but basically the series is to be commended for at least attempting to deliver a novelistic arc for several of these characters, something perhaps handled a bit too conveniently with a Harry Potter-esque epilogue where we see what’s happened to many of them nine years down the line. In terms of fulfilling its promise, Xam’d: Lost Memories ultimately is a triumph of style over substance, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially when one is dealing with such style as is in abundant evidence throughout the series. The fact that there’s even any substance at all (and there is, no question about it) is actually something of a minor miracle.

Xam'd: Lost Memories: Collection 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

My thoughts on the first half of this release hold true for this second half as well (look below for some additional thoughts on the second part). Xam'd: Lost Memories debuts on Blu-ray with a sparkling VC-1 encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is one of the most elegant looking anime series in recent memory, with brilliantly sharp line detail, a wonderfully varied palette, and a slew of interesting character designs. On both the human and "alien" (for wont of a better word) side of things, Xam'd presents a really compelling design aesthetic and this series exhibits none of the dashed off quality that hampers so many anime series that have to churn out a bunch of episodes in quick succession. The postal ship design is a nice combination of techno and retro, and the humanform villains are certainly as imaginative as anything in the Miyazaki canon. While Nakiami owes more than a little to Nausicaä, the rest of the characters, while on the whole just as redolent of Miyazaki's work, exhibit a bit more ingenuity and innovation, and Xam'd in particular is a nice, if weird, combination of mecha and birdlike creature that is very distinctive. This Blu-ray presentation offers it all with abundant clarity and sharpness, making this easily one of the best looking anime Blu-rays of the past year.

Collection 2 continues with the excellent precedent set by the first half, but it also features at least a couple of really interesting elements that were not present in the first half. While the design aesthetic is still first rate, there are some very interesting effects shots scattered through the second half as we tie up the story line, specfically with regard to the last couple of episodes and the "Quickening" (you'll have to watch the series if you want to know that that means) and Akiyuki's ultimate fate. Some very nice looking CGI elements are introduced in these episodes and one haunting image of Akiyuki looking at his arm actually seems to be a processed live action film element rather than actual animation. These two examples simply help to show that this series continues its innovative streak right up until its last moments.

Xam'd: Lost Memories: Collection 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is no significant difference in audio presentation between the two halves of Xam'd: Lost Memories, and so my comments on the first half are repeated here. Two excellent audio options are offered on Xam'd: Lost Memories courtesy of DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mixes, one in the original Japanese and the other a very good English dub. While I once again detected an odd, if very minor, limitation on the low end of the Japanese track which wasn't evident on the English, otherwise these two tracks are identical in terms of score and effects. The voice work on both tracks is very effective, and for once the English dub has carefully chosen English language counterparts to the Japanese originals that ably catch the intentions and nuances of the original version. Surround activity is really rather surprisingly consistent, considering this is "only" a television series, and there are a number of excellent effects catapulting around the soundfield in any given episode. While the action sequences are obviously a standout, there's a lot of attention to detail with even very minor foley effects receiving some great sonic treatment. The mix here is very well done, with an artful balance between voices, effects and score.

Xam'd: Lost Memories: Collection 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Perhaps a bit of a letdown, Collection 2 includes the very same supplements as those found in Collection 1 (marked down 1/2 point due to being repeated):

• Clean Opening Animation (HD; 1:32)
• Clean Closing Animation (HD; 1:32)
• Original On-Air Opening Animation (HD; 1:32)
• Original On-Air Closing Animations (HD; 3:04)

Xam'd: Lost Memories: Collection 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Xam'd: Lost Memories may try too hard to make its story as engaging as its visuals, and that's going to be the yardstick by which most viewers measure this series. Now to give you some indication of my love of fantastic looking films that have next to nothing to offer plot or even character wise, I was blown away by Speed Racer, so take the following with appropriate grain and/or pillar of salt. Ultimately, to my taste anyway, Xam'd flies above the shortcomings of its often too complex and perplexing plot due to one of the most beautiful animation jobs in recent memory. Those who insist their animes come replete with every "t" crossed and "i" dotted are going to find a lot to complain about in Xam'd. But if you just settle back and let the glorious imagery float by without worrying too much about what's actually going on, Xam'd has a lot to offer. Recommended.