Synopsis of Recommended Anime from CLAMP, Stunning Visuals That You Must Watch Once in a Lifetime

Kapanlagi.com - CLAMP, a group of female Japanese manga artists, has created many iconic works that have been hugely successful when adapted into anime. They are widely known for their distinctive character design style and their ability to create interconnected stories across titles.

This legendary group originally formed in the mid-1980s as a dōjinshi circle before making their professional debut with the manga RG Veda in 1989. Now, they consist of Nanase Ohkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi.

With domestic manga sales exceeding 100 million copies, CLAMP's works have captivated audiences in more than 20 countries. Let's take a look at some recommended anime works by CLAMP that you must watch!

1. CARDCAPTOR SAKURA

Scene from the anime Cardcaptor Sakura

Cardcaptor Sakura tells the story of Sakura Kinomoto, a 10-year-old elementary school girl who accidentally releases a set of magical cards called Clow Cards. These cards, created by the sorcerer Clow Reed, have unique abilities and can change form when activated.

The card guardian, Cerberus (nicknamed Kero), emerges from the book and explains that only someone with magical powers can break the seal of the book. With Kero's help, Sakura now has the task of finding and recapturing all the scattered cards to prevent disaster.

Throughout her journey, Sakura is not alone. Her friend, Tomoyo Daidouji, is always ready to create cute costumes for each card-capturing mission and record Sakura's adventures.

She also meets Syaoran Li, a boy her age who initially becomes Sakura's rival but later becomes a close friend and even develops romantic feelings. The series explores themes of friendship, love, and self-discovery, with Sakura learning important lessons about teamwork, courage, and responsibility.

One of the most interesting things about Cardcaptor Sakura is its ever-changing costumes. This is not because of magic, but because Sakura's friend, Tomoyo, loves to design and sew new costumes for each mission.

CLAMP intentionally created this element because they felt it would be "sad" if someone always wore the same outfit. Additionally, Cardcaptor Sakura is part of the CLAMP multiverse, where alternative versions of Sakura and Syaoran appear in the series Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.

2. MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH

Fuu, Hikaru, and Umi, the trio of heroines in MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH

Magic Knight Rayearth tells the story of three middle school girls from different schools: the tomboyish Hikaru Shidou, the elegant Umi Ryuuzaki, and the intelligent Fuu Hououji, who are mysteriously thrown into a magical world called Cephiro.

There, they meet Master Mage Clef, who explains that they have been summoned as the Legendary Magic Knights to save Cephiro. The world of Cephiro depends on the prayers of Princess Emeraude, the Pillar of Cephiro, who has now been kidnapped by High Priest Zagato.

These three girls must find the Rune Gods and defeat Zagato in order to return to their world. Their journey in Cephiro is filled with challenges, where they must learn magic, acquire mystical weapons, and face various monsters.

They also learn about the importance of friendship, loyalty, and sacrifice. This anime combines magical girl elements with the mecha genre and parallel world fantasy, creating a unique and thrilling adventure from CLAMP.

Magic Knight Rayearth is often referred to as one of the isekai (another world) anime before this genre became very popular, blending magical girl elements with mecha robots. Interestingly, the main characters Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu, along with Mokona, each represent members of CLAMP. Additionally, almost all characters and locations in the story have names related to automotive themes.

3. CHOBITS

Chobits and Hideki

Chobits tells the story of Hideki Motosuwa, a young man from the countryside who moves to Tokyo to study and try to enter university. In Tokyo, persocoms or personal computers in human form are very popular, but they are very expensive. One night, Hideki finds a beautiful persocom in the form of a girl lying in a pile of garbage.

He takes her home and manages to activate her, but the persocom can only say one word: "Chi". Hideki names her Chi and starts teaching her about the world. As the story progresses, Hideki and Chi try to uncover the mystery of Chi's origins, which may be the "Chobit", an urban legend about a special persocom that possesses true human emotions and thoughts.

This anime by CLAMP explores the relationship between humans and technology, as well as the question of whether love can grow between humans and machines.

The name "Chobits" comes from the name of a cat belonging to one of the CLAMP artists, Nekoi, named "Chobi", with the addition of "bits" because the characters Elda and Freya are twins. Chobits takes place in the same universe as Angelic Layer, occurring a few years after the events of that series, and also features crossovers with Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle and xxxHolic.

4. Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle

The characters in TSUBASA RESERVOIR CHRONICLE

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle tells the story of Syaoran, a young archaeologist, and Princess Sakura from the Kingdom of Clow. One night, Sakura loses all her memories, which are scattered in the form of feathers across various dimensions due to a conspiracy to obtain her powers.

To save Sakura, Syaoran seeks help from the dimensional witch Yuuko Ichihara, who sends him on a journey across different worlds to collect Sakura's memory feathers. Syaoran is not alone on his journey.

He is accompanied by Kurogane, a swordsman exiled from his country, and Fai D. Flowright, a mysterious magician who wants to escape from his world. Together, and with the help of the magical creature Mokona, they traverse space and time, facing various dangers and meeting alternate versions of characters from other CLAMP works.

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle is an ambitious project by CLAMP designed to connect all their previous works into one multiverse. The main characters Syaoran and Sakura are taken from Cardcaptor Sakura, but with different backgrounds and stories. This series is also closely related to xxxHolic, where the character Yuuko Ichihara serves as a bridge between the two stories.

5. xxxHolic

Two main characters of xxxHolic

xxxHolic centers on Kimihiro Watanuki, a high school student who has the cursed ability to see spirits and other supernatural beings, who often draw their attention.

One day, he accidentally enters a mysterious shop that can grant wishes. The owner of the shop is Yuuko Ichihara, a powerful and eccentric witch who offers to remove Watanuki's ability to see spirits, on the condition that he must pay by working part-time in her shop.

As Yuuko's servant, Watanuki becomes involved in various strange and supernatural events. He helps Yuuko fulfill the wishes of her clients who come with unique problems. This CLAMP series explores themes such as fate, the cost of a wish, and the consequences of human actions, often with a touch of mystery and psychological elements.

xxxHolic was designed by CLAMP to serve as a link between their supernatural and fantasy series and their more realistic series, particularly with Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.

The character design in xxxHolic is very distinctive, featuring extremely long and slender limbs, inspired by the artist Alphonse Mucha. Mokona is responsible for the design of female characters, while Nekoi draws male characters and all the spirits.

6. Angelic Layer

Angelic Layer Poster

Angelic Layer follows the story of Misaki Suzuhara, a seventh-grade student who has just moved to Tokyo to live with her aunt. Upon arriving in the city, she witnesses an intense battle between two dolls on a large screen, which is part of a popular game called Angelic Layer. In this game, players (called Deus) buy and design electronic dolls known as Angels, which are then controlled through mental commands in the battle arena.

Inspired by the game, Misaki decides to create her own Angel, which she names Hikaru. Although Misaki is a beginner, she shows extraordinary talent in this game. With the help of an eccentric scientist named Icchan, Misaki begins to compete in the Angelic Layer tournament, making new friends and facing tough opponents.

Misaki's journey is not just about winning the tournament, but also about reconnecting with her long-lost mother and understanding their relationship. Angelic Layer is one of CLAMP's works that uses a simpler art style, emphasizing poses and gestures, which would later be repeated in series like Chobits and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.

This series is also unique for being one of the first shonen series to feature a female protagonist, breaking genre conventions of its time. Additionally, Angelic Layer is set in the same universe as Chobits, exploring the relationship between humans and human-shaped electronic devices.

7. CODE GEASS

Lelouch, the main character in CODE GEASS

Code Geass is set in an alternate world where the Holy Britannian Empire conquers Japan and renames it Area 11. The Japanese people, now referred to as "Eleven", live under the oppression of the empire. In the midst of this injustice, Lelouch Lamperouge, a brilliant student who secretly harbors a grudge against Britannia for his mother's death and his sister Nunnally's suffering, emerges. One day, Lelouch meets a mysterious girl named C.C., who grants him a supernatural power called Geass, the ability to command anyone to obey his orders just once.

With this power, Lelouch creates a secret identity, Zero, and leads a rebel group called The Black Knights to overthrow Britannia. He struggles between military strategy, political deception, and moral dilemmas in his quest to create a peaceful world for his sister. However, Lelouch's struggle brings significant consequences. He must confront his old friend, Suzaku Kururugi, who allies with Britannia and holds opposing views on justice.

The conflict between idealism, power, and sacrifice reaches a climax, forcing Lelouch to choose between being a hero who saves the world or a tyrant cursed forever. Code Geass combines political intrigue, mecha action, and philosophical questions about morality and the price of power.

The character design of Code Geass was created by the famous artist group CLAMP, which gives a sleek and elegant characteristic to each character. This anime is not an adaptation of a manga or novel, but rather an original work from the studio Sunrise, which is also known for Gundam.

Interestingly, Lelouch is often referred to as one of the most iconic antihero characters in anime history due to his morally ambiguous actions and sacrifices. Its legendary ending remains a topic of debate among fans to this day, especially regarding Lelouch's true fate.

Additionally, Code Geass has also spawned many spin-offs, manga adaptations, alternative films, and sequel projects such as Code Geass: Lelouch of the Resurrection, which expands its story universe.

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