CLAMP's vision of the end of the world is always a welcome sight. The popular four-woman team of shoujo manga creators will see their long running story "X" once again in animated form with an "episode zero" OVA release on August 25, which will feed into an ongoing television series starting October 3 on the satellite station WOWOW in Japan.

Set in modern day Tokyo, "X" follows the story of Kamui, a boy with powerful psychic abilities, choosing sides in an impending war between humanity and the mystical energy of the Earth itself. Rintaro ("Metropolis") directed the movie version of "X" in 1996, but the time restrictions of a feature film seriously impaired the complicated character relationships that captivated fans of CLAMP's long-running manga. Yohiaki Kawajiri ("Ninja Scroll"), director of the upcoming TV series, plans to capitalize on the longer format afforded him.

"For the TV series, I want to focus on the relationship aspect of 'X,'" says Kawajiri in an interview from Asuka, a gargantuan monthly manga collection that has run CLAMP's "X" for the last decade. "Of course, the battle scenes are necessary for climax purposes, but I want to focus on the fascinating storyline ... What I hope to do is successfully draw out the variety of characters and their interaction." And "X" provides plenty of opportunity for said interaction; the main characters alone near twenty in number.

"Omen," the title of the OVA, will focus mainly on Kakyou and his visions of the future. Kawajiri, who also wrote the OAV, wants "Omen" to establish a tone for the rest of the series and insinuate each character's destiny. "The OVA is a piece that will have viewers anticipate that a painful story is about to begin," Kawajiri continues.

He also warns that fans may notice some subtle differences from the manga in regards to the development of the story. "In the original story, many events take place simultaneously in a short amount of time," he recalls. "If we try to do the same thing on TV, the viewers will get confused. That's why the TV series takes place over a longer time period, about several months."

Madhouse, the production company responsible for "X" on the big screen five years ago, will again step up to the plate to bring the apocalypse to the small screen. CLAMP is notorious for insisting that their manga characters be recreated precisely from their manga art. Madhouse has yet to disappoint them. One of the central figures on the "Omen" production staff, Hisashi Abe has worked with CLAMP several times before - including as animation direction for "Card Captor Sakura" and as key animator on "Tokyo Babylon" - and can attest to their quality control. "As original manga creators go, they're a little hard to work with because they're so picky," he quips. "But as a professional, I want to please the original creators." A promotion trailer of Madhouse's work on "X" was unveiled at the 2001 Tokyo Character Show and can be viewed in streaming media here.

Manga Entertainment will be releasing "X" the movie on DVD this September, but no plans have been made as of yet to acquire either the OVA or TV series for distribution in America. Viz Communications has until recently been releasing English translations of the manga "X/1999" in both graphic novel format and serialized in their monthly "Animerica Extra."

"X's" beautiful art and rich cast of characters has long demanded more than just their previous animated incarnations. Even though Tokyo Tower will have more to worry about in the near future, fans can rest assured that the end of the world is in good hands.