Ekkusu (1996)

The story takes place in 1999, the Year of Destiny, and the beginning of the end of the world. The future of the universe rests on one young man, Kamui Shiro, who must destroy either the ... See full summary »

Director:

Rintaro

Writers:

Mami Watanabe (script), Mick Nekoi (manga) (as Clamp)

Stars:

Tôru Furusawa, Alan Marriott, Tomokazu Seki

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tôru Furusawa	...	Seishirô (voice)
Alan Marriott	...	Kamui Shirou (voice)
Tomokazu Seki	...	Kamui (voice)
Adam Henderson	...	Fuma Monou (voice)
Larissa Murray	...	Kotari Monou (voice)
Ken Narita	...	Fûma (voice)
Denica Fairman	...	Kanoe (voice)
Stacey Gregg	...	Hinoto (voice) (as Stacey Jefferson)
Junko Iwao	...	Kotori (voice)
Mike Fitzpatrick	...	Sorata Arisugawa (voice)
David Harris	...	Aoki Seiichirou (voice)
Atsuko Takahata	...	Kanoe (voice)
Rupert Degas	...	Shuogo Asagi (voice)
Yûko Minaguchi	...	Hinoto (voice)
Nigel Whitmey	...	Yuto Kigai (voice)

Storyline

The story takes place in 1999, the Year of Destiny, and the beginning of the end of the world. The future of the universe rests on one young man, Kamui Shiro, who must destroy either the Dragons of Earth or the Dragons of Heaven - two opposing armies. He alone must decide whether humanity should be destroyed to create a purified universe, or whether it should be protected to preserve civilization. Two oracles, the sisters Hinoto and Kanoe foresee the coming of the Dragons and predict opposite outcomes. Each sister gathers strength and ammunition to insure her own vision for the future. However, neither sister realizes that there is one man who has an even greater power than the Dragons, and that ultimately he will determine the fate of the earth. Which sister will prevail and how does Kamui fit into their struggle? The answer to this question will forever affect humanity.

---

Plot Keywords:

older actors younger roles | crying | dying | flight | friendship | 

---

Genres:

Animation | Action | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

---

Certificate:

14A

Did You Know?

Trivia

Most of the locations in the film are real places in Tokyo. For complete accuracy, director Rintaro sent a team of numerous photographers around the city to try and capture pictures of all the buildings from as many angles as possible. The photography team then submitted the many rolls of film to the animation and background painting departments, which spent months illustrating the locations as close to reality as possible. Of particular note is the Tokyo Tower Observation Deck (from the end of the film) which is detailed down to the placement of individual telescopes and city maps. A brief list of the locations and where they were used follows:

• Arkhills: A group of large office buildings, sight of the Subaru/Seishirou fight at the beginning of the film.
• Diet Building: The center of the Japanese government (similar to the White House), Hinoto and the Dragons of Heaven are centered here.
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building: The central office of city government, and home of Konoe and the Dragons of Earth.
• Tokyo Station: The ornate rail station, where Karen and Seiichirou face off against Shougo and Nataku.
• Sunshine 60: One of the tallest buildings in Tokyo, this office building incorporates a zoo and is the sight of Seiichirou's second battle with Nataku.
• Central Shinjuku: A popular neighborhood for young people, Shinjuku is the heart of Tokyo glitz and is the battleground of Kamui, Yuzuriha, and Kusanagi.
• Ebisu Garden Place: Also in Shinjuku, this is an upscale residence/shopping district known for its spacious and beautiful plaza, and for its showdown between Sorata, Arashi, and Fuuma.
• Tokyo Tower: Built for radio and television transmission, the Tower is considered Tokyo's quintessential landmark that offers a great view of the city and is the location of the film's climactic finale.

---

Quotes

Subaru Sumeragi: Kamui has finally returned to Tokyo.
Seishirô Sakurazuka: So I understand. The final battle to decide the fate of the earth is about to begin.

---

Crazy Credits

After the credits, there is a brief aerial shot of Tokyo, with everything save the Tokyo Tower in rubble as sakura blossoms flutter by.

---

Alternate Versions

Nudity was blurred out when aired on when aired on the Sci-Fi Channel (Ani-Monday).

---

Connections

Featured in Anime Abandon: X (2012)

---

Soundtracks

Forever Love
Written by Yoshiki
Performed by Yoshiki (as X Japan)

User Reviews

A Beautiful film with only a couple of flaws

Everything about this movie is great;the animation blends perfectly with the CG effects (unlike some American cartoons),the soundtrack is one of the best I ever heard and acting is top-notch.

This movie isn't complete without a couple of flaws however. The depressing and disappointing ending will only make you say "That's it?". This is due to the fact that the manga series is unfinished and still far from completion (the manga is said to be 22 books long and so far only 11 of them has been published as of this writing,with vol.12 coming soon).

Another flaw is that certain points of the storyline aren't explained in the movie,only in the manga,and most of the characters lacks development. You barely get to know a supporting character before they die.

It is still a good film,but I recommend you to read the Manga before watching the film (which is available in English through Viz Communications) in order to have a general understanding of the story.

Details

Official Sites:

Manga Entertainment

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

3 August 1996 (Japan)

Also Known As:

X

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,672, 12 March 2000

Gross USA:

$143,355

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$266,914

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bandai Entertainment Inc., Bandai Visual Company, Clamp

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1