Tokyo Babylon

Aided by his twin sister Hokuto and their friend Seishiro (who seems to be hiding powers of his own), young Subaru Sumeragi--the latest in a long line of eminent psychics--protects Japan against supernatural disturbances. In the first story on this two-episode disc, he is called in to investigate a mysterious series of deaths (possibly resulting from a curse) at the construction site of an office complex; in the second story, he meets another psychic, Mirei, who uses her power of post-cognition (seeing the past) to help the police investigate a rash of subway killings. Based on a manga by CLAMP, the four-woman team known for Cardcaptor Sakura and Magic Knight Rayearth, this is touted on the cover as the prequel to CLAMP's X: The Movie, but is really more a spinoff set in X's past, featuring two of the characters from that series but not tying in to the X story plotwise. The English language track is more verbose than the original Japanese version (both are available on the disc), the animation is solid, and the story itself is reasonably well-written and involving, but not outstanding. Some grotesque violence earns the "13 up" age rating suggested on the cover. An optional purchase for most, though recommended where other CLAMP anime are popular. Aud: P. (S. Raiteri)