Is it me or does this reminds you of another certain anime series? Or is it a coincidence?

Xam'd: Lost Memories, released in Japan as Bounen no Zamned (亡念のザムド, Bōnen no Zamudo^?, lit. Zamned of the Lost Memory) was released exclusively first in the US (completely in the original Japanese dub) on the Playstation 3, when it launched its PSN video service during E3 2008. It was the most downloaded video during that first launch, although after that, I haven’t heard any original scripted content from the PS Network ever since. So let’s dive right on in.

Xam'd: Lost Memories, released in Japan as Bounen no Zamned (亡念のザムド, Bōnen no Zamudo^?, lit. Zamned of the Lost Memory) was released exclusively first in the US (completely in the original Japanese dub) on the Playstation 3, when it launched its PSN video service during E3 2008. It was the most downloaded video during that first launch, although after that, I haven’t heard any original scripted content from the PS Network ever since. So let’s dive right on in.

The series takes place on a small island called Sentan Island, a safe haven where they are surrounded by the Yuden Sea as they are cut off from the War between the Northern Government and the Southern Continent Free Zone. But on one day, when student Akiyuki Takehara let in a strange and mysterious girl on the bus and as it turns out to be that she was a bomber and the bus explodes and yes, it did kill some students and Akiyuki check the damage on the bus, a light enters into Akiyuki’s arm and starts to transform into a thorn-like creature called Xam’d. As the existence of an Xam’d has been made, most of the military has gotten its arms up, especially with Akiyuki’s old friends, Haru Nishimura, who I suspect in the first episode that sooner or later, will be in love with Akiyuki, and Furuichi Teraoka, who I also suspect has a crush on Haru and not that exactly that keen on Akiyuki, considering that Furuichi thought that he didn’t care about that day and wanted to kill Akiyuki, which is mainly fueled by jealousy and anger.

As he is now a Xam’d, he runs into Nakiami, a very apathetic and mysterious woman and she gives Akiyuki a choice: either come with her and live or he can stay and forever turn into stone and yes, he chose the former and went along to meet the crew of the Gekkostate the Zanbani Postal Airship, where you meet the captain Ishuu Benikawa, who is mostly has the strong-willed character trait; Akushiba, Akiyuki’s roommate aboard the ship; Raigyo, a experienced Xam’d; Yunbo, the team mom of the ship; Ahm, the pilot; Kisel, the mechanic & Tenshin-Sama, the old sage and guide for the main characters. Another storyline involves Haru’s younger sister, Midori, who needs a crutch to walk since the car accident that tragically took their mother’s life, being taken into a military facility and being transformed into the Hiruken Emperor, which her father and Ryuuzou, Akiyuki’s father, break in to rescue her; however, Fusa, estranged wife of Ryuuzou and mother of Akiyuki, isn’t exactly keen on him lately, as she thinks he is not that compassionate about his son being missing although he was the last to know about his disappearance but kept his cool in order to keep the family together.

Oh yeah, there is another character named Yango, who travels alongside Nakiami, and there was a bond between the two of them and I don’t know if a romance was going to blossomed or not. It just seem shoehorned at the last minute to me.

The animation production is exactly is standard with a little or no flaws to it and was very vibrant. The main themes of the series that I heard “Shut Up and Explode” by Japanese electronic rock band Boom Boom Satellites, which is very high-energetic and kind of fun song to listen to. The ending song “Vacancy” by Kylee was very mellow and mostly sleepy to me and that is all. The 2009 TV broadcasts used different music themes from the same artists.

FINAL VERDICT:

This is mostly an enjoyable show but at the same it is kind of bland and I felt like I seen it before. It’s not a bad show. It’s just not as interesting as I thought it was going to be. The characters are decent to a point and some are a bit cliched but isn’t that in your face about it. The storylines does seem to drag on, especially at the end.  I would rate this lower but it wouldn’t be fair to me, so that’s why the final rating for this is:

7/10

Interesting…..for a little while.

Tyrocasts Rating: Low Solid B

And that concludes this very short year of Anime Discovery.

And now that I got your attention, next year for Anime Discovery, will be a major one…..hopefully.  I am branching out across some different variety of anime, even some anime I swear not to review but do it anyway. But I can’t promise you that might be on time. I do have college to worry about and jobs to search and find.

SO here are the anime that I planned or might to review in 2012 (although some I already mentioned earlier):

1. LUCKY STAR
2. SISTER PRINCESS
3. JYU-OH-SEI
4. MIDORI DAYS
5. AZUMANGA DAIOH
6. ROMEO X JULIET
7. DESERT PUNK
8. TRIGUN
9. TRIGUN: BADLANDS RUMBLE
10. BLACK BLOOD BROTHERS
11. EDEN OF THE EAST: THE KING OF EDEN
12. EDEN OF THE EAST: PARADISE LOST
13. SCHOOL DAYS
14. WELCOME TO THE NHK
15. BATTLE ANGEL ALITA
16. KOI KAZE
17. LINGERIES
18. PANCHIRO TEACHER
19. SAMURAI 7
20. MAHOROMATIC: AUTOMATIC MAIDEN
21. MAHOROMATIC: SOMETHING MORE BEAUTIFUL

And last but not least (but you know about it earlier)

1. NEON GENESIS EVANGELION

So all of you on Tyrocasts and Spill.com have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Feliz Navidad, Joyeux Noel, and all people of every nation, have a very Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year.

XAM’D LOST MEMORIES – courtesy of Sentai Filmworks, animation by BONES, ANIPLEX & SONY COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT.