Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Stanis150
Xam'd: Lost Memories is a potentially great anime that (partially) collapsed under the weight of its own ambitions and age restrictions. This anime is too complex and serious for such a "family friendly" presentation and there is also too much going on compared to its running time. But even so, it's still a worthwhile show.
What makes me think there was a lot of potential here?
- First, the quality of production. Visually, the anime looks absolutely fantastic. High-quality backgrounds, lots of dynamic animation, bright, well-balanced colors - it's there from the beginning to the last second. The music is also good, but it doesn't add anything extra.
- Second, it's a truly unique setting, all elements of which are invented from scratch and not just a copy of something.
- Third, there's a…
Read at the sourcewhiteflame55
I loved this anime. It's not the kind of series I think I would have appreciated nearly as much when I was younger; I probably wouldn't have appreciated the subtle ways the series develops its cast and world, which apparently several reviewers were frustrated with. This is going to be a long one, but I'll steer clear of spoilers as much as I can.
I'd say the series is most definitely elevated chiefly by its characters and dialogue. Very little of this series is spoon-fed to the audience through exposition, and most importantly, characters never feel like their conversations are for the audience. You can feel the weight of years and experience even among teenagers who have shared history, but most especially among the adults. It's great to see the various ways they present relationships in…
Read at the sourceMichaelMorbius
I have mixed feelings about this anime, there were some positives aspects but there were also many negative aspects and I felt like the negatives outweigh the positives. I started watching without expecting any much but what I saw didn't satisfy me at all.
The plot is good, really interesting but it failed to live up to my initial expectations as the story progressed. Many things are not explained or are taken for granted, undermining the enjoyment of the anime. Aspects such as the war between North and South or the Tessik people have not been treated enough to be interesting, and these are just two examples.
The soundtrack is incredible, really beautiful as are the animations, the real highlight of the anime. Bones did an amazing job from that point of view, especially when it comes t…
Read at the sourceErdgeist
If you are a fan of mecha shows that have a military background story focused on war and very little romantic elements(though the romance is kinda forced), and you enjoy handrawn animation that is really good, great soundtrack, creative creature and mecha designs, and a big cast well developed characters that live in a large and mysterious world where the majority of the events that happen aren't explained well to give you a false sense of "mystery", then you'll probably like this show. Be aware though that even after the show ends, most of the worldbuilding aspects of this show are left unexplained.
Read at the sourceToxicRock
Not going to act like I was paying the utmost attention to the show. I am even watching it right now as I watch this but holy frickin heck is this anime bad. The animation is great and the fight scenes are top tier even now. The first opening and ending are some of the best I have ever heard but the story is fuckin awful and wish washy and all over the place they don't explain it till later if at all so you're just sitting their guessing. Characters are absolute trash they feel like they're trying to be deep and dark but it's for the most random reasons ever
Read at the sourceNomadicNEET
2.5/10
(*3)
The most significant flaw in this series is its worldbuilding because it is so crucially relevant to the story, themes and character. The world isn't laid out clearly enough so the major conflicts feel distant and the tessik culture was relatively bland and unspecial, especially considering how most of everything was related to it and the fact that it was supposed to be this unique and special core of the world.
A wide array of thems spread throughout its cast, whose major narrative beats often cringe, but most of the themes relate to identity and trying to be a better person with good people around you whom you have mutual care for. There is even a question raised with the redhead about how far self-sacrifice should go. The series seems to suggest it isn't necessary but the…
Read at the sourceICenturyI
Reviews if you don't have time.
*SPOILER-FREE*
Sometimes a show is so well hidden that when you finish watching it you just think about the amount of people that are losing out on the show… and that is one of those cases. “Xam’d Lost Memories” is an anime original with studio Bones at the helm of animation.
As one might expect from the name of the studio, the animation is pretty good. The fights are very well executed and fluid, the movement of the characters and parties are very well choreographed, and the climaxes hit all the marks in terms of excitement. The world is thought out, the characters design is original and spot on and the scenery and places that appear throughout the show are also good.
The story is decent but not really a highlight, it is a pretty hard show to get investe…
Read at the sourcePotmArrows
Okay. To start, the animation of this anime is pretty good. The sound design is acceptable as well.
And that's where the praise ends. This anime is the most confusing nonsensical piece of media I've ever watched. It is ALMOST so bad that its good, as I did enjoy riffing on it with friends while watching it. But ultimately, its horrible.
The characters have no distinct motivations/arcs, they just do things inexplicably and you have no idea who is important and who isn't. Even the "main" characters tread this line due to lack of focus and direction. It feels like a slice of life cast but there are too many "deep" themes being talked about instead of having the characters undergo actual development. I feel literally nothing(except maybe confusion) whenever something happens to one of them,…
Read at the sourceriz_76
Revisited this anime after over 10 years. Now that I'm a quite a bit older, wiser(?) and with early male-pattern baldness... maybe I could express what I think of this particular show?
They should've marketed this as seinen.
This doesn't always move in a reasonable pace, leave too much unexplained, demands a bit much from the viewers. But the visuals & sounds? Those could be enjoyed by almost anyone, irrespective of their age or preferences. Definitely worth taking a chance on.
You see, anime and manga fans tend to have a particular set of preferences. Preferences which don't necessarily match up in other entertainment media or forms. That is a strong reason why you might struggle suggesting something to an uninitiated from this world. Also the same reason why people tend to drop these…
Read at the sourceBurrZurrCarr
I finished this show right now ago, and the first thing I wanted to do was write this review. Also, yes, Eureka Seven is probably my all-time favorite anime, so prepare so some slight bias here as well.
Before I do anything else, I want to tell you that when this show succeeds, it goes above and beyond, and when it's doing that it comes so so SO close to perfection. That said, It's such a shame that I have to give this an extremely generous 8, and even that is seriously pushing what even I can give it for the shaky execution.
Story 6/10: Okay, I know this is rich coming from a guy like me, but the story is VERY confusing; albeit extremely interesting. A bit of a detour before we dive any deeper, because I know this show is going to get compared to Eureka Seven, and I want to get that out…
Read at the sourcewlitsch
I don't want to rehash what other reviewers who found this anime wanting had to say. They were mostly right. It's a random mishmash of anime tropes and doesn't know what it wants to be. That mish mash is mostly an unintelligible admixture of Nauscaa Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke, and Eureka Seven.
As a person who considers themselves an ecologist in spirit, a scientist by profession, and an advocate for human rights by hobby I must say that the morals of this show are as mishmashed illogical nonsense as the rest of it. I feel sorry for the children that might "learn" something from it.
There is a bunch of self righteous talk of treating the xam'd or hiruko parasite like a human with human rights, despite it having no intelligence whatsoever, but in actually fact all those who s…
Read at the sourcehiddenbrotaku
I only feel compelled to review shows that greatly disappoint me, if nothing else to rationalize why personally.
To start off, I love Eureka Seven. It was one of the original “great,” shows I watched, and still resonates with me to this day. That being said, after widening my palate, I couldn’t in good conscience consider it a “10/10 masterpiece” due to plot related short comings at times: shaky world-building, inconsistent characterization and motivation, and a rather lackluster conclusion.
Enter Xam’d, a show with more than just superficial similarities to E7, so naturally it would be a great watch, right?
Well kinda.
Aesthetically, the show is downright beautiful. Top notch animation, an absolute banger OP/ED, nice character designs, neat locales & monster/mech design, etc. Hones…
Read at the sourceurstinky
Bones always makes good anime, and this one is no exception. I loved everything about this series -- the world, characters, story, visuals/animation, music, etc -- except the character development, plot development, and sometimes pacing.
The first half was really good, and I really liked it, minus minor gripes about the development and pacing. Second half was a slog, I only forced myself to finish it due to my investment in and how much I liked the first half. The development and pacing problems were way more pronounced in the second half. Basically, it skips around stories and leaves plot holes by leaving most interesting things unexplained. Characters change their personalities unexplained, leaving only implied events to explain their changes. Sometimes pacing is super slow, sometimes…
Read at the sourceAsbjoernson
A short memo on the series, without spoilers:
Its a peculiar one. Its pacing, vivid color palette, headstrong characters, action focus and unfulfilling lives/work/relationships across the board.. suggest a run-of-the-mill student turns hero outset. but from the very start you notice something like an under-current.
seriousness, commitment, thoroughness.
all the forementioned elements of storytelling are expertly applied - it is well paced, a shitload is happening (war, fighting, transformation, misunderstandings, journey, revealings) it stays light on its feet, dialogue on point.. adding the very detailed animation on top.. for a great many series these ingredients were plenty sufficient to make them successful.
it is really entertaining from just that.
the go-to tools of the pro's:…
Read at the sourceSesshomaru
亡念のザムド is a very beautiful, retro-futuristic adventure created by Studio Bones and co-producters Sony/Aniplex with a lot of ambition. I really like the anime for its great graphics, the character designs, the art in general, the good music and because the plot is not the typical monotony.
Story: Complexity disguised in simplicity but perpetual changes demand attention (7/10)
The Series is more demanding than the basic story of the military conflict between the Northern Government and the Southern Continent Free Zone, in which our male protagonist is inadvertently drawn, suggests. As a victim of a terrorist act in which his body becomes the host of a symbiotic organism, it is up to him to find his way to deal with his new ambivalent existence, the so-called Xam'd. In addition to the milita…
Read at the sourcexcomprr
Sentan Island is caught in the middle of a warzone. Akiyuki looks like your everyday student rushing off to school when there is an air raid and the school bus he was on explodes. While trying to help a refugee he helped sneak onto the bus, he finds himself "Xam'd" - when a human is injected with a seed known as "Hiruko" transforming them into a raging creature. Nakiami, a girl who just happened to be in the area from the courier ship "Zanbani" spots him and takes him in, offering to teach him how to control the Hiruko within him. Even though he is given little hope of returning to his human life, he continues to believe he'd be able to return home to the island one day.
It has an interesting setting that kind of looks like your modern day Japan but not quite so at the same time. If you r…
Read at the sourceBig-Boss_X
Story (8/10):
You will definitely get confused at the beginning. It introduces you to a world at war but you have no idea who is fighting and why, you don't know who is good and who is evil. Factions are a mess and no clear enemy
little by little and as the story progresses and more info is revealed you will get a basic understanding on what is going on (although some stuff will still be a little confusing)
The story is that of journey that is about finding purpose for some characters, and fulfilling purpose for other characters, and finding truths for other characters.
One thing for sure is that this is the kind of anime that you should be really patient with. If you get dishearten by the earlier confusion you will drop it without finding out what is really going on.
Characters (8/10):
O…
Read at the sourceZergneedsfood
On a ship headed for unknown destinations, cast against ethereal clouds and a violet sunrise, a raven haired beauty reads aloud. Her voice echoes with a mixture of sobriety and apathy. Behind its ostentatious opening and impressive spectacles, it is this somber tone that reveals Bounen no Xam'd's profound humanistic elements and its trust in the resilience of the human spirit.
For Xam'd, the destination is often as important as the journey itself. While its story begins in the independent civilian center, Sentan Island, Xam'd brings our characters to foreign lands and war ravaged towns, cities turned into industrial waste and forest of stone creatures. Even without explanation, Xam'd's imagery brings to mind a very visceral illustration of the world our characters traverse, and manages to…
Read at the sourceMekronid
Ay yi yi, what a mess. A good mess - but a mess nonetheless.
Story 5/10
Art 9/10
Sound 8/10
Character 5/10
Enjoyment 7/10
The art and sound are decent enough. The storyline was very confusing! It reminded me of Eureka 7, and it should, since it's by the same studio. Like Eureka 7 I only figured out what the heck was going on after sleeping on it. Frankly, I think a lot of viewers will leave this anime feeling unsatisfied because the ending seems like one big Deus Ex Machina. It's not, but it sure feels that way. It is not AT ALL obvious how the big bad is defeated (or even if it does get defeated), neither is it clear what happened to several of the main characters. Even once I figured it out it still wasn't interesting. They tried to come up with something unique but just made it confus…
Read at the sourceNiceKyubey
Review on 20th December 2015
Childhood memories...I see a Xam'd and thought, "so freaken cool." And then stand in front of the sun, waiting for the sun to strike me in the arm so that I can turn into a Xam'd...joking! But the first point was kinda true, they were cool. Back to the review, Xam'd Lost Memories is an anime by Bones, who also made the not as impressive Ouran High School Club. But is Xam'd Lost Memories just as bad, or better then OHSC (not typing all that again). Let's find out.
NOTE: Like my review on Clannad Afterstory, animation and sound is Art and sound is opening/ending.
Plot: 9/10
The plot is great, just not into the levels of amazing. I liked how realistic the anime is. Like, normally in anime, someone sees a giant monster thingy and doesn't give a damn about it, even…
Read at the source
