A 'Phantom' Work Resurfaces After Three Decades
In 1993, creative collective CLAMP and rock band X JAPAN released X2 (Double X), a video work fusing CLAMP's manga X (published in English as X/1999 by Viz Media) with X JAPAN's song "X." Directed by Rintarō (Metropolis, Galaxy Express 999), with production cooperation from Madhouse (Death Note, One-Punch Man), X2 is widely considered a pioneering collaboration between manga and music. But the work was never re-released on home video or digital platforms, earning it a reputation as a "phantom" title among fans who could only track down aging VHS copies.
That changed on June 10, 2026, when a remastered version appeared on Crunchyroll. Now, the animation portion has been uploaded to Aniplex's official YouTube channel for free, limited-time viewing through July 31, 2026.
Cel Animation That Still Holds Up
Fan reactions have focused heavily on the hand-drawn animation quality. Comments across social media praised the cel work as something rarely matched even by modern productions. "This level of animation is still hard to find, even as a short MV," one fan wrote. Others marveled at the production values for a music video: "The amount of money poured into this cel animation is unreal."
The enthusiasm makes sense in context. X2 arrived during a golden period for theatrical-quality OVA and MV animation in the early 1990s, and Rintarō brought the same cinematic sensibility he would later apply to his 2001 film Metropolis. The collaboration between CLAMP's gothic, intricate character art and X JAPAN's driving rock remains a time capsule of that era.
Fans Still Waiting for the Manga's Ending
The YouTube release also reignited a familiar conversation: CLAMP's X manga remains unfinished. Serialization began in 1992, but the series has been on indefinite hiatus since 2003. Fan comments were split between celebration and longing. "I've been waiting for the serialization to resume forever" was a common refrain. Others admitted they clicked hoping for a continuation announcement rather than an MV release.
CLAMP, the four-member creative group comprising Satsuki Igarashi, Nanase Ōkawa, Nekoi, and Mokona, debuted commercially in 1989 and have produced a deep catalog including Tokyo Babylon, Magic Knight Rayearth, Cardcaptor Sakura, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, and xxxHolic. X remains their most prominent unfinished work, and the Anime Anime report notes that comments calling for a conclusion flooded the announcement.
X JAPAN's 'Say Anything' MV Also Released
Alongside the X2 upload, X JAPAN's official channel released a music video for "Say Anything," the closing ballad from the band's 1991 album Jealousy. The MV features footage from the Violence In Jealousy Tour 1991, including backstage and offstage moments. It marks the fourth archival MV release from the band's catalog.
Looking Ahead
The X2 animation portion is free to watch on Aniplex's YouTube channel until July 31, 2026 at 23:59 JST. The full remastered version is available internationally on Crunchyroll. The manga X/1999 was previously published in English by Viz Media, though no new volumes have been released since the series went on hiatus. Whether CLAMP will ever conclude the story remains unanswered.