Yes, I have. And not just once or twice. In fact, I’ve been creating my own “oshi” for every work I’ve come across for several decades now…. Talking about that journey is like talking about my life.
That’s how overflowing the world is with fascinating works and characters.
So, Anime! Anime! has started a project called “My Handsome Men Encyclopedia” where we pick out “handsome men” from works and characters that are currently trending in society or that the writer has personally chosen, and share their appeal .
This is the ninth installment and will feature “young handsome men” drawn by the creative group CLAMP .
CLAMP, a creative collective consisting of four members, Igarashi Samutsuki, Ohkawa Nanase, Nekoi, and Mokona, made their commercial magazine debut in 1989 with RG Veda in the third issue of South (Shinshokan). Since then, they have released a wide variety of manga works across the genres of shonen, shoujo, and seinen, including Magic Knight Rayearth, Cardcaptor Sakura, Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, and XXXHOLiC, and have continued to pursue their own unique expressions beyond the boundaries of manga, such as the original character designs for the anime Code Geass and Cardfight!! Vanguard, and the series composition and scriptwriting for Blood-C.
An exhibition of CLAMP’s original artwork is currently being held at the National Art Center, Tokyo (Roppongi, Tokyo) (until September 23, 2024). This is the largest exhibition ever, displaying approximately 800 original color and monochrome artworks from 23 works, from their debut work “RG Veda” to their latest work “Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card”.
Thankfully, I was asked by the editorial department of Anime! Anime! to cover the press preview. The beautiful original drawings were so captivating that I forgot about work. If you are planning to visit, I recommend you leave a day free. You will lose track of time and stay forever…!
And as I immersed myself in CLAMP’s works once again, emotions welled up within me that I didn’t have when I read them (as an elementary school student through high school student).
“The boys drawn by CLAMP are the best,” he said.
We’ve selected some of these boys and will introduce them below!
Cardcaptor Sakura was published in the monthly shojo manga magazine Nakayoshi from June 1996 to August 2000. It depicts the exploits of Sakura, also known as Kinomoto Sakura, who struggles as a cardcaptor to retrieve the Clow Cards, which are said to bring disaster to the world.
In 2016, the 20th anniversary of the series’ serialization, a new chapter, “Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Arc,” will begin for the first time in 16 years (to be completed in 2023). The same year marked the 25th anniversary of the anime’s broadcast, and the “Clear Card Arc” is still going strong, with the production of an anime sequel having been decided.
Syaoran, who appears in Cardcaptor Sakura, transferred from Hong Kong to retrieve the Clow Cards, and at first was in an antagonistic relationship with Sakura. At the time
I thought, “He just showed up halfway through and always got in Sakura’s way, what the hell is with this guy?”, but now when I reread it… he ‘s shy and blushes easily, and he readily believes Yamazaki’s tall tales; he’s just so cute !
He gradually starts supporting Sakura-chan, taking action to protect her and showing his manly side, completely changing my impression of him as a “what a good guy.” At
the time, I was so focused on Yue that I didn’t pay any attention to Syaoran. What a waste! It made me want to rewatch the manga and anime with a focus on Syaoran. The
CLAMP exhibition also has original drawings of memorable scenes between Syaoran and Sakura on display, which is sure to make your heart flutter.
“CLAMP School Detectives” was serialized in “Monthly Asuka” and “Mystery DX” (both published by Kadokawa Shoten) from the January 1992 issue to the October 1993 issue. Set in the elementary school of “CLAMP Academy,” a huge school city built by the Imonoyama Zaibatsu with their own money, the story follows talented boys who are student council members, including Imonoyama Zan, the youngest son of the founder’s family, as they form the CLAMP School Detectives and solve problems within the school.
I want to pick out some members of the CLAMP School Detectives, but I’m sorry. This handsome guy picture book is a reflection of the author’s personal tastes, so let me introduce the anime original character, Yudaiji Idomu …!
The voice actor for this character is none other than Akira Ishida
. … At this point, some of you may have thought, “I might have something in common with the author.”
I won’t say much about this character because he is heavily involved in the story towards the end of the anime, but Ishida’s yandere boy voice is the best.
The manga is of course the best, but you should also check out the anime!
“Onegai ni Twenty Faces!!” was serialized in “Comic GENKi” (Kadokawa Shoten) and other publications from the August 1989 issue to the July 1991 issue. Ijuin Akira, a third-grader who is a good cook and kind to women, is in fact the notorious phantom thief “Twenty Faces”. One day, Akira goes onto a balcony to avoid pursuers and meets Okawa Eishin. Having just suffered a broken heart, Eishin tells Twenty Faces, “I’ll make you my next love.”
Rei-kun also appears in “CLAMP Detectives” and is a member of the CLAMP School Detectives. He has a calmness that is unusual for a third grade elementary school student, is always smiling, has excellent grades, is good at sports, and has cooking skills that would make even the best chefs jealous. Is there any girl who doesn’t fall in love with him?
Absolutely not (I’m certain)!
Above, I picked three characters that perfectly reflect my personal tastes, but as I was reading manga while writing this, I discovered that there were many charms in the other members of “CLAMP School Detectives” and Ascot from “Magic Knight Rayearth” that I hadn’t noticed at the time…! I’ll talk about that another time.
This time we focused on the boys drawn by CLAMP, but there are plenty of other fascinating characters as well. I think these will also appear in future Ikemen Encyclopedias, so I hope you’ll look forward to the next one.
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