Line #8 Anime/XamdLostMemories


1	[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/e80qk3-1_7475.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:330:Akiyuki in his Xam'd form and Haru.]]
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4	Akiyuki is an {{ordinary high school student}} who lives with his two best friends Haru and Furuichi on Sentan Island, a neutral zone while the North and South governments wage war. That is, until he gets caught in a terrorist bomb attack. The bomb itself comes in the form of a white haired girl, and the explosion implants a gem into Akiyuki's arm, which forcibly transforms him into a Xam'd, a humanoid creature. Nakiami, a mysterious and emotionless young woman, takes Akiyuki into her care in order to help him control his newfound power, forcing Akiyuki to leave his home and friends behind.
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6	Meanwhile, every day life is torn asunder in Sentan Island as the Mainsoul Military takes over to stop the Humanform Weapons from wreaking havoc, but unknown to most they are doing secret experiments involving the very monsters they're trying to stop. Haru and Furuichi have both joined the military, albeit for different reasons. While Furuichi wants to protect their island, Haru is hoping to reunite with Akiyuki.
7
8	''Xam'd: Lost Memories'' (亡念のザムド ''Bounen no Zamned'') is produced by Creator/{{Studio BONES}} and shares some similarities to ''Anime/EurekaSeven'', BONES's previous creation. It offers a deep and involved plot with detailed art and a rich setting.
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10	Notably, it first came available for download on the [=PS3=] in North America, months before it became available in Japan- unfortunately, the translation was [[BlindIdiotTranslation very sloppy as noted below]]. It is now also being broadcast by the Creator/AnimeNetwork and distributed by Creator/Section23Films' Creator/SentaiFilmworks imprint in America.
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12	----
13	!!Tropes:
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15	%%* ActionvGirl Nakiami/Ishuu.
16	* AdultsAreUseless: Averted: They kick ASS in this series.
17	* AlienBlood: Glowing, green blood.
18	%%* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Raigyo.
19	%%* BadassNormal: Nakiami. No questions.
20	%%** Not to mention Haru and Ishuu. Hell, even Akiyuki's parents qualify!
21	%%*** Hell, almost anyone who's not a Xam'd qualifies as this.
22	* BeamSpam: As the most powerful LivingWeapon in the series, the Hiruken Emperor takes the Humanforms' [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]] up a notch. By the end of the series, Akiyuki is also capable of pulling off a more limited version.
23	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Ahm is ually a kind and good natured guy, acting as father figure to most of the crew. But don't '''ever''' attack his ship, lest you feel the wrath of his [[{{BFG}} cannon]].
24	%%* {{BFG}}: Ishuu's .
25	%%* BigGuy: Ahm.
26	* BittersweetEnding: The war is over and the people of the North are free, but much was lost in setting up the plan to bring it about.
27	* BlessedWithSuck: Congratulations, you're a Xam'd! You've got SuperStrength, VoluntaryShapeshifting, inhuman agility, and enough biological weaponry to demolish a city. Damn shame that you can't use any of it for more than a few seconds without running the risk of suffering LossOfIdentity / going AxCrazy / getting TakenForGranite / all three in no particular order. Oh, and there's an ungodly powerful EldritchAbomination who wants to pick a fight with you. Good luck with that.
28	* BlindIdiotTranslation: The dub of ''Xam'd'' is rife with typos, missing context, and plot-relevant terms getting translated differently every time they're used, making it difficult to follow the plot.
29	** "One more red mark (''akaboshi'') and I'll get disciplinary training." -> "Akaboshi's disciplinary committee's coming by again!"
30	** "Don't be stupid. We purged those a long time ago." -> "Don't even joke about that. I don't want to be purged..."
31	** "It's a 3 hour wait at the military hospital. You'd be long dead before the examination." -> "They always glare at you before examination."
32	* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:Furuichi's]] Xam'd form, but most of the OrganicTechnology probably falls under this, especially anything to do with the [[SoulJar Hiruko]].
33	** The Humanforms as well.
34	* BodyMotifs: Lots of emphasis on eyes.
35	%% * BrattyHalfPint: Yango comes off as this when he's first introduced.
36	%% * TheCaptain: Ishuu.
37	%% * CatchAFallingStar: Haru to the rescue!
38	* ChildSoldiers: So many of the characters have to go to war and leave their families behind. And the reactions of said families ''are'' recorded onscreen.
39	%%* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Haru and Akiyuki.
40	* ClothingDamage: Which oddly repairs itself when the Xam'd return to normal.
41	* CombinedEnergyAttack: Something of this sort was used against the Northern Emperor. It worked... Possibly. Maybe it was the name-giving.
42	* CoolAirship: The Zanbani and the Northern and Southern military ships. The Beat Kayaks, meanwhile, combine this with CoolBike.
43	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: In a rare instance of this being ''self-inflicted,'' we have [[spoiler: Furuichi using his Xam'd arm to ''tear off his own head!'']]
44	* DeusExMachina: Several of the main characters suffer apparently terminal events only to show up again after the timeskip.
45	* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Subverted; the Captain's attempt at killing the Emperor is a miserable failure that only leads to him waking up.
46	%% * DistantFinale
47	* DressHitsFloor: Kujireika's reaction to being cornered by several ASP Suits, right before going OneWingedAngel on their collective backsides.
48	%% * EldritchAbomination: The Hiruken Emperor
49	* EmotionlessGirl: Nakiami, appears such at first introduction but is shown to subvert it as the show goes on.
50	* EmpathyDollShot: Haru finds a mangled teddy-bear during the clean-up of the ruins in Episode 5.
51	* EnergyWeapon: The (devastating) primary armament of the Humanform Weapons and sufficiently powerful Xam'd.
52	* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Kakisu loves his MissingMom, who we meet later on. She plays an important part in getting the plot back on the road after Akiyuki's HeroicBSOD, and ironically everyone (except her) thinks her son dies in [[NoodleIncident the Battle of Barador]].
53	%% * EvilTowerOfOminousness: The Diamond Tower.
54	* {{Expy}}: Nakiami's resemblance to Nausicaa from ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' and San from ''Anime/PrincessMononoke''.
55	** The Furuichi-Akiyuki-Haru trio resembles the main characters from ''Franchise/KingdomHearts''.
56	** The entire main cast appears to be primarily based on that of ''Anime/EurekaSeven''. It's practically a 1:1 match-up.
57	** Haru bears a striking resemblance to Shion Arita, who was Birdy Cephon Altera's alter ego in ''Manga/BirdyTheMighty: Decode''.
58	* EyeScream: [[spoiler:Ryuuzou (Akiyuki's dad)]] gets his eye slashed by Kakisu (we see relatively little detail, but from the amount of blood, the eyeball itself may have been cut open, if not in half(!)) near the series' end. Suffice to say, next time we see him, he has only one.
59	** To add to this, the [[OrganicTechnology Humanform Weapons]]' [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]] evoke this. They have special organs on their bodies, called "spores" that resemble eyes, which eject from the body and self-destruct, turning into powerful beams. Small Humanforms usually have 2, however, when we see a man '''missing his left eye''' transform into one, we see that the '''left spore is also missing'''. That's right, the spores that pop out and burn up to fire the [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]]... [[FridgeHorror are their EYES]]!
60	* FallingIntoTheCockpit: Though they were formally recruited to pilot the ASP Suits, Haru and Furuichi qualify here as their first live training session is interrupted and they have to face off against a huge and mysterious Xam'd.
61	* FantasticRacism: The South considers Tessiks acceptable targets due to the war and the creepy Humanform technology.
62	%% * FashionableAsymmetry: Nakiami and her sleeves.
63	* FauxlosophicNarration: Actually, they pull it off pretty well in the series.
64	* FingerPokeOfDoom: The Hiruken Emperor's solution to being attacked by an enraged [[spoiler:Kujireika]]. Given that said finger is about the size of an industrial girder, its effectiveness is quite understandable... though still not much less humiliating for its victim.
65	* ForeignLanguageTheme: All of the opening and ending songs are entirely in English, though the openings feature pronunciation so thickly accented it's virtually impossible to understand without subtitles.
66	* GainaxEnding - [[spoiler: Large portion of the world dedicated itself through [[ForTheGreaterGood centuries of ritualistic sacrifices]] to seal the Emperor's sorrow with a giant laser, but wait; [[TheHero Akiyuki]] was [[TheHerosJourney sent on a journey]] to fight the [[SealedEvilInACan Dark Emperor]] to save the day. [[TheGoodGuysAlwaysWin And he did]]. The day was won. The wrath of the Emperor is forever silenced and peace can return to the land without having Nakiami seal herself for a millennium. And then Nakiami seals herself which leads to Akiyuki and The Emperor to be blasted by [[ChekhovsBoomerang previously said laser.]] And apparently everybody survive, including Akiyuki who inexplicably resurrected himself 7 years post facto.]]
67	* GambitPileup: After Episode 19 and [[spoiler:the Hiruken Emperor's return]], every single faction in the story swings their plans into action at once. The results are predictably messy.
68	* GiantFlyer: A type of Humanform Weapon classifies as this. The one that looks like an airborne manta ray, that is.
69	%% * GraveMarkingScene
70	%% * GroinAttack
71	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Nakiami]] seals herself within the Quickening Chamber, knowing that she will never see her friends and loved ones again, to sleep for 1000 years in order to offset the darkness of the Hiruken Emperor.
72	* HighSpeedMissileDodge
73	* HomingLasers: The [[EldritchAbomination Hiruken Emperor]] uses these ''[[BeamSpam in spades]]'' when he fights, leading to [[spoiler: Akiyuki]]'s aforementioned HighSpeedMissileDodge.
74	* ImportantHaircut: This show loves this trope: Haru and Raigyo.
75	** Inversely, Akiyuki gets an ExpositoryHairstyleChange.
76	* ImprobableAge: The southern military recruits and trains 16 year olds to be military pilots of highly advanced and deadly mecha suits, apparently as routine. May be seen as plausible given that a war has just started (and some modern countries recruit at that age in peacetime), but they are also being sent out in the field with hardly any training.
77	* InconsistentSpelling: The name of the series has been variably spelled as "Xam'd" by the US PSN release and current official websites, "Xamdou" by the early official websites, and "Zamned" by the Japanese eye catches and ending theme album cover.
78	* IronicEcho:
79	-->'''Nakiami:''' (''to Yango'') Your parents would want you to '''value''' your life.
80	-->[''...'']
81	-->'''Yango:''' (''to Nakiami'') You need to '''value''' yourself even more!
82	* KarmicTransformation: A few episodes after it becomes clear that [[spoiler:Furuichi]] hates and despises the Xam'd, he becomes one himself.
83	* LadyOfWar: Ishuu
84	* LaserGuidedAmnesia
85	* TheLancer: Nakiami
86	* LibationForTheDead, Until Ishuu realises the recipient is underage and consumes the remainder herself.
87	* LivingWeapon: The Humanforms, which serve as aircraft and tanks for the Northern Army. The Xam'd also have elements of this.
88	%% * LossOfIdentity: Akiyuki after episode 14 thanks to LaserGuidedAmnesia.
89	%% * TheLifestream: The Ruikon flow.
90	%% * MakingASplash: Raiygo's Xam'd form's power and primary attack.
91	* MercyKill: [[spoiler:The true goal of Lady Sannova's plan. Preventing the mass human sacrifices every millennium was just a nice little bonus.]]
92	* MissingMom: Kakisu, Haru, Nakiami, and that's just a few.
93	* MindlinkMates: Akiyuki shares this with Haru when he's in his Xam'd form.
94	%% * MiniMecha: The ASP Suits.
95	* NoNameGiven: The northern emperor. It's apparently an important plot point.
96	%% * NoodleIncident: the Battle of Barador.
97	* OneWingedAngel: Being able to do this is a good chunk of what makes a Xam'd a Xam'd.
98	* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: More accurately, 'The Only One Allowed To Defeat Me'. When [[spoiler:Kujireika]] interrupts his duel with Akiyuki by trying to kill him, the Hiruken Emperor makes his feelings on the matter [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice abundantly clear]].
99	%%* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent: The trio of friends we follow from the start.
100	%%* OrganicTechnology: Used by both sides in the war and crosses with BodyHorror.
101	* OurSoulsAreDifferent: Some of the Hiruken technology is powered by the souls of the dead.
102	%% * PercussiveMaintenance
103	%%* PermaStubble: Raigyo
104	* ThePlan: The entire point of seeding the Hiruko around the world was to try to give birth to a Xam'd strong enough to [[spoiler:kill the Hiruken Emperor.]]
105	%%* PostEpisodeTrailer
106	%%* PoweredByAForsakenChild: ''All of the north's technology. ALL OF IT.''
107	%%* PowerGivesYouWings
108	* PowerIncontinence: Akiyuki [[spoiler:and later Furuichi]] cause a lot of trouble when they first transform into Xam'd.
109	* ThePowerOfLove: Haru's love, combined with Akiyuki's willpower, may be what let him [[spoiler:recover from being frozen in stone.]]
110	%% * RidiculouslyCuteCritter: The Nekomata
111	%% ** The Ongoro too.
112	* TheRightHandOfDoom: The sudden appearance of a grotesquely oversized forearm is a definite hint that you've got a Xam'd amongst you.
113	* SaveTheDayTurnAway: [[spoiler: Akiyuki, due to his Xam'd nature,]] after losing his own name to save the day, turns to stone. But he recovers.
114	* SceneryPorn: As expected for ''Anime/EurekaSeven'''s SpiritualSuccessor.
115	* SchizoTech: The town we see at the beginning looks like sixties' Japan with unusual vehicle designs. Meanwhile the Hiruken and the Tessik use OrganicTechnology from stone cities in {{Mayincatec}} style, the Southern army uses {{Mini Mecha}}s with mind links and the Zanbani has a very {{Dieselpunk}} interior.
116	* SealedEvilInACan: The Hiruken Emperor, who lies dormant until the last few episodes.
117	%%* SiblingYinYang: Kaijureika and Nakiami.
118	* ShoutOut: Nakiami's flying kayak (somewhat a cross between the [[Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind Mehve]] and the [[Anime/CowboyBebop Swordfish]]), the Worm Handlers, the airships and the religious tribes from the Nausicaa manga.
119	%%* StuffBlowingUp: And lots of it.
120	%%* TagAlongKid: Yango once again.
121	%%* TakenForGranite: An occupational hazard for Xam'd.
122	%%* TeamDad: Ahm.
123	%%* TeamMom: Yunbo.
124	%%* TeamPet: Roppa.
125	* {{Technopath}}: The Mainsouls, ordinary humans who are trained in this ability in order to pilot the ASP Suits. Also comes in handy for, say, [[MundaneUtility repairing a busted Beat Kayak]] when surrounded by drowsy Humanforms.
126	%%* TransformationTrauma
127	* FacialMarkings/TribalFacePaint: Nakiami along with most the Tessik people share similar purple tattoos on their faces.
128	* TwoGuysAndAGirl: Akiyuki, Furuichi and Haru. They get separated early on but their bond brings them back together.
129	* {{Tykebomb}}:
130	** Literally, the Gibashiri.
131	** [[spoiler: Midori.]]
132	* UnexplainedRecovery: [[spoiler: Akiyuki]] after being half transformed and turned to stone for nine years, though it is implied that he was able to retain his conscience in such a state and broke free from his stone prison with his [[HeroicWillpower sheer force of will]], all thanks to Haru's unwavering love.
133	%%* TheVirus
134	%%* VoluntaryShapeshifting: A common power for most Xam'ds, but especially used by Akiyuki.
135	* VillainousBreakdown: Kakisu has a slight one towards the end of the series.
136	* WhamEpisode: Episode 14. [[spoiler:Furuichi becomes a Xam'd, goes berserk, and subsequently ''beheads himself'']], Akiyuki loses his mind, and the Commander shows his true colors.
137	%%* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman
138	%%* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity
139	* WorthyOpponent: [[spoiler:Akiyuki and the Hiruken Emperor]] consider each other this by the time of their final confrontation.
140	%%* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: Latter half of the final episode.

Context Anime / XamdLostMemories