Tokyo Babylon follows the story of young Sumeragi Subaru, heir of the ancient Sumeragi line of onmyouji (or exorcist/wizard in the West). It was originally published in Japan in 1991 as one of CLAMP's first manga, and I believe it is one of the most underrated, often overshadowed by the likes of Cardcaptor Sakura and Chobits.

Unlike the latter, Tokyo Babylon is a dark and extremely clever cautionary tale, showing the price of greed and excess for the poor lost souls that Subaru must help. Basically, the premise of the novel is that Subaru, his twin sister Hokuto and possible love interest Seishiro go from place to place exorcising ghosts. However, this isn't as tedious as it sounds- in fact, each case is different and clever in it's own way... Take for example the girl possessed by a Chanel suit filled with the envy of thousands of jealous shoppers! Along the way, the novel compares Tokyo to the lost city of Babylon, famous for building the tower of Babel (which seems to have a distinct relation to Tokyo Tower in my mind). A mysterious narrative keeps asking: "Don't you like Tokyo?"... Slowly, through each tormented spirit's story, the true seedy underbelly of Tokyo is exposed.

Tokyo Babylon can swing from dark and philosophical to warm and funny, for example Hokuto persistently dogging Subaru to date Seishiro (who is a guy). This eventually leads to Seishiro actually telling Subaru he loves him, though nothing comes of it (for now). A bonus chapter included in this edition (Vol 1.5: Destiny)offers an absorbing, albeit faintly sinister look into Subaru and Seishiro's relationship.

Of course, it has to be said that this manga is an excellent insight into Japanese culture and myth, and this is one of the few detailed insights into the way of the onmyouji.

As for the artwork... well, it's as beautiful as you would expect of CLAMP, although their style seems to have matured since this series. It is a little shaky at times, though it's nothing serious, and the beautiful photographic backgrounds and attention to detail more than make up for it - these girls have slaved over this book. The only real problem is that Subaru and Hokuto are a little too identical, and it can be difficult to tell them apart at times.

Part of the reason I picked Tokyo Babylon 1 up is the striking cover- blood red with main character Subaru in rather trendy dress. It gets better. Opening the cover, I find a wonderful colour fold-out of the Sumeragi twins and Seichiro! And it gets even better! Once you get to the end of the novel, there is an interesting glossary of all the Japanese sounds effects used (yup, they're all preserved), with their meanings and equivalents in Western media, as well as cultural notes for all us Japanophiles. Well done to TOKYOPOP for this brilliant extra content, it's a crying shame we don't see this in all their manga!

So, if you're a fan of philosophical and beautiful manga with an absorbing storyline and gorgeous artwork, Tokyo Babylon may be just for you. It's clever without melting your brains Neon Genesis Evangelion style, whilst being a visual pleasure. Well done to CLAMP for creating this masterpiece, and well done to TOKYOPOP for giving it the treatment it deserves.