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{{Short description|Manga artist group}}
[[Image:Toprunner24.jpg|thumb|300px|A group photo of Clamp. From Left to Right: [[Ageha Ohkawa]], [[Tsubaki Nekoi]], [[Mokona]], [[Satsuki Igarashi]].]]
{{Infobox company
| name = Clamp
| image = File:Clamp at Anime Expo 2006 (cropped).jpg
| image_caption = Clamp at [[Anime Expo]] 2006. From left to right: Satsuki Igarashi, Nanase Ohkawa, Tsubaki Nekoi, and Mokona.
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = ja
| type = [[Manga]] studio
| foundation = 1987
| location_country = Japan
| key_people =
'''Current:'''
{{plainlist|
* [[Nanase Ohkawa]]
* [[Mokona]]
* [[Tsubaki Nekoi]]
* [[Satsuki Igarashi]]}}
'''Former:'''{{plainlist|
*O-Kyon
*Sei Nanao
* [[Tamayo Akiyama]]
*Leeza Sei
*Sōshi Hishika
*Kazue Nakamori
*Shinya Ōmi}}
| homepage =
}}
{{Anime and manga}}
'''Clamp''' (stylized in [[all caps]]) is an all-female Japanese [[manga artist]] group, consisting of leader and writer [[Nanase Ohkawa]] (born in Osaka), and three artists whose roles shift for each series: [[Mokona]], [[Tsubaki Nekoi]], and [[Satsuki Igarashi]] (all born in Kyoto).


Clamp was first formed in the mid-1980s as an eleven-member group creating ''[[dōjinshi]]'' (self-published [[Fan labor|fan works]]), and began creating original manga in 1987. By the time the group made its mainstream publishing debut with ''[[RG Veda]]'' in 1989, it was reduced to seven members; three more members left in 1993, leaving the four current members of the group.
'''Clamp''' is an all-female [[Japan|Japanese]] [[mangaka]] group. Their [[manga]] series are often made into [[anime]] after release. More than 90 million Clamp [[tankoubon]] copies have been sold worldwide.


Notable works by Clamp include ''[[X (manga)|X]]'' (1992), ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]'' (1993), ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'' (1996) and its sequel ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card]]'' (2016), ''[[Chobits]]'' (2000), and ''[[xxxHolic]]'' and ''[[Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle]]'' (both 2003). Various series by the group cross-reference each other, and characters reappear in multiple works by the group, with ''Tsubasa'', a series set across multiple dimensions, featuring multiple alternative versions of characters from past works. Clamp are noted as among the most critically and commercially acclaimed manga artists in Japan, and as of 2007, have sold nearly 100 million books worldwide.<ref name="Wired Magazine: issue 15.11">{{cite journal |last=Pink |first=Daniel H. |title=Japan, Ink: Inside the Manga Industrial Complex |date=2007-10-22 |publisher=Condé Nast Digital |journal=[[Wired Magazine]] |issue=15–11 |page=5 |url=https://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/magazine/15-11/ff_manga?currentPage=4 |access-date=2009-04-18}}</ref>
Clamp originally began in 1989 as a twelve-member [[doujinshi]] circle. The former members of Clamp included [[Tamayo Akiyama]], [[Soushi Hishika]], [[O-Kyon]], [[Kazue Nakamori]], [[Inoue Yuzuru]], [[Sei Nanao]], [[Shinya Ohmi]] and [[Leeza Sei]]. By 1990, the circle had diminished from twelve to seven. Of the remaining seven, Tamayo Akiyama, Sei Nanao, and Leeza Sei left the group over the course of RG Veda's production, leaving the current four members.


==Etymology==
According to Clamp, the group's name means "a pile of potatoes".
The name "Clamp" refers to a [[storage clamp]], in the sense of "a bunch of potatoes".<ref>[https://www.gwern.net/docs/eva/1997-ledoux-animeinterviewsthefirst5yearsofanimerica.pdf "Nanase Okawa" ''Animerica Anime & Manga Monthly'' 1997 © Viz Communications, Inc., 172]</ref> This is referenced in ''[[Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders]]'', where a teacher is observed saying: "The name 'Clamp' incorporates the words 'hinge,' as well as 'potato mountain,' within its definition."<ref>{{cite book |last=Clamp |title=Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders |volume=1 |page=44 |publisher=[[Viz Media]] |date=January 20, 2015 |access-date=July 14, 2020 |isbn=978-1-4215-8202-3 |url=https://www.viz.com/read/manga/duklyon-clamp-school-defenders-volume-1/product/4529}}</ref>


==History==
==Current Clamp members==
===[[Ageha Ohkawa]]===
{{nihongo|'''大川緋芭'''|'''''Ōkawa Ageha'''''}}, formerly {{nihongo|Nanase Ohkawa|大川七瀬|Ōkawa Nanase}}
*Birth : May 2, 1967 in Ōsaka
*Blood Type: A


===Before their debut (1980s–1989)===
Ohkawa is the leader of the group and the script writer. She negotiates with their editors and sometime writes the screenplay of the animated version of their ''[[manga]]''.
Clamp originally began in the mid-1980s<ref name=miteiru>{{cite journal |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090902100424/http://web.mit.edu/anime/miteiru%21/2003-02-15.pdf |archive-date=September 2, 2009 |url=http://anime.scripts.mit.edu/ |last=Wu |first=Lisa "Skuld" |date=February 2003 |journal=Miteiru! |volume=II |issue=3 |title=The Legend of CLAMP |publisher=[[MIT]] |format=PDF |access-date=2015-02-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref> as an eleven-member [[dōjinshi]] circle, to fill a booth vacancy at Dream Comic, a doujin event in Osaka. To fill a vacancy next to [[Yun Kōga]]'s CLUB/Y booth, they called themselves CLAMP, since club and clamp both started with {{nihongo|kura|クラ}} in Katakana spelling, and the booths were sorted according to [[gojūon]] order. The original circle included {{nihongo|O-Kyon|お·きょん}}, {{nihongo|Sei Nanao|七穂せい|Nanao Sei}}, {{nihongo|[[Tamayo Akiyama]]|秋山 たまよ|Akiyama Tamayo}}, {{nihongo|Leeza Sei|聖りいざ|Sei Riiza}}, {{nihongo|Sōshi Hishika|日鷺総司|Hishika Sōshi}}, {{nihongo|Kazue Nakamori|中森かずえ|Nakamori Kazue}}, and {{nihongo|Shinya Ōmi|大海神哉| Ōmi Shin'ya}}. Three of Clamp's artists—[[Mokona]], [[Tsubaki Nekoi]], and [[Satsuki Igarashi]]—first began drawing manga when they were teenagers, inspired by friends. The three artists were good friends in the same school. They met and befriended Nanase Ohkawa through one of her friends who had bought comics from Mokona. The original group of twelve members began to meet at every event held in Osaka and Kobe, which usually occurred once a month.<ref name="Clamp North Side">{{cite book |author=Clamp |others=English translation Yuki N. Johnson and Alexis Kirsch |title=Clampノ絵シゴト NORTH SIDE |trans-title=Clamp Art Works North Side Illustration Book |date=January 2005 |publisher=[[Tokyopop]] |location=Los Angeles |isbn=978-1-59182-902-7}}</ref> Before they began creating original work, the group produced dōjinshi of ''[[Captain Tsubasa]]'', and [[yaoi]] dōjinshi of ''[[Saint Seiya]]'' and ''[[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]]''.<ref name="Wired Magazine: issue 15.11"/><ref>{{cite book |first=Sébastien |last=Kimbergt |contribution=Ces mangas qui utilisent le yaoi pour doper leurs ventes |editor-last=Brient |editor-first=Hervé |title=Homosexualité et manga : le yaoi |publisher=Editions H |series=Manga: 10000 images |year=2008 |isbn=978-2-9531781-0-4 |pages=113–115 |language=fr}}</ref> However, in 1987, the group stopped dōjinshi and began creating original work; it was at this time they began working on ''[[RG Veda]]'', a loose adaptation of the ''[[Rigveda]]''.<ref name=miteiru/> Their first collaborative work was entitled "Clamp", which they continued to work on until shortly after their debut.<ref name="Clamp North Side"/>


The group debuted as professional [[manga artist]]s when they decided to print the manga ''RG Veda'', which they had first started as a fan comic. After seeing the [[digest size|comic digest]] of the manga series that Clamp had published, an editor for [[Shinshokan]]'s ''[[Wings (manga magazine)|Wings]]'' manga magazine asked the group to work for them. They submitted an approximately sixty-page story as a sample, but the work was rejected. Ohkawa later lambasted the draft, stating that "everything was bad" and attributing the quality to the group's lack of experience, since they had never before completed a story as a cohesive group. The group was given another chance at publication should they submit a new story that Shinshokan liked; this time, they submitted ''RG Veda'', which was serialized in ''Wings'' magazine.<ref name="Clamp North Side"/>
===[[Mokona]]===
{{nihongo|'''もこな'''|'''''Mokona'''''}}, formerly {{nihongo|Mokona Apapa|もこなあぱぱ|Mokona Apapa}}
*Birth : June 16, 1968 in Kyōto
*Blood Type: A


During the time before their official debut, the group moved to Tokyo and rented a small, two-bedroom apartment. Ohkawa stated that she thought she was "gonna die there". Nekoi stated that "the only private space [they] had was under [their] desk."<ref name="Clamp North Side"/>
Mokona is the main artist of most stories and was also several times in charge of design. Her art style is the trademark of the studio. She is the namesake of the character [[Characters in Magic Knight Rayearth#Mokona|Mokona]], who appears first in Magic Knight Rayearth and later in ''Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle'' and ''×××HOLiC''.


By the time ''[[RG Veda]]'' debuted, its members had gone down to seven.<ref>{{cite web |title=Profile:1987 |publisher=Clamp |url=http://www.clamp-net.com/html/contents/profile/#1987 |access-date=2009-04-15 |language=ja |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527124204/http://www.clamp-net.com/html/contents/profile/#1987 |archive-date=2011-05-27 }}</ref> During the production of the manga ''RG Veda'', O-Kyon had left the group. In June 1990, Nanao officially left the group (last mentioned in ''Shōten 6'').<ref name="Clamp North Side"/> Hishika, Nakamori and Ōmi officially left in March 1993 (as mentioned in the Shōten 3).{{Verify source|date=May 2009}} In October 1992, Akiyama and Sei officially left the group.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}
===[[Tsubaki Nekoi]]===
{{nihongo|'''猫井 椿'''|'''''Nekoi Tsubaki'''''}}, formerly {{nihongo|Mick Nekoi|猫井みっく|Nekoi Mikku}}
*Birth : January 21, 1969 in Kyōto
*Blood Type: O


''RG Veda'' was originally planned to be a single story rather than a series, although because of good reader response and higher-than-expected sales for its first volume Shinshokan permitted the group to create more volumes,<ref name="Clamp North Side"/> however after each chapter of the manga was released, Shinshokan threatened that it would cease serialization should its popularity fall.
Nekoi is mostly Mokona's assistant but she is also the main artist for some series (''Watashi no Suki na Hito'', ''Wish'', ''Suki. Dakara Suki'', ''Gōhō Drug''). She is in charge of drawing Super Deformed (SD) characters and mascots and is doing the character design in turn with Mokona.


In July 1989, ''Genki Comics'' began serializing Clamp's second work, ''[[Man of Many Faces]]''.
===[[Satsuki Igarashi]]===
{{nihongo|'''いがらし寒月'''|'''''Igarashi Satsuki'''''}}, formerly {{nihongo|Satsuki Igarashi|五十嵐さつき|Igarashi Satsuki}}
*Birth : February 8, 1969 in Kyōto
*Blood Type: A


===1990–1999===
Satsuki is assisting Mokona and Nekoi in their works and is also in charge of the design of the ''tankōbon''. She has a monthly column in Kadokawa Newtype Magazine.
''Genki Comics'' began serializing ''[[Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders]]'' in August 1991, which became the work that the three artists Mokona, Nekoi, and Igarashi enjoyed working on most.<ref name="FocusPanel2">{{cite web |title=Anime Expo 15 Cosplay 2006 |publisher=John (Phoenix) Brown |date=January 11, 2009 |url=http://www.phoenixanime.com/ax06/page5.htm |access-date=2009-04-21}}</ref> In March 1990, ''Wings'' began serializing ''[[Tokyo Babylon]]''. In December 1990, ''[[Monthly Asuka]]'' ran ''[[Clamp School Detectives]]'', and in May 1992, it began serializing ''[[X (manga)|X]]''.


Clamp was serialized by many other magazines and publishers including [[Kobunsha]] publishing ''[[Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess Tales]]'' on June 10, 1992. In 1993, Clamp released two different manga: in March, ''[[Miyuki-chan in Wonderland]]'', which began serializing in ''[[Newtype]]'', and in November, ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]'' which was serialized in ''[[Nakayoshi]]''. ''Nakayoshi'' also began to serialize ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'' in May 1996; Ohkawa, Clamp's leader and storyboarder, particularly enjoyed working on ''Cardcaptor Sakura'' because unlike many of her previous works, it wasn't tragic.<ref name="FocusPanel2"/> [[Kadokawa Shoten]] published ''[[The One I Love (manga)|The One I Love]]'' on July 17, 1995. ''[[Wish (manga)|Wish]]'' first began serializing in ''[[Monthly Asuka|Asuka Comics DX]]'' in October 1996. In December 1998, ''[[Suki: A Like Story]]'' began first serializing in Asuka Comics DX, and in January 1999, ''[[Angelic Layer]]'' first began serializing in ''[[Monthly Shōnen Ace]]''.
These names are recent: In 2004, as part of Clamp's 15th Anniversary, Clamp's members changed their names from [[Ageha Ohkawa|Nanase Ohkawa]], [[Mokona|Mokona Apapa]], [[Tsubaki Nekoi|Mick Nekoi]], and [[Satsuki Igarashi]] (pronounced the same, but written with different characters), respectively. The August 2004 issue of ''[[Newtype USA]]'', a magazine specializing in events of the [[anime]] and [[manga]] subcultures, reported that the members of Clamp simply wanted to try out new names. A later [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature.php?id=245 interview] with Ohkawa revealed that initially Mokona wanted to drop her surname because it sounded too immature for her liking, while Nekoi disliked people commenting that her name was the same as [[Mick Jagger|Mick Jagger's]]. Ohkawa and Igarashi, wanting to go with the flow of Nekoi and Mokona's name changes, changed their names as well.


==Clamp works==
===2000–2009===
[[File:Syaoran Clamp.jpg|thumb|450px|Clamp's cross-referencing and storytelling led to characters being re-used in different ways. Left: [[Syaoran Li]], originally from ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]''. Centre: [[Syaoran (Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, clone)|Syaoran]] as he first appears in later work ''[[Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle]]''. Right: an alternative [[Syaoran (Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, original)|Syaoran]] who appears later in ''Tsubasa''.]]
===Header descriptions===
In 2001, ''[[Young Magazine]]'' began serializing Clamp's ''[[Chobits]]'' which completed its run in 2002. Although their previous works are targeted at a female audience, ''Chobits'' marked the first time Clamp wrote for an older teen male audience.<ref>{{cite book |last=Clamp |author-link=Clamp (manga artists) |others=Translanted and adapted by [[Tokyopop]] |title=Clamp no Kiseki Vol. 7 |publisher=Tokyopop |year=2005 |location=[[Los Angeles]] |page=11 |isbn=978-1-59532-611-9}}</ref> Clamp began writing the two works that tell separate parts of the same overarching plot, ''[[xxxHolic]]'' serialized in ''Young Magazine'' beginning in 2003 followed by ''[[Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle]]'' serialized in the ''[[Weekly Shōnen Magazine]]'' beginning in the same year.<ref name="ccs">{{cite web |title=Cardcaptor Sakura Sequel |publisher=[[Anime News Network]] |date=May 21, 2003<!-- 23:30 EDT -->|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2003-05-21/cardcaptor-sakura-sequel |access-date=April 19, 2009}}</ref> ''Tsubasa'' marked the first time Clamp had ever tried writing for a younger male audience, although their first work published in the Shōnen demographic was ''[[Angelic Layer]]''.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite book |last=Clamp |author-link=Clamp (manga artists) |others=Translanted and adapted by William Flanagan |title=Tsubasa CHARACTer GuiDE |publisher=[[Del Rey Manga|Del Rey]] |year=2006 |location=[[New York City|New York]] |pages=[https://archive.org/details/tsubasacharacter00clam/page/126 126–132] |isbn=978-0-345-49484-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/tsubasacharacter00clam/page/126 }}</ref>
'''Volumes released''' refers to the number of volumes of a given series released in Japan. For international releases, please see [[International publishing status of Clamp works]].


In 2004, Clamp's 15th anniversary as a manga artist group, the members changed their names from [[Nanase Ohkawa]], Mokona Apapa, Mick Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi to Ageha Ohkawa, [[Mokona]], [[Tsubaki Nekoi]] and [[Satsuki Igarashi]] (her name is pronounced the same, but written with different characters) respectively.<ref name="Chang Interview"/> To celebrate Clamp's 15th anniversary, [[Tokyopop]] released a twelve-part magazine series entitled ''[[Clamp no Kiseki]]'' that contained a plethora of information for fans.<ref>{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Lesley |title=Happy Birthday, Clamp! |work=Animefringe |date=April 2005 |url=http://www.animefringe.com/magazine/2005/04/feature/01.php |access-date=2009-04-18}}</ref> The August 2004 issue of ''[[Newtype USA]]'', a magazine specializing in events of the [[anime]] and [[manga]] subcultures, reported that the members of Clamp simply wanted to try out new names. In a later interview with Ohkawa, it was revealed that initially Mokona wanted to drop her surname because it sounded too immature for her liking, while Nekoi disliked people mistakenly commenting on her as [[Mick Jagger|a Rolling Stones member]]. Ohkawa and Igarashi, wanting to go with the flow of Nekoi's and Mokona's name changes, changed their names as well.<ref name="Chang Interview">{{cite web |last=Chang |first=Chih-Chieh |title=Interview with Ageha Ohkawa and Mitsuhisa Ishikawa |publisher=[[Anime News Network]] |date=March 2, 2006 |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature.php?id=245 |access-date=2007-10-15}}</ref>
===In-progress works===

{| class="wikitable" width="100%"
In 2006, Clamp provided the character designs for ''[[Code Geass]]''. This came into fruition after producer Yoshitaka Kawaguchi called them. This also marked Clamp's first time being requested to provide a character design for an anime series not originally created by them.<ref>{{cite news|title=Interview with Ichirō Ōkouchi|work=Code Geass DVD Volume 1|publisher=[[Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Interview with Gorō Taniguchi and Ageha Ōkawa, head writer of Clamp|work=[[Newtype]], May 2007 issue}}</ref>
! Name !! Volumes Released !! Current Status

Ohkawa made her first appearance overseas at the [[Taipei International Book Exhibition]] sponsored by [[Production I.G]] that same year.<ref name="Chang Interview"/> During an interview there, she announced that Clamp would be making its first United States public debut at ''[[Anime Expo]]'' in July in [[Anaheim, California]] co-sponsored by Anime Expo, [[Del Rey Manga]], [[Funimation]] and Tokyopop.<ref>{{cite web |title=Clamp scheduled for US appearance in July |publisher=[[Anime News Network]] |date=2006-03-08<!-- 15:51 EST -->|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2006-03-08/clamp-scheduled-for-us-appearance-in-july |access-date=2009-04-10}}</ref><ref name="Anime Expo 2006">{{cite web |title=Clamp to make first U.S. appearance |publisher=[[Anime News Network]] |date=April 10, 2006 |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2006-04-10/clamp-to-make-first-u.s-appearance |access-date=2009-04-10}}</ref> They were well received at the convention as fans completely filled all 6,000 seats present in the auditorium of the focus panel in addition to more on the waiting list.<ref name="FocusPanel2"/> By 2006, Clamp had reportedly sold in excess of 90 million copies of their manga internationally.<ref>{{cite web|title=Clamp at Anime Expo |publisher=ICv2 |date=2006-11-04 |url=http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/8493.html |access-date=2009-04-21}}</ref>

===2010–present===
While ''[[Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle|Tsubasa]]'' ended in October 2009, ''xxxHolic'' ended in early 2011. The authors were satisfied with the two manga ending commenting it was difficult to serialize the two interconnected manga at the same time due to ''Tsubasa''{{'}}s focus on action which required them to write side stories for ''xxxHolic''.<ref name="finalinter">{{cite web |title=CLAMP :「想像以上に大変でした」"×××HOLiC""ツバサ"異例の並行連載7年を振り返る|language=ja|publisher=[[Mainichi Shimbun]]|date=March 5, 2011|url=http://mantan-web.jp/2011/03/05/20110305dog00m200014000c.html|trans-title=CLAMP: "It was hard to imagine more "×××HOLiC" "Tsubasa" looking back on an unprecedented 7 year simultaneous serialization|access-date=March 9, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307223025/http://mantan-web.jp/2011/03/05/20110305dog00m200014000c.html|archive-date=March 7, 2012}}</ref>

Clamp collaborated in the ''[[Blood: The Last Vampire]]'' spin off anime, ''[[Blood-C]]'', as they are responsible for designing the characters and providing the story. Ohkawa wrote the scripts with series supervisor, Junichi Fujisaku for both anime series and the sequel movie, ''[[Blood-C: The Last Dark]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-03-24/clamp-i.g-to-collaborate-on-blood-c-original-anime|title=CLAMP, I.G to Collaborate on Blood-C Original Anime|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|date=March 24, 2011|access-date=May 11, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Loo|first=Egan|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-04-08/clamp-blood-c-to-be-made-as-both-tv-series-and-film|title=CLAMP's Blood-C to Be Made as Both TV series and Film|date=2011-04-08|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=2011-04-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Loo|first=Egan|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-12-02/blood-c/the-last-dark-anime-film-trailer-streamed|title=Blood-C The Last Dark Anime Film's Trailer Streamed|date=2011-12-02|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=2011-12-02}}</ref>

''Legal Drug'' restarted serialization in the same year in Kadokawa Shoten's ''Young Ace'' under the new title of ''Drug and Drop''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-08-06/clamp-to-start-new-lawful-drug-manga-series|title=Clamp to Start New Lawful Drug Manga Series|publisher=Anime News Network|date=August 6, 2011|access-date=November 13, 2013}}</ref> A new ''xxxHolic'' manga titled ''XXXHOLiC Rei'' also started serialization in Kodansha's ''Young Magazine'' in March 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-12-02/clamp-to-launch-xxxholic-rei-manga-next-february|title=Clamp to launch xxxHolic Rei manga next February|date=December 2, 2012|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=December 5, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-02-07/xxxholic-rei-manga-delayed-to-early-march|title=xxxHolic: Rei manga delayed to early March|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=February 26, 2013}}</ref>

Clamp also provided character design for [[Studio Deen]]'s the anime adaptation of ''[[Kabukibu!]]'', which aired in April 2017.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sherman|first=Jennifer|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-02-15/clamp-designed-kabukibu-anime-reveals-cast-with-video/.112272|title=CLAMP-designed Kabukibu! Anime Reveals Cast with Video|date=2017-02-15|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=2017-02-15}}</ref>

''[[Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card]]'' began serialization in 2016 with an anime that aired from January to June 2018 on [[NHK]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.idigitaltimes.com/cardcaptor-sakura-new-manga-series-sequel-and-launches-june-529577 |title='Cardcaptor Sakura' New Manga Series Is A Sequel And Launches In June |last=Martinez |first=Phillip |date=26 April 2016 |website=iDigitalTimes |access-date=21 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222110936/http://www.idigitaltimes.com/cardcaptor-sakura-new-manga-series-sequel-and-launches-june-529577 |archive-date=22 February 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-02-02/cardcaptor-sakura-gets-new-project-to-celebrate-manga-20th-anniversary/.98171 |title=Cardcaptor Sakura Gets 'New Project' to Celebrate Manga's 20th Anniversary |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2 February 2016 |publisher=Anime News Network |access-date=21 February 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-11-26/cardcaptor-sakura-clear-card-arc-manga-gets-tv-anime-series-in-january-2018/.109204 |title=Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Arc Manga Gets TV Anime Series in January 2018 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=26 November 2016 |publisher=Anime News Network |access-date=21 February 2017 }}</ref>

On October 19, 2020, the official Clamp fans website posted a link to a YouTube video due to start on October 25, 2020. These daily links are each accompanied by a graphic displaying the number of days to go until the announcement, and a single word. Each word relates to a chapter of ''Tokyo Babylon'' from the respectively numbered [[Tankōbon|tankobon]] volume. This has caused speculation among Clamp's fans that a new ''Tokyo Babylon'' related work is due to be announced.<ref>{{cite web|last=Wolf|first=Ian|url=https://animeuknews.net/2020/10/speculation-growing-over-forthcoming-news-from-clamp/|title=Speculation growing over forthcoming news from CLAMP|publisher=Anime UK News|date=October 20, 2020|access-date=October 21, 2020}}</ref> On October 25, 2020, at 15:00 UTC (October 26, 2020 at midnight Japan Standard Time), a trailer was released for a new anime adaptation of ''Tokyo Babylon''. The new series, ''Tokyo Babylon 2021'', will be released and set the story in the year 2021. It was to be made by the studio [[GoHands]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Loo|first=Egan|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-10-25/clamp-tokyo-babylon-manga-gets-tv-anime-in-2021-by-gohands/.165573|title=CLAMP's Tokyo Babylon Manga Gets TV Anime in 2021 by GoHands|publisher=Anime News Network|date=October 25, 2020|access-date=October 25, 2020}}</ref> The series was to debut in April 2021, but was postponed due to the production team's plagiarism incident.<ref>{{cite web|last=Loo|first=Egan|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-11-19/clamp-tokyo-babylon-2021-tv-anime-unveils-cast-staff-new-video-april-debut/.166505|title= CLAMP's Tokyo Babylon 2021 TV Anime Unveils Cast, Staff, New Video, April Debut|date=November 19, 2020|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=November 19, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Hodgkins|first=Crystalyn|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-12-24/tokyo-babylon-2021-anime-delayed-from-april-2021-due-to-plagiarism-incident/.167817|title=Tokyo Babylon 2021 Anime Delayed From April 2021 Due to Plagiarism Incident|date=2020-12-24|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=2020-12-24}}</ref> On March 28, 2021, the production committee announced that the series's production was discontinued, and Clamp and the production committee will restart the anime series with a different studio.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-03-28/tokyo-babylon-2021-anime-canceled-with-restart-planned-after-more-plagiarism-uncovered/.171243|title=Tokyo Babylon 2021 Anime Canceled with Restart Planned, After More Plagiarism Uncovered|last=Pineda|first=Rafael Antonio|date=2021-03-28|website=Anime News Network|access-date=2021-03-28}}</ref>

In January 2021, it was announced that a new series in the ''Cardfight!! Vanguard'' franchise will begin on April 3, 2021, and will feature character designs by Clamp. The new series will be called ''[[Cardfight!! Vanguard|Vanguard overDress]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-01-19|title=New Cardfight!! Vanguard Series Vanguard overDress Announced|url=https://otakuusamagazine.com/new-cardfight-vanguard-series-vanguard-overdress-announced/|access-date=2021-01-19|website=Otaku USA Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref>

In June 2021, it was announced that Clamp will collaborate with [[Netflix]] to produce an original anime series based on the ''[[Grimms' Fairy Tales]]'', with [[Wit Studio]] handling the animation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-06-15/netflix-collaboration-with-clamp-to-adapt-grimm-fairy-tales-with-wit-studio/.173977|title=Netflix's Collaboration With CLAMP to Adapt Grimm's Fairy Tales With WIT Studio|last=Hazra|first=Adriana|date=2021-06-15|website=Anime News Network|access-date=2021-06-15}}</ref> In March 2024, the series' title was revealed as ''[[The Grimm Variations]]'', which was released as a Netflix exclusive in April 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-03-20/netflix-streams-the-grimm-variations-anime-on-april-17/.208965|title=Netflix Streams The Grimm Variations Anime on April 17|last=Mateo|first=Alex|website=[[Anime News Network]]|date=2024-03-20|access-date=2024-03-20}}</ref>

==Business model==
The members of Clamp all share a single workplace and as such do not need to arrange specific meetings.<ref name="Clamp North Side"/> [[Nanase Ohkawa]] acts as the group's spokesperson, producer-director, and storyboarder.<ref name="NYT report"/> [[Mokona]] is the chief character designer, while Igarashi and Nekoi work for the background; however, the three often shuffle their roles.<ref name="Chang Interview"/> Sometimes, they may split the work of the characters and backgrounds or have one person draw all the art depending on the story. The three artists try to stay as "close as possible" to Ohkawa's original designs. Ohkawa advises the artists on what colors to use.<ref name="Clamp North Side"/> Although Ohkawa chooses which projects they decide to decline or accept, [[Satsuki Igarashi]] decides on the actual time and order the group works on each project, creating the schedules for time allotted to each individual work.<ref name="Clamp Focus Panel"/> They do not have any assistants, stating that assistants would slow them down because they would not understand the "years worth of jargon" they created among themselves.<ref name="Clamp North Side"/>

Once Ohkawa has conceived a story, the four members of the group gather "to discuss the purpose of the story and its main characters". After the group members become familiar with the story, Ohkawa drafts an outline for the story and determines the story's setting.<ref name="Clamp North Side"/> The ending for each story is predetermined.<ref name="FocusPanel2"/> Ohkawa designs many of the characters early in the story's development; frequently appearing guest characters are designed from the beginning whereas minor characters are designed early on.<ref name="Clamp North Side"/> As Ohkawa drafts the outline, the other three members formulate character designs by creating character profile sheets so as to avoid confusion.<ref name="Clamp North Side"/> After drawing a sample story and sketch for their editor and receiving approval, Ohkawa assigns the roles to each group member and then chooses the visual styles depending on factors such as the complexity of the story, the chosen art style, and its relationship to the group's other works.<ref name="Clamp North Side"/><ref name="Chang Interview"/><ref name="NYT report"/><ref name="Clamp Focus Panel"/> Ohkawa provides a rough draft for each chapter detailing things such as dialogue, panel size, props, movement, and character's emotions.<ref name="Clamp North Side"/>

On average for each chapter that they produce (for Clamp, an average of 20 pages of artwork in a magazine), storyboarding takes twelve hours, the script takes eight hours to write, and the artwork depends on the story. For example, a chapter of ''[[xxxHolic]]'' takes two days, whereas a chapter of ''[[X (manga)|X]]'' took four to five days.<ref name="FocusPanel2"/>

==Style==
[[File:Sakura, Syaoran, Yuko Ichihara cosplayers at NCCBF 2010-04-18 1.JPG|thumb|right|A group [[cosplay]]ing three Clamp characters: [[Sakura (Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle)|Sakura]] (top left) and [[Syaoran (Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, clone)|Syaoran]] (top right) from ''[[Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle]]''; and [[Yuko Ichihara]] (bottom) from ''[[xxxHolic]]''.]]
In general, Ohkawa gets her inspiration for the group from everyday events such as dreams or the news.<ref name="Clamp Focus Panel">{{cite web |last=Bertschy |first=Zac |title=Clamp Focus Panel and Press Conference |publisher=[[Anime News Network]] |date=2006-07-03 |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2006/anime-expo/22 |access-date=2009-04-12}}</ref> Unlike most manga artists who specialize in a single genre, Clamp has created a diverse body of work.<ref name="NYT report"/> Clamp's genres vary widely, from childish and comedic (''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'', ''[[Chobits]]'', ''[[Clamp School Detectives]]'') to more dramatic and teen-rated (''[[xxxHolic]]'', ''[[X (manga)|X]]'') series. Furthermore, drawing from the idea of [[Osamu Tezuka's Star System]] as they did in ''[[Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle]]'',<ref>{{cite book |last=Fujie |first=Kazuhisa |author-link=Kazuhisa Fujie |author2=LABAAMEN |author2-link=LABAAMEN |title=Tsubasa Chronicle Factbook: Mystery, Magic & Mischief |publisher=[[DH Publishing]] |year=2008 |page=10 |isbn=978-1-932897-26-5}}</ref> Clamp often crossover characters from their own series into their other works, which gives rise to a loosely defined "Clamp Universe".<ref name="Oppliger"/>

Although most of their manga are female-oriented, Clamp has also attracted male readers in their early works through their handling of fight scenes in ''X'' and ''Tokyo Babylon''.<ref name="manganews">{{cite web|url=https://www.manga-news.com/index.php/manga/critique/X-1999-Double/vol-1|title=X - 1999 - Double Vol.1|website=Manga News|access-date=11 December 2020|language=fr|date=7 January 2020|archive-date=9 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109035714/https://www.manga-news.com/index.php/manga/critique/X-1999-Double/vol-1|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="askjohn1543">{{cite web|url= http://www.animenation.net/blog/2007/04/23/ask-john-should-there-be-more-variety-in-shonen-shoujo-anime/|title= Ask John: Should There Be More Variety in Shōnen & Shōjo Anime?|date= 23 April 2007|access-date= 1 July 2007|publisher= Anime Nation|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110927113540/http://www.animenation.net/blog/2007/04/23/ask-john-should-there-be-more-variety-in-shonen-shoujo-anime/|archive-date= 27 September 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Divers|first=Allen|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/tankobon-tower/2003-07-02|title=A New Beginning - TT|work=Anime News Network|date=2 July 2003|access-date=18 November 2016|archive-date=11 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411064419/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/tankobon-tower/2003-07-02|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.zonanegativa.com/tokyo-babylon/|language=Spanish|title=Tokyo Babylon|website=ZonaNegativa|date=5 January 2012 |access-date=November 11, 2021}}</ref> ''Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle'' is a male-oriented manga but Clamp still added multiple motifs to attracts readers such as Syaoran's romantic journey.<ref>{{cite book|title=Shōjo Across Media: Exploring "Girl" Practices in Contemporary Japan|page=241|asin=B07NYCQYCG|year=2019|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan}}</ref> ''[[xxxHolic]]'' is an adult-oriented manga but it uses Kimihiro Watanuki as a protagonist that would attract a female demographic.<ref name="mangacultures">{{cite book|title=Manga Cultures and the Female Gaze|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|author=Hemmann, Kathryn|isbn=978-3030180942|year=2020}}</ref>

===Art===
The current members of Clamp took art-focused classes during their high school. However, [[Tsubaki Nekoi]] feels that, aside from basic art skills, drawing manga requires a different skill set; however, none of the group members has worked as an assistant for already established manga artists, and most of their ability is self-taught.<ref name="Clamp Focus Panel"/> Clamp's manga is distinguished by its diverse visual styles.<ref name="NYT report"/> Their work ''[[Clover (Clamp manga)|Clover]]'', for example, is remarkable for its heavy use of [[negative space]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Manga: Clover (Clamp) vol.1 |publisher=[[Chibi Reviews]] |date=2008-03-09 |url=http://www.chibi-reviews.com/2008/03/09/manga-clover-clamp/ |access-date=2009-04-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222182151/http://www.chibi-reviews.com/2008/03/09/manga-clover-clamp/ |archive-date=2012-02-22 }}</ref>

===Themes===
Clamp's works span a wide variety of themes. As opposed to keeping consistent themes across their works or having individual themes for each work, Nanase Ohkawa stated "we come up with a new theme for each story. One thing to say each time." Their works often deal with the theme of human fate that relates to Ohkawa's view on life; Ohkawa believes that "fate is something you choose", not a "mystical force manipulating your destiny", and that with determination and resolve, "you can change your fate".<ref name="Animerica Interview">{{cite book |editor-last=Ledoux |editor-first=Trish |title=Anime Interviews: The First Five Years of Animerica, Anime & Manga Monthly (1992-97) |publisher=[[Viz Media|Cadence Books]] |year=2005 |location=[[San Francisco]] |page=177 |isbn=978-1-56931-220-9}}</ref>

Also common is the idea of [[soulmate]]s, or couples tied together by [[destiny|fate]]. Syaoran and Sakura (featured in both ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'' and ''[[Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle]]'') are among Clamp's signature couples that best fits this representation. As also seen in ''Magic Knight Rayearth'', three girls are bound together by fate to save Cephiro. Fate is also the reason the three girls consider each other "sisters"; another idea that elaborates people being tied together (family cannot be chosen). Clamp also explores the idea of [[chastity|chaste]] or pure [[romantic love|love]] (as in the manga ''[[Chobits]]'').<ref>{{cite book |last=Lamarre |first=Thomas |author-link=Thomas Lamarre |title=The Anime Machine: A Media Theory of Animation|url=https://archive.org/details/animemachinemedi00lama |url-access=limited |date=October 30, 2009 |publisher=[[University of Minnesota Press]] |isbn=978-0-8166-5154-2 |chapter=Chapter 17 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/animemachinemedi00lama/page/n259 221]–233}}</ref> Clamp's disregard for sex or gender (or at times biological age) in these couples has led them to write same-sex couples into many of their manga in contrast to many other manga artists (for example, Tōya and Yukito in ''Cardcaptor Sakura''). A number of such couples have been shown together across parallel dimensions in the Clamp [[multiverse]]. Although Clamp often writes romantic works, Ohkawa has mentioned that she feels that it is more putting one's life on the line than love that causes women to grow or change.<ref name="Clamp Focus Panel"/> Clamp never features love as a central theme; Ohkawa stated in an interview with Takeshi Oshiguchi in 1997 for ''[[Animerica]]'' that she is not "good at love stories" since her "idea of a relationship is different from that of a lot of other people".<ref name="Animerica Interview"/>

Perhaps drawing inspiration from Ohkawa's own poor right-eye vision, Clamp frequently features one-eyed characters or characters that lose their sight in one eye as means to express the feeling of loneliness (for example, Subaru and Seishirō in ''Tokyo Babylon'' and ''X'' and Fay in ''Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle''). However, there is always something later on that comes to supplement the loss in vision.<ref name="Clamp Focus Panel"/>

==Works==
{{Main|List of Clamp works}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|-
! Start !! End !! Title !! Publisher !! Serialized in !! Status !! Volumes
|[[Clover (manga)|CLOVER]]
|4
|Ran in the now cancelled [[Amie]] magazine.
|-
|-
|1989
|{{nihongo|[[Kobato|Kobato.]]<br>|こばと。}}
|1996
|''N/A''
|''[[RG Veda]]''
|Ran in ''[[Monthly Sunday Gene-X]]'' for seven chapters. Returned to publication in the November 2006 edition of [[Newtype (magazine)]].
|[[Shinshokan]]
|''[[Wings (manga magazine)|Wings]]''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|10
|-
|-
|1990
|{{nihongo|[[Legal Drug]]<br>|合法ドラッグ|Gohō Drug}}
|1991
|3
|''[[Man of Many Faces]]''
|Not running in any magazine. According to Clamp, it will resume production soon.
|[[Kadokawa Shoten]]
|''[[Newtype]]''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|2
|-
|-
|1990
|{{nihongo|[[Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle|Tsubasa -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE-]]<br>|ツバサ−RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE−}}
|1993
|19
|''[[Tokyo Babylon]]''
|Running since 2003 in ''[[Weekly Shōnen Magazine]]''.
|Shinshokan
|''Wings''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|7
|-
|-
|1991
|{{nihongo|[[X (manga)|X/1999]]<br>|X|Ekkusu}}
|1993
|18
|''[[Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders]]''
|Not running in any magazine since March 2003. Some social problems in Japan prevent Kadokawa from releasing further chapters.
|Kadokawa Shoten
|''Newtype Comic Genki''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|2
|-
|-
|1992
|{{nihongo|[[×××HOLiC]]<br>|×××ホリック|Horikku}}
|1993
|10
|''[[Clamp School Detectives]]''
|Running weekly since 2003 in ''[[Young Magazine]]''.
|Kadokawa Shoten
|}
|''[[Monthly Asuka]]''

|{{yes|Complete}}
===Completed Works===
|3
{| class="wikitable" width="100%"
! Name !! Publisher and Series !! Volumes Released
|-
|-
|1992
|{{nihongo|[[Angelic Layer]]<br>|エンジェリックレイヤー|Enjerikku Reiyā}}
|1992
|[[Kadokawa Shoten]]<br />Kadokawa Comics Series
|''[[Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess Tales|Shirahimeshou: Snow Goddess Tales]]''
|5
|Kadokawa Shoten
|''Monthly Asuka''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|1
|-
|-
|1992
|{{nihongo|[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]<br>|カードキャプターさくら|Kādokyaputā Sakura}}
|2003
|[[Kodansha]]<br />KC Deluxe
|''[[X (manga)|X/1999]]''
|12
|Kadokawa Shoten
|''Monthly Asuka''
|{{No|Halted<ref name="X Note" group="n">The remaining uncollected chapters following the hiatus were collected into "Volume 18.5", first released in the book ''All About Clamp''. These were released as their own tankobon, "Volume 18.5", on 4 November 2023. </ref>}}
|19
|-
|-
|1992
|{{nihongo|[[Chobits]]<br>|ちょびっツ|Chobitsu}}
|1994
|[[Kodansha]]<br />Young Magazine KC Deluxe
|''[[Legend of Chun Hyang]]''
|8
|[[Hakusensha]]
|''Serie Mystery - Special''
|{{Yes|Complete}}
|1
|-
|-
|1993
|{{nihongo|[[Clamp no Kiseki]]<br>|Clampノキセキ|Clamp no Kiseki}}
|1995
|''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]''
|[[Kodansha]]
|[[Kodansha]]
|''[[Nakayoshi]]''
|12
|{{yes|Complete}}
|3
|-
|-
|1993
|{{nihongo|[[Clamp School Detectives]]<br>|Clamp学園探偵団|Clamp Gakuen Tanteidan}}
|1995
|[[Kadokawa Shoten]]<br />Asuka Comics DX
|''[[Miyuki-chan in Wonderland]]''
|3
|Kadokawa Shoten
|''[[Newtype]]''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|1
|-
|-
|1993
|{{nihongo|[[Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders]]<br>|学園特警デュカリオン|Gakuen Tokkei Dyukarion}}
|1995
|[[Kadokawa Shoten]]<br />Newtype 100% Comics
|''[[The One I Love (manga)|The One I Love]]''
|2
|Kadokawa Shoten
|''Young Rose Comics DX''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|1
|-
|-
|1995
|{{nihongo|[[The Legend of Chun Hyang]]<br>|新・春香伝|Shin Shunkaden}}
|1996
|[[Hakusensha]]<br />Serie Mystery HLC / Hakusensha Library
|''[[Magic Knight Rayearth 2]]''
|1
|Kodansha
|''Nakayoshi''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|3
|-
|-
|1995
|{{nihongo|[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]<br>|魔法騎士レイアース|Majikku Naito (Mahō Kishi) Reiāsu}}
|1998
|[[Kodansha]]<br />KC Deluxe
|''[[Wish (manga)|Wish]]''
|6
|Kadokawa Shoten
|''Monthly Asuka''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|4
|-
|-
|1996
|{{nihongo|[[Man of Many Faces|20 Mensō ni Onegai!!/20 Masks, Please!!]]<br>|20面相におねがい!!|20 Mensō ni Onegai!!}}
|2000
|[[Kadokawa Shoten]]<br />Newtype 100% Comics / Kadokawa Comics Series
|''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]''
|2
|Kodansha
|''Nakayoshi''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|12
|-
|-
|1997
|{{nihongo|[[Miyuki-chan in Wonderland]]<br>|不思議の国の美幸ちゃん|Fushigi no Kuni no Miyuki-chan}}
|1999
||[[Kadokawa Shoten]]<br />Newtype 100% Comics Extra / Kadokawa Comics Series
|''[[Clover (Clamp manga)|Clover]]''
|1
|Kodansha
|''Amie''
|{{no|Halted}}
|4
|-
|-
|1999
|{{nihongo|[[The One I Love (manga)|The One I Love]]<br>|わたしのすきなひと|Watashi no Suki na Hito}}
|2001
|[[Kadokawa Shoten]]<br />Young Rose Comics DX
|''[[Angelic Layer]]''
|1
|Kadokawa Shoten
|''[[Monthly Shōnen Ace]]''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|5
|-
|-
|1999
|{{nihongo|[[RG Veda]]<br>|聖伝|Sei-den}}
|2000
|[[Shinshokan]]<br />Wings Comics
|''[[Suki: A Like Story]]''
|10
|Kadokawa Shoten
|''Monthly Asuka''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|3
|-
|-
|2000
|{{nihongo|[[Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess Tales]]<br>|白姫抄|Shirahime-Shō}}
|2003
|[[Kadokawa Shoten]]<br />Asuka Comics DX
|''[[Legal Drug]]''
|1
|Kadokawa Shoten
|-
|''Monthly Asuka''
|{{nihongo|[[Suki (manga)|Suki Dakara Suki (I like, therefore I like)]]<br>|「すき。だからすき」|"Suki; Dakara Suki"}}
|{{yes|Complete<ref name="Legal Drug Note" group="n">''Drug & Drop'' is the continuation of ''Legal Drug''</ref>}}
|[[Kadokawa Shoten]]<br />Asuka Comics
|3
|3
|-
|-
|2000
|{{nihongo|[[Tokyo Babylon]]<br>|東京BABYLON|Tōkyō BABYLON}}
|2002
|[[Shinshokan]]<br />Wings Comics / Wings Library
|''[[Chobits]]''
|7
|Kodansha
|-
|[[Wish (manga)|Wish]]
|''[[Young Magazine]]''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|[[Kadokawa Shoten]]<br />Asuka Comics DX
|4
|8
|}


===Short works===
These are short works that were only available in monthly magazines; they were never published in manga form.
{| class="wikitable" width="100%"
! Name !! Year Published !! Featured In
|-
|-
|{{nihongo|[[Tenshi no Bodyguard]]<br>|天使のボディガード|Tenshi no Bodyguard}}
|1989
|[[Kobunsha]] Val Pretty
|-
|{{nihongo|[[Shiawase ni Naritai]]<br>|しあわせになりたい|Shiawase ni Naritai}}
|1990
|[[Fusion Product]] Genki Tokuhon
|-
|{{nihongo|[[Tenku Senki Shurato Original Memory : Dreamer]]<br>|天空戦記シュラト オリジナルメモリー「夢魔(ドリーマー)」|Tenku Senki Shurato Original Memory : Dreamer}}
|1990
|[[Kadokawa]] Newtype Comic Genki no Moto
|-
|{{nihongo|[[Koi wa Tenka no Mawarimono]]<br>|恋は天下のまわりもの|Koi wa Tenka no Mawarimono}}
|1990
|[[Hakusensha]] Series
|-
|{{nihongo|[[Left Hand (manga)|Left Hand]]<br>|左手|Hidari Te}}
|1994
|[[Shinshokan]] South Summer
|-
|{{nihongo|[[Sohryuden: Legend of the Dragon Kings|Sohryuden: The Dragon Kings in the city of water]]<br>|水都の四兄弟 創竜伝・外伝|Suito no Yonkyōdai Sohryūden Gaiden}}
|1994
|[[Kadokawa]] Monthly Mystery DX
|-
|{{nihongo|[[Yumegari]]<br>|夢狩り|Yumegari}}
|1996
|[[Kadokawa]] Monthly Asuka
|-
|{{nihongo|[[Ano hi wo shiru mono wa saiwai de Aru]]<br>|あの日を知るものは幸いである|Ano hi wo shiru mono wa saiwai de Aru}}
|2002
|2002
|[[Kodansha]] Young Magazine Zoukan : Sports Sou
|-
|{{nihongo|[[Murikuri]]<br>|むりくり|Murikuri}}
|2002
|2002
|''[[Murikuri]]''
|[[Kodansha]] Young Magazine
|Kodansha
|}
|''Young Magazine''

|{{yes|Complete}}
===Collaborations===
|1 (one shot)
{| class="wikitable" width="100%"
! Name !! Collaborated With !! Contribution
|-
|-
|2003
|{{nihongo|[[Clamp School Paranormal Investigators]]<br>|Clamp学園怪奇現象研究会事件ファイル|Clamp Gakuen Kaikigenshou Kenkyuukai Jiken File}}
|2011
|[[Tomiyuki Matsumoto]]
|''[[xxxHolic]]''
|Manga illustrations and script
|Kodansha
|''Young Magazine'', then ''Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|19
|-
|-
|2003
|[[Code Geass|Code Geass - Lelouch of the Rebellion]]
|2009
|[[Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]]
|''[[Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle]]''
|Character design
|Kodansha
|''[[Weekly Shōnen Magazine]]''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|28
|-
|-
|2005
|{{nihongo|[[Koi (manga)|Koi]]<br>|恋|Koi}}
|2011
|[[Takeshi Okazaki]]
|''[[Kobato]]''
|Manga script
|[[Shogakukan]], then Kadokawa Shoten
|''[[Monthly Sunday Gene-X]]'', then ''Newtype''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|6
|-
|-
|2011
|[[Night Head]]
|2013
|[[George Iida]]
|''[[Gate 7]]''
|Novel illustrations (2 Volumes)
|[[Shueisha]]
|''[[Jump SQ]]''
|{{No|Halted}}
|4 (23 chapters)
|-
|-
|2011
|{{nihongo|[[Oshiroi Chouchou]]<br>|おしろい蝶々|Oshiroi Chouchou}}
|2013
|[[Kamon Nanami・Akira]]
|''[[Legal Drug|Drug & Drop]]''<ref name="Legal Drug Note" group="n" />
|Manga illustrations (1 volume)
|Kadokawa Shoten
|''[[Young Ace]]''
|{{No|Halted}}
|2 (17 chapters)
|-
|-
|2013
|{{nihongo|[[Rex: A Dinosaur Story]]<br>|REX 恐竜物語|Rekkusu: Kyōryū Monogatari}}
|2017
|[[Hata Masanori]]
|''[[xxxHolic|xxxHolic: Rei]]''
|Manga illustrations and script (1 Volume)
|Kodansha
|''[[Young Magazine]]''
|{{No|Halted}}
|4 (56 chapters)
|-
|-
|2014
|{{nihongo|[[Sohryuden: Legend of the Dragon Kings]]<br>|創竜伝|Sōryūden}}
|2016
|[[Yoshiki Tanaka]]
|''[[Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle|Tsubasa World Chronicle: Nirai Kanai-hen]]''
|Novel illustrations (12 volumes)
|Kodansha
|''[[Magazine Special]]''
|{{yes|Complete}}
|3 (19 chapters + extra)
|-
|-
|2016
|{{nihongo|[[Shu no Ketsumyaku]]<br>|呪の血脈
|2024
|Shu no Ketsumyaku}}
| ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card]]''
|[[Kamon Nanami]]
|Kodansha
|Novel illustrations (1 volumes)
| ''Nakayoshi''
|-
|{{yes|Complete}}
|{{nihongo|[[Sweet Valerian]] (Animated Series)<br>|スウィート・ヴァレリアン|Suuīto Varerian}}
| 16 (80 chapters)
|[[Madhouse (company)|Madhouse Production]]
|Character design
|}
|}


==Reception and awards==
Clamp has authored other dōjinshi that are not listed above. Having started as a dōjinshi group, most of Clamp's dōjinshi are from their earlier years. A number of Clamp's earlier works are also not listed above.
Mystery has surrounded the members of Clamp as, in order to avoid being harassed by overzealous fans, they avoid making public appearances.<ref name="Chang Interview"/> In polls conducted by marketing research firm [[Oricon]], Clamp was elected ninth most popular manga artist from Japan in 2007, while they were eighth in 2008, sharing the spot with [[Fujiko F. Fujio]].<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2011-05-26|publisher=[[Oricon]]|url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/ranking/16945/|date=2006-03-30|title=『NANA』の矢沢あいが好きなマンガ家No.1!}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=2008-02-01|publisher=[[Anime News Network]]|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-03-04/oricon-nana-yazawa-db-toriyama-are-most-popular|date=2008-03-04|title=Oricon: Nana's Yazawa, DB's Toriyama are Most Popular}}</ref>

==International publishing status of Clamp works==
Please see [[International publishing status of Clamp works]].

==Former Clamp members==
===[[Tamayo Akiyama]]===
{{nihongo||秋山 たまよ|Akiyama Tamayo}}
*Birth : November 28, 1966 in Ōsaka
*Blood Type : B
*Officially left in : October 1992

Akiyama was responsible for the script and illustrations in ''[[Derayd]]'', a manga based on an original idea by Ohkawa. Then, she started ''[[Cluster (manga)|Cluster]]'' (original idea, script and art) with the studio and continued to work on it after leaving Clamp in 1992. She worked on 20 Mensō ni Onegai!! and RG Veda with the other artists of the studio. After leaving the group, Akiyama published ''[[Hyper Rune]]'', ''[[Mouryou Kiden]]'', ''[[Secret Chaser]]'', ''[[Zyword]]'' and ''[[Shade (manga)|Shade]]''.

===[[Leeza Sei]]===
{{nihongo|Leeza Sei|聖りいざ|Sei Riiza}}
*Birth : April 28, 1967 in Ōsaka
*Blood Type : B
*Officially left in : October 1992

Sei was an assistant artist on ''[[RG Veda]]''. She was also in charge of story and illustrations of ''[[Combination (manga)|Combination]]'', a manga based on an original idea of Ohkawa. When Sei left Clamp, she continued this series under her "Clamp name", finishing it in 6 volumes. After leaving the group, she changed her name to ''[[Iba Takeo]]'' and published her manga (''[[Gilgrim]]'' in 2 volumes, ''[[Phantom Cognition]]'' in 10 volumes and ''[[Tasogare no Rakuen]]'' 7 volumes and still running) in the Princess Gold magazine. She is still doing some dōjinshi with Nanao Sei, another ex-Clamp member, under the L.S.N. name (Leeza Sei Nanao).

===[[Sei Nanao]]===
{{nihongo|七穂せい|Nanao Sei}}
*Birth : October 29, 1967 in Ōsaka
*Blood Type : O
*Officially left in : June 1990 (Last mentioned in ''Shōten 6'').
Still does doujinshi with fellow former Clamp member Leeza Sei under the name "L.S.N." (Leeza Sei Nanao).

===[[Sōshi Hishika]]===
{{nihongo|Hishika Sōshi|日鷺総司|Hishika Sōshi}}
*Birth : ?
*Blood Type : ?
*Officially left in : Mars 1993 (as mentioned in the Shōten 3).

===[[Kazue Nakamori]]===
{{nihongo|中森かずえ|Nakamori Kazue}}
*Birth : ?
*Blood Type : ?
*Officially left in : Mars 1993 (as mentioned in the Shōten 3).

===[[Shinya Ohmi]]===
{{nihongo|大海神哉|Ohmi Shinya}}
*Birth : ?
*Blood Type : ?
*Officially left in : Mars 1993 (as mentioned in the Shōten 3). He was the only man in the team and related to Akiyama Tamayo.

===[[O-Kyon]]===
{{nihongo|お・きょん|O-kyon}}
*Birth : ?
*Blood Type : ?
*Officially left in : Mars 1993 (as mentioned in the Shōten 3). She get married on May 27th 1990.


[[Gen Fukunaga]], the president and CEO of [[Funimation]], has praised Clamp as being "one of the most acclaimed groups of artists in Japan".<ref name="Anime Expo 2006"/> According to Charles Solomon, a journalist for ''[[The New York Times]]'', Clamp "ranks among the most successful creators of manga ... in Japan and the United States". Dallas Middaugh, associate publisher of [[Del Rey Manga]], stated that Clamp was an integral part of "manga explosion" that has been occurring in the United States over the past few years. He also praised the group's artwork and storytelling style as having "struck a strong chord with male and female manga readers".<ref name="NYT report">{{cite news |first=Charles |last=Solomon |title=Four Mothers of Manga Gain American Fans With Expertise in a Variety of Visual Styles |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/arts/design/28clam.html?ex=1322370000&en=915b5385604af201&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss |work=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 28, 2006 |access-date=2009-04-14}}</ref> The group was placed third after the winner for the [[Shogakukan Manga Award]] in the Children's category in 1999.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shogakukan Manga Award |publisher=Joel Hahn |url=http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/shogakukan.php |access-date=2009-04-21}}</ref> Their work ''[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]'' won the [[Seiun Award#Best Comic of the Year|Seiun Award]] for best manga in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |title=List |date=2007-09-05 |url=http://www.sf-fan.gr.jp/awards/list.html |access-date=2009-04-14}}</ref> Almost 100 million Clamp ''[[tankōbon]]'' copies have been sold worldwide as of October 2007.<ref name="Wired Magazine: issue 15.11"/> Various of their selling series include ''xxxHolic'' and ''Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle'' that have sold over eleven million and twenty million volumes, respectively.<ref>{{cite book |last=Clamp |author-link=Clamp (manga artists) |title=xxxHolic #17|publisher=[[Kodansha]] |year=2010 |page=1 |isbn=978-4-06-375906-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mantan-web.jp/2009/09/30/20090930mog00m200001000c.html|script-title=ja:ツバサ :CLAMPの2000万部マンガが「完結」 6年の連載に幕|trans-title=Tsubasa: Clamp manga of 20 million copies completed|publisher=[[Mainichi Shimbun]]|language=ja|date=September 30, 2009|access-date=January 1, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726054228/http://mantan-web.jp/2009/09/30/20090930mog00m200001000c.html|archive-date=July 26, 2011}}</ref>
<!--Following section contains unsourced information. They are all very questionable assertions with Japanese article links that don't work on the English Wikipedia. (In addition, the grammar is rather substandard.)


When asked about the universal popularity of Clamp's works, [[John Oppliger]] of [[AnimeNation]] stated that although it is "not based on originality [or] their artistic skill", they possess a distinct style that "perfectly mesh[es] the conventional attributes of [[shōnen manga|shōnen]] and [[shōjo manga]]". He also pointed out that Clamp often "recycles" characters from their own earlier works, which gave rise to "a loosely defined 'Clamp Universe' that gives much of their work a unifying tone", and creates "absorbing, complex narratives that appeal to both male and female readers". All these factors result in "a [[cult following]] devoted to anything and everything the group publishes".<ref name="Oppliger">{{cite web|url=http://www.animenation.net/blog/2007/10/24/ask-john-what-makes-clamp-works-so-special/|title=Ask John: What Makes Clamp Works So Special?|first=John|last=Oppliger|author-link=AnimeNation#John Oppliger|date=2007-10-24|access-date=2007-10-26|publisher=[[AnimeNation]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222042013/http://www.animenation.net/blog/2007/10/24/ask-john-what-makes-clamp-works-so-special/|archive-date=2012-02-22}}</ref> ''[[The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917|The Anime Encyclopedia]]'' authors stated that "whatever Clamp are on, we'd like some".<ref>Jonathan Clements, Helen McCarthy. ''[[The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917]]. Revised and Expanded Edition.'' — Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press, 2006. — P. 635. — {{ISBN|978-1-933330-10-5}}</ref>
==Clamp and plagiarism problem==
There are a lot of suspected plagiarisms in the work of Clamp.
===[[Clover (manga)|CLOVER]]===
・The heroine wears the same clothes as clothes as it is that [[村田連爾]] drew in the cover picture of the [[Ultra Jump]].
・Design of clothes, properties, and stage setting of leaving [[村田連爾]] taste without reserve
・[[船を建てる]] There is a drawing style of the same scene, the item, and the thing in various places with the part where it is the same more than the half on page 1.
===[[X (manga)|X]]===
・The setting and the situation resemble [[幻魔大戦]] and [[帝都物語]] closely.
・The heroine is slaughtered on the way of the story, and the part where the hero holds heroine's severed head resembles [[デビルマン]] closely.
===[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]===
The setting of [[魔動王グランゾート]] resembles the story closely very much, and it records as follows.
・Three heroes (In the first half in one's teens) become the saviours in the different world, it takes the robot of three planes, and the different world is saved.
・It sets it the fantasy world as a robot thing, that it is unusual, and magic is the main.
・The interior in addition to a peculiar setting that the cockpit of the robot is in a different space in the robot looks like, too.
・It raises the level gradually, the face changes according to it, too and three robots unite by the closing phase.


[[Helen McCarthy]] in ''500 Essential Anime Movies'' stated that Clamp's works "are among the most successful manga and anime with Western fans".<ref>[[Helen McCarthy|McCarthy, Helen]]. ''500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide''. — Harper Design, 2009. — P. 49. — 528 p. — {{ISBN|978-0061474507}}</ref>
===[[Cardcaptor Sakura]]===
・[[豪血寺一族]] of Has [[村田蓮爾]]
The character of "Hanakohji Kurara" from the video game ''Goketuji ichizoku 2'' (Power instinct 2) release in 1994 look very much like "Kinomoto Sakura". She is a magical girl figthing with a staff and wearing pink dress on roller blades.


==Notes==
===[[Angelic Layer|ANGELIC LAYER]]===
<references group="n" />
・The setting, the story, and the situation are [[プラレス3四朗]] and resemble closely very much.
===[[Chobits]]===
・Fatima with a lot of female types (personal computer) resembles closely and a social setting that serves to man resembles '[[ファイブスター物語]]' closely at a semi-human position.
-->


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
*{{ann name|id=5765|name=Clamp}}
*[http://members.aol.com/amarythia/CBM/aug01.htm/ "Ye Ol' Potato Club," Amarythia Duuk’Tarquith, Aug. 2001]
*[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature.php?id=245 Anime News Network's Interview with Clamp]
*[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/28/arts/design/28clam.html?ex=1322370000&en=915b5385604af201&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss Clamp profile in the New York Times]


==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.clamp-net.com Official website] {{ja icon}}
*{{Twitter|id=CLAMP_news|name=CLAMP・News}}
*[http://www.clamp-pla.net Clamp-Pla.Net] {{ja icon}}
*{{Instagram|id=clamp_4_official|name=CLAMP}}
*[http://www.clamp-mobile.com/ Clamp@Mobile] {{ja icon}}
*{{Official website|http://www.clamp-net.com}} {{in lang|ja}}
*{{anime News Network|people|5765|Clamp}}
*{{IMDb name|1220477}}


{{Clamp}}
{{X/1999}}
{{Magic Knight Rayearth}}
{{Cardcaptor Sakura}}
{{Chobits}}
{{xxxHolic|state=collapsed}}
{{Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle|state=collapsed}}


{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Manga artists|Clamp]]
[[Category:Women in comics|Clamp]]
[[Category:CLAMP|{{PAGENAME}]]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Clamp (Manga Artists)}}
[[ca:CLAMP]]
[[Category:Clamp (manga artists)| ]]
[[cs:CLAMP]]
[[Category:Japanese female comics artists]]
[[de:CLAMP]]
[[Category:Women manga artists]]
[[es:CLAMP]]
[[Category:Manga artists]]
[[eo:CLAMP]]
[[Category:1987 establishments in Japan]]
[[fr:CLAMP]]
[[Category:21st-century Japanese writers]]
[[id:CLAMP]]
[[Category:21st-century Japanese women writers]]
[[it:CLAMP]]
[[Category:Collective pseudonyms]]
[[lt:CLAMP]]
[[Category:Pseudonymous women writers]]
[[ms:CLAMP]]
[[Category:20th-century pseudonymous writers]]
[[ja:CLAMP]]
[[Category:21st-century pseudonymous writers]]
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[[zh:CLAMP]]

Latest revision as of 00:58, 23 November 2024

Clamp
Company typeManga studio
Founded1987
Headquarters
Japan
Key people
Current: Former:
  • O-Kyon
  • Sei Nanao
  • Tamayo Akiyama
  • Leeza Sei
  • Sōshi Hishika
  • Kazue Nakamori
  • Shinya Ōmi

Clamp (stylized in all caps) is an all-female Japanese manga artist group, consisting of leader and writer Nanase Ohkawa (born in Osaka), and three artists whose roles shift for each series: Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi (all born in Kyoto).

Clamp was first formed in the mid-1980s as an eleven-member group creating dōjinshi (self-published fan works), and began creating original manga in 1987. By the time the group made its mainstream publishing debut with RG Veda in 1989, it was reduced to seven members; three more members left in 1993, leaving the four current members of the group.

Notable works by Clamp include X (1992), Magic Knight Rayearth (1993), Cardcaptor Sakura (1996) and its sequel Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card (2016), Chobits (2000), and xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle (both 2003). Various series by the group cross-reference each other, and characters reappear in multiple works by the group, with Tsubasa, a series set across multiple dimensions, featuring multiple alternative versions of characters from past works. Clamp are noted as among the most critically and commercially acclaimed manga artists in Japan, and as of 2007, have sold nearly 100 million books worldwide.[1]

Etymology

[edit]

The name "Clamp" refers to a storage clamp, in the sense of "a bunch of potatoes".[2] This is referenced in Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders, where a teacher is observed saying: "The name 'Clamp' incorporates the words 'hinge,' as well as 'potato mountain,' within its definition."[3]

History

[edit]

Before their debut (1980s–1989)

[edit]

Clamp originally began in the mid-1980s[4] as an eleven-member dōjinshi circle, to fill a booth vacancy at Dream Comic, a doujin event in Osaka. To fill a vacancy next to Yun Kōga's CLUB/Y booth, they called themselves CLAMP, since club and clamp both started with kura (クラ) in Katakana spelling, and the booths were sorted according to gojūon order. The original circle included O-Kyon (お·きょん), Sei Nanao (七穂せい, Nanao Sei), Tamayo Akiyama (秋山 たまよ, Akiyama Tamayo), Leeza Sei (聖りいざ, Sei Riiza), Sōshi Hishika (日鷺総司, Hishika Sōshi), Kazue Nakamori (中森かずえ, Nakamori Kazue), and Shinya Ōmi (大海神哉, Ōmi Shin'ya). Three of Clamp's artists—Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi—first began drawing manga when they were teenagers, inspired by friends. The three artists were good friends in the same school. They met and befriended Nanase Ohkawa through one of her friends who had bought comics from Mokona. The original group of twelve members began to meet at every event held in Osaka and Kobe, which usually occurred once a month.[5] Before they began creating original work, the group produced dōjinshi of Captain Tsubasa, and yaoi dōjinshi of Saint Seiya and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.[1][6] However, in 1987, the group stopped dōjinshi and began creating original work; it was at this time they began working on RG Veda, a loose adaptation of the Rigveda.[4] Their first collaborative work was entitled "Clamp", which they continued to work on until shortly after their debut.[5]

The group debuted as professional manga artists when they decided to print the manga RG Veda, which they had first started as a fan comic. After seeing the comic digest of the manga series that Clamp had published, an editor for Shinshokan's Wings manga magazine asked the group to work for them. They submitted an approximately sixty-page story as a sample, but the work was rejected. Ohkawa later lambasted the draft, stating that "everything was bad" and attributing the quality to the group's lack of experience, since they had never before completed a story as a cohesive group. The group was given another chance at publication should they submit a new story that Shinshokan liked; this time, they submitted RG Veda, which was serialized in Wings magazine.[5]

During the time before their official debut, the group moved to Tokyo and rented a small, two-bedroom apartment. Ohkawa stated that she thought she was "gonna die there". Nekoi stated that "the only private space [they] had was under [their] desk."[5]

By the time RG Veda debuted, its members had gone down to seven.[7] During the production of the manga RG Veda, O-Kyon had left the group. In June 1990, Nanao officially left the group (last mentioned in Shōten 6).[5] Hishika, Nakamori and Ōmi officially left in March 1993 (as mentioned in the Shōten 3).[verification needed] In October 1992, Akiyama and Sei officially left the group.[citation needed]

RG Veda was originally planned to be a single story rather than a series, although because of good reader response and higher-than-expected sales for its first volume Shinshokan permitted the group to create more volumes,[5] however after each chapter of the manga was released, Shinshokan threatened that it would cease serialization should its popularity fall.

In July 1989, Genki Comics began serializing Clamp's second work, Man of Many Faces.

1990–1999

[edit]

Genki Comics began serializing Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders in August 1991, which became the work that the three artists Mokona, Nekoi, and Igarashi enjoyed working on most.[8] In March 1990, Wings began serializing Tokyo Babylon. In December 1990, Monthly Asuka ran Clamp School Detectives, and in May 1992, it began serializing X.

Clamp was serialized by many other magazines and publishers including Kobunsha publishing Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess Tales on June 10, 1992. In 1993, Clamp released two different manga: in March, Miyuki-chan in Wonderland, which began serializing in Newtype, and in November, Magic Knight Rayearth which was serialized in Nakayoshi. Nakayoshi also began to serialize Cardcaptor Sakura in May 1996; Ohkawa, Clamp's leader and storyboarder, particularly enjoyed working on Cardcaptor Sakura because unlike many of her previous works, it wasn't tragic.[8] Kadokawa Shoten published The One I Love on July 17, 1995. Wish first began serializing in Asuka Comics DX in October 1996. In December 1998, Suki: A Like Story began first serializing in Asuka Comics DX, and in January 1999, Angelic Layer first began serializing in Monthly Shōnen Ace.

2000–2009

[edit]
Clamp's cross-referencing and storytelling led to characters being re-used in different ways. Left: Syaoran Li, originally from Cardcaptor Sakura. Centre: Syaoran as he first appears in later work Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle. Right: an alternative Syaoran who appears later in Tsubasa.

In 2001, Young Magazine began serializing Clamp's Chobits which completed its run in 2002. Although their previous works are targeted at a female audience, Chobits marked the first time Clamp wrote for an older teen male audience.[9] Clamp began writing the two works that tell separate parts of the same overarching plot, xxxHolic serialized in Young Magazine beginning in 2003 followed by Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle serialized in the Weekly Shōnen Magazine beginning in the same year.[10] Tsubasa marked the first time Clamp had ever tried writing for a younger male audience, although their first work published in the Shōnen demographic was Angelic Layer.[11]

In 2004, Clamp's 15th anniversary as a manga artist group, the members changed their names from Nanase Ohkawa, Mokona Apapa, Mick Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi to Ageha Ohkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Satsuki Igarashi (her name is pronounced the same, but written with different characters) respectively.[12] To celebrate Clamp's 15th anniversary, Tokyopop released a twelve-part magazine series entitled Clamp no Kiseki that contained a plethora of information for fans.[13] The August 2004 issue of Newtype USA, a magazine specializing in events of the anime and manga subcultures, reported that the members of Clamp simply wanted to try out new names. In a later interview with Ohkawa, it was revealed that initially Mokona wanted to drop her surname because it sounded too immature for her liking, while Nekoi disliked people mistakenly commenting on her as a Rolling Stones member. Ohkawa and Igarashi, wanting to go with the flow of Nekoi's and Mokona's name changes, changed their names as well.[12]

In 2006, Clamp provided the character designs for Code Geass. This came into fruition after producer Yoshitaka Kawaguchi called them. This also marked Clamp's first time being requested to provide a character design for an anime series not originally created by them.[14][15]

Ohkawa made her first appearance overseas at the Taipei International Book Exhibition sponsored by Production I.G that same year.[12] During an interview there, she announced that Clamp would be making its first United States public debut at Anime Expo in July in Anaheim, California co-sponsored by Anime Expo, Del Rey Manga, Funimation and Tokyopop.[16][17] They were well received at the convention as fans completely filled all 6,000 seats present in the auditorium of the focus panel in addition to more on the waiting list.[8] By 2006, Clamp had reportedly sold in excess of 90 million copies of their manga internationally.[18]

2010–present

[edit]

While Tsubasa ended in October 2009, xxxHolic ended in early 2011. The authors were satisfied with the two manga ending commenting it was difficult to serialize the two interconnected manga at the same time due to Tsubasa's focus on action which required them to write side stories for xxxHolic.[19]

Clamp collaborated in the Blood: The Last Vampire spin off anime, Blood-C, as they are responsible for designing the characters and providing the story. Ohkawa wrote the scripts with series supervisor, Junichi Fujisaku for both anime series and the sequel movie, Blood-C: The Last Dark.[20][21][22]

Legal Drug restarted serialization in the same year in Kadokawa Shoten's Young Ace under the new title of Drug and Drop.[23] A new xxxHolic manga titled XXXHOLiC Rei also started serialization in Kodansha's Young Magazine in March 2013.[24][25]

Clamp also provided character design for Studio Deen's the anime adaptation of Kabukibu!, which aired in April 2017.[26]

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card began serialization in 2016 with an anime that aired from January to June 2018 on NHK.[27][28][29]

On October 19, 2020, the official Clamp fans website posted a link to a YouTube video due to start on October 25, 2020. These daily links are each accompanied by a graphic displaying the number of days to go until the announcement, and a single word. Each word relates to a chapter of Tokyo Babylon from the respectively numbered tankobon volume. This has caused speculation among Clamp's fans that a new Tokyo Babylon related work is due to be announced.[30] On October 25, 2020, at 15:00 UTC (October 26, 2020 at midnight Japan Standard Time), a trailer was released for a new anime adaptation of Tokyo Babylon. The new series, Tokyo Babylon 2021, will be released and set the story in the year 2021. It was to be made by the studio GoHands.[31] The series was to debut in April 2021, but was postponed due to the production team's plagiarism incident.[32][33] On March 28, 2021, the production committee announced that the series's production was discontinued, and Clamp and the production committee will restart the anime series with a different studio.[34]

In January 2021, it was announced that a new series in the Cardfight!! Vanguard franchise will begin on April 3, 2021, and will feature character designs by Clamp. The new series will be called Vanguard overDress.[35]

In June 2021, it was announced that Clamp will collaborate with Netflix to produce an original anime series based on the Grimms' Fairy Tales, with Wit Studio handling the animation.[36] In March 2024, the series' title was revealed as The Grimm Variations, which was released as a Netflix exclusive in April 2024.[37]

Business model

[edit]

The members of Clamp all share a single workplace and as such do not need to arrange specific meetings.[5] Nanase Ohkawa acts as the group's spokesperson, producer-director, and storyboarder.[38] Mokona is the chief character designer, while Igarashi and Nekoi work for the background; however, the three often shuffle their roles.[12] Sometimes, they may split the work of the characters and backgrounds or have one person draw all the art depending on the story. The three artists try to stay as "close as possible" to Ohkawa's original designs. Ohkawa advises the artists on what colors to use.[5] Although Ohkawa chooses which projects they decide to decline or accept, Satsuki Igarashi decides on the actual time and order the group works on each project, creating the schedules for time allotted to each individual work.[39] They do not have any assistants, stating that assistants would slow them down because they would not understand the "years worth of jargon" they created among themselves.[5]

Once Ohkawa has conceived a story, the four members of the group gather "to discuss the purpose of the story and its main characters". After the group members become familiar with the story, Ohkawa drafts an outline for the story and determines the story's setting.[5] The ending for each story is predetermined.[8] Ohkawa designs many of the characters early in the story's development; frequently appearing guest characters are designed from the beginning whereas minor characters are designed early on.[5] As Ohkawa drafts the outline, the other three members formulate character designs by creating character profile sheets so as to avoid confusion.[5] After drawing a sample story and sketch for their editor and receiving approval, Ohkawa assigns the roles to each group member and then chooses the visual styles depending on factors such as the complexity of the story, the chosen art style, and its relationship to the group's other works.[5][12][38][39] Ohkawa provides a rough draft for each chapter detailing things such as dialogue, panel size, props, movement, and character's emotions.[5]

On average for each chapter that they produce (for Clamp, an average of 20 pages of artwork in a magazine), storyboarding takes twelve hours, the script takes eight hours to write, and the artwork depends on the story. For example, a chapter of xxxHolic takes two days, whereas a chapter of X took four to five days.[8]

Style

[edit]
A group cosplaying three Clamp characters: Sakura (top left) and Syaoran (top right) from Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle; and Yuko Ichihara (bottom) from xxxHolic.

In general, Ohkawa gets her inspiration for the group from everyday events such as dreams or the news.[39] Unlike most manga artists who specialize in a single genre, Clamp has created a diverse body of work.[38] Clamp's genres vary widely, from childish and comedic (Cardcaptor Sakura, Chobits, Clamp School Detectives) to more dramatic and teen-rated (xxxHolic, X) series. Furthermore, drawing from the idea of Osamu Tezuka's Star System as they did in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle,[40] Clamp often crossover characters from their own series into their other works, which gives rise to a loosely defined "Clamp Universe".[41]

Although most of their manga are female-oriented, Clamp has also attracted male readers in their early works through their handling of fight scenes in X and Tokyo Babylon.[42][43][44][45] Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle is a male-oriented manga but Clamp still added multiple motifs to attracts readers such as Syaoran's romantic journey.[46] xxxHolic is an adult-oriented manga but it uses Kimihiro Watanuki as a protagonist that would attract a female demographic.[47]

Art

[edit]

The current members of Clamp took art-focused classes during their high school. However, Tsubaki Nekoi feels that, aside from basic art skills, drawing manga requires a different skill set; however, none of the group members has worked as an assistant for already established manga artists, and most of their ability is self-taught.[39] Clamp's manga is distinguished by its diverse visual styles.[38] Their work Clover, for example, is remarkable for its heavy use of negative space.[48]

Themes

[edit]

Clamp's works span a wide variety of themes. As opposed to keeping consistent themes across their works or having individual themes for each work, Nanase Ohkawa stated "we come up with a new theme for each story. One thing to say each time." Their works often deal with the theme of human fate that relates to Ohkawa's view on life; Ohkawa believes that "fate is something you choose", not a "mystical force manipulating your destiny", and that with determination and resolve, "you can change your fate".[49]

Also common is the idea of soulmates, or couples tied together by fate. Syaoran and Sakura (featured in both Cardcaptor Sakura and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle) are among Clamp's signature couples that best fits this representation. As also seen in Magic Knight Rayearth, three girls are bound together by fate to save Cephiro. Fate is also the reason the three girls consider each other "sisters"; another idea that elaborates people being tied together (family cannot be chosen). Clamp also explores the idea of chaste or pure love (as in the manga Chobits).[50] Clamp's disregard for sex or gender (or at times biological age) in these couples has led them to write same-sex couples into many of their manga in contrast to many other manga artists (for example, Tōya and Yukito in Cardcaptor Sakura). A number of such couples have been shown together across parallel dimensions in the Clamp multiverse. Although Clamp often writes romantic works, Ohkawa has mentioned that she feels that it is more putting one's life on the line than love that causes women to grow or change.[39] Clamp never features love as a central theme; Ohkawa stated in an interview with Takeshi Oshiguchi in 1997 for Animerica that she is not "good at love stories" since her "idea of a relationship is different from that of a lot of other people".[49]

Perhaps drawing inspiration from Ohkawa's own poor right-eye vision, Clamp frequently features one-eyed characters or characters that lose their sight in one eye as means to express the feeling of loneliness (for example, Subaru and Seishirō in Tokyo Babylon and X and Fay in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle). However, there is always something later on that comes to supplement the loss in vision.[39]

Works

[edit]
Start End Title Publisher Serialized in Status Volumes
1989 1996 RG Veda Shinshokan Wings Complete 10
1990 1991 Man of Many Faces Kadokawa Shoten Newtype Complete 2
1990 1993 Tokyo Babylon Shinshokan Wings Complete 7
1991 1993 Duklyon: Clamp School Defenders Kadokawa Shoten Newtype Comic Genki Complete 2
1992 1993 Clamp School Detectives Kadokawa Shoten Monthly Asuka Complete 3
1992 1992 Shirahimeshou: Snow Goddess Tales Kadokawa Shoten Monthly Asuka Complete 1
1992 2003 X/1999 Kadokawa Shoten Monthly Asuka Halted[n 1] 19
1992 1994 Legend of Chun Hyang Hakusensha Serie Mystery - Special Complete 1
1993 1995 Magic Knight Rayearth Kodansha Nakayoshi Complete 3
1993 1995 Miyuki-chan in Wonderland Kadokawa Shoten Newtype Complete 1
1993 1995 The One I Love Kadokawa Shoten Young Rose Comics DX Complete 1
1995 1996 Magic Knight Rayearth 2 Kodansha Nakayoshi Complete 3
1995 1998 Wish Kadokawa Shoten Monthly Asuka Complete 4
1996 2000 Cardcaptor Sakura Kodansha Nakayoshi Complete 12
1997 1999 Clover Kodansha Amie Halted 4
1999 2001 Angelic Layer Kadokawa Shoten Monthly Shōnen Ace Complete 5
1999 2000 Suki: A Like Story Kadokawa Shoten Monthly Asuka Complete 3
2000 2003 Legal Drug Kadokawa Shoten Monthly Asuka Complete[n 2] 3
2000 2002 Chobits Kodansha Young Magazine Complete 8
2002 2002 Murikuri Kodansha Young Magazine Complete 1 (one shot)
2003 2011 xxxHolic Kodansha Young Magazine, then Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine Complete 19
2003 2009 Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle Kodansha Weekly Shōnen Magazine Complete 28
2005 2011 Kobato Shogakukan, then Kadokawa Shoten Monthly Sunday Gene-X, then Newtype Complete 6
2011 2013 Gate 7 Shueisha Jump SQ Halted 4 (23 chapters)
2011 2013 Drug & Drop[n 2] Kadokawa Shoten Young Ace Halted 2 (17 chapters)
2013 2017 xxxHolic: Rei Kodansha Young Magazine Halted 4 (56 chapters)
2014 2016 Tsubasa World Chronicle: Nirai Kanai-hen Kodansha Magazine Special Complete 3 (19 chapters + extra)
2016 2024 Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Kodansha Nakayoshi Complete 16 (80 chapters)

Reception and awards

[edit]

Mystery has surrounded the members of Clamp as, in order to avoid being harassed by overzealous fans, they avoid making public appearances.[12] In polls conducted by marketing research firm Oricon, Clamp was elected ninth most popular manga artist from Japan in 2007, while they were eighth in 2008, sharing the spot with Fujiko F. Fujio.[51][52]

Gen Fukunaga, the president and CEO of Funimation, has praised Clamp as being "one of the most acclaimed groups of artists in Japan".[17] According to Charles Solomon, a journalist for The New York Times, Clamp "ranks among the most successful creators of manga ... in Japan and the United States". Dallas Middaugh, associate publisher of Del Rey Manga, stated that Clamp was an integral part of "manga explosion" that has been occurring in the United States over the past few years. He also praised the group's artwork and storytelling style as having "struck a strong chord with male and female manga readers".[38] The group was placed third after the winner for the Shogakukan Manga Award in the Children's category in 1999.[53] Their work Cardcaptor Sakura won the Seiun Award for best manga in 2001.[54] Almost 100 million Clamp tankōbon copies have been sold worldwide as of October 2007.[1] Various of their selling series include xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle that have sold over eleven million and twenty million volumes, respectively.[55][56]

When asked about the universal popularity of Clamp's works, John Oppliger of AnimeNation stated that although it is "not based on originality [or] their artistic skill", they possess a distinct style that "perfectly mesh[es] the conventional attributes of shōnen and shōjo manga". He also pointed out that Clamp often "recycles" characters from their own earlier works, which gave rise to "a loosely defined 'Clamp Universe' that gives much of their work a unifying tone", and creates "absorbing, complex narratives that appeal to both male and female readers". All these factors result in "a cult following devoted to anything and everything the group publishes".[41] The Anime Encyclopedia authors stated that "whatever Clamp are on, we'd like some".[57]

Helen McCarthy in 500 Essential Anime Movies stated that Clamp's works "are among the most successful manga and anime with Western fans".[58]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The remaining uncollected chapters following the hiatus were collected into "Volume 18.5", first released in the book All About Clamp. These were released as their own tankobon, "Volume 18.5", on 4 November 2023.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Pink, Daniel H. (2007-10-22). "Japan, Ink: Inside the Manga Industrial Complex". Wired Magazine (15–11). Condé Nast Digital: 5. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
  2. ^ "Nanase Okawa" Animerica Anime & Manga Monthly 1997 © Viz Communications, Inc., 172
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  34. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (2021-03-28). "Tokyo Babylon 2021 Anime Canceled with Restart Planned, After More Plagiarism Uncovered". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
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  37. ^ Mateo, Alex (2024-03-20). "Netflix Streams The Grimm Variations Anime on April 17". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
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  40. ^ Fujie, Kazuhisa; LABAAMEN (2008). Tsubasa Chronicle Factbook: Mystery, Magic & Mischief. DH Publishing. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-932897-26-5.
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  42. ^ "X - 1999 - Double Vol.1". Manga News (in French). 7 January 2020. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
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  48. ^ "Manga: Clover (Clamp) vol.1". Chibi Reviews. 2008-03-09. Archived from the original on 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  49. ^ a b Ledoux, Trish, ed. (2005). Anime Interviews: The First Five Years of Animerica, Anime & Manga Monthly (1992-97). San Francisco: Cadence Books. p. 177. ISBN 978-1-56931-220-9.
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  53. ^ "Shogakukan Manga Award". Joel Hahn. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  54. ^ "List". 2007-09-05. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  55. ^ Clamp (2010). xxxHolic #17. Kodansha. p. 1. ISBN 978-4-06-375906-8.
  56. ^ ツバサ :CLAMPの2000万部マンガが「完結」 6年の連載に幕 [Tsubasa: Clamp manga of 20 million copies completed] (in Japanese). Mainichi Shimbun. September 30, 2009. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  57. ^ Jonathan Clements, Helen McCarthy. The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917. Revised and Expanded Edition. — Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press, 2006. — P. 635. — ISBN 978-1-933330-10-5
  58. ^ McCarthy, Helen. 500 Essential Anime Movies: The Ultimate Guide. — Harper Design, 2009. — P. 49. — 528 p. — ISBN 978-0061474507
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