Xam'd: Lost Memories, released in Japan as , is an anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 series, conceptualized by Bones and co-developed by Sony Computer Entertainment, Aniplex and Bones

Bones (studio)

is a Japanese anime studio. It has produced numerous series, including RahXephon, Wolf's Rain, Scrapped Princess, Eureka Seven, Angelic Layer, Darker than Black, Soul Eater, Ouran High School Host Club and two adaptions of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga along with Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto and...

, which made its debut on Sony's inaugural launch of the PlayStation Network (PSN) video download service at E3 in the United States on July 16, 2008, in Japan on September 24, 2008.

The series received its television premiere across Japan on MBS

Mainichi Broadcasting System

is a broadcasting station in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network , National Radio Network , Japan News Network and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region. MBS is also one of the major stockholders of Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc...

, CBC

Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting

is a regional radio and television service serving Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Its radio service is affiliated with the Japan Radio Network and its television service affiliated with the Japan News Network and the TBS Network.-Radio:Frequency...

, Tokyo MX and other Japanese broadcast networks from April 2009, featuring new opening and ending theme sequences. Xam'd: Lost Memories spanned a total of 26 episodes. On its launch week, its pilot episode was the most downloaded video on the PlayStation Network at E3. On June 24, 2010, Sentai Filmworks announced that it had sub-licensed the series for home video distribution across North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

, where the first half season set will be on DVD

DVD

A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 and Blu-Ray Disc

Blu-ray Disc

Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...

 on September 21, 2010. The second set was released on November 9, 2010 on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Plot

Sentan Island exists in a state of dreamlike tranquility; a small island, surrounded by the Yuden Sea, cut off from the war between the Northern Government and the Southern Continent Free Zone. Akiyuki Takehara lives on Sentan Island along with his mother Fusa. Despite his mother's strained relationship with his father, Ryuzo, the town doctor, the bond between father and son remains strong. One day the island's tranquility is shattered, when Akiyuki, along with his best friends Haru and Furuichi, are caught up in an explosion on a school bus. The explosion produces a mysterious light which enters Akiyuki's arm. With no time to understand what has happened, Akiyuki is transformed into a creature called Xam'd. Akiyuki rampages through the city while fighting a special monster that attacked him, only to be stopped by a mysterious girl who offers him a choice: come with her and live, or stay and turn to a stone. Accepting her offer, Akiyuki embarks on a journey of discovery that will take him to new lands, and help him understand the connection between himself and the world of Xam'd.

Characters

The main protagonist of the series, Akiyuki is an enthusiastic high school student who lives on Sentan Island. A chance encounter with a Ruikon girl catapults him into the world of Xam'd.

The main female protagonist of the series, Nakiami lives on Zanbani, a postal ship commanded by Ishuu Benikawa. She knows a great deal of the world of Xam'd, and assists Akiyuki in controlling his powers. She wishes for a world bereft of conflict.

Haru is a high school student on Sentan Island, and a childhood friend of Akiyuki's. She made a promise with Akiyuki's mother that she would look after him. After Akiyuki embarks on his journey into the world of Xam'd, she joins the military in hopes of seeing him once again.

Production

• Director: Masayuki Miyaji
• Animation director: Masashi Okumura
• Character design: Ayumi Kurashima
  Ayumi Kurashima
  is a Japanese freelance animator. She was originally part of Daizō Production.She has worked as a key animator, animation director and character designer on several works...
  
  
• Xam'd mechanical design: Seiichi Hashimoto
• Mechanical design: Kimitoshi Yamane
  Kimitoshi Yamane
  is a Japanese mecha designer. Yamane began his career and honed his skills at noted studio Artmic in the 1980s, beginning with Bubblegum Crisis, AD Police, Gall Force and Megazone 23...
  
  
• Humanoid weapons mechanical design: Kenji Mizuhata
• Music: Michiru Oshima
  Michiru Oshima
  , is a Japanese composer who has worked on several video game, movie, and television titles. Her works include composition for the video games Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf for Super Nintendo, Ico for PlayStation 2, Legend of Legaia for the PlayStation , is a Japanese composer who has...
  
  
• Music production: Aniplex
• Art director: Takashi Aoi
• Color settings: Hiroko Umesaki
• Photography directors: Yōhei Miyahara, Tōru Fukushi
• Editing: Kumiko Sakamoto
• Animation production: Bones
• Production: Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc., Aniplex, Bones

Music

The score to the series is composed by Michiru Oshima

Michiru Oshima

, is a Japanese composer who has worked on several video game, movie, and television titles. Her works include composition for the video games Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf for Super Nintendo, Ico for PlayStation 2, Legend of Legaia for the PlayStation , is a Japanese composer who has...

, known for her work on the Godzilla

Godzilla

is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...

movie franchise and the Fullmetal Alchemist

Fullmetal Alchemist

, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is styled after the European Industrial Revolution...

anime series. For both the 2008 PlayStation Network download distribution and the 2009 television broadcast, the Japanese electronic rock band Boom Boom Satellites

Boom Boom Satellites

is a Japanese electronic music duo consisting of guitarist and vocalist Michiyuki Kawashima and bassist and programmer Masayuki Nakano. While their music can be mostly classified as big beat or nu skool breaks with heavy jazz influences, they are famous for the heavy usage of electric guitars in...

 performed the opening themes while Japanese-American vocalist Kylee made her debut performing the ending themes. For the PSN distribution, the opening was "Shut Up And Explode" from the Boom Boom Satellites' 2007 album Exposed

Exposed (Boom Boom Satellites album)

-External links:* * *...

and the ending was "Vacancy". For the syndicated TV broadcasts, the Boom Boom Satellites' 2009 single "Back On My Feet

Back On My Feet

"Back On My Feet" is the tenth single by Japanese electronica/rock duo the Boom Boom Satellites, released on July 1, 2009. It is their first release in two years. The title track "Back On My Feet" is used as an opening theme for the Japanese television broadcast of Xam'd: Lost Memories...

" was used as an opening theme and Kylee's songs "Just Breathe" and "Over U" were used as ending themes. For the TV broadcasts, both the old PSN and new TV themes were used in different combinations, each with different animation sequences.

Manga

The manga adaptation of the series, written by Masahiro Kawanabe, began serialization in Ace Assault and Shōnen Ace since December 9, 2008, after it began release on PSN Japan.