Tokyo Babylon

Based on a manga series by the all-female Clamp studio, these two OAVs from 1992 and 1994 are linked by the character of Subaru, a powerful medium whose family has used their psychic powers to "protect Japan for 2,000 years." In the first adventure, he's pitted against a power-hungry executive who murders anyone in his way. The embittered sister of one of his victims unwittingly releases a spirit too powerful for her to control. In the second, Subaru helps to solve the grisly murders committed by a serial killer stalking the Tokyo subways. The police also call in Mirei, who has powers of "post-cognition": an ability to see into past. In each case, Subaru is rescued at the last minute by the handsome veterinarian Seishiro. Subaru and Seishiro also appear in the feature X (1998). (Rated 13 and older: violence, violence against women, grotesque imagery) --Charles Solomon