General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20266 min read

Xam'd: Lost Memories (亡念のザムド)

Xam'd: Lost Memories (亡念のザムド, Bōnen no Zamudo, also romanized Bōnen no Xam'd) is a 26-episode original Japanese science fiction action anime produced by the studio BONES, directed by Masayuki Miyaji with music by Michiru Oshima. It was created as a joint project of BONES, Sony Computer Entertainment, and Aniplex and distributed as an exclusive paid download on the PlayStation Store beginning in 2008, making it an early original anime series released through a game console's video service.¹^•²

Key fact	Detail
Format	Original anime (no source material), 26 episodes of about 25–30 minutes, produced by BONES¹^•³
Director and music	Masayuki Miyaji (director); Michiru Oshima (music)¹
Production	Joint project of BONES, Sony Computer Entertainment, and Aniplex; ©BONES / Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., Aniplex²
Release window	First aired September 24, 2008; last aired February 4, 2009; BONES' works page dates the series 2009.04 to 2009.10⁴^•¹
Japanese pricing	400 yen (HD) or 300 yen (SD) per episode, 3-day rental, 5.1-channel sound⁵
Theme songs	Opening "SHUT UP AND EXPLODE" by BOOM BOOM SATELLITES; ending "Vacancy" by Kylee²
North American license	Sentai Filmworks; streamed on Crunchyroll from June 8, 2012³^•⁶

Spoilers

Story and setting

The story is set on Sentan Island (先端島), a small island surrounded by the Yuden sea that was absorbed into the Southern Continent Free Zone in a war 70 years earlier. The high school student Akiyuki Takehara lives with his mother; his father Ryuzo, a doctor, lives apart from the family and runs a small clinic by himself. While commuting to school with his friends Haru Nishimura and Furuichi Teraoka, Akiyuki is caught in a bombing attack. A mysterious light produced by the explosion enters his arm and transforms him into a monster called a Xam'd. As the transformed Akiyuki loses himself and rampages, a red-haired girl from a foreign land, Nakiami, appears, stops the rampage, and takes him aboard the international mail ship Zambani. From then on Akiyuki travels the world with the Zambani's crew, aiming to master his Xam'd powers and someday return to Sentan Island.¹

The English-language synopsis describes the same premise: an unassuming high schooler attacked by an otherworldly force that turns him into a rampaging beast called Xam'd, set on a peaceful island during a violent terrorist attack.⁷ Later episodes follow Akiyuki's return to Sentan Island six months after his departure, Furuichi's own transformation into a Xam'd driven by hate, and a final arc in which Akiyuki confronts the Hiruken Emperor to still the emperor's sorrow.⁸^•⁹

Production

BONES, the studio behind Fullmetal Alchemist and Eureka Seven, produced the series as a completely original work. The BONES staff list credits Masayuki Miyaji as director, Megumi Shimizu and Yuuichi Nomura as main writers, Ayumi Kurashima for character design and chief animation direction, Seiichi Hashimura for the Xam'd mechanics design, and Michiru Oshima for the music.²^•¹ Aniplex handled the series' music production, and the opening and ending themes were performed by artists on Sony Music Group labels.² The Japanese cast includes Atsushi Abe as Akiyuki, Yūko Sanpei as Nakiami, Fumiko Orikasa as Haru, Shin-ichiro Miki's fellow cast member Katsuyuki Konishi as Akushiba, and Unshō Ishizuka as Ryuzo.¹

PlayStation Network release

The series was designed around a then-new distribution channel. Sony Computer Entertainment announced on July 18, 2008 that Xam'd: Lost Memories would be the launch original content for the PlayStation Store's video service on the PlayStation 3 in Japan, delivered as paid downloads in HD and SD with 5.1-channel sound, updated weekly for a planned 26 episodes, on a 3-day rental model with no television broadcast planned.²^•⁵ In North America the first episode premiered exclusively at the launch of the new video service on the PlayStation Network during E3 week 2008, and Sony reported that it was the top video download on the network that week.¹⁰ The PlayStation Blog described the plan as a "full two season, 26 episode run" with weekly releases.¹⁰

Japanese distribution began on September 24, 2008, the launch day of the PS3 video service, with HD video at 720p MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 at a 6 to 8 Mbps bitrate and SD at about 1.5 to 2 Mbps.¹¹ Episode listings give a first-air date of September 24, 2008 and a last-air date of February 4, 2009.⁴ BONES' own works page dates the series 2009.04 to 2009.10, corresponding to its later broadcast window.¹

Later distribution and availability

Sentai Filmworks licensed the series in North America, and Crunchyroll began streaming it for US and Canadian viewers on June 8, 2012 at a pace of two episodes per week.³^•⁶ Those licenses have since lapsed: recent checks found the Crunchyroll page stating the videos are unavailable, Prime Video saying the rights have expired, and Netflix reporting the title unavailable in the viewer's country, leaving no confirmed US streaming option. In Japan the series remains available on Hulu, U-NEXT, and Bandai Channel, among other services.¹²^•¹³ Digital purchase remains possible in some regions, starting at $19.99 on the Apple TV Store in the United States.⁴

A retrospective review describes the PlayStation Network exclusivity as a plausible reason the series remained relatively obscure.¹⁴

Reception

On Filmarks, the Japanese review aggregator, the series holds a 3.9 average from 557 user reviews.¹⁵ JustWatch lists a 7.3 rating from 627 users.¹³ A per-episode rating analysis identifies episodes 8 ("詰腹峠のヒトガタ狩り", Hunt for the Humanforms at Tsubara Pass), 14 ("蒼スギル空", Cerulean Skies), and 19 ("偶発ロマンス開花", Accidental Romance Blossoming) as the series' highest-rated episodes by overseas scores, and notes that 88 percent of viewers who started the series reached the final episode.¹⁶ Japanese commentary frequently praises the animation and world-building while describing the plot as sprawling; one review summarizes it as beautiful artwork and a BONES-like worldview whose ensemble structure blurs the story's core as war, religion, philosophy, and youth elements intertwine.¹⁷ Crunchyroll's original announcement described the show as drawing from diverse inspirations ranging from Gundam and Hayao Miyazaki to Ken Loach and Jean-Luc Godard.⁶

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Anime and manga › Anime series, episodes, and franchises › OVAs, ONAs, and streaming-original anime

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

Notice something wrong?