Well, I finally broke down and ordered the first volume of the X TV series... several months ago. However, a slight backorder, long shipping times and a messed up order mean that I only got the thing about a week ago. Here's some impressions:

I already know far more about X chronology than I particularly want to (although I don't know how most people die or how it ends (has it even ended yet? I know the TV show has, but I'm not sure about the manga... help, anyone?)) thanks to curiousity (the kind that killed the cat) and Lyn (well, mostly Lyn), but there's not much plot development this early anyway, so it doesn't hurt or help. In general I thought it was pretty good, especially as a warmup for the real meat of the series, but not spectacular. Not that I really expect it to be groundbreaking by the third episode, especially since it needs one whole episode just to introduce the (massive) cast.

In the surprise category, TV Kamui is an even bigger jerk than movie Kamui (or what I was led to believe manga Kamui is like, since I haven't actually read the manga). For some reason though, I don't feel the need to rip TV Kamui's head off though. I'm not sure why, but here's some posibilities:

1) TV Kamui is more badass. I'm not sure how to quantify this, but it's true: not only has TV Kamui kicked more ass in the first three episodes than movie Kamui did during the whole movie, movie Kamui kept crying over trying to help Fuuma and Kotori, and that hurt his badassness. If you're going to be an apathetic badass, you have to be apathetic to everyone, you can't pick and choose. Speaking of which...
2) TV Kamui is more apathetic. Movie Kamui made himself look like a big idiot by saying "I wanna protect these two specific people but if I have to protect the rest of the world while I'm at it, I don't wanna." On the other hand, TV Kamui is satisfyingly apathetic to everyone, even Fuuma and Kotori. He wants his sword and he wants out, and everyone else can kill each other for all he cares. Just give him his sword. It's still annoying, but it's much less annoying.
3) I've been told that TV Kamui (or at least manga Kamui) turns into someone far more likable after he gets a metaphorical slap-in-the-face-and-stern-talking-to during the infamous glass-impaling scene. I dunno if it's true, but it would sure be better than movie Kamui, who got better for about... the last sixty seconds. If it is true, then it would make this asshole Kamui a lot more tolerable.
4) It doesn't matter so much what Kamui is like, since the main character is, of course, Sorata. Really. He gets the first real Dragon-to-Dragon fight and a female love interest who intitially dislikes him and everything else a main character needs, not to mention coolness oozing out of every pore, which is what every main character wishes they had. Silly people, thinking that Kamui's the main character. Silly, silly people. La la la la la, I can't hear you silly people! Stop disagreeing with me! LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!