xxxHolic

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Animation

I've been watching replays of this series the past month. I first watched it on streaming video on the internet last 2008.

This is a manga by Clamp which has also received a TV anime adaption.

Now, the storyline of xxxHolic crosses over with that of a number of other Clamp series, the most notable of which are "Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle" (I shall abbreviate it as Tsubasa: RC) which was written in tandem with it, and also "Cardcaptor Sakura", whose history it draws on at several points in the story. There also seems to be references to other series such as "Magic Knight Rayearth" and "Legal Drug". The art style of the manga draws on the influence of ukiyo-e wood prints.

I've already watched before all of "Cardcaptor Sakura" and season one of "Tsubasa: RC" before I delved into "xxxHolic" (pronounced as Holic) and its not really helping me understand wholly all the twists and turns that goes into this and the Tsubasa storylines, so I'm not even going to go there. To use the cliche - its complicated.

There are 4 main recurring characters I focus on:

Kimihiro Watanuki is a high school student plagued by yōkai and ayakashi, spirits with a strong attraction to him (he ends up always running away from them). He begins working for Yūko in exchange for the fulfillment of his wish to never see spirits again.

Yūko Ichihara is a very powerful witch, mostly known for her ability to send people to other dimensions and times (she is aka "The Dimensional Witch", I saw her first in "Tsubasa:RC"), and for her ability to grant any wish in exchange for an equal cost. For a price, she offers to grant Watanuki's wish to be rid of the spirits. The price must be of equal value and so Watanuki becomes Yūko's part-time employee (though I think he really does too much cooking and running around sometimes).

Shizuka Dōmeki is Watanuki's classmate and one-sided rival for
Himawari's love (in Watanuki's eyes). He is part of the school's archery club and often participates in school competitions. He lives in a shrine owned by his late grandfather. Dōmeki is calm and often sarcastic with his opinions but he has ability to rid evil spirits and is immune to most curses, though he cannot see the spirits. A good match for helping Watanuki out with his problems.

Himawari Kunogi is Watanuki's main love interest. She inadvertently brings bad luck to everyone she comes into contact with, with the exception of her parents and Dōmeki.

I persisted in watching all of the anime episodes because I got drawn to the concept of "hitsuzen" which Yūko keeps on talking about.

This term means inevitability, or destiny, or fate, as being the driving force in the world. There is supposedly no such thing as coincidence, and that every single action and decision is inevitable, because without them, other related events in the future could not happen.

Now, don't you think that is just fine and dandy?

I do not hope to explain how all of Yūko's cryptic sentences round up nicely each episode..though I do sometimes see what she finally means at the end.

The episodes center on head-scratching and sometimes thought-provoking concepts dealing with the supernatural and spirits. Sometimes, I admit, its also downright eerie.

The comedy scenes are priceless - the contrast between the deadpan manner of delivery of lines by Dōmeki and Watanuki's sometimes over the top reactions. Its all a mix of ingredients that I gravitate to and I cannot help but smirk over my dinner while watching all of these again.

If you have a taste for some supernatural whodunit and comedy, this would appeal to you. It is not something I see appealing to shounen manga readers, and sometimes I wish I could get my hands on "Tsubasa: RC" too to fully understand everything. But the mystery is enough to let me enjoy watching the relationships unfold not only between the main characters but also between these and the supernatural beings they come in contact with.



To give you an initial taste of xxxHolic, you might like to try watching first the movie - "xxxHolic: A Midsummer Night's Dream". The film was selected as a finalist for the Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2006 in the Feature Films category.

I've watched it also and its not necessary to watch the anime or read the manga to enjoy the characters and plot of this movie. You might even appreciate the "Tsubasa: RC" characters popping out of the woodwork if you've followed that series. Ooops. Spoiler :-)