xxxHOLiC - The Complete Seriesby Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Studio
Credits Grade: 6 Watanuki has been haunted by spirits his whole life. He stumbles into Yuko's wish-granting shop. She can grant any wish, but there's always a price to pay. To be free of the demons that plague his steps he agrees to work for her and ends up learning much about the worlds of wishes and spirits.I've never been able to get into the xxxHOLiC manga series which is a shame because I've heard good things about it and I love CLAMP's other works. So it was a pleasant surprise for me to enjoy the anime version as much as I did. And I was able to put my finger on why the anime version is easier to enjoy than the manga. Watanuki is so outrageously absurd, flailing and yelling all the time that it would overwhelm the small pages of a manga. The characters are also abnormally tall and thin, even for CLAMP which detracts from the beauty (on which the manga versions can capitalize more than the anime can with both time for looking and details). The humor is also very repetitive and relies on the aforementioned flailing and yelling from Watanuki and Yuko's alcoholism both of which get a little old here — it's no wonder I couldn't put up with the manga. These points will prevent many anime fans and even some CLAMP fans from enjoying or wanting to watch this anime. However, there's actually a very interesting story, and Watanuki becomes an intriguing character worth putting up with. Many interesting cultural points are explored like the Red String of Destiny as well as a variety of spirits and yokai and some neat tricks for keeping them away. Sometimes Yuko over-explains, but usually it's all extremely interesting and informative. Each little story or wish Yuko uses to prepare Watanuki for a future encounter that wraps up the series quite well. It allows the situation and characters to continue, but there's closure to the current story we're following. That alone made me a very happy viewer! I particularly like the oden stall fox child and the pipe fox (that turns into a nine-tailed fox!). They are caring and save Watanuki on more than on occasion — plus they are the cutest things in the whole story! I want a pipe fox sooo bad now! I love the variety of spirits used and the exploring of their viewpoint versus humanity's viewpoint. From a purely aesthetic viewpoint, I enjoyed seeing all the beautiful traditional clothes worn by Yuko, and they actually function to make and her powers more real in this modern world. And for that matter, I absolutely love when they go to see a real fortune teller after seeing a "fraud". There are so many little things in this series that create a fascinating world and story. Despite the annoyance of Watanuki's ridiculous qualities and Yuko's addiction to all things alcoholic (which should really take away from her credibility) I found myself enjoying the story. Doumeki balances Watanuki by being the other extreme: quiet, strong, and quickly grasping situations. The other characters, including the black Mokona and the devil and angel soulless attendants just serve as extra humor and repetition to help the formula keep moving when the plot is advancing slowly. However, some of the spirits provide excellent humor, adventure, fear, and unusual challenges which keeps things interesting. There's even a bonus episode at the end that takes us back to Watanuki's childhood; it's a nice extra. Voice acting is not bad and the animation quality is excellent (even if the art itself leaves something to be desired in design). It's a fun watch that is best viewed all at once (or in as few sittings as possible) to keep the tempo and interest going. Written: December 26, 2009
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