Customer Reviews

xxxHOLiC, Vol. 1

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ordinarily "xxxHolic" is a title I would have passed over despite being done by the four-woman manga-ka known as CLAMP. Del Rey's superior translation work would be a winning vote, but only if I were desperate for some manga to read. However, I had purchased CLAMP's other title which just happens to be running concurrently with "xxxHolic" AND be published in English by Del Rey -- "Tsubasa -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE-". I had purchased that because the lead characters were from "Cardcaptor Sakura" and I love that series. However, CLAMP made sure that "xxxHolic" and "Tsubasa" were linked via the space-time witch Yuuko. I found her so interesting in "Tsubasa" that I quickly went out and purchased this first volume of "xxxHolic". It was a good purchase.

Volume 1 covers the first seven chapters of the manga. We are introduced to Kimihiro Watanuki, a high school boy who's being hounded by "spirits". Through no act of chance, he comes upon the house of one Yuuko Ichihara, a powerful magic user who sells wishes for a price. She was a companion of Clow Reed ("Cardcaptor Sakura") and knows a great deal. She also has two small children in her care named Maru and Moro. In exchange for helping Watanuki, Yuuko makes him work for her until he's earned enough credit to pay her fee.

The manga covers two stories dealing with two customers of Yuuko's. One has a problem telling lies and it is affecting her life greatly, though this woman is unaware of it. The other tells of a woman's addiction to the Internet, especially chat rooms and message boards. Through these two stories, Yuuko appears to be teaching Watanuki, but what she's preparing him for is unknown. The manga ends with Sakura-chan and Syaoran-kun from "Tsubasa" arriving from another dimension seeking Yuuko's help.

I found this first volume very facinating. Yuuko is such a great character -- fun and manipulative. Watanuki is a complainer, but as Yuuko says, he's a good worker and doesn't get on one's nerves. I liked the hint of romance as Watanuki has a crush on the cute Himawari-chan and she appears to at least like him a bit. It will be interesting to see where this goes.

Del Rey gets MUCH love with their use of Japanese honorifics in the text. They get MORE love with the inclusion of translator notes and notes informing the reader of references to other CLAMP titles. Del Rey's work in the manga buisiness is impressive to say the least and makes my purchasing this manga VERY easy. Thanks Del Rey!

Bottom line: If you started reading "Tsubasa" by CLAMP, you are going to want to check out this title. If you liked Seto-sama from "Tenchi Muyo! GXP" or "Tenchi Muyo! OAV 3", you'll love Yuuko-san! If you are a CLAMP fan, you are going to like thier latest venture. And if you like an interesting, fun manga, you are going to like "xxxHolic".

"A naturally fore-ordained event. A state in which other outcomes are impossible...."

Such is the wisdom of Yuko, the female lead of this series. I was drawn to this book by the look on her face on the cover artwork. To me the look in her eyes was a glare as if to say "I dare you to guess how old I am and all that I've seen." The story places her in the position of mentor for the spiritual newbie Watanuki Kimihiro, a guy who seems to be carrying a cursed ability to see spirits.

While there doesn't seem to be any single cohesive story yet, the random encounters and episodal nature still pulls me in to the characters' lives. Many scenes play out as an educational process for Watanuki. The events revolve around the spiritual nature of habits, desires, and the Yin-Yan nature of granting wishes. Many things that would appear iconographic or symbolic become incarnate and wield real power in the hands of Yuko.

I found the TsubasaRC crossover a little distracting to the flow of the story as it was presented a bit more abruptly than the other encounters. Then I decided to buy TsubasaRC vol-1 to see what was going on. I probably wouldn't have been interested in TRC otherwise. But by now, I've bit the baited hook. The combination of the parallel yet individual story lines, Japanese mysticism and an almost metaphysical nature with a twist of String Theory makes XXXHolic my new addiction.

Clamp does it again...

A great manga with humor but no set plot.

Watanuki Kimihiro has been haunted by ghosts and spirits all his life. While on a walk, he is pulled mysteriously to a strange house. There he meets a witch named Yuko. She says she can make his wish come true (make the ghosts and spirits leave him alone) if he gives up something of great value to her. And that is how Watanuki ends up working at Yuko's shop. Everything's normal for a while, people come in and get their wishes granted, or sometimes they get advice. It seems that Watanuki will be able to pay off his debt in no time... that is, until he gets an omen that speaks of people from another dimension coming to theirs and they actually do.

This series crosses-over with another series called Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE. This is a really good series so far, with lots of humor and all, but I do hope a plot appears soon.

*Sighs*

Clamp, Clamp, Clamp...when will we ever learn? If Clamp puts something out, we are bound to get addicted to it, are we not? We have Tsubasa, Magic Knight Rayearth, Card Captor Sakura...I have, sadly, got addicted to them all; if not the manga, then the anime. This new release is definately not and exception.

I am sure that you have already read the description above, and do not need another one, by now you just want to know if it is worth your money, right? I, for one, would say that it is a ten dollars well-spent, if you don't mind buying the next one, and the next one, and the next one...for that is what will happen. You will be so pleased with the first book, the graphics, and the storyline that you will have to keep buying the series. So, if you ONLY want to spend ten dollars, don't buy this book, because once you read it, you are hooked.

This series, as I am sure you have heard, ties in with Tsubasa (I enjoy Tsubasa more, simply because it revolves around Syaoran and Sakura). So, if you do intend to buy this book, you may want to check out Tsubasa also.

So, to finally answer your question: is this book worth my money!? My answer to you is this; if you enjoy beautiful artwork, quirky characters, and cross-over manga...then YES! YES! YES! This IS the book for you!

CLAMP never, ever ceases to amaze me. How they can just crank out these amazing books is just...amazing! And trust me, this book is no exception.

xxxHOLiC is a masterpiece. As you've probably already read, it's about a boy, Watanuki Kimihiro, who is haunted by ghosts and spirits. The beautiful witch Yuko says she'll get rid of them-for a price. So he becomes her servant/worker, and gets to see all of Yuko's crazy customers.

This is not like Cardcaptor Sakura, in that you can't just read the book and understand it. You'll have to read some things twice, and really think about some of the things before you get them. It's not a chore though, it's fun.

The art is absolutely stunning. It has a slightly gothic twist, which just makes it more interesting.

When I first read the summary of this book, I was a little put off, because frankly, I am a fan of girly mangas, so it didn't sound all that appealing. But I was so wrong. This is a book not to be missed.

One of the other cool things, is that if you're familiar with CLAMP's work, you'll notice a lot of little things throughtout the book from things like Cardcaptor Sakura, etc. It's fun to look for :D And this book crosses over with Tsubasa:RESERvoir Chronicle, which is CCS in an alternate dimension :D

Plus, Del Rey publishing has included these cool extras in the back of the book! All in all, xxxHOLiC is NOT TO BE MISSED!

Another one from the female gang of four known as Clamp. This time around though they actually have it tying into more than one title. XXXHolic is supposed to be a spinoff to another title from Clamp coming out at the same time called Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles where characters from other manga titles by Clamp are redone like from parallel universes. In fact, it's hinted that XXXHOlic exists within the same contiunity as the regular Cardcaptor Sakura, Tokyo Babylon, and X/1999 mangas.

The story here though is about Watanuki, a troubled young teenage boy who keeps seeing spirits and ghosts. After being chased by some pesky ones, he wanders into a strange looking curio shop. There, he meets Yuko, the owner who explains that she can grant wishes, but only for a price, usually something of great value to the customer. Watanuki takes it as being a joke, but Yuko knows he wants to be rid of his spiritual visions. So she makes a deal with him for him to work at the store in exchange for having his wish granted since he doesn't have anything of value to trade for.

After this, Watanuki accompanies Yuko out to see a client rid herself of her internet addiction. We learn more about how Yuko helps people with their problems, although she doesn't seem to use any magic in this case. However, her powers are revealed more when she recieves a visit from Syaoran and Sakura who both are from the world of the Clow.

This is where the worlds of XXXHolic and Tsubasa connect into a single story, although briefly. Yuko is known as the space-time witch who can help Syaoran in his quest to bring back all of Sakura's lost memories. These are dopplegangers of the regular Cardcaptors from another reality though. Yuko gives them one of two different versions of Makona who most would remember as the little rabbit creature from Magic Knight Rayearth. At that point, they go to another world along with two other travellers, and the XXXHolic storyline continues mostly on its own.

For most of the rest of the series, it deals with Watanuki learning more about Yuko and her childish helpers, Mary and Moru. While at the same time, he starts to realize the extent of his curse and what its powers might do for him.

XXXHolic can become a gothic moody manga at times, but is filled with the normal sort of funny moments that Clamp has as a hallmark for themselves.

How these ladies can keep cranking these books out like sausage without them feeling like they were cranked out like sausage is beyond me. Dont' struggle, just accept. This is another fabulous book.

This book is a collection of Twilight Zone style short stories, with our well-endowed witch Yuki and our petulant schoolboy Watanuki as our unifying characters.

For those of you new to CLAMP, let me take you through the CLAMP checklist: Beautiful artwork -- check. Beautiful costumes -- check. Interesting characters -- heh, an understatement. A moral lurking just at the edges of the plot -- check. A plot that takes at least two books to develop -- check (you were not in a hurry, I hope). A plot and/or characters that are ever so slightly...bent -- oh yeah.

Don't worry. If you read any of CLAMP's work fast enough and without any serious thought it won't ruffle your PG-13 sensibilities. It's just when you start to think about the issues that seemed like they were on the margins of the story that you realize what the story was *really* about.

Ant THAT, for me, is what makes CLAMP such a damn fine read.

xxxHolic didnt initially have much of an allure to me, as a more positive minded maho shoujo reader. However, once you pick it up, it's very hard to put down. The set up is as follows; Watanuki Kimihiro sees and is drawn to spirits around him, a fact that he gives him endless misery. One day on the street he is mysteriosly pulled to a "shop", which looks like an old Victorian manor, and into a conversation with it's unusual raven haired owner Yuko. Through a series of what she claims is preordained events, Watanuki enters a contract with her- she'll get rid of the spirits for a little help around the shop. Too bad he's working for a space time witch. What ensues is plenty of philosophy, demon exorcising and wish helping lightened by often humorous banter between the slightly sarcastic, uptight Watanuki and the dark, mysterious, melodramatic and slightly nutty Yuko. As other reviewers have mentioned, Tsubasa; Reservoir Chronicle characters make appearances just about every volume, and some of the events move between the two series and impact each manga's storyline. Hence, many will just have to pick up a copy of Tsubasa to get the other perspective. The art is dark and sensuous with a striking asian sensibilty and many references to the butterfly- arguably some of CLAMP's most lush and beautiful work. However, I would not recommend this series to those new to this genre, as the references to other works, manga, and japanese cultural nuances come thick and fast. Ideally you would have already read some of CLAMP's other works before diving in to xxxHolic, as Clampers will delight in the subtle and not so subtle references to series like Magic Knight Rayearth, Legal Drug- the boys get a cameo!-and most notably Cardcaptor Sakura. (Clow gets numerous references, as do things like Sakura's baton and even Kero!) Ultimately, a brilliant and dark edition to the genre that connects many of the pieces in the Clamp universe for loyal Clampers but is highly enjoyable for all.

Upon reading Tsubasa, I thought I'd dislike xxxHolic since they are supposed to be somewhat related but independent stories at the same time, plus they are both created by CLAMP.

I did not enjoy Tsubasa and decided to trade my copy in for xxxholic, and boy am I glad I did! This is a wonderfully witty manga. There are many things where you'll chuckle at, but other times, you'll gasp at how true to life some things Yuko says are.

Basically, this is about a boy named Watanuki who somehow ends up working for Yuko, a witch, but not quite willingly. Yuko runs a very unique "shop". I can't say much more about the story before I go and give away the plot. There are some cultural jokes and cameos from previous CLAMP work (when I say cameo, please take it lightly, i.e., the may show a photo of a previous character).

The artwork is very unique as well, and a little bit different from the usual CLAMP style.
Even if you did not like Tsubasa, it definitely does NOT mean you won't like xxxHolic.

I highly recommend this to anyone who prefers witty stories.

I have only been a medicore fan of CLAMP ever since I had first heard of them. That having been said, I was truly impressed with this manga. I was skeptical of anything with XXX in the front of it, however, the recomendations forced to me try reading it and i was not disappointed!
Yuko, the witch, is among my favorite female characters because she not only has a well-developed character but has a creepy, occult streak a mile long. The situations of Yuko's clients are common happening yet have a hauntingly true to life reasoning behind thier severity and how easily it is to fall into these "habits" as her clients did.
No action sceens, but they are not truly needed. And I am a great fan of action. It was so alluring, my thumb print is embeded in the pages i've read it so many times! Any fan of thought-provoking manga owes it to themselves to at least try this series.
The power of CLAMP compelles you!