xxxHOLiC

xxxHOLiC was one of the first manga that I ever read and it's probably one of the longest running manga series that I've ever finished. However, despite my nostalgia for it, my enjoyment while reading it was very mixed. xxxHOLiC wavers from being moderately enjoyable, to absolutely awesome, and finally to downright boring. xxxHOLiC can be split into 3-4 parts. First, xxxHOLiC reads like a supernatural mystery-of-the-week. These sections were fairly interesting and I know I loved certain specific chapters, but for supernatural mini-stories tangentially connected by the protagonist I'd rather read something like Nightmare Inspector which has a more serious tone than xxxHOLiC. Thenthe series skips to a very emotionally charged exploration of the main characters, making them feel more human and tightening their relationships. This to me was the pinnacle of the series because, before this, there really was no reason to care about these characters before because they were so flat and they couldn't be called much more than stereotypes; spastic weirdo, silent manly hero guy, love interest, sexy boss lady. They developed sympathetic characters traits and I found myself suddenly caring whether or not one of the main cast got hurt or not. The next 'part' of the series is actually an ongoing theme that the series includes, and it grinds the story to a screeching halt. It is one of the things about this series that the majority of the fans hate, and with good reason. The series tries to increasingly tie itself to Tsubasa, and it is very forced and it provides ....... little to nothing of value to the universe of xxxHOLiC. It's during these sequences that you have to force yourself to read these very long-winded boring sequences of Yuuko explaining to us how the two stories are 'connected.' Except... it's not all that connected. All of this can be easily removed and none of is actually has is direct or important influence on the main story of xxxHOLiC. As for the home stretch of the series, it makes a jarring return to the mystery-of-the-week format. It's obvious that the author started to see this series as a burden. There are a lot of pointless time-skips, and its the most jarring with the major ten-year time skip. Some main characters are forgotten and don't even show up for the last chapters. One character in particular gets so lazily written-out of the series that it was shocking. And, in the end the series goes out with a whimper. No fanfare, no emotional intensity, just a lot of mundane talking in a very repetitious sequence. CLAMP's long-limbed characters are often the subject of much ridicule but I have to say that some of the designs, especially Yuuko's outfits and the chapter title cards, are lavish and quite pretty. The style of all the butterfly imagery to the simple flowing of smoke from a pipe is great eye-candy. That being said, panels can be lazily drawn like giving two-page spreads to pages full of black ink and/or a simplistic character portrait (especially near the end.) I do recommend this manga... but only the middle portion of it. Don't bother reading the ending, and (only if you have time to kill) read the beginning.

I get very tired of CLAMP. All of their offerings feel the same; insipid, juvenile and tedious. Perfect fare for a toddler, but rather boring for an adult and as I've gotten older, I find myself disliking their works more and more. xxxHolic has a little bit more of an interesting feel, but the male characters don't act like men and the enigmatic female makes me want to slap her. Like other Clamp offerings, you never really learn what is going on in the story - you never really learn who the characters really are and why they are doing what theyare doing. For a while, that sort of story telling seems like the author is being mysterious, but by the end of the series, I was convinced they wrote like that way because THEY didn't know what was going on in their story either. Perhaps the story is quirky and odd enough someone would like it, but I didn't much like the stretched out art, the strange relationship with the wishy washy lead and his terse companion whom he seems to hate but who keeps saving him. The relationships all seem hard to believe, stilted and strained - as if the authors don't have much experience with relationships in real life and so don't know how to write or draw them. Of all the Clamp offerings I've suffered through this was possibly the least painful, but in retrospect, it's just so not worth wasting time reading or watching.

xxxHOLiC is, to this day, one of my favorites. I'm hesitant to rate it a 10, but I believe it deserves to have the highest rating possible. Story: The majority of the chapters of xxxHOLiC are contained in their own story, but all contribute to the reader's understanding of the characters and what may be unfolding around them. While sometimes this can bring down the story, overall it doesn't harm it as even things that appear to have no influence on the important events do help develop the characters in outstanding ways. Occasionally it may feel as if the short stories do drag the entire thing ontoo long, however, but the pace improves in the later chapters and saves itself from becoming too dull (though the short stories are, for the most part, rather interesting). It is worth stating, however, that the segments where TRC plays an important role feel out-of-place and shoehorned. They really shouldn't have been in this manga, or at least have been made to actually work with it instead of being forced in such a way. *Note: xxxHOLiC's events and a few of its characters have very close relations to other works by Clamp, most notably Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, but one does not need to read these to understand the story. However, they are likely to give one a much better understanding of the universe surrounding this manga, so I recommend it. Characters: There is no long list of characters to consider in this, as xxxHOLiC focuses entirely on the plights of the four main characters. While they are quite one-dimensional in the beginning, they gradually get developed and grow, just as they should. The relationships especially get fleshed out and complicated ties are established between each character. By the end, no character is left undeveloped. Despite this, I do have my grievances. The most prominent one is one other main character, seperate from the main four that consistently appear throughout the story, who appears in the later chapters. She does get to be quite important, but is phased out nearly right after she's established as a prominent character. She becomes a mere blip on the radar, and that is an issue that's never dealt with. Art: The art for xxxHOLiC is unconventional and stunning, in my opinion. Even the panelwork is great, and creates a wonderful balance page to page. While it may look odd in some scenes, mostly due to the appearance of the characters, its actually rather easy to get used to and becomes a pleasure to look at. I wouldn't compare it to artwork from other manga due to just how unconventional it is, but it shows great improvement from Clamp's absurdly proportioned characters in the early days. xxxHOLiC is commonly said to be Clamp's masterpiece, or at least one of them, and I agree. It was a memorable ride, and a beauty to behold. Definitely worth reading despite its length.

This manga is so completely my cup of tea that I probably can't help but be a little biased in it's favor, but even so it's definitely something everyone should at least try reading. There are two things about xxxHolic that make it special, that make it stand out in my memory and have it latched permanently into my imagination. First, it's sad. I don't mean it's melodramatic and fraught with character deaths, its just has that perfectly melancholy tone. The enjoyable kind of sad you feel when you stare out your window on rainy days or when you remember happy times gone by. Noteverything has to be grimdark to make you contemplate the tragedies of life or question the meaning of existence. Second is the stunning imagery. The story and characters are all interesting and well developed, but this manga would not even be half as good if it wasn't supported by CLAMP's beautiful art and haunting imagery. I'll just list a few of the most memorable- A sprawling red hydrangea bush whispering it's dark hidden secrets into the air. A pocket world of giant daffodils inside a well. A procession of yokai winding through the night like a river as they carry their lanterns to a great magical tree glowing in the distance. Walking down a dark street alone at night, passing a strange man with an umbrella...again, and again... and again. A boy opening a strange shop door to find a lounging woman, covered in her long black tresses and wreathed by smoke from her delicate pipe, smiling an enigmatic, slightly wicked, and slightly sad smile. In other words, if you love the mysterious, the strange, and the darker side of fantasy you can't do better than this. Add to that great characters that change and grow over the course of the story, an ending that will break your heart, and interesting tie ins to another great manga and why aren't you reading it? Go read it!