xxxHolic review

[Gopherfanman]

This is a review of the anime xxxHolic. CLAMP intended this and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles to have intertwining story lines, however the rights to each manga were bought by separate animation studio. As a result, all of the Tsubasa references in the anime were left out entirely. This hurts the anime, but it is still good in many ways.

Story/Plot
6.5/10
xxxHolic is about a boy named Kimihiru Watanuki who is able to see demons and spirits. They swarm him whenever he goes outside and cause him all kinds of trouble, however he eventually stumbles into the shop of the Dimensional Witch, Yuko Ichihara. She operates and store that grants wishes, but the cost is always a trade off of equal proportion. Watanuki asks her to make the spirits leave him alone and he ends up working for her part time to pay for it. Gradually, he and two of his friends start learning more and more about the true nature of the world. As I said, the anime plot suffers compared to the manga, but the main themes of the story are the same. There is no real end or climax to the anime, which is disappointing and somewhat of a turnoff.

Characters
8/10
There are very few recurring characters really, and among those there are typical annoying traits. Especially Watanuki. He has really exaggerated reactions far too often that are meant to be funny, but are too predictable. He has a secret love for his friend Himawari but never does anything about it, and feuds with his friend Domeki, who is the stoic and cool type, kind of like a Naruto/Sasuke relationship. However, it eventually becomes apparent that he and Domeki have a truly strong bond, as they continue to help each other out of jams. Himawari is the typical cute girl/friend and almost seems to play Domeki and Watanuki against each other, but later reveals a dark secret about herself. Meanwhile, the witch Yuko plays the role of mentor, tormentor and lazy drunk. Her history is a big mystery, but she is never wrong and basically all knowing. Other characters pop up, but are usually magical creatures like rain sprites, talking foxes, ect.

Animation
8/10
Truthfully, there is nothing earth shattering about the animation quality. However, it certainly has its own style. It really lends itself to the mystical characters as well as the darker aspects of the anime. The animation style probably isn't for everyone. There really isn't much action in xxxHolic either.

Overall
7/10
The best part about xxxHolic is definitely the characters growth and maturation as they deal with problems related somehow to magic. They make sacrifices for each other and learn to accept help as well. The world of fantasy is really interesting and I really liked the way it intersects the life of Watanuki. It could have been better if it followed the manga more closely, but it remains a good show nonetheless.

[VivisQueen]

Hmmmm. Quite a descriptive rather than informative review; you spend a lot of time saying what happens rather than whether you liked it or not and why. Of the entire thing, I liked your 'Overall' paragraph the most because it is a fairly decent summary of the series' qualities.

Haven't seen xxxHolic personally, but it doesn't sound like something I'd go for anyway.

[Gopherfanman]

Thanks for the critique. That's my first shot at a real review.

[VivisQueen]

Well, write more. The more you write, the better you'll get. Good luck to ya. :)